Green Lantern Legacy
By Minh Le
Illustrated by Andie Tong
ISBN: 978-1-77950-367-1
Green Lantern Legacy is a graphic novel set in the DC Graphic Novels for Kids universe. Tai Pham is a 13-year-old Vietnamese American middle school student who lives above his family store, Jade Market, with his parents and Ba Noi, his grandmother. While the store has operated for years, they are still the target of hate, signified by the fact that their windows are broken at the start of the story. As the family contemplates the future of the store, Tai’s grandmother passes. With her death, her jade ring magically makes its way to Tai.
At Ba Noi’s funeral, Tai learns how much his grandmother helped the community. She welcomed every refugee to the area and everyone knew that Jade Market was a place they could go when they needed help. He also meets the mysterious billionaire Xander Griffin, of Tression Corp, who admired Tai’s grandmother’s spirit. After the funeral, Tai discovers a lantern with the Green Lantern Oath in Ba Noi’s handwriting: “In brightest day, in darkest night, no evil shall escape my sight.” Reading this teleports Tai to another world where he learns the secret of the Green Lanterns. There, he reconnects with the spirit of his grandmother who shares her story about escaping Vietnam during the war and how the power of the ring helped protect them. Tai begins to understand the power of the right and sets off on an adventure to become a “space cop.” He uses his will to protect earth, especially from the evil Sinestro, whose yellow lantern corps feeds off of fear in the universe.
While Tai trains with other Green Lanterns, he also has to complete a school project on Xander Griffin who wants to build a utopia that would redevelop Tai’s neighborhood, including the family store, into a sanitized district where everything is available at your fingertips. While Tai is, at first, seduced by Xander’s toys and ideas, his friends are skeptical of his vision and what it would do to his neighborhood. As he trains, Tai learns what is important to him and that it takes more than just the powers to be a superhero.
Minh Le writes Green Lantern Legacy with a classic superhero origin formula and a refugee backstory. For the middle school reader, this graphic novel is a quick read that can open up a new universe of stories. Andie Tong’s illustrations bring this story to life with beautiful facial expressions and details. Having this book set in the DC universe, with an excerpt of a Young Batman graphic novel at the end, means we can look forward to even more stories featuring Tai Pham and his version of the Green Lantern.
Review by Tim Chu. Editing assistance by Shelly Yuki Black.