Creation
Relic was created by the new Green Lantern creative team of writer Robert Venditti and artist Billy Tan.
Major Story Arcs
The Anomaly
Wishing to avoid making the same mistakes as their predecessors, the Templar Guardians sought to travel the universe, experiencing in entirety both its joys as well as horrors, so that they might be a part of it and not isolated and dismissive of it as the Guardians that they replaced. To that end, they departed Oa after leaving Hal Jordan in charge of the Green Lantern Corps, and gave Kyle Rayner the task of being their guide. Their first order of business was the investigation of an anomaly at the very edge of the universe whose existence had troubled them for millenia, even before their imprisonment.
Upon reaching the giant, cyst-like structure, the Templar Guardians told Kyle that they suspected it was a fragment of the previous universe, sealed away as a defense measure by the present universe. Many vessels were gathered nearby, probing and studying the cyst, but they all shrank away in fear at the sight of the Guardians. Just then, a guardian of the anomaly named Exeter arrives, and declares the anomaly off-limits. The Guardians ignore him and move to investigate while Kyle engages in battle with Exeter. Suddenly, the anomaly begins to react to the energies of Kyle’s power ring, causing it to rupture and explode. Relic emerges from within.
Lights Out
Upon reaching Oa, Relic instructs the Green Lanterns that as “Lightsmiths” they diminish the energy source from which they draw their power. He is sure that the power source from which they draw their power is being depleted. He offers them a deal that if they give up their rings willingly he will offer them safe passage, to which Hal replies the word “surrender” is not in their vocabulary. He explains that though the Lanterns are much smaller than the Lightsmiths from his universe, they are the same in that they too diminish their energy source. Relic claims that if the Lanterns will not stop their squandering of the emotional energy, he will have to take it from them to save the universe. As Relic sees no other choice he deploys machines that begin to drain power, not only from each Lantern’s ring, but from the central power battery. The Lanterns try to fight back but as Relic’s defenses are too powerful, they are outmatched and unsuccessful. In the end, Relic destroys the central power battery.
Once Relic drains all the power from Oa, Salaak tells Hal that the whole of Oa could be destroyed as it relies on the central power battery. In a last ditch effort Hal, John and a team of Lanterns again try to take Relic head on while Salaak rallies others in Oa for an escape route. While Relic is distracted the Lanterns are able to escape. But so, too, are all the prisoners released from the sciencells. As full escape by John’s platoon is impossible, Lantern Ergann stays behind to hold off Relic and dies. The rest of the Lanterns escape but the planet Oa is blown up and left destroyed.