 | TOMAR-RE | BIOGRAPHY |
| Created by John Broome and Gil Kane |
PERSONAL DATA
Occupation: Green Lantern
Homeworld: Xudar
Space Sector: 2813
Race: Xudarian
Place of Birth: Xudar
Known Relatives: Unnamed father (deceased), Unnamed sibling; Betah (niece), Tomar-Tu (son)
Group Affiliation(s): Green Lantern Corps
Gender: Male
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 210 lbs.
Eyes: Red
Hair: None
First Appearance: Green Lantern Vol. 2 #6 (May-June 1961): "The World of Living Phantoms!"
Creators: John Broome and Gil Kane
OVERVIEW
An honored Green Lantern, Tomar-Re was the first Lantern Hal Jordan met after the human was given the power ring by Abin Sur. Tomar-Re died years ago, the circumstances or at least responsibility somehow related to fellow Lantern Sinestro.
HISTORY
Working as a scientist on his homeworld of Xudar, a planet in the third quadrant of the Xeno Galaxy, young Tomar-Re was approached by the Guardians of the Universe to become the Green Lantern of Sector 2813. He would go on to become one of the greatest Green Lanterns of his time.
Two early cases invovled Tomar-Re travelling to the planet Krypton.
Searching for the Kryptonian murderer known as Greyline, Tomar-Re lost the fugitive when the Kryptonian ciy of Xan was destroyed. Greyline would later be captured by Kryptonian authorities and sentenced to the Phantom Zone. - Superman: World of New Krypton #4
Soon after completing his probationary period, Tomar-Re was dispatched on a mission to rescue the population of Krypton. The Guardians had at this point considered making the Green Lantern Corps independent of Oa. They prophesied the offspring of Jor-El and Lara of Krypton in Space Sector 2813 would be genetically perfect, and an ideal future leader of the Corps.
The Guardians had discovered that Krypton was due to explode due to radioactive instability in the planet's core. Krypton would not be saved by the Green Lantern Corps. If the world was not annihilated within a short number of years, Krypton's erratic magnetic field would disrupt many of its neighboring stars leading to even more death. Tomar-Re was assigned to delay the planet's destruction until the Kryptonians could discover their plight and act upon that knowledge.
Evacuation of the population was not an option. Two hundred fifty thousand years ago, a device called the "eradicator" was developed as weapon against alien intervention. The eradicator created a defect in the natives' genetic structure designed to "tie" the Kryptonians to their homeworld. The Green Lantern worked unseen by the natives of Krypton.
Tomar-Re scoured the sector for the element "stellarium", which would absorb the radiation that threatened to tear apart Krypton. It took months to gather enough of the element, but Tomar-Re worked feverishly to complete his task. It was in the Ariel star system that Tomar-Re found a deposit of stellarium. As he mined the element, Tomar-Re had failed to notice Ariel itself was unstable. The star went nova, and would have killed the Green Lantern but for the power ring's protection. Tomar-Re was blinded by the nova's yellow radiation.
He flew blind through space with the stellarium in tow. The power ring guided him across hundreds of light years. Tomar-Re was confused and exhausted by his virtually non-stop work. Unfortunately, the Xudarian Green Lantern was too late to save Krypton. His vision returned in time to see the planet explode in a ball of radioactive fire.
Kal-El of Krypton would be protected from capture at the hands of the Manhunters during his space-journey by members of the Green Lantern Corps. The starship would arrive on Earth, its sole occupant adopted by Jonathan and Martha Kent. Named Clark Kent, the baby would grow up to become Earth's greatest hero, Superman. The Guardians had realized Kal-El would be physically superior to the people of Earth, but even they were surprised by his super-human powers. Though they would occasionally guide the Man of Steel, Superman's destiny was now his own. -Superman Vol. 1 #257/2
As the years passed, Tomar-Re earned his legendary status in the Green Lantern Corps. The emerald warrior of Space Sector 2813 developed the "Zathon Ray Communicator" to warn of disasters on other worlds in his sector. The people of Xudar were staunch supporters of the Green Lantern Corps and of Tomar-Re.
