Green Lantern (Vol. 3) #104

Cover Date: Late September 1998

Story: Ron Marz
Pencils: Paul Pelletier
Inks: Terry Austin
Cover: Paul Pelletier and Terry Austin

We flash back to Hal’s final days in the United States Air Force, when his copilot Vince Hardy tried to steal an experimental aircraft worth billions of dollars. Hal managed to overcome Hardy, but the traitor escaped, and the plane crashed. Hal parachuted to safety, but had to take the fall for the crash, earning an honorable discharge from the Air Force. Back in the present, he and Connor Hawke are strapped to the nuclear bomb Hardy stole for the Eden Corps. As the cargo aircraft takes off, Connor manages to cut the heroes free with an arrowhead. Connor deals with the Eden Corps while Hal goes after Hardy; the controls are damaged and the plane’s going to crash, but Connor manages to retrieve Hal’s ring. Hal is able to save the plane with his own flying skills, then he goes to pick up Hardy and turn him in to the authorities. Later, Hal and Connor reminisce at Oliver Queen’s gravesite.

Green Lantern (Vol. 3) #104 had a very tense, rapid-fire feel to it, almost like a spy thriller. (Yes, I know there were no spies in the story, but that analogy is the first thing that came to mind. Back off.) It was all action, even the flashback, and the pace kept up until the very last few pages, which featured the quiet reflection next to Ollie’s tombstone.

It wasn’t cheesy action, though, rife with catchphrases and crab poses or anything like that. Again, it felt like a thriller in that the clock was ticking, and our heroes had desperate odds to overcome if they wanted to make it out alive, not to mention saving billions. There was no time for idle chit-chat or monologuing.

Paul Pelletier’s art matched the pace perfectly, and his cover illustration is a natural counterpart to Green Arrow (Vol. 2) #136. The playing card motif is revisited, minus the annoying background this time. Also, as expected, the two characters’ positions are reversed; it’s a Green Lantern comic, so the ring-slinger’s up top.

The main problem with the story is that Hardy’s just not an interesting villain; even with the flashback to fill us in, Hal never mentioning him before now just doesn’t make sense, given that the man was responsible for Hal getting the boot from the armed forces. Even if Hal’s not the type to hold a grudge, the subject must’ve come up once or twice! I’m all for new antagonists, but this would’ve worked better if Hardy didn’t have a past history with Hal. Green Arrow and Green Lantern fighting the Eden Corps alone would’ve sufficed. It’s also more than a little odd that as part of the “Emerald Knights” storyarc, which is a teamup between Kyle Rayner and Hal Jordan…the former doesn’t even appear. He was brooding and later sleeping it off, but a panel or something would’ve helped tie things together a bit better.

Tomorrow…another review, and another surprise guest!

Green Lantern: New Guardians #11

Release Date: July 25, 2012
Cover Date: September 2012

Story: Tony Bedard
Pencils: Tyler Kirkham
Inks: Matt “Batt” Banning
Cover: Tyler Kirkham and Matt “Batt” Banning

Kyle Rayner and his crew assault Larfleeze on Okaara, but the Orange Lantern is able to hold them off without much of a problem. The other Lanterns press their assault, and Kyle has Munk harness the orange light of avarices…which works wonders against Larfleeze’s Orange Lantern Corps. Larfleeze demands that Sayd help him, but she’s finally had enough. She reveals herself as the ring thief, but doesn’t get a chance to explain why; the Orrery is moving closer. Invictus has already destroyed and replaced Aello…and it looks like Okaara is next!

Green Lantern: New Guardians #11 was a fun issue overall, and it’s nice to see the main story come back to the forefront after the side story with the Reach. Sayd snapping on Larfleeze is something I’d been waiting for, though I must admit that I did not see it coming that she was the ring thief. It does make perfect sense; she’s a Guardian, for crying out loud, so tampering with power rings is child’s play to her.

As to why she sent all the rings to Kyle, I think it goes beyond just getting a representative from each Corps together. Fighting Invictus is important, sure, but I still believe there’s more. Sayd angrily states that Kyle himself should know why she stole the rings, but they’re interrupted by the Orrery’s arrival. Sayd clearly knew in advance that Kyle could wield seven rings at once (albeit briefly), something no other Lantern has been able to accomplish. She’s got plans for him, and how much do you want to bet it’s part of that upcoming “Third Army” story? (Let’s hope they involve better dialogue than in this issue; cripes, it was bad.)

