This one’s been a long time coming. I’ve been wanting to get a little more Green Lantern in my life for a while, particularly Kyle Rayner for the odd time he’s popped up in my reads, but I’d heard nothing but good about this book so I gave it a go.
#spoilers
The story here is basically the return of Hal Jordan after his fall from grace. Currently existing as the Spectre, conflict ensues as the threat of Parallax reemerges and Hal must overcome his inner fear to assume his mantle once again. Like any other event-like-mini-series you get a supporting effort from the Justice League, but there’s also the aid of the other Green Lanterns that have worn the ring over the years: Guy, John, Kyle, etc.
The book starts with a lot of exposition, but not really great exposition. I find it a common trait with DC books I pick up that I’m not familiar with that a lot of the information doesn’t come across clearly on account of the vast mythos behind it all… sort of like X-Men, so it’s really one of those things I have to just persevere through and eventually I’ll have it all down. For me it just feels like the writing attempts to cater to new readers, but also keep a strong pace for long-timers. Geoff Johns does a splendid job of it, but I don’t think I’d necessarily recommend this as a first read for anyone getting into Green Lantern in general.
However, the latter half of the book is spectacular. Basically as soon as the threat is firmly established and what needs to be done to repel it, it’s non-stop blockbuster action right through to the end. We see the return of Sinestro and one of the (what I can only assume is) greatest clashes between him and Hal Jordan reborn. If anyone ever watched Reboot it had the same vibes as when Bob and Megabyte fought for the first time in ages at the end of the series… actually it’s very much like that: the return of a villain long thought dead, now worse than ever, and the resurrection of a character to his former glory, all for a jaw-dropping one-on-one.
It’s not easy to recommend this book for a new reader, but at the same time it kind of is. It is a decent jumping on point, but the way the book starts with little/too much explanation could be daunting to some, but then maybe I have to have more faith in other readers. It’s certainly worth checking out to a seasoned comics reader who, like me, wants something fresh. I suppose the book did it’s work since what I’m most curious about is where it all goes from here.
TL;DR Score: Oh yeah, and Green Arrow manages to use the Ring to construct a single arrow that basically saps him of all his power… it’s an AWESOME moment.
TL;DR Comics 