One day, while holding back a field of migrating predatory blood grass, Tomar-Re was visited by Hal Jordan of Earth. The novice Green Lantern quickly attempted to cut the encroaching blood grass, but unknowingly increased the problem. Tomar-Re had been saddened to hear of the death of his friend Abin Sur of Ungara, whom Jordan had replaced.
The two Green Lanterns were soon summoned to Oa to convene a meeting regarding the threat of Legion. Along with Salakk of Slyggia, the three Green Lanterns approached the Great Book of Oa for answers to the Legion problem.
Jordan was soon assigned to Kilowog of Bolovax Vik for basic training in the ways of the Green Lantern Corps. The Corps was soon put to the test when Legion arrived on Oa. The planet was soon overrun by Legion and the Corps was forced to withdraw. A last ditch ploy by Jordan managed to tear the Legion creature free of its grasp of Oa's power.
Following the defeat of Legion, the more intensive aspects of Hal Jordan's training would be continued by Sinestro of Korugar. The Green Lantern of Korugar was a model for all to follow, his sector the most orderly in the universe.
Unknown to the Corps or the Guardians, Sinestro had ruled his homeworld with an iron fist. Led by Katma Tui, a young dissident, the people of Korugar were soon in open revolt. An investigation led by Tomar-Re and Tomy-Fai found the Green Lantern of Korugar had far exceeded his mandate as a bringer of order. Sinestro and his student became fugitives, tracked and finally captured on Earth by The Fists of the Guardians.
Tomar-Re prosecuted the case, but Sinestro decided to defend himself. Jordan was brought as Sinestro's witness, to testify that the Korugarian had trained him in the ways of order, but Jordan was more of a liability than an asset to Sinestro's defense. The next witness was Katma Tui, called by Tomar-Re. She spoke of the protection which tightening control by Sinestro. Though she had once believed in Green Lantern, she wanted her people to live again.
Sinestro was found guilty, stripped of his power ring and rank, and sentenced to the Antimatter Universe of Qward. As he dissipated between universes, the Korugarian swore to bring chaos on his return. The Guardians needed a new Green Lantern for Space Sector 1417. Tomar-Re recommended Katma Tui as the new Green Lantern of Korugar.
In the years to come, Tomar-Re and Hal Jordan would often call upon each other for assistance. One such example was on the world of Aku. The inhabitants of that world had set themselves into a form of suspended animation to indefinitely lengthen their life span. The thought images of the inhabitants would carry on their lives, saving their physical bodies in an underground bunker. Centuries later, the thought images rebelled from their physical selves. They had found a way to power themselves through the control of gravity and now sought to destroy their physical bodies.
The Xudarian Green Lantern was unable to aid the world of Aku, he had to repel an invasion of space monsters at the southern hemisphere of his world. Tomar-Re called on the Green Lantern of Earth for assistance.
Arriving on Aku, Hal Jordan was at first overwhelmed by the thought images. He was unable to touch them because of their wraith like abilities. Jordan devised a way to beat the images at their own game by making duplicate thought images of himself. He discovered two of the "sleepers" had fallen in love and thereby "short circuited" Aku's computers. Releasing them cured the problematic thought images. The Green Lantern of Earth then returned to Xudar to assist Tomar-Re in repelling the invading space monsters. - Green Lantern Vol. 2 #6
Tomar-Re would see Hal Jordan at the Green Lantern conferences on planet Yquem. During two such meetings they fought alongside such Green Lanterns as Chaselon and Stel against Sinestro, who had returned from Qward to battle his former comrades.
The Green Lantern of Xudar kept a watchful eye on Hal Jordan. He attempted to give Jordan early warning of a violent "cosmo-storm" that had struck Xudar. The storm had strange effects on his power ring and would likely do the same to Jordan's ring. Tomar-Re was unable to deliver the warning in person due to an important case on Xudar.
Jordan's ring did indeed act peculiar. He had been fighting the supervillain known as Sonar when the ring gave out. Suspecting something might be wrong, Jordan ordered his ring to create an emergency packet of energy to remain near at all times. With this, he was able to defeat Sonar.
