After Krona’s interference at the birth of their universe, the Guardians could not let him go unpunished, and sent him into exile. Believing they could prevent similar transgressions, as well as make greater discoveries, they emptied their emotions into the first version of a Central Power Battery called, the “Great Heart.”
At the time of this ceremony, Volthoom, a time-traveling being from an Earth-15 in the distant future, arrived on his mission to prevent the obliteration of his people. He discovered the Guardians and was present as a power ring emerged from the battery. He grabbed it, placed it on his finger, and became the “First Lantern.”
Still reeling from Krona’s actions, the Guardians vowed to create a force for good with the goal of bringing order to the universe by any means necessary. Four billion years ago, in the labs of their Citadel, they created a robotic army of soldiers patterned after the Manhunters of Ma’aleca’adra (Mars) to fight evil.
You have been created for the sole purpose of becoming a force for good within the universe. We have programmed you to know that which is good, and that which is evil… and to respond accordingly.
For nearly a billion years, the Manhunters succeeded in their mission. They even joined forces with the Guardians when Larfleeze, a master thief from the planet Sh’pilkuzz, plotted to steal the box containing the parasite Parallax that the Guardians had left behind on their homeward, Maltus.
Larfleeze and his accomplices found a map leading to the orange power battery, which was fueled by avarice. The Guardians and Manhunters found them on Okaara and fought for control of the battery. The battle ended in a trade: the orange light for the box. Larfleeze promised never to enter the Vega system again, and the Guardians imprisoned Parallax inside the Central Power Battery, the embodiment of fear now contained by the green willpower of the Guardians.
(Krona had actually harnessed green energy on Maltus billions of years prior, before the Maltusians made their exodus to Oa. As the Guardians emptied their emotions, Krona refined the willpower of the Emotional Spectrum to create a weapon. This became known as “Krona’s Gauntlet.”)
When Krona escaped exile, the Guardians sent their Manhunters after him. Believing it was a mistake for the Guardians to create a “police force” with no emotion, he reprogrammed the Manhunters to destroy all organic life in Sector 666. This became known as “the Massacre of Sector 666,” after which Krona escaped once again.
Understandably, the Manhunters were now at odds with the Guardians and conspired to start a rebellion. The two sides entered into a thousand year war.
The battle ended with the automatons disbanding and the survivors taking refuge on planets such as Biot. Spread across the universe, their overriding purpose was now to take revenge on the Guardians…
Green Lantern (vol. 4) #33
Sept. 2008 (7-30-08)
2.99
“Secret Origin Book 5”
22 pages
Writer: Geoff Johns
Penciller: Ivan Reis
Inker: Oclair Albert
Editor: Eddie Berganza
Green Lantern (vol. 4) #63
April 2011 (73-2-11)
2.99
“War of the Green Lanterns Prologue”
20 pages
Writer: Geoff Johns
Artist: Ed Benes
Penciller: Adrian Syaf
Inkers: Robert Hunter, Vicente Cifuentes
Editor: Brian Cunningham
Green Lanterns #1
E. May 2017 (3-1-17)
2.99
“The Last Testament of the First Lantern”
20 pages
Writer: Sam Humphries
Penciller: Robson Rocha
Inker: Daniel Henriques
Editor: Mike Cotton
Larfleeze #1
Aug. 2013 (6-26-13)
2.99
“The Extremely Large Dog on the Edge of Forever”
20 pages
Plotter: Keith Giffen
Scripter: J. Mark DeMatteis
Artist: Scott Kolins
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Secret Origins #22
Jan. 1988 (9-22-87)
1.25
(No Man Escapes the Manhunters)
38 pages
Writers: Roy Thomas, Danette Thomas
Artist: Howard Simpson
Inkers: Robert Downs, Damon Willis
Editor: Roy Thomas
CODEX OMNIVERSA 