“I do hands, okay?”

No one can say that the Grant Morrison run has been anything less than “Grant Morrison-y” and if there’s one consistent criticism it’s the series less than straight forward narrative.  For fans that have struggled with the series but have stuck with it, the latest issue should offer a much better experience because there couldn’t be much more straightforward storytelling than this one. Hal’s recovering from last issue’s battle with Hyperman at the Sector General space hospital when the Qwa-Men strike. Can Hal and the visiting Green Lanterns stop the assault of a whole team of Qwa-Men?

This month’s installment of The Green Lantern is heavy on the action and humor which results in a fun adventure that doesn’t require any mental heavy lifting. Right from the start, we meet Crassius Qwipe-6, who immediately draws forth analogies to the Cowardly Lion. Nurse Olaqua, who we first met back in the series second issue, rushes to Hal’s aid when he arrives at Sector General before we jump forward a few hours where our story picks up steam.

Sector General comes under attack from the Qwa-Men, which throws the hospital into a state of chaos. The Green Lanterns who brought Hal to Sector General suffer a quick fate at the hands of the vicious warriors, leaving only Trills-Tru and Rykaktor to defend everyone. The ruckus pulls Hal from his rest, but his power ring still hasn’t recovered from the fight, forcing Hal to use a ring he’s less accustomed to.  Morrison inserts more humor with Crassius as Hal musters all the will he can to lend a hand. Ever resourceful, Hal remembers the patient he visited back in that second issue – Evil Star.  Evil Star’s Starlings are visiting their ailing master and Hal draws them into the battle.

Trilla-Tru and Ryka suffer some critical injuries, and Morrison show some really fun inventiveness with how Ryka deals with his situation. Likewise, we see that there’s more to Crassius that we first thought. What we don’t understand yet are the motivations of the Qwa-Men and why they attacked Sector General. One can assume it has to do with Hal since once he collapses again they flee, leaving the damaged space hospital in a collapsing orbit, doomed to burn up in the atmosphere.  Oh, and Hal’s dead again.

This issue made me feel a little nostalgic, to be honest. It was a very uncomplicated and fun action story that ended with a classic style cliffhanger. Liam Sharp’s art was more than suitable and he did a nice job of helping the reader understand that the stakes were high despite what felt like a light adventure. I really liked his Jekyll and Hyde-like portrayal of Crassius and his depiction of Hal’s rugged determination. And Hal’s Spectre inspired look on the final page is a very nice touch.

Probably the two most enjoyable parts of this story was seeing the Starlings in action and Ryka’s “saltiness” come into play. I know that sounds cryptic, but I don’t want to spoil anything for anyone. Despite not having much panel time since his debut, Ryka has quickly become a favorite character to me, just to be “crystal clear”!

The Green Lantern: Season Two #6 is a return to a more traditional comic book adventure which is a very good thing. We’re at the mid-point of the second “season” of issues and this issue was a nice way to cleanse our palettes before plunging into the conclusion of Morrison and Sharp’s run. Eight out of ten lanterns.