G'nort

G'nort (pronunciation: "nort"[1]) Esplanade G'neesmacher is a character appearing in DC Comics. He is a member of the Green Lantern Corps[2] and later a Darkstar and a member of the Justice League Antarctica. He resembles an anthropomorphic dog and is generally incompetent and used as comic relief.

G'nort
G'nort, as he appeared in Green Lantern vol. 3 #24 (May 1992); art by Pat Broderick (pencils), Romeo Tanghal (inks), Tony Tollin (colors).
Publication information
PublisherDC Comics
First appearanceJustice League International #10 (February 1988)
Created byKeith Giffen
J. M. DeMatteis
In-story information
Alter egoG'nort Esplanade G'neeshmacher
SpeciesG'Newtians
Place of originG'newt
Team affiliationsGreen Lantern Corps
Darkstars
Justice League
Justice League International
AbilitiesPower Ring, power mantle, power constructs

Publication history

G'nort first appeared in Justice League International #10 and was created by Keith Giffen and J. M. DeMatteis. during their Justice League period.[3] His name was originally spelled Gnort; his semi-human face, manner of speech, and style of dress showed that the inspiration for the character was sewer worker Ed Norton, played by Art Carney in the classic television series The Honeymooners. However, in later appearances, his face became more canine and the spelling of his name was changed.[4]

Fictional character biography

G'nort is from the planet G'newt. Hal Jordan explains that G'nort became a Green Lantern due to the influence of his uncle, who was a famous member of the Lantern Corps.[2] Despite his obviously limited intelligence (not intelligent enough to read a map) and profoundly lacking tactical judgment, the character is consistently depicted as brave, loyal, and honorable. This fact is overlooked by most heroes, although Superman has pointed it out on occasion.

Early in his career, G'nort becomes inadvertently mixed up with the League's battle against the Manhunters. Recognizing G'Nort's general incompetence, the Corps had given him an uninhabited sector of space to patrol. The fact that the region was uninhabited also suited the needs of the Manhunters, who set up their home planet in G'Nort's sector. G'Nort joined Hal Jordan, Superman, and other Justice League members in an assault on the home world, although G'Nort's main contribution was getting stuck in the planet's ventilation system.[2]

Working with the League

G'nort's arch enemy, the Scarlet Skier (a take-off of Marvel's Silver Surfer), is described as being the only felon G'nort ever managed to apprehend in his entire career. Also an idiot, the Skier was mistaken for a pan-handling homeless person when traveling in the subway.

G'nort goes on a mission to rescue Mister Miracle from the interstellar trader Manga Khan. Traveling in a spaceship, G'nort works with Big Barda, Martian Manhunter, and Dmitri of the Rocket Reds. They chase down Khan and survive an assassination attempt by his hired killer Lobo.[5]

Both G'nort and the Skier were founding members of Justice League Antarctica, created by Maxwell Lord for the purpose of keeping both them and the reformed Injustice League out of his way.

The League, including G'nort, find their Antarctic headquarters overwhelmed by killer penguins. Their enemies are ultimately destroyed, but not before the facility itself gets demolished. G'Nort keeps himself and his new-found allies alive via his power-ring until help arrives.[6]

G'nort assists the League, this time consisting of Manhunter, Crimson Fox and Ice, when Mr. Nebula, the Skier's old boss, turns his dangerous, cosmic-powered attention to Earth. Mr. Nebula saw the garishness of Las Vegas and thought Earth had the same taste as he and thus left.[7]

G'nort sees himself as a "Green-Lantern-at-large", not bound to a single space sector. His most successful mission (apart from capturing the Skier) has been when a gang of interstellar bank-robbing humanoid cats surrender as soon as he appears.

Qward battle

Eventually it is discovered that both G'nort and his uncle G'newman were actually given their rings by the Poglachians, who posed as the Guardians of the Universe while the real Guardians were with the Zamarons. A race of clowns, the Poglachians gave the rings to beings they thought would use them in amusing ways. They were actually pawns of the Weaponers of Qward, who hoped to discredit the Green Lantern Corps by having the name associated with idiots. G'nort works with Guy Gardner, ending up in Qward itself,[8] though G'nort loses his Qwardian-powered ring. Their confrontations against a Qwardian Sinestro cult goes badly. Faced with the threat of his beloved uncle being killed, G'nort gives up the location of Hal Jordan.

Soon after, powerless but free from a Qwardian cell, G'nort smells the soldier who took his ring and tracks him down. The soldier swiftly overpowers G'nort and makes the mistake of bragging how he would torture and kill Guy. Enraged, G'nort defeats the soldier, gains his ring and saves Guy by destroying the source of his very own power. The two make it back to normal space as explosions devastate the local area. Afterwards, Guy Gardner reluctantly tells the real Guardians that G'nort was the true hero on Qward, which earned G'nort status as a genuine Green Lantern.[9] Around this time G'Nort is kicked out of the League and meets up with a struggling street musician whom he takes to calling 'Sax Girl'.[10] He saves her from a life of homelessness and they have multiple adventures together. They part on friendly terms, with a kiss.[11] He has other adventures on his own, such as battling several supervillains who pretend to terrorize a small town for a cut of tourism dollars.[11]

