Day of Judgment (comics)

"Day of Judgment" was a DC Comics limited series and crossover storyline during the autumn of 1999. The limited series was written by Geoff Johns, with art by Matthew Dow Smith.

The main storyline for the series dealt with the Spectre (whose previous host, Jim Corrigan, had left him when he ascended into Heaven) being bonded to a new host, in the form of the then-deceased Hal Jordan.

Storyline
Endeavoring to cause chaos on Earth, as well as to take out rival demon Neron, Etrigan the Demon arranges for the now-hostless Spectre to be bonded to renegade angel Asmodel, who used the Spectre's power to freeze Hell and release hordes of demons on the Earth. This action also results in villains such as the Enchantress being released, and Earth's conventional heroes are powerless against Asmodel's onslaught. With the regular heroes having fallen, it is up to the newly formed Sentinels of Magic—consisting of Doctor Occult, Zatanna, Phantom Stranger, Madame Xanadu, Deadman, Raven, Ragman, Sentinel and Faust—to stand against the Spectre/Asmodel.

To vanquish Asmodel, the Sentinels and other heroes divide into three groups: a 'home front' to defend Earth, a team to reignite the fires of hell, and a team to search for Jim Corrigan in heaven and get him back into the Spectre. Although the team who is at Hell falls into the River Styx after a fight with Cerberus—being rescued only by the soulless Faust, who is unaffected by the visions that plague his comrades—and the team who is in Heaven fails to recruit Corrigan to their cause, they are directed by the archangel Michael to Purgatory, where a soul in search of redemption may aid them. Selecting Hal Jordan, feeling guilty over his actions as Parallax, as the best candidate for the Spectre's new host, the Sentinels bring him to Earth with the aid of other deceased heroes.

While Captain Marvel—possessing a 'pure' soul—takes the Spear of Destiny to aid in the fight, Faust sacrifices his newly regained soul—the demon who had been promised his soul having been defeated—to restore the fires of Hell by killing the Enchantress. With Marvel having weakened the Spectre, Hal attempts to merge with the Spirit of Vengeance, leading to a three-way-battle with Asmodel and Neron—who had hidden inside Superman to gain access to the mortal plane—that is interrupted by the Spectre-force. Demanding to know why it should accept any of them as hosts, the Spectre chooses Hal when he states that being host to the Spectre would be an appropriate punishment for what he had done as Parallax. As a result, Neron is demoted to a rhyming-class demon.

The crossover resulted in the creation of the Sentinels of Magic and Hal Jordan becoming the Spectre's new host for a time.

Certain aspects of this story were later dealt with in Green Lantern: Rebirth (involving Hal Jordan being released from the Spectre), and Day of Vengeance (wherein the Spectre once again runs unchecked on the world).