DC is finally giving some respect to the one Green Lantern who is capable of taking Superman down all by himself. While any Green Lantern was once capable of taking out the Man of Steel by manifesting Kryptonite, that ability is a thing of the past, and it would now take many Green Lanterns at once to stand a chance against him (as was proved by the Corps' battle against Superboy Prime in Infinite Crisis.) However, there is one Lantern whose specific powers are tailor-made to stop Kryptonians: a cosmic hero who is nevertheless treated as a joke.
The hero in question is Ch'p - a Green Lantern who resembles an Earth squirrel, despite being a powerful hero and contemporary of Hal Jordan. While Ch'p is a visually comedic character, he's been involved in some shockingly dark stories, including his death under the wheels of an Earth truck, later to be replaced by the rodent hero B'dg. However, in the world of Injustice - which follows an alternate reality where the Joker's dying 'prank' drives Superman to villainy - Ch'p lives on, and reveals the ability to stop the Man of Steel in his tracks.
In Injustice: Year Two #10 by Tom Taylor, Bruno Redondo, Julien Hugonnard-Bert, Rex Lokus and Wes Abbott, the Green Lantern Corps confronts the increasingly despotic Superman. While Kal-El points out that he's too powerful for their powers to make any difference, he's proved wrong by Ch'p, who is able to use his miniature Power Ring constructs to obstruct the synapses in Superman's brain, leaving him unable to move. In this case, Ch'p's small stature is a major advantage, as he possesses a perspective other Green Lanterns don't - one which makes him Superman's worst nightmare. Sadly, the evil Superman is saved from Ch'p when Sinestro intercedes, killing the diminutive hero in the process. As ever, Ch'p falls without much sense of respect, but now a new cover from DC finally honors the constantly underestimated hero.
Coming from artist Darick Robertson (The Boys, Hellblazer: Rise and Fall), the epic cover will appear on select copies of Batman: Fortress #4 (from Gary Whitta and Robertson), and sees Ch'p in a suitably epic pose, lit only by the light of his Power Ring. While the presentation is a little tongue in cheek - Ch'p's rodent appearance is, as ever, juxtaposed with his heroism - it's still an awesome tribute to a character who has lived most of his life on the sidelines. For comic collectors, the cover will be irresistible, with highly detailed art of a character who rarely gets the spotlight. Enjoy the cover art, shared by League of Comic Geeks, below:
Being a comic fan often means seeing the value of characters who only rarely get their due, but that just makes it more worthy of celebration when they manage to snag the spotlight. In the case of Ch'p, Green Lantern fans will be elated to have a compelling piece of art dedicated to the one member of the Corps who has proved he has the power and perspective to take down Superman all by himself.
Source: League of Comic Geeks
Batman: Fortress #4 is available August 23 from DC Comics.