Jade (comics)

Jade (Jennifer-Lynn Hayden) is a fictional superhero in the DC Comics Universe. She first appeared in All-Star Squadron #25 in September 1983.^[1]

Background

Jade is the daughter of the Green Lantern (the first character), alias Alan Scott, and Thorn, alias Rose Canton. Jade's twin brother is Obsidian, alias Todd James Rice.^[2]

Jade is a founding member of Infinity, Inc.. She has worked with the Justice League and the Justice Society of America. She is also a member and leader of the Outsiders. After being given a power ring (a spare one), she joined the Green Lantern Corps. The Green Lantern Corps had been resurrected and Jade was the first female Green Lantern from Earth.

Jade's romantic interests are Henry "Hank" King, Jr. and Kyle Rayner. She was ranked 34th in Comics Buyer's Guide's "100 Sexiest Women in Comics" list.^[3]

Character history

The death of Jade. Art by Ivan Reis.

Rose, Jade's mother, was married, briefly, to Alan Scott. When she had children by Scott, she gave them up for adoption because she feared she would harm them. Jade and her twin were separated.

Jade was adopted by a couple living in the suburbs of Milwaukee. Jade learned of her twin brother, Todd, when she was in her late teens. Shortly after she met Todd, the two siblings tried to join the Justice Society. They were rejected, but joined with other children and protégés of JSA members to form Infinity inc.

Due to their father's exposure to magical energies, Jade and her brother were born with metahuman powers. Jade's powers first manifested when she was a child when she defended herself against sexual assault. Jade's powers resembled her father's in that she was able to generate green energy and shape it into constructs. Jade also inherited her mother's power of plant manipulation.

Jade made a career in modeling in California then left to pursue photography in New York City. There, her room mate was Kyle Rayner. Jade and Kyle became romantically involved. When Jade lost her powers in a battle with Starheart, Kyle gave her a spare power ring and battery, thus making her a member of the Green Lantern Corps. Kyle later restored her powers during his first, short tenure as the god-like Ion.^[4] Jade's power ring eventually passed to John Stewart.

Character development

After Kyle's friend, Terry Berg, was attacked, Jade and Kyle left Earth. After completing a number of missions, Jade returned to Earth. She ended her relationship with Kyle after falling in love with another man. Jade then served as a member, and leader of the Outsiders. Around this time, Jade assisted Donna Troy and some of the alumni of the Teen Titans in their battle against the Titans of Myth. Jade also assisted the Green Lantern Corps in Green Lantern: Rebirth to defeat and imprison the parasitic fear entity, Parallax.

In the Rann-Thanagar War Infinite Crisis Special, Jade died while trying to prevent Alexander Luthor, Jr. from tearing the universe into a Multiverse. Her consciousness and powers lingered until her Starheart powers merged with Kyle, awakening the Ion, sleeping within him.

In the story arc, One Year Later, Alan Scott lay in a coma after an attack by the Gentleman Ghost. The original Jade appeared to him to say goodbye, granting him another portion of her green energy, which replaced his eye that he had lost during the Infinite Crisis.^[5]

Blackest Night

Jade as a Black Lantern, menacing her former love. Art by Patrick Gleason.

During the Blackest Night crossover, Jade's remains were reanimated as a member of the Black Lantern Corps.^[6] Jade, a soulless undead being, used Kyle's affection for her against him. She said his love for her had brought her back. However, Kyle recognizes her lies after witnessing the attack of the Black Lantern Corps on the planet Oa. Kyle became enraged and tried to destroy the Black Lantern Corps. Jade captured Kyle and tormented him with black energy constructs of Alexandra DeWitt, Donna Troy, his mother (Moira Rayner), and herself. This was to remind Kyle of his failures to save the women who were important to him.^[7]

The battle between Jade and Kyle was ended by Soranik Natu, who activated Jade's ring.^[8] The Black Lanterns were then given a new directive: to devour Oa's Central Power Battery. Mogo caused all of the Black Lanterns, including Jade, to be pulled down to the planet Oa and absorbed into its core. There, super-hot magma continually burned up the Black Lanterns preventing them regenerating their forms.

Return

During the finale of Blackest Night, Jade and a few of the Black Lanterns were resurrected in their true forms. Jade and Kyle resumed their relationship.^[9] In Brightest Day, Jade returned to the story.^[10] In adjusting to her new life, Jade acknowledged Cade, Kyle, Soranik and Deadman, now a White Lantern.^[11]

Later on, the Justice League found Jade unconscious, held within a green crystal meteor that had crashed in Germany.^[12] The green crystal meteor was the Starheart, the legendary crystal that gave Alan Scott his powers and therefore, Jade, her powers. After waking, Jade revealed that while on Oa, the Starheart had kidnapped her and brought her to Earth in order to locate her father. However, on learning that the Starheart had taken control of her father's body, she opted to help the Justice League to stop him.^[13]

Jade joined with the JLA and JSA in order to stop metahumans who were under the control of the Starheart. At the same time, Mr. Terrific searched for a way to weaken the Starheart's power. Jade used her father's old lantern to make a brief connection with her father. The insignia of the Black Lantern Corps was briefly shown, floating behind her.^[14] When Jade went to stop her father, she found Kyle. He had been sent by the Guardians of the Universe to kill her father.^[15]

