It all comes down to this as GodHead comes to a close after sixteen issues of back and forth between the ring wielders and the New Gods.  Green Lantern writer Robert Venditti tackles the finale of an event which helps establish the New Gods in the new DC Universe and forms an alliance which may be crucial in the coming Darkseid War.  While there are a lot of revelations and changes which spin out of Green Lantern Annual #3 there are also a couple of welcome returns.

Hal Jordan’s gamble on using Black Hand at the Source Wall pays off, thanks in a large part to Sinestro following through on his efforts to open a boom tube portal between them in Sinestro #8.  In a glorious gatefold image the beings trapped in the Source Wall emerge as perhaps the greatest single army in comics history, marching on New Genesis and throwing Highfather’s planned invasion of Earth out the window.

While Jordan, Black Hand and Sinestro lead the war on one front there is a major event taking place on another front as the Templar Guardians make a startling revelation to Kyle which informs him of dire consequences should he continue to solely control the Life Equation.  The Templars have once again failed to live up to their promise to be better than the Guardians of old and it’s only a matter of time before everything comes to a head between them and the Corps.

With Guy, Simon and John setting the rest of the Lanterns free it’s only a matter of time before something hits the fan, especially given the nature of the beings that Black Hand set free and his loss of control over them.  This all leads to one pivotal moment, surrounded by the rages of battle, that Highfather finally sees reason through Hal Jordan – not through his actions, but his words.  It might seem like a rushed moment, but given how we’ve seen that there is an internal battle within Highfather I don’t find it a stretch that Hal’s choice in words would provide the catalyst for him to realize how far he had drifted from his nobler intentions.

With the battle won the focus turns to the destruction of New Genesis at the hands of the Source Wall Titans, and while Sinestro would depart with his Corps to leave the New Gods to suffer their fate it is the Green Lanterns, Saint Walker and Kyle Rayner who rise above the past conflict to come to the aid of New Genesis.  Kyle, Saint Walker and Hal really have moments to shine and Billy Tan really brings his best work to make the most of the visuals to capitalize on images which really make those scenes memorable.

There are some great emotional beats to this annual in addition to the incredible action.  Kyle’s reaction to the news handed to him by the Guardians is handled wonderfully by Tan and Venditti as are moments devoted to Saint Walker and Mogo as the issue reaches it’s conclusion.  While I still don’t like Tan’s rendition of Hal for the most part he does look better than his attempts at Kyle’s mask!

One story ends….and more begin!

The issue leaves some issues unresolved, fodder for the books in the Lantern family to explore in the months to come.  Kyle’s situation will undoubtedly unfurl over the next three issues before that series comes to a close, and while I found how the Kyle/Carol/Hal triangle was handled to be lacking in this issue, we know that it will be followed up on in a couple of weeks in Green Lantern #38.  Of course the last page reveal has opened a whole new kettle of worms for the Green Lanterns as the inadvertent repercussions of Black Hand’s efforts at the Source Wall have unleashed….something, and then there is the matter of Relic being free once more along with the rest of the Source Wall Titans.  That’s the wonderful thing about episodic fiction like comics where there never is a real ending and new adventures are right around the corner.

Green Lantern Annual #3 provides a fantastic conclusion to GodHead, closing the book on one saga while laying the foundation for stories that will unfold for months to come.  Thanks to the Lanterns Earth has found a new ally in the New Gods and hopefully there will be enough time for them to rebound from these events to play a role in the coming Darkseid War.  There are great moments for a number of characters thanks to Robert Venditti’s wonderful script and the best work that Billy Tan has turned in so far on this run.  Five out of five lanterns.

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