When does 1 not equal 1?

So, back to the 1990s, and I had disposable income (read: pocket money), access to a proper comic store, and a love of Green Lantern. When I found new issues of Green Lantern... snap buy! And it was numbered, like, #4 or something. Oh, great, I didn't have that issue, so grab and read...

Uh... what is this? Why does Hal Jordan have white streaks in his hair? Why is Guy and John around? Why is there a reference to an issue that is not mentioned when I got that issue? (I think it was a reference to Hector Hammond in, like, #3 or something.) Wha...?

Yep, it's another lesson in how the comic industry works. I didn't know that this was vol 3 of Green Lantern, and the references were back to vol 2. BTW, we're up to vol 5 now. And each time they restarted the numbering at #1. Wow, that's not confusing at all. (Of course now, we are used to this, for example Season 1 and Series 1 of Doctor Who... sigh.)

And, from what I gather, Marvel restarts their serieses with #1 every year. Because #1s sell well, and are fresh and new, and places for people to jump in (and spend money).

Rebooting really screws over referencing things easily.

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