Editor’s Note: This issue takes place after Green Lantern’s involvement with the Justice League.

“Help!” a little girl’s voice shouted as the Green Lantern flew over the neighborhood. He was starting to get used to his new powers, even though he had no idea where they had come from, or what the ring’s limits were.

Looking down, he saw a child standing under a tree. Up in the branches was a small kitten that had become stuck. It wasn’t exactly a huge emergency like saving the world, but every little thing counted when you had a huge responsibility handed to you.

Holding out his hand, a large green claw sprung up, like the ones in the toy machines at a video arcade. He manoeuvred the claw carefully, dropping it down into the tree. Seconds later, he gently plucked the kitten up as he floated toward the ground.

“I was always great at this game,” Green Lantern said as he delivered the kitten into the little girl’s arms. “There you go, kid, no thanks are necessary-“

“You’re not Superman!” the little girl shouted as she kicked the hero in the shin.

BORN ON A MONDAY

Part I

By Tobias Christopher

Later that afternoon

A thunder-storm had started as Terry saw the rain fall while he looked outside of Kyle’s kitchen window. He was trying to convince Kyle to expand his horizons now that he had a powerful weapon sitting on his finger.

“Okay, first of all no… NO,” said Kyle as dug through the fridge to find something to eat. “I work alone for the time being. And secondly, working with those other guys just made me feel a bit useless. I’m not ready just yet. Why would I want to join them again anyway?”

“It’d be street cred,” Terry told him as he handed Kyle a print out. “Look, while doing online research about this entire surge in the superhero population, I found this forum…”

Kyle took the paper and looked at it. “I don’t know, Terry, I’m still learning how to use the ring and- wait, you didn’t talk to anyone on this forum, did you?”

“Well,” Terry said as he shifted his eyes uncomfortably. “I struck up a conversation with one kid who didn’t have powers, but designed his own costume. Kid Satan or Kid Lucifer or something or other, I don’t remember. Don’t worry; I didn’t talk to anyone about you.”

“Good,” Kyle told him as he finally found a half-eaten moonpie from a few weeks ago. He shrugged it off and took a bite out of it. “I’ve really got to go grocery shopping. And I’ll think about this. I’m just not sure I’m ready to join up with any super powered groups yet. I got lucky against Obsidian and that demon thing, who knows what’ll happen with the next super powered freak I fight?”

In a swamp just outside the town, the wind from the storm was rustling through the trees, creating an eerie feel around the swamp. No one ever wandered there as there had been folklore about monsters and people disappearing upon entering the secluded area. The swamp had also been a dumping ground in the 1970’s for industrial waste before the company doing the dumping had been discovered and shut down.

A lightning bolt struck the water in the swamp, causing the water to briefly glow due to the decade old chemicals. After things had calmed down and the storm eventually passed, a large, chalky white hand burst up through the water.

Kyle was tossing and turning in his bed, wearing the Green Lantern ring that he’d received just a few weeks earlier. He normally took it off before he went to bed, but tonight was too tired in his job search, and removing the ring before he fell asleep had slipped his mind.

Kyle still wasn’t entirely sure how it worked, or even where the ring’s energy was coming from. All Kyle knew was that a dying alien had given the ring to him, and now he had a responsibility to use the ring to help others.

As Kyle continued to toss and turn, the ring on his finger started glowing; now having access to Kyle’s subconscious as he slept.

A large, hulking monster stood on the edge of the swamp, staring into the wooded area before him. His skin was chalk white, as was his hair. The monster was wearing a well-tailored suit that was several sizes too small for him.

He had no idea who he was, or what he was doing there. All he felt was rage, and wanted to take it out on whatever crossed his path. As he slowly started moving forward, he saw a small rabbit sitting there, just watching him. The monster reached down and picked the rabbit up, slowly stroking him. Even though he didn’t know what this tiny creature was, it somehow made him feel calmer.

A grotesque smile crossed his lips as his rage started subsiding. But that was before a large hawk swooped down, grabbing the rabbit out of the monster’s hand, carrying the rabbit off to its death. The monster stood there, unmoving for a few seconds before a loud roar shook the wooded area.

“I’m glad you decided to meet me this late,” Marvin Harris said as he sat across from Terry at the small cafe. “I wasn’t sure if you’d show.”

“Marvin, stop doing this,” Terry laughed. “Let’s stop beating around the bush here. I like you and you like me. We’ve been dating with no commitment whatsoever for over a year. I’m tired of sneaking around when we should be out there showing the world who we are. So why don’t we stop the bullshit and just make this-“

“I’m seeing someone else,” Marvin told him quickly. “I’m sorry, Terry. I really do like you, and I wouldn’t trade our time together for anything, but- you’re out to the world. I’m not. And this guy I’ve been seeing, he’s just like me. He’s not out, either, and he’s happy with keeping our private lives private. Besides, I just joined the police force, and–”

“You don’t want anyone on the force to know,” Terry told him. “Marvin, I care about you. Next to Kyle, you’re my closest friend. If you want to stay in the shadows, fine, but–”

“I’m sorry, Terry, I can’t do this anymore,” Marvin said as he set some money on the table. “I hope you find a guy who treats you right and makes you happy, but I can’t be that person.”

“Marvin, wait!” Terry said as he watched Marvin walk out of the café, and out of his life. Marvin wanted to turn back around and tell Terry that it was a lie. He’d fallen for Terry and fallen for him hard. There was no other person in his life, and it definitely wasn’t about staying in the closet, Marvin had wanted to come out. No, to save the only other person in his life that he gave a damn about, Marvin had to cut him loose.

