“Try not to think about taking a whiz!”
The action picks up in this week’s Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #27 as Kyle Rayner and Hal Jordan take on the impossible task of defending Slyggia from the onslaught of a giant metal golem hell bent on destroying anyone or anything that stands in the path of his goal of killing Orion. But staring impossible odds in the face is what Hal and Kyle do every day and a lot of willpower and intestinal fortitude are right up their alley.
That Orion is saved in one of the most unorthodox manners was a real treat and a great way to showcase Kyle Rayner’s ability to pour an immense amount of himself to do the right thing. All the while Hal goes mano e mano with the giant golem and looking out for Salaak’s fellow Slyggians. The frantic battle and subsequent escape take up most of the issue and reads likes an epic battle scene from a big summer blockbuster. It’s terrific fun and highly entertaining while showcasing the strengths of both characters.
Plot wise Robert Venditti provides the much needed exposition that feeds the reader with all they need to know at this point of the story, mining the rich New Gods’ history in the process. Yuga Khan, the father of Darkseid, is a smart way to provide the origins of the metal golems and Venditti’s backstory dovetails nicely with the New Gods lore while adding a new element for readers to enjoy. Venditti also continues to show the past connection he forged between the New Gods and the Green Lanterns back during the Godhead event which also goes a long way to reward readers with regards to respecting continuity. The references to the metal in the Golem’s is a nice nod and a wink to DC’s current “Metal” event, especially given this serie’s connection to the event in the November issue.
While Guy Gardner didn’t have a lot to do this issue he did help add some levity that tonally helped this issue. His wisecracking to Kyle as he focuses his willpower to keep Orion alive was pretty funny and even though Guy didn’t “do” anything his presence was definitely felt. I think that with the Sinestro Corps out of the picture for at least the short term Robert Venditti will have a bit more panel time to devote to the four main characters which is a good thing as in the past Venditti has not had the breathing room to really explore the characters as much as he is capable of and I’m really hoping that he takes advantage of the situation to give us some more character beats in the weeks to come.
One part that did have me scratching my head just a little was the flashback scene where John Stewart recalls the events of Cosmic Odyssey. While Venditti’s script lines up nicely with the original version of the tale it seems to contradict what Van Jensen did when he used Flashpoint as a means to alter the story back in Green Lantern Corps #40. Given that we don’t know exactly what “Rebirth” did to continuity I suppose it’s easy enough to say that events are back to the way they were but I do rather prefer how Van Jensen’s version of John Stewart’s most defining moment.
Rafa Sandoval’s art graces the pages of this issue and he turns in another fantastic effort. The panel design during the struggle on Slyggia aptly represents the frenetic battle to save the planet as Hal and Kyle throw whatever they can at the situation to prevent the golem from destroying Orion and the planet along with him. One minor nitpick is Kyle Rayner’s hair which looks too much like a mullet for my liking. But other than that it’s another solid showing from the art team.
Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #27 is a rock solid adventure that does very well as the second part of Robert Venditti’s “Fall of the Gods” arc. Every character has something to contribute in an issue that advances the overall story while giving readers a fun action packed science fiction adventure worthy of the legacy of the Green Lantern name. Nine out of ten lanterns.
