As a famous frog once said, it’s not easy being green. This is especially true if you're a member of the fabled Green Lantern Corps, but it sure is fun experiencing their legendary adventures! This month, two of the Corps’ most fabled members will hit TV via HBO Max’s long-awaited Lanterns. But before you thrill to John Stewart and Hal Jordan on screen, you might want to take in some of their most important comic storylines. Here are five comics to read before watching Lanterns…
 

Hard-Traveling Heroes

Lanterns sees John Stewart and Hal Jordan hitting the backroads of America as they uncover a mystery with extraterrestrial ties. The first time Hal discovered America from its freeways was in the famous “Hard-Traveling Heroes,” a much-celebrated run of stories by socially conscious writer Denis O’Neil and draftsman supreme Neal Adams. Here, Hal teams up with Oliver Queen (aka Green Arrow), but the duo’s prickly relationship looks to be mirrored in the new show’s character dynamic. Best of all, it features the first appearance and origin of John Stewart, in Green Lantern #87. 
 

Cosmic Odyssey

Green Lantern John Stewart gets the spotlight in Cosmic Odyssey, an epic space saga written by Thanos creator Jim Starlin and illustrated by a young Mike Mignola (of Hellboy fame). The artistic team is peerless, the roster of DC heroes and villains is first-rate, and the story’s stakes are as infinite as the cosmos itself. And yet, it all fits neatly within four tight issues.
 

DC: The New Frontier

DC: The New Frontier is a fantastic, alt-history origin for not only the Justice League, but Hal Jordan himself. The late great Darwyn Cooke writes and illustrates this Cold War tale, which explores Hal’s code of ethics and reexamines what it means to be fearless in a world strangled by fear. The six-issue series, which inspired a popular DC animated movie, offers one of the most compelling and well-realized Green Lanterns ever brought to the page and is one of DC’s very best comics.
 

Green Lantern: Rebirth

In the 1990s, Hal Jordan saw his hometown of Coast City destroyed and went mad, becoming the villainous Parallax (in Emerald Twilight)…or so readers thought. Writer Geoff Johns’ 2004 limited series Green Lantern: Rebirth gives Hal his redemption as it reveals he was in fact possessed by a cosmic entity, thus clearing the board for the many memorable Green Lantern adventures Johns wrote in its wake. If you have any interest in reading those, many of which are considered some of the finest Green Lantern comics out there, this is where to start.
 

Green Lantern: Secret Origin

Speaking of Johns, for Hal Jordan’s definitive Modern Age origin story, look no further than his 2008 storyline, Green Lantern: Secret Origin. This tale gives Hal a rich backstory and reveals the complex family history that informed his career as a Lantern. But lest you think we’re ignoring our other core character, John Stewart’s compelling Modern Age origin (“The Architect”), which explains his relationship with the fearsome Manhunters (another part of Lanterns), can be found in Secret Origins #9. It’s also a part of the compendium, Green Lantern: John Stewart – A Celebration of 50 Years.

Lanterns, starring Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre, debuts this Sunday at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and HBO Max.

Joseph McCabe writes about comics, film and superhero history for DC.com. Follow him on Instagram at @joe_mccabe_editor.

NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in this feature are solely those of Joseph McCabe and do not necessarily reflect those of DC or Warner Bros. Discovery, nor should they be read as confirmation or denial of future DC plans.