An Entity of the White Lantern Corps instructed Jade to help her brother, Obsidian, "balance the darkness" and save their friends.^[16] When Jade tried to rescue Obsidian from the control of the Starheart, Jade and Obsidian were fused together. This fusion made an entity which was also controlled by the Starheart. Jade and Obsidian attacked the Justice League and the Justice Society, until Jade was again contacted by the White Light Entity.^[17] The White Light Entity separated Jade and Obsidian. Obsidian tried to make the fusion occur again but Kyle restrained him and removed him. Jade restored her father's Starheart and was reunited with him. However, as a result of her fusion with Obsidian, Jade was no longer able to be in close proximity to her brother without risking further threat from the Starheart.^[18] After this, Jade remained with the Justice League.^[19]

Powers and abilities

Jade has Starheart energy manipulation powers similar to those of her father. However, unlike her father, her powers do not come from a ring or a lantern, but are channeled through the star shaped birthmark on her palm. As it is with all Green Lanterns, Jade can bring unlimited green energy constructs to life. She can use the constructs in any way, limited only by her will, imagination, and endurance. She uses the constructs most often to create shields, to fly, to travel through outer space and to run very quickly. Jade's power often manifests as green fire. Jade is unable to affect any object made of wood.

Jade inherited from her mother the ability to affect plants. Jade can cause accelerated growth of plants and manipulate the movement of most plant life. This ability manifests later in her life and thus she is less familiar with it.

Technically speaking, Jade is a mutant. She was born with green-hued skin, dark green hair, green eyes and a star-shaped birthmark on her palm. Her skin contains chlorophyll (the source of its green hue), and she can photosynthesize sunlight as a plant does. Due to their shared mystical connection with the Starheart, Jade can sense where her twin brother and her father are. She once shared a telepathic connection with her brother.

As a member of the Green Lantern Corps, Jade wields a power ring. Its power is not from the Starheart but from an aspect of the emotional spectrum. The power ring gives Jade abilities which are similar to her natural powers. It requires twenty-four hours to be recharged by her power battery. Jade's ring has a yellow impurity, which requires her to face her fears and overcome them with green willpower. As a Black Lantern, Jade wields a black power ring but as a reanimated corpse, she is not in control of her body or powers.

Other versions

Kingdom Come

In Alex Ross' miniseries Kingdom Come, an older Jade has taken the mantle of the Green Lantern. In the end notes of collectors' editions, she is identified as Green Lantern VI. Jade's efforts save herself, her father and others when the United Nations drops a nuclear bomb during the climactic battle

Tangent Comics

In Tangent Comics, the Earth-9 version of Jade is an Asian woman with the power to turn her tattoos into living dragons.

52

In the final issue of 52, a new Multiverse is revealed containing 52 parallel identical realities. One is designated "Earth-2". After Mister Mind eats elements of this reality, it resembles the Pre-Crisis Earth-Two. Although a character who is visually similar to the Jennie-Lynn Hayden incarnation of Jade and JSA members are present, they are not named in the panel in which they appear.

In November 2008, the authors disclosed that Earth-2's Jade is alive, but her father is dead. Jade is a member of the Justice Society Infinity, formed through a merger of the Justice Society of America and Infinity, Inc.^[20]

Grant Morrison said this alternate universe is not the Pre-Crisis Earth-Two.^[21]

Manhunter

In the final arc of Manhunter, which takes place in the future, a new Jade appears who is the daughter of Obsidian. This version of Jade is an Asian teenager named after her aunt. She has light-based powers and is an active superhero.^[22]

Ame-Comi Girls

In the Ame-Comi universe, Jennifer is re-imagined as Jade Yifei, a teenager from Beijing, China. She is the daughter of a National People's Congress official. Despite being blinded in an accident as a child, she goes on become a well known mountain climber. During an attack upon her family, she is chosen by a Green Lantern ring, which greatly enhances her hearing. This allows her to "see" via a set of special headphones, as well as granting her the ability to create energy constructs and changing her skin color to green. Though she possesses the green skin of her original counterpart, the Ame-Comi version of Jade uses a power ring rather than an internal source of energy.^[23]

Nicki Jones

The new Jade, Nicki Jones, is introduced. Art by Chris Batista.

In 52, week 29, a young woman named Nicki Jones was introduced as a member of the new Lex Luthor-owned Infinity, Inc. under the super hero name Jade. Jones is a vegetarian graphic arts student from the San Francisco Art Institute. She possesses the ability to project glowing vines from her fingertips. She is also able to fly, and use green energy powers. Jones debuted at a Thanksgiving parade only to be attacked by Obsidian, who accused her of trying to steal his sister's legacy.^[24]

In 52 week 40, the members of Infinity, Inc., with the exception of Jones, Natasha Irons, and Jacob Colby, they battled Steel and the Teen Titans and were arrested.^[25] Jones appeared again during week 50 in World War III, with the remaining members of Infinity, Inc.^[26]

References

External links

• Unofficial Jade (Jennie-Lynn Hayden) profile
• Chronological List of Appearances