Green Lantern: Legacy is a DC Comics graphic novel written by Minh Lê and illustrated by Andie Tong.
Thirteen-year-old Vietnamese-American Tai Pham lives with his family in an apartment above his grandmother's shop, the Jade Dragon, in Coast City. Before his grandmother passes in her sleep, she gives him her jade ring... which isn't just for luck, as he soon finds out. Now a Green Lantern like his grandmother before him, he must defend his home from racists and other malevolent forces that threaten the Earth...
It was released on January 21, 2020.
Followed in 2022 by Green Lantern: Alliance that sees Tai team up with a new Kid Flash.
Tropes in this book include:
- Affirmative-Action Legacy: Irey refers to her father as the original Kid Flash to her granduncle Barry, making her the first female Kid Flash in this story.
- Age Lift: Irey West is usually depicted as an elementary schooler around 10 years old. When she makes her appearance in Green Lantern: Alliance, she's the same age as thirteen-year-old Tai, Tommy, and Serena.
- Alternate Continuity: Like many of DC Comics' other young adult comics and books, Legacy takes place in its own continuity. Notably, the Green Lantern Corps aren't well known on Earth yet, as no one recognizes Kim's ring as a Green Lantern ring and no one knows who John Stewart is. It also seems John is currently the only other human Green Lantern. The sequel introduces Kyle Rayner, who invites Tai to take on the next step of his training at the very end of the book.
- Ambition Is Evil: It's Xander Griffin's thirst for power and willingness to use fear to get his way that gets him recruited into the Sinestro Corps. This is in stark contrast to the Green Lanterns, who fight to protect others and preserve peace without seeking reward.
- An Aesop: Subverted. In a flashback, Kim tells the Flash that he really ought to slow down every now and then. After they apprehend Captain Cold, Flash runs all over the city in an instant to find the one coffee shop that still makes chè ba mà u, a traditional Vietnamese dessert from Kim's youth. She tells him she takes it back and to never change.
- Attention Whore: While it's not immediately obvious, Xander Griffin clearly enjoys being the center of attention. He prefers stand in the middle of any room and strikes up conversation with everyone to get their attention. He even runs for mayor of Coast City solely to be loved as much as he is feared as a Yellow Lantern, staging a False Flag Operation so he can swoop in and save the day.
- Bait-and-Switch: Discussed. Ch'p mentions that a Green Lantern's power ring is one of the most powerful weapons in the universe. But for all its might, one of the most powerful things it can be used for is distraction. The flash and power of the ring can easily draw attention away from what a Green Lantern is actually planning to do, as shown by Ch'p dazzling Tai with a roller coaster construct before kicking him in the shin. This culiminates in the finale of Alliance where Tai and friends stage an elaborate heist foiled by John, who points out that the kids don't have a basis to be breaking into Xander's home. This is all a distraction so Tommy and Serena can make off with Xander's power battery, as Tai and John had already pieced together Xander's False Flag Operation from the note left behind by Scorched Earth referring to Xander's nickname.
- Battle in the Center of the Mind: Tai has one with his Enemy Without in his drawing as a part of his personal training.
- Book Ends:
- Near the start of the story, an older couple at Kim's funeral recall how she came to their home with rice and other items from Vietnam to help them settle in. At the end of the story, Tai, his friends, and John deliver groceries to the home of the Middle Eastern kid they met earlier to help them feel more welcome.
- Similarly, Tai practices his powers in his sleep when he falls into a meditative trance while drawing. In these dreams, he faces against a Sinestro Corps-version of himself. At the end of the book, he defeats the Big Bad by creating constructs of all of his friends and loved ones as Green Lanterns as a rebuttal to Xander's rule through fear and manipulation.
- Broken Pedestal: Tai develops an admiration for Xander and is taken in by Xander's promises of a better, newer Coast City. But this pedestal shatters after Tai learns that Xander is a member of the Sinestro Corps and that Tression is a front for the Yellow Lanterns to take over the city. In the sequel book, Tai is furious to learn that Xander can't actually be put in jail and is eager to try to catch him red-handed.
