The Ring Two Unknown Version Comic
Hayden Hollins
The Good Mark Ring is one of two ancient signet rings that are always worn by The Phantom. This ring is always worn on the middle finger of the left hand. It has been used since the time of the 5th Phantom. This particular ring is rarely utilized, except in very rare circumstances, when someone helps The Phantom in some sort of significant way.
The origins of this ancient ring are unknown, except that it has been used by The Phantom since the time of the 5th Phantom in the 17th century. The Good Mark Ring features an insignia that looks like a cross made with four stylized letter "P"s, which represents the sabre swords of Big Bart, Crusher, Redbeard and Salla.
In a recent edition of The Last Phantom comic, it is finally revealed how the Skull Ring actually works and is able to leave permanent mark behind on the skin after someone is punched with it. As the series progresses, young Kit Walker (the future 21st Phantom) has flashbacks about his father, the 20th Phantom, and remembers the all the lessons imparted to him during his childhood and adolescence. As a boy, he learned the various skills and techniques which he might need when he takes over as the next Phantom. Kit asks his father about the rings on how do they work. Logically, we know that with a simple ring it would be all but impossible to leave even a temporary mark!
According The Last Phantom writer, Scott Beatty, it is really NOT the punch itself but a specific juice from a Bangallan berry that is dabbed on the signets. This juice is an allergen, which creates a permanent and indelible tattoo. By using the two rings in tandem a Phantom is able to strike a balance between good and evil, for without the marks, how would a Phantom know which is which?
The first appearance of a power ring was in All-American Comics #16 on July 14, 1940, the flagship title of comic book publisher All-American Publications, which featured the first appearance of Alan Scott. Creator Martin Nodell has cited Richard Wagner's opera cycle The Ring of the Nibelung and the sight of a trainman's green railway lantern as inspirations for the combination of a magical ring and lantern.[1]
Alan Scott's ring is powered by the Green Flame, a magically empowered flame contained within a metallic alien orb that was found and forged into a lantern and ring by a lampmaker named Chang.[2] Later writers revised this to be a fragment of an object called the Starheart, the result of the Guardians of the Universe collecting and isolating most of the magic forces in the universe. This early version of the ring is shown as being powerless against wooden objects.
When the Green Lantern character was reinvented, beginning with the introduction of Hal Jordan, the magic ring concept was replaced with a scientifically-based one.[3][4] The new version of the ring is created by the Guardians of the Universe, who also create the Green Lantern Corps.
The power ring's most distinctive effect is the generation of green, solid-light constructs, mainly weapons, the precise physical nature of which has never been specified. The size, complexity, and strength of these constructs is limited only by the ring-bearer's willpower; whatever the wearer imagines, the ring will create.
When active, a power ring will encase its user in a protective, life-supporting force field. This force field allows the user to fly, travel through inhospitable environments (outer space, underwater, etc.), and enter hyperspace to move vast distances quickly. The ring also generates its wearer's Green Lantern uniform, which appears over their normal attire and can be removed at will.[6] The uniform varies from Lantern to Lantern, based on anatomy, personal preference, and the social norms of their race.
Power rings are able to give off electromagnetic radiation of various frequencies. This radiation can be focused by the wearer into a beam, similar in appearance and effect to a powerful laser. They also allow real-time communication between the different alien species of the Corps, translating all languages in the universe.
