Earth 2 #3 (2012)

Alan Scott regains consciousness in incredible pain. He can't see out of one eye, and his left arm has been badly burnt. Through the shock and the agony, he recalls that the train he was on crashed just as he was proposing to his boyfriend Sam. Immediately filled with concern for Sam, Alan searches the wreckage, calling out for him. His attention is caught by a bright green light, and he stumbles toward it, hoping that it will be his rescuers. Alan is confused and surprised when the light turns out to be a brilliant green flame, which speaks to him directly. A voice calls him by name and claims that he is a chosen one. The fire is the combined energy of all the earth, and it proves this by healing Alan's wounds and easing his pain. Alan isn't so much concerned with that as with finding Sam. He remembers the green light he saw as the train crashed, and accuses the light of being the crash's cause. The fire explains that the light Alan saw was its reaching into the blast to save you. The crash was the work of another. The flame admits that Sam did not survive; its task was only to protect Alan for the role he is destined to play. An evil will soon be upon the earth which will destroy all life if left unchallenged. In the darkest of times, the embodiment of the earth's energy chooses a champion to protect itself. Alan Scott will be that champion. In Poland, Jay Garrick is stunned by the appearance of a winged woman bearing a crossbow flying above him. He wonders if she is an angel, and she derisively responds that her wings and armour are representative of a hawk. As such, she is called Hawkgirl. She explains that she knew where to find him because fate showed her the way. Jay finds that statement perplexing. Regardless, Hawkgirl urges Jay to trust her, noting that while his powers may have come from the Roman god Mercury himself, Jay is not accustomed to his super-speed. Apart from speed, Jay doesn't appear to have many perceivable skills Hawkgirl challenges him to a sparring match, to see what he can do. Jay finds clever ways to use his speed against her, but he is no match for her. Despite her attitude and Mercury's warning that he should trust no one, Jay considers joining her in whatever she proposes. However, the pair of them are suddenly aware of a change; all of the life around them is dying at an alarming rate. Alan considers the idea of a threat greater than Apokolips facing his planet, and knows that he cannot reject the green flame's offer. The flame explains that he will become the conduit for the energy of the earth, able to fly, and wielding a power limited only by his imagination. With this power, Alan will become earth's true knight: the Green Lantern. Alan accepts the power into himself, and he marvels at how he appears to have been fitted with a costume. The green flame explains that the costume was formed by Alan's subconscious - and rightly so, because he will need to keep his identity safe, for the protection of his loved ones. Somewhere in Virginia, another elemental force awakens. As The Green has found its champion, so too must the champion of The Grey. Now that he has accepted his role as the earth's protector, Alan Scott needs a token or weapon with which to focus his power. This item must be something close to his heart; something that means very much to him. Alan considers the ring with which he had intended to propose to Sam with. The flame responds that by wielding the power through it, Alan will both serve the earth and honour his dead lover. Alan places the ring around his finger, and it glows with the elemental flame. The flame announces that a new champion has been born, and Alan clues in to the fact that there must have been other champions at one time or another. The flame promises to explain everything when the time is right. Content to wait for answers, Alan wonders what to do with his power first. He suggests seeking out the ones who caused the crash that killed Sam, and the flame indicates that that would be just one of many trials to face. Without further explanation, the flame fizzles out, leaving Alan alone. Alan first uses his power to seek out survivors and help clean up the wreckage of the train. He assembles a medical team and gathers together those who did not survive the crash. Among them is Sam, and Alan takes a moment to make piece with his lost love. He swears that everything he will do, from this moment on, will be in Sam's honour. The Grey spreads to Washington, D.C., across the gardens. It destroys the Washington Mall, with intent to draw out The Green's champion by striking a prominent location. Once there, The Grey will kill him, once again. Anticipating that moment, The Grey's champion rises from death and from rot: Solomon Grundy.