Welcome back to Strange Times & Places, where we’re getting the most out of my DC Universe subscription with “Steam Lantern”.
How’s It Different?
Well….it’s a canonical Imaginary Story of a sort. Hal “Green Lantern” Jordan is sent through a rip in space to a parallel dimension during a battle with the Anti-Monitor and finds himself on the last world that the monster had terrorized. It’s a steampunk world of British accents, protected by a singular hero named Steam Lantern and ruled by the tyrannical Duke Nigel Fortonberry.
What’s The Story?
Hal has to find his way home AND help Steam Lantern save his world from Duke Fortonberry, a plot synopsis that sounds straight out of the Silver Age.
Best of Differences
- Steam Lantern’s secret identity is Gil Broome, named for Hal’s creators John Broome and Gil Kane. A nice little homage, that.
- Duke Nigel Fortonberry, a red-headed mad inventor and industrialist, is a weirdly good Lex Luthor analogue. Except he comes around to realizing that he was a heel, unlike most Luthors.
- Steam Lantern is inspired, in universe, by a previous Green Lantern that had visited his universe. A fellow in a red shirt and a cape. Sound familiar?
Worst of Differences
- Steam Lantern’s suit runs on a green mineral called “Hardtofindium”, which is somehow both too much and too little explanation at once.
- Nigel Fortonberry’s name, not mention accent, remind me a little too much of another animated redhead named Nigel.
Come Back Next Week for a New Tokusatsu Gesundheit!
