Why Black Folks Need to Tune in to Aaron Pierre’s ‘Lanterns’
If you follow what’s happening in the DC Comics world, you know a new show from their universe has finally dropped on HBO Max: “Lanterns,” starring Aaron Pierre and Kyle Chandler. While the show has superhero fans excited, you may not know that it has also completely captivated Black audiences and even converted some non-fans who have found themselves locked in after the recently aired third episode.
In case you aren’t caught up, the show centers around Pierre’s character, John Stewart, who is currently training with Hal Jordan (Chandler) to learn the ins and outs of being a Green Lantern. However, in episode three, audiences learn more about Stewart’s backstory and how he landed in the Lantern world in the first place.
It all started when his father, John Stewart Sr. (J. Alphonse Nicholson), was selected by the Guardians to become Green Lantern. However, his fear caused him to miss out on the calling. After his wife, Bernadette (Jasmine Cephas Jones), talked it over with the Guardians, they all agreed that the then-baby John Stewart Jr. would be groomed to be next in line to take the mantle when he was older.
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But that meant that he had to be trained so that when the time finally came to become Green Lantern, John Jr. would be ready to step into his role. And that is where most of episode three spends its time, showing viewers what it was like for a Black family to raise their young son to be fearless in a world that treated their race as if they were to be feared.
The episode also showed the lengths John Jr.’s parents went to make sure he was primed and ready for the position, which included but weren’t limited to: his father shooting apples off his head, his parents dropping him in a sketchy part of town and making him walk back home, withholding or outright barring him from normal childhood experiences (often at the harsh command of his mother), and more. We also saw John Jr. follow in his father’s footsteps and join the Marine Corps, which added another layer of rigidity.
And somehow, throughout all of this, the episode made John Jr.’s Blackness central to understanding why he was raised the way he was, without beating audiences over the head with it. Through smart dialogue and meaningful scenes, viewers can see the racial dynamics at play and how receiving a gargantuan task from an alien force affects a Black family already trying to prove their value here on Earth.
That’s exactly why Black people ran to social media to show their appreciation for the show.
“Lanterns is really the best show out right now,” wrote one user on X/Twitter.
“Episode 3 is an example of how you master the art of writing a character’s backstory and making sure it aligns with the characteristics of who they are in the present. They tackled the topic of systemic pressure put on Black Americans very well, and it was necessary,” said another.
One other user wrote: “Black fatherhood fear. Black motherhood courage. Black sibling-hood dynamics. Race/Classism intersection. African-American patriotism. Seeing capitalism as a liberator. Black visibility. Racial privilege. Systemic oppression. Microaggressions. In under 45 minutes.”
Added another, “I didn’t know anything about the Green Lantern except the Ryan Reynolds movie. But this Lanterns show? HEAT!”
Fans also couldn’t help but draw parallels to Bernadette’s rigorous training of her son, with many likening her ways to those of Joe Jackson (yes, Michael Jackson’s allegedly abusive father).
“I love that the premise of this show is ‘What if Joe Jackson was tasked with raising a Green Lantern and not the greatest entertainer of all time?’”one person wrote on X/Twitter.
“Dawg, they turned Katherine Jackson into Joe Jackson. This lady is NUTS,” said another.
Noted one other user: “John Stewart’s mom. Wow. But she’s basically Joe Jackson.”
And as if that wasn’t Black enough for you, the title of episode three was called “OutKast.” While that may not seem like a big deal on the surface, it holds deeper meaning when you consider that John Jr.’s strict upbringing made him an outcast to his own siblings and classmates. After an unsuccessful operation during his time in the Marines, John Jr. is dishonorably discharged, which makes him an outcast from his military community and the government. You also have to consider that because he’s a superhero, he’s unable to establish real connections with others in the world.
Then there’s the fact that a young John Jr. was rapping “ATLiens” at one point in the episode, and the show ended with the song “Gasoline Dreams,” by the rap duo Outkast. To drive the point home even further? The album dropped 30 years ago, the same week that this episode aired.
Talk about a lot of Black food for thought all packed within one show. If you’re not hip to “Lanterns,” you might want to get on board while you still can. Clearly, this show is firing on all cylinders, and it’s just getting started!
