Now we all know that Superman is way more powerful than Green Lantern. He is basically invulnerable, has the infinite power of the sun and can move faster than anyone can think. We also know from Superman: Red Son that all he has to do is snatch that ring right off Green Lantern’s finger using super-speed and it’s game over. The idea of them battling is preposterous. But wait a minute. Can Green Lantern beat Superman? Is it possible? It turns out that it is.
Straight off the cover of DC Comics Presents 26 we see Green Lantern torturing Superman with a giant piece of imaginary kryptonite. It actually turns out that someone stole his ring and was pretending to be him, but this is not the first time we’ve seen a bait-and-switch comic book cover. With the ring the villain created a “world” of kryptonite to kill Superman and to steal his powers and presence. Ironically the real Green Lantern, Hal Jordon, defeats the villain without his ring, but by throwing a rock at the villain’s head. Yes, never underestimate the power of a rock ladies and gentlemen.
Now here’s the twist. With the villain distracted, Superman uses his super-strength to punch him so hard that the protection of the Green Lantern ring could not withstand it. and so we learned two things here. We learned that if Green Lantern can beat Superman by creating a Kryptonite rock. But we also learned that Superman is so strong that he can literally punch through Green Lantern’s power. Yes you read that last sentence correctly, and no it doesn’t make any sort of logical sense. But I guess that’s why they call him Superman, am I right?
There is a lot of great stuff in DC Comics Presents 26. The first New Teen Titans was actually published in this issue as a preview to promote the new series. It even has the same yummy artwork from George Perez. I suppose that is why it is worth so much money. So bottom line, can Green Lantern beat Superman? It’s possible. But it’s also possible that Superman could punch him so hard that Green Lantern turns to green dust. Leave a comment with your thoughts.