When the cosmo-storm cleared, Tomar-Re was able to send an energy image to make sure Jordan was safe. Apparently, some of the Xudarian's message made it through the storm, subconsciously picked up by Jordan's ring.
The peaceful inhabitants of Xudar were interested in the arts and sciences. Their astronomers reached out to the heavens. Xudarian archaeologists had discovered the ruins of an alien civilization on the barren world of Krastl. The people of that world had been killed in a nuclear exchange, the only living thing on Krastl was a bizarre changeling created from the nuclear holocaust. The changeling's true form was unstable, and so it had to change shape every so often. It would blow itself apart and regroup itself into the form of its victim.
One of the archeologists, Ixnal, was "replaced" by the changeling. It took the Xudarians' space craft and set course for their homeworld. On Xudar, Tomar-Re was determined to capture the creature. The changeling would transform itself, leaving its duplicated victims in a coma. The Green Lantern could not defeat it with out learning its true form.
Tomar-Re pursued the changeling to Earth, where he enlisted the aid and power battery of Hal Jordan. The changeling tricked Jordan into knocking out his fellow emerald crusader. Jordan discovered the changeling needed to have an existing object to transform into. The Green Lantern of Earth created a stuffed toy tiger into existence, he ordered the tiger to nonexistence at the very moment the changeling de-atomized itself to imitate it. When the creature had nothing to change into, it was frozen in its true shape, that of a mushroom cloud of a nuclear explosion. With the changeling powerless, all of its victims returned to normal. Tomar-Re took the atomic changeling back to Krastl.
Tomar-Re joined with a contingent of Green Lanterns to recapture a gang of criminals on the Guardians' prison planet. The villains had plotted to destroy the Green Lantern Corps, and were successful in killing thirteen of the Corps, including Davo Yull of Pharma and Chogar of Tyrea.
When Tomar-Re retired, he was asked to serve as one of the Green Lantern Corps Honor Guard. He still served the Guardians of the Universe, though he had apparently given up his sector. The Guardians revealed the secret of Krypton to the Xudarian Green Lantern. Tomar-Re's mission had not been seen as a failure. The use of stellarium to inhibit world destroying radioactive pressures would be used by other Green Lanterns throughout the years. The so-called "Krypton Effect" would be halted on Omnicron IV by Green Lantern Hal Jordan and was used by members of the Corps assisting Wissen of Veltre.
Despite his retirement, Tomar-Re was still active with the Corps. He served Oa against the Weaponers of Qward during the Power War and involved himself in matters concerning his fellow emerald warriors, such as the trial of Arkkis Chummuck.
Tomar-Re led a division of the Green Lantern Corps against the undead armies of Krona and the renegade Guardian's new master, Nekron, Lord of the Unliving. This was a difficult battle for Tomar-Re, as he was faced with the spirit of his late father who urged his son to allow Nekron victory. Tomar-Re used his power ring to disperse the spirit, though it greatly pained him. The Green Lantern Corps ultimately won the battle and defeated Nekron's might. For his actions in the struggle, Hal Jordan was offered the Crimson Cloak of Command to lead the Corps, but he turned down the honor. - Tales of the Green Lantern Corps #3.
Tomar-Re's stewardship of Space Sector 2813 was passed to Dalor of Timron. The new Green Lantern came into conflict with Hal Jordan regarding "payment" for his duties. Although the matter was resolved, it is possible that Tomar-Re was assigned to assist Dalor with further training.
On Oa, the Guardians of the Universe discovered the first vestiges of a universal crisis. A spontaneous discharge of energy ripped across the cosmos, obliterating a number of stars and planets in its path. Each exploded mass was instantly converted to energy which fed the energy bolt, accelerating it. The energy surpassed the velocity necessary to break the time barrier and was torn asunder. The energy discharge caused sporadic damage across a time span of millions of years. While most of the rips in the fabric of time resulted in no serious consequence, one discharge tore at an obscure dimension lying beyond the dawn of time. It was in this pocket that the Reverse Flash had been imprisoned.
