<P> Centuries later, it was explained, when Scott found the mystical lantern, it had no memory of its true origins, save a vague recollection of the uniform of its last master . This was the origin of Scott's distinctive costume . Due to its damaged link to them, the Guardians presumed the ring and lantern to be lost in whatever cataclysm overcame their last owner of record, thus Scott was never noticed by the Guardians and went on to carve a history of his own apart from that of the Corps, sporting a ring with an artificially induced weakness against anything made of wood . Honoring this separate history, the Guardians never moved to force Scott to relinquish the ring, formally join the Corps, or adopt its colors . Some sort of link between Scott and the Corps, however, was hinted at in a Silver Age crossover story which depicts Scott and Hal Jordan charging their rings at the same Power Battery while both reciting the "Brightest Day" oath . During the Rann - Thanagar War, it was revealed that Scott is an honorary member of the Corps . </P> <P> On June 1, 2012, DC Comics announced that it would be introducing an alternate version of Alan Scott as a gay man in the title "Earth 2 ." The New 52 issue was released on June 6, 2012 . In its story, Alan Scott and his partner Sam were both passengers aboard a train, but the latter was killed when their train was wrecked in the railroad - bridge collapse that Scott alone survived; a magical green flame found Alan amongst the rubble . Telling him he is to become an avatar of the flame's great power and that he must channel this power through an item of importance to his heart, Alan chooses the engagement ring he was to give his boyfriend, becoming Green Lantern . This alternate version is not a member of the Green Lantern Corps, which doesn't exist in Earth 2, but rather adopts the name Green Lantern for himself, for his powers derives his mystical powers from the Green, the elemental force which connects plant life on Earth . </P> <P> The character of Harold "Hal" Jordan was a second - generation test pilot, having followed in the footsteps of his father . He was given the power ring and battery (lantern) by a dying alien named Abin Sur, whose spaceship crashed on Earth . Abin Sur used his ring to seek out an individual who was "utterly honest and born without fear" to take his place as a member of the corps . At one point, when Hal Jordan was incapacitated, it was revealed that there were two individuals matching the specified criteria on Earth, the other being Guy Gardner, and the ring chose Jordan solely because of his proximity to Abin Sur . Gardner then became listed as Hal's "backup", even though he had a strong friendship with Barry Allen (The Flash). Gardner would fill in if Jordan was unavailable or otherwise incapacitated . Later, when Gardner was put into a coma, it turned out that by then there was a third human suitable for the task, John Stewart, who was designated as the Earth Sector's "backup" Lantern . Jordan, as Green Lantern, became a founding member of the Justice League of America and as of the mid-2000s is, along with John Stewart, one of the two active - duty Lanterns in Earth's sector of space . </P> <P> Jordan also automatically became a member of the Green Lantern Corps, a galactic "police" force which bears some similarities to the "Lensmen" from the science fiction series written by E.E. Smith, although both creators Julius Schwartz and John Broome denied ever reading Smith's stories . Nevertheless, the early 1980s miniseries "Green Lantern Corps" honors the similarity with two characters in the corps: Eddore of Tront and Arisia . </P>

Who came first hal jordan or john stewart