Comic Title: Showcase #23
Publisher: DC (National Comics Publications, Inc.)
Address: 575 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY
Cover Date: Nov/Dec 1959
On Sale Date: September 24, 1959 Newsstand Date September 24, 1959
Source: House Ad, Blackhawk #142, Page 9

Copyright Date September 24, 1959
Source: Library of Congress, Periodicals 1959

Frequency: Bi-monthly
Cover Price: $0.10
Page Count: 32
Editor: Julius Schwartz

Title: "The Invisible Destroyer"
Pages: 12

Feature(s):
Green Lantern (Hal Jordan of Earth-1)

Writer: John Broome
Penciller: Gil Kane
Inker: Joe Giella

Reprinted In:
Green Lantern Archives Vol. 1 HC (1993)
Showcase Presents Green Lantern Vol. 1 TPB (2005)
Green Lantern Chronicles Vol. 1 TPB (2009)
Green Lantern Omnibus Vol. 1 HC (2011)
Green Lantern:The Silver Age Vol. 1 TPB (2016)
Green Lantern:The Silver Age Omnibus Vol. 1 HC (2017)

Feature Character(s)

• Green Lantern (last appearance in Showcase #23; next appearance in Justice League of America #9)

Supporting Character(s)

• Carol Ferris (last appearance in Showcase #23; next appearance in Showcase #24)

Villain(s)

• Invisible Destroyer (an aparartion created by the imagination of Dr. Phillips; next appearance in Justice League of America #41)

Other Character(s)

• Three unnamed scientists (no further appearances)
• Dr. Phillips (a physicist whose mind is responsible for creating the Invisible Destroyer; no further appearances)

Comments:
Green Lantern takes part in the formation of the Justice League following this story, as told in the flashback sequence in Justice League of America #9.

Synopsis:
Hal Jordan is alerted to an urgent message addressed to Green Lantern in a local newspaper by his boss Carol Ferris. He exits and flys off as the Green Lantern.

On his way to the address the message indicated, he spots the Invisible Destroyer, a phantom thief who has plagued the city. He battles the Destroyer and discovers his ring is ineffective against him. Suddenly the Destroyer disappears. Green Lantern then discovers that the building where the battle takes place contains a cyclotron, and the thief did not steal anything.

Green Lantern continues on to his original destination which turns out to be the home of a physicist, Dr. Phillips. The doctor explains to GL that he believes himself responsible for the Destroyer’s appearance. He has doodled pictures of the Destroyer and believes that his own imagination is creating the being.

With the help of Green Lantern’s ring, the doctor tests this theory, and indeed the Destroyer does appear. The Destroyer reveals that he draws power from atomic radiation and sets out to create and absorb the radiation from an atomic explosion. Although he is able to engineer such an explosion, the Destroyer is thwarted when GL contains the blast with his ring. Green Lantern then uses anti-energy to counteract the Destroyer’s energy. As a result the Destroyer is vanquished and no trace is left in Dr. Phillips mind.