- By-the-Book Cop: The Big Bad gets away scot-free after the first book, as said villain had yet to do anything actually illegal, so the Green Lanterns and the police can't arrest them. This frustrates Tai, who is repeatedly drilled on having to follow the rules as an enforcer of justice and intergalactic law. John admonishes Tai for breaking into Xander's home to try and take his power battery. But then it's subverted when John is revealed to be in on Tai's plan and the whole thing was staged so Xander wouldn't notice Tommy and Serena stealing the battery.
- The Cameo:
- Tommy and his partner choose to research Bruce Wayne for their class project.
- Kyle Rayner shows up at the end of the second book to continue Tai's training.
- Cool Old Lady: Kim Tran is the first Green Lantern of Earth in this Elseworlds story, having fought alongside the Justice League and mentored John Stewart. She's also a brave, responsible woman who helped her family start a new life in America and acted as a pillar of her community.
- Cover-Blowing Superpower: The Green Lanterns's power rings have extremely distinctive effects. So when making the voyage to America, Kim made sure to be as subtle as she could with her powers to avoid drawing the attention of the Lanterns's enemies, gently carrying the ship her family is aboard with hands hidden beneath the stormy waves.
- Custom Uniform: Rather than simply being Future Spandex, Tai and his grandma wear their Green Lantern uniforms as ao dai, a traditional Vietnamese garment, due to their pride in their heritage.
- Cuteness Proximity: Tai coos over a squirrel he runs across in the park and offers it a peanut. Said squirrel turns out to be Ch'p, a Green Lantern who soon drags Tai to Pluto to train him.
- Cutting the Knot: While flying through an asteroid field obstacle course created by Kilowog, Tai gets frustrated when Kilowog starts manipulating the asteroids to crash into him. Instead of flying through the gaps as planned, he creates a Humongous Mecha to blast the field to smithereens. This just earns him a fat F grade, as he failed to adhere to the actual goal of the exercise: sticking to the one rule he was given.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: A billionaire threatening to buy out a neighborhood and modernize it, particularly an ethnic neighborhood, reeks of gentrification.
- Domino Mask: Like his grandmother before him, Tai hides his Secret Identity with an Irisless Eye Mask Of Mystery that covers his eyes and nose.
- Do Not Call Me Sir: Xander introduces himself by telling Tai to just call him Xander rather than with a Full-Name Basis or "Mr. Griffin".
- Drill Sergeant Nasty:
- As per usual, Kilowog scoffs when John calls Tai at flying through an asteroid field with his power ring. Kilowog then ups the ante by crashing those asteroids into Tai, who complains that it's unfair. Kilowog shouts back that he decides what's fair, not Tai.
- Ch'p session with Tai proves no less grueling, kicking and hitting Tai repeatedly to show the value of misdirection and to not underestimate things solely based on their appearance. Tai grumbles later that he was too busy getting beat up by squirrel to take notes on Pluto for Serena's project.
- Et Tu, Brute?: Tai is stunned and in disbelief when he learns that Xander, who'd promised a better future for Tai's neighborhood, is actually a Yellow Lantern.
- Excellent Judge of Character: Iris considers herself this, revealing her Secret Identity to Tai and his friends quickly because she's seen Tai in action as well as how he trusts his best friends.
- Expecting Someone Taller: John is surprised to discover Tai is a kid. He then asks if Tai is six or eight years old even though Tai is thirteen.
- False Flag Operation: The Scorched Earth operation in Alliance is revealed to be a plot by (perhaps unsurprisingly) Xander to drum up support for himself as a politician by putting himself in a sympathetic light. By targeting some of his own properties, Xander also threw the Lanterns off his trail for a time.
- Faster-Than-Light Travel: The Green Lanterns are responsible for patrolling entire galaxies, so their rings let them cross vast distances in space extremely quickly. Ch'p takes Tai to Pluto for an afternoon of training with ease. Tai presumably flew the same distance back home without issue.
- Genre Savvy: Serena becomes suspicious of Griffin after his vaguely sinister speech, and correctly guesses that his company's name means something because they usually do.