Realizing how this would affect Barry Allen, the Silver Age Flash, the Guardians decided to send a Green Lantern to warn of the impending threat. Since Hal Jordan, the Green Lantern of Space Sector 2814, was at that time exiled from Earth, the Guardians assigned Tomar-Re the mission. The Guardians wished to help the Flash for his years of assistance to them.
In route to Earth, Tomar-Re was struck by a meteor storm that shattered his protective emerald bubble. He was knocked unconscious by the yellow hued fragments and crashed to Earth. The Xudarian was found by the Tucker family, and taken to their farmhouse which was hundreds of miles north of Central City, home of the Flash.
The Green Lantern had discovered his ring twenty four hour limit had expired in the time since he last charged. Utilizing parts from the family's tractor and pick up truck, Tomar-Re was able to build a makeshift rocket craft to carry him to Central City.
Before Tomar-Re could reach Barry Allen, he was seen by the Reverse Flash. The villain thought the Green Lantern's arrival was more than coincidence and attacked the emerald warrior before he could warn the Flash. Even the Reverse Flash knew he should not kill the Green Lantern or risk the wrath of the entire Green Lantern Corps. He tore apart Tomar-Re's craft and reassembled it with his more advanced future technology. Tomar-Re was then placed in the spacecraft and shot out into space. Another member of the Corps, Charqwep, rescued the injured Xudarian. Tomar-Re told the Guardians of his failure, and they would have to contact the Flash directly.
The Guardians offered their assistance to the Flash, but he declined their aid. This was to be a battle fought by Allen alone. The Guardians did not approve of his decision, but they would respect it. They swore not to intervene indirectly or otherwise. The ensuing fight between the speedsters would change Barry Allen's life forever.
Throughout his career, Tomar-Re never forgot the destruction of Krypton. He met Superman when the Guardians of the Universe enlisted the Man of Steel to help defeat the Weapons Master, who had usurped control of the power rings.
When Tomar-Re's friend, Hal Jordan, had misgivings about being a Green Lantern, Tomar-Re, Katma-Tui, Arkkis Chummuck, Arisia, Xax, and Ch'p banded together to try to convince Jordan to remain in the Corps. Their words were not enough, and Jordan soon left the Corps. In his stead, John Stewart was chosen by the Guardians to become Earth's emerald protector.
The group of friends were called upon to battle Maaldor, a creature imprisoned in a dimension beyond time. Maaldor had stolen the reserve energies of the Central Power Battery and kidnapped three Guardians. Across the universe, all save six Green Lanterns were powerless. Though Maaldor was eventually defeated, it was at the cost of Arkkis Chummuck's life.
Tomar-Re was a mentor to Arisia of Graxos IV, a young Green Lantern who had a crush on Jordan. Arisia was the daughter of Fentara, also a Green Lantern. She spent hours reading of the exploits of Green Lanterns such as Dkrtzy RRR, Leezle Pon, and Mogo, the planetform Green Lantern. The Xudarian Green Lantern helped Arisia in her thirst for knowledge.
During the so-called Crisis on Infinite Earths, Tomar-Re held a conference of Green Lanterns aboard a warp-drive capable starship at his disposal. When the Central Power Battery was attacked by the Anti-Monitor, power rings across the universe lost their energies. The protection of the starship's hull spared the Green Lanterns from the killing vacuum of space. The Green Lanterns immediately set course for Oa. They arrived to find the world surrounded by a protective barrier. Upon landing, the contingent of Green Lanterns found fifteen of the Guardians held in a stasis beam generated by the massive battery. The Central Power Battery then unleashed its power on the Corps members.
Tomar-Re was utilized by the Central Battery to communicate with the Guardians and Green Lantern Corps. The Battery had learned of the nature of the Anti-Monitor when he had taken control of it. The repository of power explained why the Corps should save the Dark Moon of Qward, the Genesis Point for the Anti-Monitor. The moon's destruction would free the Anti-Monitor from all constraints of the material world. The Green Lanterns set out for the Antimatter Universe to stop Guy Gardner and Hal Jordan's mission to destroy the Qwardian moon.
