Jessica Cruz has One of the Best Origin Stories in Comics. Fight Me

Talking to my girlfriend about Jessica Cruz inspired a frustrating search of my collection for “Forever Evil”. Not being able to find them threw me into a whiskey-fueled despair. I drank the same amount that I always do; I was just grumbling about wanting to read the crossover. But because I’m Mr. Silly-stupid-head the third, I didn’t think to check DC Universe. I just subscribed to check out the Harley Quinn cartoon and Behold! They had my baby! Partially through this delightfully fun event, I planned to write an editorial on said “Forever Evil” arc. I was triggered, though, by my girlfriend’s friend remarking that Jessica Cruz’s backstory “wasn’t even that good”. Such insolence cannot be tolerated. I soon had an interesting series of revelations. “Forever Evil” does not actually have Jessica Cruz in it but the story is foundational to her origin. There are a lot of comics between this foundation and her willpower baptism as one of Sector 2814’s newest Green Lanterns. After a glorious binge of “Forever Evil” and Justice League (2011) #30-50, I am convinced that Cruz’s genesis deserves an ode. Harold Jordan: Cruz’s Cowardly Predecessor Jessica Cruz gets her start as Power Ring, not Green Lantern. Harold Jordan is a member of the Crime Syndicate, an evil Justice League from an alternate reality. Opposite of this universe’s Hal Jordan, Power Ring is cripplingly cowardly. With all the power and none of the courage of a Lantern he reflexively attacks in fear of being attacked fi…