As the holidays arrive and the year comes to a close, we thought we’d take a look back at 2013 and commemorate some of the moments that really stood out in the world of DC Entertainment in a two-week DCComics.com series we’re calling “Ten Moments that Mattered.” Some of these moments were happy. Some were sad. They played out in the pages of our comics, on the big and small screen and in the halls of our office. However, all of them made a profound difference in the world of DC Comics and in the hearts and minds of our fans. 2013 was a big year for us, but even in a big year, not all moments are created equal. Here are ten that mattered…

Over the course of 100 issues and nearly ten years, Geoff Johns reshaped and reinvigorated one of DC Comics’ core characters, taking Green Lantern Hal Jordan and the rest of the Green Lantern Corps to unprecedented new levels of popularity while expanding the Green Lantern universe exponentially. In the process, he built Green Lantern into a bonafide science fiction epic by establishing a full color spectrum of Lantern Corps and creating a roster of new characters to populate them. The fact that many of them—Saint Walker, Atrocitus and Larfleeze, just to name a handful—went on to become favorites among DC Comics fans, is really just icing on the cake.

Therefore, when Johns announced in February that he’d be leaving the series with Green Lantern #20, it’s hardly surprising that the industry responded with the comic book equivalent of a standing ovation. Eighteen artists contributed to Johns’ extra-sized final issue, while many more provided words of fond farewell. As for the issue itself, it was a rousing conclusion to his final storyline. But for fans who’d been along for the ride, nothing spoke louder than Johns’ touching epilogue to the issue, which nodded to all of the current Green Lanterns and existing Lantern Corps and offered hope that even the most sinister characters could be redeemed.

The entire final saga, including issue #20, has been collected in Green Lantern v. 3: The End. Or if you just want to read Johns’ swan song, you can download Green Lantern #20 here.

Be sure to check DCComics.com again tomorrow for another moment that mattered in 2013.