In the upcoming Green Lantern Corps #20, Jo Mullein faces an unexpected arrest by the Darkstars on the living city of Zillaboq. This confrontation in Sector 1993 highlights a growing jurisdictional battle between the Green Lanterns and the newly empowered Spacecorp.
Zillaboq: The giant tardigrade of Sector 1993
The setting for this latest conflict is one of the most surreal environments in the DC Universe. Rather than a traditional planet or space staiton, the action takes place on Zillaboq, a living city that is actually a massive tardigrade. this sentient metropolis in Sector 1993 offers a distinct biological landscape that differs from other cosmic entities like the sentient planet Mogo or the Sinestro Corps' sentient city, Ranx.
This shift toward biological, high-concept science fiction reflects the long-term evolution of the Green Lantern franchise. as the report from Screen Rant notes, the property has moved far beyond the magical origins of Alan Scott's 1940 debut. Since the era of Hal Jordan, the series has leeaned heavily into the cosmic and the scientific, making the existence of a giant, city-sized tardigrade a fitting, if bizarre, stage for Jo Mullein's latest struggle.
The Controllers' 1992 mission to eradicate evil
The return of the Darkstars brings back a legacy of aggressive peacekeeping that dates back to 1992. Originally introduced by writer Michael Jan Friedman and artist Larry Stroman, the Darkstars were the creation of the Controllers—a group of evolved Oans who broke away from the Guardians of the Universe. Unlike the Green Lanterns, the Controllers intended for their armored Darkstar agents to go beyond policing and actively eliminate evil from the cosmos.
The history of this organization is fraught with instability and internal conflict . At one point, John Stewart even commanded the Darkstars after losing his Green Lantern powers during the "Emerald Twilight" storyline. However, the Controllers eventually withdrew their support because the agents began acting in their own self-interest. The current iteration of the Darkstars, appearing in Green Lantern Corps #20, seems to be leveraging the perceived failure of the Green Lanterns against the dissolved United Planets to justify their presence through an entity called Spacecorp.
The Mogul identity and the Spacecorp controversy
Despite the detailed setup, several significant mysteries remain regarding the true nature of this new threat. As reported by Screen Rant, there is immediate confusion regarding a character named Mogul. It is currently unknown if Mogul is a distinct new player or if the name is a typographical error intended to refer to the legendary DC villain Mongul.
Furthermore, the true legitimacy of these Darkstars is a point of contention. The source highlights a contradiction between different story solicitations: one describes the group as "space bandits" picking fights with Jo Mullein, while another suggests they are conducting "legitimate business" with their own legal representatives. This leaves a vital question unasnwered: are these true Darkstars operating under the authority of Spacecorp, or are they merely scavengers using leftover Darkstar technology to claim a false sense of jurisdiction?
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