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"Ring of Evil": Near the end of World War II, the rebuilding of Wewelsburg is completed. In the lower part of the castle, Heinrich Himmler and 12 other Nazis summon forth a demon. The demon asks all if they will give up their souls to, as Himmler puts it,

Quote1 The dream is over! A new light dawns! A lantern of hope and freedom to shine over a new age...of hope and freedom...for all mankind. Quote2
John Stewart

Green Lantern Annual (Volume 3) #3 is an issue of the series Green Lantern Annual (Volume 3) with a cover date of September, 1994.

Synopsis for "Ring of Evil"

Near the end of World War II, the rebuilding of Wewelsburg is completed. In the lower part of the castle, Heinrich Himmler and 12 other Nazis summon forth a demon. The demon asks all if they will give up their souls to, as Himmler puts it, "make the dream reality". After they agree, the demon gives Himmler a ring with the double thunderbolt on it and the souls of all the other Nazis are pulled into the ring, making it glow yellow, and the dream of Nazism ruling the world is made a reality.

Thirty years later, Hal Jordan and Guy Gardner are honored at a rally commemorating "the sacrifice of the twelve". After Guy tells Hal to forget about Carol Ferris and hit some bars, he leads Nazi soldiers to attack the Lanterns of the Green. In the woods, Oliver Queen, the leader of the hooded Lanterns, passes his leadership to John Stewart. Suddenly, Guy Gardner's Nazi squad attacks the group and kills Oliver and most of the Lanterns present, taking some of them prisoner. John Stewart escapes the carnage and runs to his lover, Carol Ferris, and stays in her house.

Meanwhile, Abin Straus runs into Hal and fights off demons who want the Ring of the Twelve he has and it is revealed the yellow ring cannot effect iron. Elsewhere, Karelia tells Guy that the ring has been found. Dying, Abin reveals that Karelia tempted Himmler, causing him to forget the dream, and so Abin killed him (based on earlier statements, this seems to have happened 24 years ago) and gives the ring to Hal, which pulls Abin's soul into it.

Hal discovers that the ring speaks and promises him everything he wants. Guy tries to claim the ring and Hal blasts him and the troops with him. Later, Karelia recreates Himmler's ritual using twelve Lanterns of the Green as sacrifices to power the ring. The ring's double thunderbolt changes to the Lanterns of the Green's symbol and the ring is green rather then yellow.

Hal arrives to find Carol and John in bed together and despite the ring's prompting to claim her leaves. Guy then arrives capturing the pair and confiscating the property which is ritually cleansed (by fire). Hal viewing the dream as corrupted breaks in on Guy torturing Carol and John. As they fight Hal calls Guy's ring a "Ring of Evil" and defeats Guy.

After Hal frees Carol Karelia appears and when Karelia's view of the dream is challenged reveals that she is the demon Himmler originally summoned. John throws an iron arrow at Karelia which destroys her. Hal tells Guy the dream, Karelia's dream, is dead but Guy refuses to believe it and impales Hal with the iron arrow. John claims Hal's ring which complains about him being inferior and prompts him to accept the dream. But the dream he accepts is the dream of the Lanterns of the Green changing his outfit to match. During the battle John calls out to the Lanterns of the Green to help him and they leave Guy's ring and enter John's. John then adds Guy's soul to the Ring of the Twelve and while the power remains the voices of the ring are now silent. John states that a new order, one of freedom for all mankind, has just dawned as he changes a nearby swastika into the symbol of the Lanterns of the Green.

Appearing in "Ring of Evil"

Featured Characters:

  • Hal Jordan (Single appearance; dies)
  • John Stewart (Single appearance)

Supporting Characters:

  • Carol Ferris (Single appearance)
  • Hooded Lanterns of the Green

Antagonists:

  • Karelia (Flashback and main story) (Single appearance)

Other Characters:

  • Abin Straus (Flashback and main story) (Single appearance; dies)
  • Heinrich Himmler (Flashback and main story) (Single appearance; dies)

Locations:

  • Wewelsburg

Items:

Notes

  • The weakness to iron is a common trope of magic and fits with the Ring of the Twelve's demonic origins.

Trivia

  • Many of the German phrases in the issue are misspelled.
    • "Reichführer" should be "Reichsführer"
    • "Mittelpunkt der Weld" should be "Mittelpunkt der Welt"
    • "Hel Schwein" should be "Hölleschwein"
    • "Gut Nacht" should be "Gute Nacht"
    • "Nadig Frau" should be "Gnädige Frau"
    • "Fuhrin" should be "Führerin"
  • The Eagle on the cover is what John turns the traditional Nazi Eagle into.


See Also

Recommended Reading

Links and References

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Elseworlds Annual
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This issue was part of the 1994 Elseworlds Annuals crossover event, in which every annual was an alternate universe story of their respective title characters. This template will categorize articles that include it into the Annuals and Elseworlds Annuals category.

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This template will categorize articles that include it into the Elseworlds category.

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