Kyle felt a chill running over his body and reached for the blanket to pull over his body, but found nothing there. He didn’t even feel the pillow under his head as he opened his eyes. Kyle quickly sat up, finding himself in the field where he’d met the dying alien who had given him the power ring.

“What the hell am I doing here?” Kyle asked as he stood up, seeing his was standing there in just a pair of pyjama pants. Holding up his ring, his body was quickly covered up with his Green Lantern uniform. Walking forward to the crater where the alien D’a Nimal had crashed, all he found was dirt and ash. Kyle kneeled down and looked into the crater before looking at the ring on his finger. “Why did you bring me back here?”

Kyle held out his ring, which started shining a light over the crater. As he moved the light forward, he uncovered something that wasn’t there before the light hit it. Jumping into the crater, Kyle created several small gnomes who began digging with their shovels. After a few minutes, the gnomes pulled out a large emerald lantern.

“What is this for?” Kyle asked as he looked at his ring. Letting his subconscious take over, Kyle put the ring into the lantern as it started glowing.

The monster was heading into town, stomping as he went, not caring what he stepped on.

“Hey, pal, nice suit!” a man on the street laughed as he stopped to look at the monster. “Where’d you get it, the ‘Big, Tall & Ugly‘ store?”

“Solomon, leave the guy alone,” his buddy told him. “He looks dangerous.”

“Shut-up, Grundy! I do whatever I want!”

“Solomon Grundy,” the monster repeated, liking the sound of the name. The monster groaned as the man laughed at him. Solomon Grundy reached forward and grabbed the man’s head, turning it around completely on his shoulders before heading forward into the town.

Kyle was flying home when he saw Terry on the front porch of his house. He landed and sat down next to his best friend. Terry didn’t have to say a word. Kyle could see everything on his face. The Green Lantern costume morphed into a green t-shirt and pants as he sat there, just trying to find something to say.

“Want to talk about it?” asked Kyle, putting an arm around Terry’s shoulder.

“Marvin dumped me,” Terry told him. “He’s seeing someone else.”

“I’m sorry, bro,” Kyle said as he let Terry rest his head on his shoulder. “You’ll find another guy, though.”

“I don’t want another guy, I want him,” Terry replied.

“I know two guys that could change that opinion. Ben & Jerry are always there to cheer you up,” Kyle told him with a laugh.

“You’re horrible,” Terry said as he poked Kyle in the ribs. “What are you doing out this late?”

“The ring decided to take me out for a midnight ride,” Kyle replied as he held the lantern out. “The ring led me to it. Apparently this lantern recharges the ring when it’s running low.”

“And how long does the ring have before it needs to be recharged,” asked Terry.

“I can use the ring 72 hours straight before the ring needs to be recharged, and I have no idea how I know that,” Kyle said as he saw Terry starting to yawn. “Come on, let’s get you up to bed. We’ll talk about this more tomorrow.”

Solomon Grundy had arrived in town, growling with anger, just waiting for something- anything to set him off. Since it was after midnight, the streets were all but deserted except for a stray car. It was headed directly for the monster that simply stood in the middle of the road. The car honked loudly as Grundy remained unmoving. The car swerved to avoid the thing that was blocking the road, hitting a street light.

The monster walked toward the crashed car, seeing the two people inside climbing out. They were injured, but still able to walk. Just as they got out, Grundy grabbed the car and flung it as far as he could.

“Dude, what the hell?” asked the driver of the car. “You’re going to pay for that!”

The driver punched Grundy, doing no damage whatsoever, only serving to make the monster mad. The monster roared at the driver, knocking him onto his back as a police car was on its way, responding to an OnStar call from the crashed car.

“What the hell is that?” asked the officer behind the wheel.

“I have no idea,” Marvin replied as the car got closer. “But I think we might need backup.”

Kyle and Terry got up to his bedroom as Kyle turned on the light, seeing a poster of Superman on the wall. “Superman? Isn’t that where you used to have that of poster of Zac Efron that you’d–” Kyle thought about it for a minute before he looked at Terry, who gave an innocent look. “DUDE! What happens when I meet that guy again? I’ll never be able to look him in the eye!”

“Relax, Kyle, I’ve never done anything to that poster,” Terry told him as he walked into the bathroom to get ready for bed. “Now, a poster of this Flash guy running around Central Cit–”

“Enough,” Kyle said as he covered his ears, not wanting to hear anymore. “I’m heading home to bleach my brain. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“Kyle, wait!” Terry said as he rushed out of the bathroom, wearing a pair of Superman boxer shorts.

“Are those–”

“I bought everything I could find with the man’s logo, so shut-up,” Terry said as he dug into his nightstand and handed Kyle a card. “Feast Magazine’s got a lot of business connections. Call this number and they might be able to hook you up with a job.”

“Thanks,” Kyle replied as he headed for the door. “Goodnight, Terry.”

Green Lantern was flying home when all of a sudden a flying police car nearly knocked him out of the sky.

“That’s odd, the police cars don’t normally migrate until spring,” Green Lantern said as a large green hand shot out of the ring, catching the police car in mid-air. He set it down on the ground as he heard the sounds of gunfire.

Flying toward the sound of the disturbance, he found the police and Solomon Grundy in a standoff. Green Lantern sighed as he landed in-between them.

“Alright, guys, you can stand down now,” Green Lantern said, looking at the police. He turned around and looked up at the hulking monster standing in front of him. “This is a bit above your pay grade. Just leave this to-“

Before Green Lantern could finish his thoughts, Grundy’s fists came down on top of him, pounding the hero into the pavement.

TO BE CONTINUED…