Originally, Green Lantern power rings typically held a limited charge. In earlier appearances, they required recharging every 24 hours, but more recently they possess a fixed amount of regular charge:[7] that is, the charge is good for 24 hours of 'typical' use, but extended or extensive use will drain the charge more quickly. Green Lantern rings typically reserve a small portion of their power for a passive force field that protects its wielder from mortal harm. In dire emergencies, that energy reserve can be tapped at the expense of that protection. Power rings are usually recharged by a Green Lantern's personal battery, which resembles an old-fashioned lantern made of dark green metal. The user typically points the ring towards the lantern and usually gives the Green Lantern oath (below) while recharging the ring. These batteries are directly linked to the Central Power Battery on Oa and do not themselves need recharging.[5]
Various devices and abilities can drain the ring of its power against the will of its wearer, or absorb or store its energies for later use. Doctor Polaris constructed "power absorbers", both man-sized and in the form of a fortress, that drained Hal Jordan's ring's charge and transferred it to Polaris for his own use.[8] A Manhunter robot drained most of the charge from Hal Jordan's ring using devices hidden under its face-plate and Hal later recharged his ring from the severed head of the destroyed Manhunter.[9] Alpha Lanterns used technology similar to the Manhunters' to drain power rings.[10] The device used by recurring Green Lantern foe, Black Hand, drains power ring energies from rings themselves, their constructs or objects that have been affected by them, for later reuse by the device's wielder.[11] In the Marvel Comics/DC Comics crossover JLA/Avengers, Marvel superhero Photon, following an initial encounter with Kyle Rayner, successfully prepared herself to absorb the charge from his power ring when he attacked her with it, later reusing the energy to attack others.[12]
Others may be able to track a ring's user by the energy trail it leaves behind. In the revised Post-Infinite Crisis origin of Green-Lantern nemesis, Black Hand, Black Hand's ring-draining device was originally constructed as a "cosmic divining rod" by Atrocitus to track Green Lanterns on Earth.[13]
Originally, power rings were unable to affect objects colored yellow, though Lanterns have typically found ways around the limitation by indirect manipulation. The reason why the rings were unable to affect yellow objects has changed significantly from writer to writer. In early stories, it was because of a necessary design flaw. Gerard Jones revised this, in a story that revealed that the Guardians could change the weakness randomly and at will.[14] After the destruction of the central battery, Ganthet revealed to Kyle Rayner that an "imperfection" in the central battery was responsible for the yellow weakness (which his ring did not share as there was no Central Battery at the time it was created). In Green Lantern: Rebirth, writer Geoff Johns revealed that the "yellow impurity" was the result of Parallax, a yellow-energy being made of pure fear, being imprisoned in the Central Power Battery. This change also allowed characters to overcome the yellow weakness by recognizing and facing the fear behind it.[15]
By far, the most significant limitation of the power ring is the willpower of the wielder. The requirements needed to wield a power ring have changed sporadically during the history of Green Lantern titles, often creating continuity confusions. Allowing power rings to fall into the wrong hands has been a common plot device in many previous Green Lantern stories. However, only people with exceptional willpower can use a power ring, a restriction which makes use of the rings by average individuals incredibly difficult.[16] For instance, when Green Arrow used a power ring to attack Sinestro, it pushed the hero's body to the point of exhaustion (and for all his effort he was only able to generate a single arrow, which did little to Sinestro other than annoy him).[17] Mind control, hallucinogens, psychic attacks, "neural chaff" and other phenomena that disrupt thought processes will all indirectly impair a power ring's effectiveness. During Identity Crisis, the villain Deathstroke was able to use his own willpower and physical contact to prevent a wounded Kyle Rayner from operating his ring, at least momentarily, although this was taxing enough to leave Deathstroke completely open to attack from others.[18] More abstractly, a weakening of resolve and will can impair the ring's effectiveness. For example, during the Millennium crossover, Hal Jordan fights a Manhunter who psychologically attacks him, to make him doubt that the people he is protecting value the principles he is fighting for. Jordan's resolve begins to weaken and his ring loses effectiveness, until one of his charges strikes the Manhunter, declaring that she does deeply value Jordan's principles as well. With this dramatic affirmation, Jordan's faith in his cause is restored and the ring instantly returns to full power. The ring, though, does have some psychic defenses: Guy Gardner's ring, apparently, is able to put up psi-shields around him and Blue Beetle in their battle against the Ultra-Humanite.[19] There is also a limit to the amount of willpower the ring can take, as seen when John Stewart attempted to use his ring to re-build a destroyed planet, only to have his ring inform him, "Willpower exceeding power ring capabilities".[20]
In the current incarnation of the Corps, the ring originally possessed programming to prevent the wearer from killing sentient beings. Hal Jordan was thought to have used power rings to kill a number of Corps members during Emerald Twilight, though he did tell Kilowog that he "left them enough power to survive".[21] During the Sinestro Corps War event, they were revealed to be alive, held prisoner by the Cyborg Superman on the planet Biot. These Lanterns are referred to as the "Lost Lanterns". Any attempt to kill using a green power ring was automatically diverted and, in some cases, resulted in the ring locking out the user.[22] This restriction was rescinded by the Guardians to combat the Sinestro Corps, then for the general execution of their duties.[23][10] The rings are, apparently, still unable to be used against a Guardian, although Hal Jordan was apparently able to overpower this restriction when he killed the renegade Guardian, Krona, in the final battle.
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