This topic has come up, again, on a recent discussion. We have some current members who weren't around when this topic was originally posted on the old board, so I thought I'd "bump it up" as it were.

Yesterday you [addressing Captain Comics] suggested I look up the actual number of GLC members at the time of "Emerald Twilight" so last night I did just that. In issue [Green Lantern] #8, Hal Jordan was assigned the job of recruiter [following the near-total destruction of the corps in Green Lantern Corps #224], and by the end of issue #13, the GLC numbered eight members: Hal Jordan, John Stewart and Guy Gardner (all of Earth), Kilowog of Bolovax Vik, Chaselon of Barrio III, Larvox of Sputa, G'nort of G'newt and Brik of Dryad. In issue 320, Hal explains that he has cut a deal with the Guardians: "Since I could spent my life recruiting new members of the corps and still not fill all 3600 space-sectors... they've agreed that if I build a core of twelve inductees, not counting myself, I may be able to get my old sector back. That means five more Green Lanterns, and I'm back on Earth, where I belong."

By the end of issue #24, Hal had found his five recruits: Boodikka of Bellatrix, Kreon of Tebis, Aa of stone-world, Amanita of Muscaria and Tomar Tu of Xudar. It took Hal Jordan 16 issues to find eight new inductees (I'm not including Kilowog or Chaselon because they were former members, and John and Guy had never lost the use of their rings.) This ended the first recruitment drive and the team remained static, except for the loss og Guy Gardner, until issue #35. In that issue, Aa quit and was replaced by Percival, and the Guardians declared: "This new corps has survived its training. Now it is time to increase the corps, time for you twelve to journey into the cosmos... and each recruit twelve more to join us."

If each of the twelve recruited twelve, that would be 156 members total, but we know that John Stewart didn't recruit any by the time he left the corps, and Hal Jordan recruited only one more (Umitu, as revealed in GLC Quarterly #4), making 131 potential members other than Hal (and not including John Stewart, who had jopined the darkstars) by the time of "Emerald Twilight". I also find it difficult to believe that G'Nort recruited any, judging from his GLCQ appearances during this time. Also, if it took Hal Jordan 16 issues to recruit eight new inductees, I doubt that any of the new members recruited their entire quota in the 11 remaining issues before "Emerald Twilight" began.

It was revealed in GLCQ #4 that the Book of Oa was revealing future GLs (as well as, perhaps, some past and fictional ones). By the end of that issue, Brik and Percival introducedBreeon and Pathavim Seth-Ottarak (among others), whose exploits had already been shown in previous issues of GLCQ. It is this revelation which leads me to believe that GLCQ is canonical, and that all of the GLs introduced within those pages (a total of 14 non-apocryphal ones, including Umitu) were memebers by the time of "Emerald Twilight". [NOTE: Although Pathavim died in his initial GLCQ appearance, passing his ring back to Jack T. chance, Hal already knew the story and planned to warn him. Because Jack T. chance appears as a member in issue #48, I count them both. I did not include other GLs who died in GLCQ.] It should be noted that the Guardians also made at least one appointment (Percival) during this time.

By the time Hal Jordan runs the gauntlet of GLs on his way to confront the Guardians on Oa, in addition to three of his own recruits and two from GLCQ (plus Kilowog, of course), he encounters three previously unseen members: Ke'haan of Varva, Hannu of Ovacron Six and Graf Toren of Karvax. In "Emerald Twilight: Fallout" Chaselon and six recruits are shown dead, allegedly killed by Hal Jordan according to eye-witness testimony. Finally, Boodika is seen with four "Emerald Twilight" survivors in Legacy: The Last Will and Testament of Hal Jordan.

If we accept GLCQ as canonical (which I do) and do not assume the addition of members we have not been shown (which I don't), that makes a total of 38 members at the time of "Emerald Twilight". Based on Hal's testimony that he left enough power for the eight GLs he encountered while running the gauntlet for them to survive (corroborated by story evidence from Legacy), I count at least 12 survivors. Factoring in Kilowog, Chaselon and the six recruits, that leaves 18 GLs unaccounted for... not dead, but missing in action. [This analysis does not include Zero Hour or other post-"Emerald Fallout" stories.] Not including Sinestro, but counting Arisa and Graff, the confirmed death toll is ten

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