Lanterns by The Upstairs Lounge
Aug 29, 2026 · 17 min · 9 segments
What is Hal Jordan really trying to teach John Stewart, and why does this Green Lantern apprenticeship seem so different from the usual rules of the Corps? In this episode, I take a deep dive into…
Before any of that, though, Hal creates $20.
He can reproduce a banknote accurately enough to fool a machine designed, I assume, to check authenticity, pauses to admire his handiwork, and then spends it on repeatedly playing Melanie's brand new key.
John immediately asks whether he has just used one of the most powerful weapons in existence to counterfeit money.
Hal insists that he has merely manifested money through willpower, a distinction I would be fascinated to hear him explain to the Treasury.
John's objection is partly what happened earlier.
Hal could apparently manifest perfect currency for a jukebox but could not manifest a large green net to stop the alien John had to chase through the local school.
Hal's answer gives us the cleanest statement yet of what he thinks Green Lantern training is actually about.
The ring is a dangerous weapon and knowing when and if to use it is the whole ball game.
The rest of this scene is designed to stop us from interpreting that as a simple rule about only using it for serious things.
Catching a fleeing alien is serious, and Hal deliberately does not use it.
Creating $20 to torment some men playing pool looks frivolous, but it serves a purpose.
When those men finally attack him, self-defense would seem like one of the least controversial reasons imaginable to use the ring, so Hal takes it off before the fight even begins.
The question is not whether the situation looks important enough to justify Green Lantern power, the question is whether using that power will actually help.
Before any of that, though, Hal creates $20.
He can reproduce a banknote accurately enough to fool a machine designed, I assume, to check authenticity, pauses to admire his handiwork, and then spends it on repeatedly playing Melanie's brand new key.
John immediately asks whether he has just used one of the most powerful weapons in existence to counterfeit money.
Hal insists that he has merely manifested money through willpower, a distinction I would be fascinated to hear him explain to the Treasury.
John's objection is partly what happened earlier.
Hal could apparently manifest perfect currency for a jukebox but could not manifest a large green net to stop the alien John had to chase through the local school.
Hal's answer gives us the cleanest statement yet of what he thinks Green Lantern training is actually about.
The ring is a dangerous weapon and knowing when and if to use it is the whole ball game.
The rest of this scene is designed to stop us from interpreting that as a simple rule about only using it for serious things.
Catching a fleeing alien is serious, and Hal deliberately does not use it.
Creating $20 to torment some men playing pool looks frivolous, but it serves a purpose.
When those men finally attack him, self-defense would seem like one of the least controversial reasons imaginable to use the ring, so Hal takes it off before the fight even begins.
The question is not whether the situation looks important enough to justify Green Lantern power, the question is whether using that power will actually help.
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