The Green Lantern Corps engaged their enemies in battle. Xax of Xaos was one of the first of the Corps to fall against a Weaponer. Tomar-Re fought Hal Jordan's old enemy Goldface. Though the Green Lanterns were successful against the Weaponers and Gardner's army of villains, there were many casualties. Noble Tomar-Re was one of them. As he was dying, Tomar-Re fulfilled his final duties as a Green Lantern: Passing his ring on to a worthy successor.
Tomar-Re's ring lifted off his finger and hovered in front of John Stewart. This surprised the assembled Green Lanterns, as Stewart was already one of them. The ring told Stewart he was wearing Hal Jordan's power ring. Both rings hovered in the air before settling on to their rightful owners. Hal Jordan was given back his power ring. Tomar-Re saw that things were right before he finally slipped away. John Stewart conferred the final honor in the name of the Guardians. Hal Jordan was Green Lantern once again.
On Oa, the survivors and the fallen of the Green Lantern Corps were honored by the Guardians. They approved of Tomar-Re's dying wish, and Jordan would go on to serve as one of the universe's emerald warriors.
Goldface was apprehended by Salakk and Arisia with the help of Hal Jordan. He was imprisoned in an Oan sciencell. Goldface would later return to Earth.
Tomar-Re's body resides in the Crypts of the Green Lantern Corps on Oa.
The Xudarians never forgot the importance of the Green Lantern Corps. Tomar-Re, another Xudarian Green Lantern named Tomar-Tu, and John Stewart were all honored for their service to Xudar.
The legend of Tomar-Re still lives on. He had told tales of the Green Lantern Corps to his young niece, Betah, on Xudar. One of the stories was of Zharan Pel, an ancient predecessor of Tomar-Re's mantle as Green Lantern of Space Sector 2813.
The people of Xudar, it seems, will always be closely tied to the Green Lantern Corps. In an alternate 30th Century, Xudar would be represented by Galte-Re.
 | BLACK LANTERN: TOMAR-RE |
During the event known as the Blackest Night, black rings desecrated the Crypts. The ring placed itself upon his corpse, downloaded all of his memories and created a duplicate of his body that rose from the grave as a member of the Black Lantern Corps. - Green Lantern Corps Vol. 2 #39
POWERS AND WEAPONS
As a Green Lantern, Tomar-Re possessed a power ring and power battery.
CHRONOLOGY
For a definitive list of appearances of Tomar-Re in chronological order click here
GLCWP NOTE
The birdlike Xudarians did indeed have wings, as first shown in Green Lantern Vol. 2 #55 and 56. For some strange cultural reason, they kept the wings folded out of sight under their clothes. In a GL costume, that was very tight indeed, not even a bump showed. They weren't embarrassed by their wings, they just rarely showed them. The look of the Xudarian race was altered from Gil Kane's original design in the Emerald Dawn series.
Shortly after reading a story in which Tomar-Re mentioned he was given his ring by the Guardians, I wrote up the Chaselon entry. The cities taken to Oa by the Old Timer were those he had visited in his lifetime. Since one of the cities was taken from Xudar, I came to the theory that Appa Ali Apsa himself may have given Tomar-Re the power ring. Maybe the same origin holds true for Chaselon. Well, it's a thought...
According to a text piece in Tales of the Green Lantern Corps #1-3, and letter column in Green Lantern Vol. 2 #133, both by then GL editor Jack C. Harris, there was another Xudarian who replaced Tomar-Re as the GL of Sector 2813. It was this unnamed Xudarian who fought during the Power War from Green Lantern Vol. 2 #125-127. He could be differentiated from Tomar-Re because he lacked the small tuffs of white feathers Tomar sported, which denoted age. Who he was and how he came to replace Tomar would be revealed in a story in the near future of the title. The story was never printed. Since then, the editorial reins of the title changed numerous times. I've come to discount the "Xudarian replacement". The later appearance of Dalor of Timron seems to contradict the line of succession.
This one's dedicated to Toymaster, aka ToyMar-Re. Coincidentally, Toy was the first AOLer I "met" from the message board, and sort of like with Hal, Toy has been a great friend. He's given me very useful advice in the time that I've been an AOLer. I hope you enjoyed this one, my fellow Green Lantern Fan.