Green Lantern Silver Age key issues: the real collector grails

Green Lantern is a unique case in DC history: two entirely distinct characters have carried the ring, separated by a full generation. Alan Scott, the Golden Age Green Lantern, appeared in 1940 in All-American Comics #16 — his powers are magical, with no connection to the Guardians of the Universe. Hal Jordan, the Silver Age Green Lantern, is a complete reimagining: a test pilot selected by the dying alien Abin Sur's ring, he inaugurated in 1959 a science-fiction overhaul of the character by writer John Broome and artist Gil Kane under editor Julius Schwartz. It is that reinvention that Silver Age collectors prize, with Showcase #22 at the top of the list.

This guide sticks to the verifiable: eBay data from our estimator (eBay.fr + eBay.com, June 2026) and records documented by Heritage Auctions and specialist sources. Important caveat: eBay medians for the green-lantern vol.2 series blend all grades and all printings — they reflect mostly low-grade copies and are not a reliable price reference for mid- or high-grade key issues. For Showcase #22, the series is indexed separately and our tool returns no usable median.

Green Lantern Silver Age key issue ranking (real values, June 2026)

For Showcase #22, only auction records are meaningful: the issue is too scarce on eBay to produce a reliable median. For Green Lantern vol.2 issues, our estimator returns medians across significant listing volumes (66 to 98 listings), but these figures are blended all-grades medians — dominated by low-grade copies — and do not reflect the value of CGC mid-grade or high-grade copies.

Record sources: Heritage Auctions, sellmycomicbooks.com, GoCollect.

Showcase #22 (1959): the birth of Hal Jordan

Published in October 1959, Showcase #22 reinvents Green Lantern from the ground up. Writer John Broome and artist Gil Kane, guided by editor Julius Schwartz, replace the Golden Age magic with rigorous science fiction: Hal Jordan, a test pilot for Ferris Aircraft, is chosen by the ring of the dying alien Abin Sur to join the Green Lantern Corps, an intergalactic police force supervised by the Guardians of the Universe. The issue belongs to the same editorial programme as Showcase #4 (Flash, 1956): Julius Schwartz was methodically reinventing each Golden Age hero in a scientific, modern idiom. The solo Green Lantern series launched the following year as vol.2 #1 (1960).

On the market, Showcase #22 ranks among the premier Silver Age DC grails. Our eBay estimator does not index this issue under the green-lantern series and returns no usable median. Documented sales: a CGC 9.2 — the highest grade on record in the CGC census — sold for $105,000 in 2021; a CGC 7.0 realised $15,000 in 2024. In low grade (CGC 2.0–4.0), copies circulate for a few thousand dollars. A CGC 0.5 reached $1,200 in 2024, confirming collector appetite even at entry level.

Green Lantern vol.2 #1 (1960): the solo series begins

On the strength of Showcase #22 (and the two follow-up tryout issues, #23 and #24), DC launched the ongoing Green Lantern vol.2 series in 1960, again by John Broome and Gil Kane. Issue #1 deepens Hal Jordan's world: the Guardians of the Universe, the ring's 24-hour charge limit, the power battery — all the foundational elements are set. A CGC 9.0 copy realised $56,333 at Heritage Auctions in 2019. Our eBay estimator returns a median of €8 across 40 listings — a figure too dominated by low-grade copies to serve as a meaningful price reference for this key.

Green Lantern #40 (1965): Krona and the origin of the Guardians

Published in October 1965, Green Lantern vol.2 #40 is a major conceptual key. John Broome and Gil Kane introduce Krona, a renegade Guardian whose obsessive attempt to witness the birth of the universe triggers a cosmic catastrophe — the foundational myth of the Guardians of the Universe. The issue also contains the first Silver Age meeting between Hal Jordan and Alan Scott (the Golden Age Green Lantern), which reinforced DC's developing multiverse concept. Our eBay estimator returns a median of €9 across 98 listings — again an all-grades blended figure. The documented high-grade record reaches approximately $5,200.

Green Lantern #76 and #87: Bronze Age firsts

Green Lantern vol.2 #76 (April 1970) marks an editorial turning point: Denny O'Neil (writer) and Neal Adams (artist) took over the series and grounded it in the social realities of the United States — poverty, racism, pollution, drugs. Neal Adams's iconic cover, in which Green Arrow confronts Hal Jordan about his indifference to human inequality, is one of the most reproduced images in comics history. The GL/Green Arrow run, lasting through issue #89, permanently elevated Green Lantern's cultural standing. Our eBay estimator returns a median of €9 across 69 listings; the documented high-grade record reaches approximately $31,810.

Green Lantern vol.2 #87 (December 1971 / January 1972), also by O'Neil and Adams, introduces John Stewart — an African-American architect designated as Hal Jordan's replacement, a deliberate statement of diversity that resonates strongly today. The issue also contains the first cameo appearance of Guy Gardner. Our eBay estimator returns a median of €9 across 66 listings; the documented high-grade record reaches approximately $10,500 (Heritage Jan. 2025). Since the announcement of the HBO series Lanterns — starring Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre as John Stewart, premiering 16 August 2026 — collector interest in these Bronze Age keys has grown noticeably.