Green Lantern First Appearance: Origin Comic and Key Issue

Green Lantern has two founding origins that every serious collector should know. In July 1940, All-American Comics #16 introduced Alan Scott, an engineer who discovers a green magic lantern that gives him extraordinary powers. Then, in October 1959, Showcase #22 completely reinvented the concept: Hal Jordan became the first cosmic Green Lantern, member of an intergalactic corps of space police. Two radically different visions, two major key issues.

All-American Comics #16 is an extremely rare Golden Age Grail. Showcase #22 represents one of the pillars of the Silver Age, inseparable from the DC revival alongside Showcase #4 (Flash). For the collector, these two issues offer complementary investment profiles: ultra-rare and stable for the Golden Age, more accessible but volatile for the Silver Age.

Publication context: All-American Comics #16 (1940)

All-American Publications, led by Max Gaines (future founder of EC Comics), was looking for a new hero to rival the successes of Superman and Batman. Bill Finger, co-creator of Batman, writes the origin of Alan Scott while Martin Nodell draws a hero inspired by the green traffic light of the New York subway and Aladdin's lantern. The concept combines oriental magic and urban adventure — a unique blend for the time.

Publication context: Showcase #22 (1959)

After the success of Flash in Showcase #4, Julius Schwartz applied the same formula to Green Lantern. John Broome reinvents the character by abandoning magic in favor of science fiction: Hal Jordan, test pilot, receives a power ring from a dying alien, Abin Sur. Gil Kane creates a clean design – green and black suit, domino mask – which remains iconic sixty-five years later. Commercial success confirms the viability of the Silver Age.

The creators

Bill Finger (writer of All-American #16) is one of the unsung geniuses of the Golden Age, co-creator of Batman whose contribution was only officially recognized in 2015. Martin Nodell drew Alan Scott throughout the Golden Age. For Showcase #22, John Broome brings a remarkable sense of world-building, and Gil Kane revolutionizes dynamic layout — his angular compositions and bold foreshortenings will influence an entire generation of artists.

Description of the covers

All-American Comics #16 features Green Lantern in action, projecting a green ray from his lantern against thugs. The composition is typically Golden Age: dynamic, colorful, narrative. Showcase #22 shows Hal Jordan in flight, ring in hand, in a modernist design characteristic of the late 1950s. Both covers are considered absolute classics of their respective eras.

CGC Census and rarity

All-American Comics #16: approximately 300 copies at the Census CGC. The highest grade is 9.4 (a unique copy). Less than 10 copies exceed 7.0. Showcase #22: approximately 1,100 certified copies. The highest grade is 9.6 (very rare). In 9.0+, less than 30 copies exist. Poor quality paper from the 1950s makes high grades especially rare for Showcase #22.

Value by grade

Showcase #22 (Hal Jordan)

All-American Comics #16 (Alan Scott)

Price History and Trends

All-American Comics #16 in CGC 9.4 reached $480,000 at Heritage in 2020 — a record for this title. Showcase #22 followed a similar trajectory to other Showcase keys, with a peak in 2021-2022 then a slight correction. The 2011 Green Lantern film did not have the desired effect on prices (critical failure), but DC Studios projects periodically reignite interest. The Golden Age market remains structurally strong thanks to scarcity.

Points of vigilance when purchasing

For All-American Comics #16, extreme rarity requires maximum vigilance: documented provenance mandatory, systematic Census verification. False slabs exist for this title. For Showcase #22, the recurring problem is Marvel Chipping (irony for a DC title) — the cover edges are often chipped. Also watch out for examples with severe spine roll which sometimes appear in photos but are visible on the CGC label. Favor Universal blue labels.