Green Lantern might not mean much to the uninitiated, except perhaps as the cinematic speed bump that nearly derailed Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds’ superhero career.

Yet the DC Comics character ranks among the most significant in comic-book history, paving the way for superheroes to tackle real-world issues that resonate well beyond the printed page.

Those origins provide the underpinnings of the new HBO series Lanterns, which premiered on Aug 17. It arrives at a pivotal moment for superheroes on screens, large and small.

After a period in which the entertainment industry understandably fretted about “superhero fatigue” as projects foundered, it is timely to remember that human-centred storytelling – dealing with material that dares to be about something – has always been a vital element of the genre.

As evidence, look no further than the pangs of loneliness and personal sacrifice at the core of Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026).

The welcome seeds of that logic, however, were planted in the Green Lantern comics more than 50 years ago and clearly inform Lanterns.

Viewers will see a show that seeks to breathe life into a hero with strange powers. Courtesy of an intergalactic police force, he has a ring that allows him to create anything his mind can conjure.

DC versus Marvel

But he lacks the profile of DC’s better-known triumvirate of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman.

While those signature titles have undergone overhauls through the years, their cinematic rise owes a great deal to a broader transformation in which creators treated comic books seriously as an art form, and not just a diversion for children.

Marvel in the 1960s and DC in the &rs...