Old School. Biblically Independent.
By Mike Redmond | News | March 17, 2026
When the Lanterns teaser dropped earlier this month, nerds were quick to jump all over the first footage's notable lack of green. In fairness, the HBO series is about the famous DC Comics character Green Lantern, yet there was nary a blast of green energy anywhere. Of course, this had two easy explanations: 1. Obviously, the CGI isn't ready yet. 2. The less visual likeness to Ryan Reynold's turd of a movie, the better. Although, that's a wall this show will eventually smack into.
What added fuel to this fire is Damon Lindelof's comments on the Lovett or Leave It podcast from last year: "It's called Lanterns, because we all agreed that the 'Green' was stupid, so now it's just Lanterns," he joked via THR. After the trailer, that quip came roaring back to bite Lindelof in the butt as fans held it up as proof that he doesn't respect the material. Never mind his extremely reverent work on Watchmen, or the very high possibility that Lanterns will feature several different Lantern colors making the title as literal as it is accurate.
At first, this was just nerds griping on the internet, as we do, but things escalated when comics legend Grant Morrison entered the chat. Over the weekend, the revered DC Comics scribe did not hold back their thoughts on Lindelof's remarks. They went scorched earth. Via Substack:
Why does a writer attach himself to this kind of narrative if he thinks it's fundamentally 'stupid'? You don't hand CSI scripts to patronising writers who condemn forensics experts and their haircuts as 'stupid', so why hire people who are ashamed and in denial about the comic book material they've been assigned to develop? Why don't they turn down jobs they're not suited for? It's not like he needs the money, and Lindelof has proven that he can come up with his own ideas. What is this jockish dismissal of superhero conventions intended to prove anyway? Does Lindelof imagine it makes him seem less nerdy? It's a bit too late for that, so what's it all about? The only people who give a f*** about the Lanterns TV series are Green Lantern fans. Why alienate them at the start? That feels more like 'stupid'.'Green Lanterns' is a much more evocative and dramatic title than 'Lanterns', (just as 'Raise the Red Lantern' is a better movie title than 'Raise the Lantern'), and anyone who can't grasp why that is shouldn't be anywhere near superhero stories. The show might even be good, but how much better could this stuff be if studios were willing to hire the right people for the job instead of phoning their embarrassed friends to water the source material down? Hollywood will die of insularity and inbreeding.
Well, nerds will be happy to know that when Grant Morrison talks, Damon Lindelof listens. On Tuesday night, he took to Instagram to clear the air and own up to starting this whole mess with a throwaway quip.
I have upset Grant Morrison, which means I have now pissed off MOST of the brilliant British/Scottish comics writers that I grew up idolizing. To quote the bard (Otis Redding), this is nobody's fault but mine.I made a dumb joke on a comedy podcast. I'm not going to bob and weave about context, the joke was dumb, the fandom is not. I owe them an explanation and a genuine reflection of my actual feelings.
The very first time I appeared on a ComicCon panel was for the Lost Pilot, back in the summer of 2004. I wore my favorite T-shirt as I had long grown out of my favorite underoos, those being the uniform of Hal Jordan, Green Lantern of Sector 2814. For a quiet, uncoordinated kid, there was nothing cooler than a hero whose superpower was his imagination. And green is not stupid, it is my lifelong favorite color and I have a questionnaire that I filled out in third grade to prove it. Green is f***ing awesome.
More importantly, it would be a betrayal to everyone I worked for and alongside to say anything other than I was absolutely honored to be a part of the team that manifested the incredible construct that is Lanterns... because it was. I was sloppy and careless with my words, ironic considering I care so much about Hal, John and the entire Corps. I can and will do better to be worthy of the oath... until then, I'll let the show speak for itself and I can't wait for you all to hear what it has to say.
Fortunately for Lindelof, apologies always go well on the internet, and people will be sure to accept them in good faith-- *touches earpiece* The opposite happens? I see. Run, you fool!