- I Just Want to Be Special: In the sequel comic, John Stewart reveals that Xander Griffin was an old friend of his and Kim, who used to call him "Golden Boy". He knew about the Green Lanterns but bemoaned how he was never selected to join them. This thirst for power and willingness to use fear to get his way is what got him recruited into the Sinestro Corps.
- Imagination-Based Superpower: When Iolande teaches Tai about constructs, she explains that Green Lanterns are partly chosen for their creativity. For instance, John was an architect, Iolande likes making intricate labyrinths, Kim created a new life for her family in America, and Tai is an artist. She also tells him to meditate like his grandmother did in order to help settle his mind, but he instead finds it easier to draw. By the sequel book, Tai has gotten good enough at it to create a functional Humongous Mecha at will and later the interior of a massive building complex by reading the blueprints.
- Instant Costume Change: In the sequel book, Green Lantern: Alliance, Tai's and Iris' respective powers allow them to instantly change into their superhero costumes in the middle of the street before taking off after Scorched Earth.
- Kids Are Cruel: A group of bullies throw a brick at the Jade Dragon's window because it's a Vietnamese store. They later harass a Middle Eastern kid.
- Kid Hero:
- Tai is technically only a cadet in the Green Lantern Corps until the end of the first book, upon which he's named a fully-fledged Green Lantern. He then becomes a prominent thirteen-year-old superhero in his hometown of Coast City.
- The sequel book introduced Iris West, aka Kid Flash, who is the same age as Tai and his friends and an experienced superhero in her own right.
- Life Will Kill You: Kim battled supervillains and extraterrestrial threats for many years as a Green Lantern and ally of the Justice League. But she's done in not by force but by old age, passing away peacefully in her sleep after bestowing her ring upon her grandson, Tai.
- The Mentor: Tai is taught by numerous members of the Green Lanterns to help bring him up to speed, but John Stewart spends the most time trying to guide and mentor Tai. As one of Kim's closest friends and her former mentee, John feels obligated to help Tai on his journey to becoming a proper Green Lantern, giving him tips and being generally supportive of him.
- More Dakka: While fighting Kim and John, Sinestro conjures a battery of futuristic cannons that he all fires at once.
- Mundane Utility: Tai first uses his Power Ring to discreetly trip a bully by making a rock appear where the bully was about to step. He later uses it to create robots to fold his clothes for him.
- Mythology Gag: While trying to come up with a Custom Uniform for Tai to relieve the wedgies he's getting, some of the ideas Tai, Serena, and Tommy come up with are versions of Hal Jordan's Parallax outfit and Alan Scott's outfit.
- Not Me This Time: In Alliance, Coast City is hit with a rash of arson attacks by a mysterious group called Scorched Earth. Tai suspects Xander Griffin, the Big Bad of the previous book. But said villain insists that it's not him this time and actually helps Tai save people from the burning buildings. Subverted when Scorched Earth is revealed to be a False Flag Operation on Xander's payroll. He'd planned to use the attacks to gain sympathy and fuel his plans to become mayor of Coast City.
- Old Master: Kim Tran continued to be a Green Lantern well into her golden years. She's decades older than her teammates in the Justice League, such as the Flash, and would often give pointers from her experiences as both a superhero and a member of the Green Lantern Corps.
- Pint-Sized Powerhouse:
- Tai is not an especially tall teenager, but as a Green Lantern he wields one of the most powerful weapons in the universe.
- Ch'p is an alien resembling a squirrel and is the same size as any-old Earth squirrel. But he too is a Green Lantern and a powerful one at that.
- Plucky Comic Relief: Tommy is always upbeat and the goofiest character in the story. He always seems to have a joke or a quip ready and regularly comments on the craziness surrounding Tai.
- Pluto Is Expendable: Ch'p refers to Pluto as the last planet in the solar system. Tai remarks that he thought Pluto wasn't a planet anymore. Ch'p balks at continues to insist that it is while telling Tai to stop underestimating things solely based on their size.
- Pop-Cultured Badass: Tai is a fan of the comics that his cousin reads. He cites Mech Cadet Yu and Robotech as inspiration for the Humongous Mecha he makes with his ring.
