From Thursday, July 23 – Saturday, July 25, HBO Max has brought the Green Lantern Corps to life with Lanterns Training Headquarters, transforming Venue 808 in the Gaslamp into an immersive recruiting station where fans could prove they had the willpower to wear the ring.
This is an interactive team experience that leans heavily into roleplaying, puzzles, and cooperation, and it all pays off with one of the best giveaway items of the con.
Upon entering, attendees are divided into four recruit groups and briefed on their mission before being led into the world of Lanterns by in-universe characters, otherwise known as four very up-to-the-challenge actors (and great job!). After a quick introduction, each team followed an actor through a darkened maze, ducking out of sight as they made their way deeper into the training facility. Right from the start, it felt like you were participating in a story rather than simply walking through an activation.
From there, the experience split into four different training scenarios, with each group completing two of them. That meant most groups had distinct experiences, which added a fun sense of mystery when talking with other attendees afterward.
Our team found ourselves inside a dive bar, working together to converse with the bartender and another patron to uncover clues that ultimately revealed the location of a hidden Green Lantern. After that, we moved onto target practice, where we quickly discovered that some members of our team were considerably better shots than others (thank goodness one recruit knew what they were doing, because I sure didn’t).
The two scenarios we missed sounded just as entertaining. One group searched a sheriff’s office for clues while relaying information over walkie-talkies, while another sent a recruit to the rooftop for a simulated flight test that ended with them dramatically “falling through” as part of the illusion.
It’s a clever way to make every visit feel just a little different, and also presumably to allow the most attendees possible to experience the activation.
Once the missions were complete, every participant officially joined the Green Lantern Corps. Together, each group received a custom Green Lantern power ring. Best of all, the rings weren’t one-size-fits-all — we could actually choose our ring size — before we recited the Green Lantern oath ahead of a Guardian.
The experience wasn’t over yet, though. Newly minted Lanterns were released into a lounge area where we could celebrate with a complimentary Heineken beer, browse a DC merchandise shop filled with Lanterns and DC collectibles, and capture one final digital photo using an interactive mirror that let fans see themselves wielding the power of the ring.
Like last year’s Peacefest, HBO Max and NVE (the company behind the activation) understood that the little details matter. The actors stayed fully committed throughout the experience, making each puzzle feel like part of a larger mission rather than a series of disconnected escape room challenges. The varying activities kept everyone engaged, and because each group only experienced half of the available scenarios, there was plenty to discuss amongst ourselves after the experience.
Even the standby line earned praise throughout the group I was in, with several commenting that although they had lined up long before the sun was up, roughly 12 people were making it in from the standby per half hour, and several in my group made it in via standby.
Between the immersive storytelling, cooperative gameplay, committed cast, and one of the best freebies of the weekend, HBO Max once again proved it knows exactly how to build an offsite that fans will be talking about long after Comic-Con ends.
For my money, this is the activation to beat this weekend at San Diego Comic-Con.
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