Post-League

G'nort presumably lost his ring during Emerald Twilight and subsequently (like many former Lanterns) joined the Darkstars. He still wears his Darkstar uniform long after the organization collapses, when he is captured by Manga Khan, who attempts to trade him to Maxwell Lord in exchange for L-Ron. The entire situation goes badly, resulting in the near-destruction of Earth. G'Nort is set free after Maxwell Lord and Sue Dibny hold Khan for ransom. L-Ron returns with Khan. He is persuaded to form a 'Super Buddies Of Antarctica' branch and is seen trying to hitch a ride.[12]

G'nort was seen as the sole member of Super Buddies Antarctica, exactly where Maxwell Lord wants him. For a time, G'Nort lives behind Guy Gardner's New York 'Warriors' bar.[13] He appeared later in the mini-series "Guy Gardner: Collateral Damage", where his homeworld had been destroyed by the Rann-Thanagar War. The character was portrayed more serious in this story, suffering heavily from the loss of his family.[14]

As of Green Lantern: Sinestro Corps Secret Files & Origins #1, G'nort is listed as "Presumed Dead".[15] When asked whether G'nort would be making an appearance as a member of the Black Lantern Corps during Blackest Night at San Diego Comic Con 2009, Geoff Johns replied that the character was not dead and was still considered missing in action.[16]

In The New 52, in the final events of the 2013 "Wrath of the First Lantern" storyline, G'nort appears and helps prevent the Red Lantern Corps from attacking the Green Lantern Corps during the battle against the villainous First Lantern.[17]

Larfleeze

G'nort reappears in response to a distress call made by the robot inhabitants of a planet seized by Larfleeze. Their rings mutually determine that Larfleeze and G'nort are cousins, and G'nort becomes Larfleeze's sidekick.[18]

G'Nort later becomes a central part of the Corps again. He is seen welcoming refugees to a Green Lantern stronghold.[19]

Other versions

I Can't Believe It's Not the Justice League

In the alternate dimension visited by the Super Buddies in I Can't Believe It's Not the Justice League, the dimension is populated by twisted counterparts of the main universe characters. There, G'nort is a rampaging flea-infested giant whose body is used as a battleground.[20]

Planetary

In an alternate universe depicted in Planetary, G'nort is one of many dead Green Lanterns on display in the Planetary headquarters.[21]

In other media

Television

Miscellaneous
  • G'nort's career is examined in Green Lantern and Philosophy.[22]
  • G'nort received a paragraph in Planet Dog: A Doglopedia.[23]
  • G'nort appears in the Justice League Unlimited tie-in comic as a Green Lantern cadet before taking over his uncle G'newt's sector after helping the Green Lantern Corps defeat him and Sinestro.
  • A hologram of G'nort appears in Legion of Super Heroes in the 31st Century #6.[24]

References
  1. Who's Who in the DC Universe (loose-leaf) #16 inside front cover equivalent.
  2. Giffen, Keith, J. M. DeMatteis (w), Maguire, Kevin (p), Gordon, Al (i). "Soul of the Machine" Justice League International, no. 10, p. 6/6 (February 1988). DC Comics.
  3. Cowsill, Alan; Irvine, Alex; Korte, Steve; Manning, Matt; Wiacek, Win; Wilson, Sven (2016). The DC Comics Encyclopedia: The Definitive Guide to the Characters of the DC Universe. DK Publishing. p. 116. ISBN 978-1-4654-5357-0.
  4. Beatty, Scott (2008). "G'nort". In Dougall, Alastair (ed.). The DC Comics Encyclopedia. New York: Dorling Kindersley. p. 139. ISBN 978-0-7566-4119-1. OCLC 213309017.
  5. Justice League International #14-16 (June–August 1988)
  6. Justice League America Annual #4 (1990)
  7. Justice League Quarterly #2 (April 1991)
  8. Green Lantern (vol. 3) #12 (May 1991)
  9. Green Lantern (vol. 3) #13 (June 1991)
  10. Green Lantern Corps Quarterly #1 (Summer 1992)
  11. Green Lantern Corps Quarterly #5 (June 1993)
  12. Formerly Known as the Justice League #1-6 (September 2003-February 2004)
  13. Green Lantern 80-Page Giant #1 (December 1998)
  14. Guy Gardner: Collateral Damage #1-2 (June–July 2006)
  15. Green Lantern: Sinestro Corps Secret Files & Origins (February 2008)
  16. CCI LIVE: Green Lantern Blackest Night Panel, Comic Book Resources, July 25, 2009
  17. Green Lantern (vol. 5) #20 (May 2013)
  18. Larfleeze #11-12 (May–June 2014)
  19. Green Lantern (vol. 6) #5 (2021)
  20. Misiroglu, Gina (2006). The supervillain book: the evil side of comics and Hollywood. Visible Ink Press. ISBN 0780809777.
  21. Planetary JLA: Terra Occulta (November 2002)
  22. Irwin, William (2001). Green Lantern and Philosophy. John Wiley & Sons. p. 66. ISBN 978-0-470-57557-4.
  23. Choron, Sandra (2005). Planet Dog: A Doglopedia. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. p. 30. ISBN 978-0-618-51752-7.
  24. "Legion of Super-Heroes in the 31st Century #6 - Attack of the Green Lantern Corps (Issue)". Comic Vine. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
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