- Rank Up: Near the end of the first book, Tai is promoted from a cadet to a fully-fledged Green Lantern for foiling the Sinestro Corps' attempt to take control of Coast City via Xander's company, Tression. But given his inexperience, he's regularly pulled aside by the other Green Lanterns for training and advice.
- Royals Who Actually Do Something: Iolande is not just princess but queen of her world, Betrassus, in this story as well as powerful member of the Green Lantern Corps.
- Secret-Keeper: Not long after getting his grandmother's Power Ring, Tai reveals his new role as a Green Lantern to Tommy and Serena, whom he trusts with his life and his Secret Identity.
- Significant Anagram: Tression, the name of Xander Griffin's company, is an anagram for Sinestro, revealing his true allegiances as a member of the Sinestro Corps.
- Stereotype Flip: Tai is a flip of the Asian and Nerdy stereotype as a passionate artist who is quick on his feet but thoroughly Book Dumb. Lampshaded by Serena, who says that Tai is on his way to singlehandedly debunking the model minority myth.
- Subtle Superpowering: Kim Pham made lots of enemies with intergalactic criminals during his time as a Green Lantern. So when the ship she's riding with her husband runs into stormy waters, she hides her use of her power ring by creating giant hands beneath the waves to help keep the ship steady while avoiding attention.
- Superheroes Wear Tights: Lampshaded. When Tai dons the Green Lantern uniform for the first time, he complains that it's too tight. Iolande mishears this and believes that Tai is calling the uniform "tight" as in "good" and waves goodbye. Tai later models his uniform after an ao dai to relieve the wedgies he's getting and to pay tribute to his heritage.
- Take Up My Sword: Just before she dies, Kim bequeaths her ring onto her grandson Tai, naming him her successor as a Green Lantern. This is contrary to the Power Ring's tendency to search out a suitable wearer.
- Trademark Favorite Food: Ch'p, being an alien resembling a squirrel, enjoys eating nuts. While he admonishes Tai for treating him like a cute squirrel, Ch'p soon asks for some of those peanuts that Tai had.
- Triple Shifter: Despite Iolande's advice to focus on his studies and training rather than superhero work, Tai can't help but dive into action when people into trouble. This reflects negatively on his already poor grades as Tai barely has any time to sleep between school and heroics even with the help of Kid Flash.
- Two Guys and a Girl: Tai, Tommy, and Serena are best friends who hang out constantly. Tai is The Hero as the newest cadet of the Green Lantern Corps, Tommy is his comedic and wise-cracking friend, and Serena is the Brainy Brunette female friend.
- Uncle Pennybags: Xander Griffin is a billionaire philanthropist who helps out at Tai's family shop after Kim's passing. He plans to renovate large portions of Coast City, including Tai's neighborhood, to bring the city into the future. Then it's subverted when it turns out that Xander is doing this to cultivate his Villain with Good Publicity image and his renovations are more like gentrifying neighborhoods for profit.
- Utopia Justifies the Means: Sinestro and the other Yellow Lanterns believe in ruling through fear and that a controlled police state was the best way of preserving order. Kim and John disagree and repeatedly thwarted Sinestro's attempts to invade Earth.
- Villainous Gentrification: Xander Griffin's plan is to scare off enough citizens off low-income neighborhoods through hired goons for him to swoop in and gentrify them. The "fear" part is important — he somehow attracted a Yellow Lantern ring. By the second book he even makes clear he wishes to turn his gentrified neighborhoods into a Police State.
- Visual Pun: Tai jokingly says "Up, up, and away!" while his Superman poster is behind him.
- We Used to Be Friends: Xander Griffin was an old friend of Kim and John back in the day. But that friendship has fallen apart in the present, as Xander joined the Sinestro Corps because of his thirst for power, thereby aiding one of the Green Lanterns' greatest enemies.
- You Are Not Alone: As his finishing move against Xander, Tai constructs John, Iolande, his grandmother, and his entire family as Green Lanterns.
- Youthful Freckles: Tommy has a cluster of freckles under both of his eyes, reflecting his immature personality as Plucky Comic Relief.
