Mart Nodell, creator of the Golden Age Green Lantern, died on Saturday, December 9, 2006. He will be sorely missed.

Per the Palm Beach Post, In 1940, comic-book artist Martin Nodell was awaiting the subway home to Brooklyn when he saw a trainman waving a lantern. It was a common sight, but to an artist desperate for fresh ideas, it was inspiration.

"It was green, which meant things were safe," said Nodell, then 25. "I wrote down `Green Lantern.' I added elements of everything I liked - Chinese folklore, Greek mythology, Wagner's opera (The Ring of the Nibelungen).'' Nodell, who soon created the legendary superhero Green Lantern and later helped create the Pillsbury Doughboy, died in Wisconsin Saturday. The West Palm Beach resident was 91.