Since the end of the "War of the Green Lanterns" the subject of how Sinestro would serve as a Green Lantern and what would happen with Hal Jordan have been questions on the tips of fans' tongues. This week we get the beginning of the answers to those questions with the release of the first issue of the post-DC relaunch Green Lantern title. One concern shared with us during a recent episode of
"The Podcast of Oa" by our local comic shop owner was how a Green Lantern book without Hal Jordan as the lead might confuse new readers and affect the book's sales. We know that this first issue sold over one hundred thousand copies, so the immediate reaction is positive and, from what happens in this issue, new readers will see Hal Jordan ring slinging very soon.
On Oa Sinestro recites the Green Lantern oath for the first time in years, but as the camera pulls back we see that he has been bound in green chains as the Guardians of the Universe look on. As usual Sinestro is at odds with his former masters and he is as anxious to remove the ring as the Guardians and the rest of the Corps are. Ideologies clash with the Guardians' unquestionable faith in their rings leads them to believe that Sinestro was chosen as a chance of redeeming himself for the atrocities he has committed and Sinestro defiantly insisting that he needs no redemption. Sinestro realizes he can't go home again, but that's exactly what the Oans expect him to do and they send him on his way.
As he departs Ganthet speaks for the majority of the Corps in his disbelief that giving Sinestro a ring is a good idea. The Guardians will have no more disagreements with Ganthet, calling instead for a united front and referring to a mysterious new mission that we will have to wait until a later date to discover as we leave Oa with Ganthet being mentally bombarded by his fellow Oans.
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| The Guardians have grown tired of Ganthet's opposing views |
On Earth Hal has discovered that the world has indeed continued to spin on without him while he has devoted 100% of his attention on his night job. Confronted by a table covered with past due bills and a landlord pressuring him for the last two months rent we learn quickly that Hal's inability to balance all parts of his life have led to a personal and financial crisis. A cry for help is all the distraction Hal needs as he leaps from his seventh floor balcony to help a woman he sees being assaulted.
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| Out of the frying pan... |
A spectacularly dangerous and ring-less leap later and Hal crashes through the window of the other apartment to save the woman, only to discover he has instead disrupted a film shoot and landed in hot water....and jail. Carol Ferris bails the former Green Lantern out of his new accommodations and she confronts Hal about his refusal to move on with his life and do what he needs to for himself. In so many ways Hal Jordan is damaged goods with the Air Force kicking him out and his flight record making him too much of a risk for any insurance company to allow an employer to hire him as a test pilot.
We learn that Carol has either been able to resign from being the Queen of the Star Sapphires or that role has been erased in the post-Flashpoint DC Universe. She hasn't put the ring on since the War and Carol urges Hal to stop thinking about Sinestro and what is going on in the rest of the universe and just be Hal Jordan, the man, all the while being observed by the mysterious cloaked woman who appeared in the last issue of Flashpoint and is showing up in all fifty two of the first issues. The conversation leads Hal to ask Carol out on a date before the scene shifts to Korugar.
Sinestro is keeping a watchful eye on his homeworld from afar, observing that his former Corps members are not exactly following the orders he left for them to protect the planet and its inhabitants. Sinestro is discovered by a patrolling member of the Yellow Lanterns and the alien is swiftly dispatched by the Korgarian, but not before the rest of the Sinestro Corps is warned that they have been apparently betrayed by their former leader. Realizing that he cannot face off against the whole army, Sinestro leaves the planet with an unknown destination.
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| Sinestro proves he's hardcore no matter what ring he's wearing |
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| That's not the question Carol wanted to hear! |
We join Hal and Carol back on Earth at a nice restaurant and it appears that Hal has had an epiphany of sorts and he is willing to work for Carol even if it's not doing what he was born to do. Embracing the need to move on Hal takes on a serious tone and poises himself to ask a question that is hard for him to get out. When he finally does it's not the romantic proposal that Carol is perhaps expecting, but the request from Hal to have Carol co-sign for a car loan. Indignant, Carol Ferris serves Hal her drink face first and she storms out of the restaurant.
Carol tells Hal the truth that he's hiding from himself - that he's thrown so much of himself into being Green Lantern that there's nothing left to just be a human being. He's out of touch and out of sorts and left standing in the ran as Carol drives off into the night. Making his way back to his apartment Hal's life hits another bump in the road as he finds he's been evicted. With that a green light appears along with its creator, Sinestro, who closes out the issue telling Hal that if he wants his ring back he'll need to listen to his former friend.
The Writing -
Geoff Johns does a great job balancing the stories of two men who's fates are intertwined, both similar and opposite in many ways. On top of that this first issue serves as a pretty easy jumping on point although little has been done to help a new reader know what circumstance led to the new status quo for our two lead characters.
What I like about Geoff's writing of Hal Jordan in particular is his understanding of what makes him tick. Hal fearlessly jumps from action to action never facing the consequences or stopping long enough to look at himself because that level of introspection will take him places where he doesn't want to go. He's not the dimwitted person he sometimes appears to be, he just would rather not focus on the past and instead jump head first into the future without fear of the repercussions. Being Green Lantern gave him the forum to live that kind of lifestyle and he threw so much of himself into wearing the ring that he failed to make a life for himself without it.
We don't know if Cowgirl is still in the picture or not, but it appears that she either got tired of waiting for Hal Jordan to return and moved on or she is no longer a part of the picture as a result of the relaunch. And that's okay, as far as I'm concerned, because Carol is the right foil for Hal Jordan right now. She tells him what he needs to hear, not what he wants to, and that's what I'd expect from the kind of strong woman that Hal would go for. She is forever linked to Hal and I think that their relationship is one of the most complex ones in comics, so I for one am glad that she is front and center with the relaunch.
Sinestro has a mess to clean, not that he'd ever admit he made it in the first place. Like Hal, he's a man without a home who is thrust into a role he doesn't want. Their situations draw them together and I'm sure Johns is going to use every issue to explore more about these characters who are far more complex than they've been often portrayed.
The Art -
Doug Mahnke does a great job most of the time this issue. I like his work in space settings and more often than not I'm very happy with his character work, although I do find that this is one of his weak spots in my opinion. The face work on Hal Jordan when he asks out Carol and then again when he and Carol are having dinner are miles apart in quality as far as I'm concerned. But all in all I'm happy he's still on the title, although not as happy as if Ivan Reis were doing it.
What Do I Think?
Green Lantern #1 was a great way to kick of the relaunch of one of DC's most popular books. There's a lot of action and humor with enough plot and characterization to make the book a fun read. Green Lantern is my favorite book and this first issue left me very satisfied. Four out of five lanterns.
9/29/2011