Green Lantern: New Guardians has been insinuating for a while that although while Orange Lantern constructs are in thrall to Larfleeze, they may regain their sentience. Glomulus’ actions and expressions here confirm it, especially when he discovers that Larfleeze has been using him as a tool. The little orange punk should’ve known better, but the fact that he still has his own thoughts and feelings, as well as the ability to refuse Larfleeze’s control, is significant. Imagine an Orange Lantern Corps revolt! Larfleeze could easily take ‘em all out, but then he’d be left with nothing.

Like Metal Man, Larfleeze is vulnerable to his own weapon. It makes sense, as greed is ultimately self-destructive. When Munk first channeled avarice to blow away the Orange Lantern Corps, however, all I could think of was Pokémon: “Super Effective!” Snickering aside, the panel featuring Munk firing off the orange light looked awesome:

Invictus seemed honorable despite his demands of Kyle and crew, but here it seems that he’s thrown that to the wind and started killing billions anyway. That reestablishes him as a clear and present danger, but considering he harnessed a damned star to blow away Aello, what chance would seven ring wielders have? I’m guessing we’ll see a return of “Super-Lantern” Kyle in order to deal with the threat, but I don’t think this storyarc will be the last we see of Invictus.

Green Lantern (Vol. 5) #11

Release Date: July 25, 2012
Cover Date: September 2012

Story: Geoff Johns
Pencils: Doug Mahnke
Inks: Christian Alamy, Keith Champagne, Mark Irwin, and Tom Nguyen, and Doug Mahnke
Cover: Doug Mahnke and Christian Alamy

After Sinestro is removed from the Indigo Tribe’s influence, and Hal Jordan’s ring is finally his own, the pair investigate the disappearance of Black Hand. They assume he’s risen from the dead somehow, and they’re right; he’s back on Earth, resurrecting his family and planning more mass murders. Sinestro’s pissed that Hal thought of helping him instead of dealing with Black Hand, and the two go to Sinestro’s secret lair beneath Korugar to consult the Book of the Black. They see a dangerous vision of the future (ugh) before being teleported to Earth, landing next to Black Hand’s dinner table.

Someone got zapped by the Book of the Black and saw a prophecy; goddammit, how many fucking times do we have to see this?! Other than some of the Indigo Tribe stuff at the beginning, this issue just felt like a rehash of past Johns stories. (Which has been a common complaint even amongst his defenders lately.) A new group of ring-slingers ready to fight, Black Hand’s raising the dead again…it’s nothing more than laziness and sloppy writing.

As for the prophecy itself…to be honest, I don’t really give a shit. At least this time, the visions are all stuff we know is coming in a month or two from advance solicitations. I normally don’t read those, but the “Third Army” ad blitz has been impossible to avoid, much to my chagrin. It still would not surprise me to see some of the stuff in the prophecy forgotten, however; that’s happened every single other time, so here’s to consistency.

This issue had a few redeeming features; Doug Mahnke’s excellent art, for one. Some plot points were decent, too, like the Indigo Tribe being ready and on call to go after the Guardians on Hal’s command. I also liked Hal justifiably being a dick to Sinestro once the former’s ring is finally free of the latter’s control. Finally, I think we can all agree that while Sinestro’s threat against the Indigo Tribe was hollow, it was still pretty cool and fits his arrogance just fine. Asshole or not, I’d be pretty pissed too if I was kidnapped and brainwashed.

Maybe the next issue will ramp things up, but until we get rid of Black Hand and this prophecy nonsense, I’m not going to get too excited.

Green Arrow (Vol. 2) #136

Cover Date: September 1998

Story: Chuck Dixon
Pencils: Dougie Braithwaite
Inks: Robin Riggs
Cover: Rodolfo Damaggio and Robert Campanella

Connor Hawke comes to the JLA Watchtower looking for Green Lantern, but he doesn’t find the one he expected. With Kyle Rayner back on Earth, Hal Jordan volunteers his services, and the two emerald heroes track down the Eden Corps. The ecoterrorists responsible for Oliver Queen’s death are planning something horrible again, and when Hal and Connor find their base, they’re attacked with heavy weaponry. The heroes manage to overpower their opponents, but when the Eden Corps threaten to kill some hostages, Green Arrow and Green Lantern surrender. Of course, the hostages were in on the plot, and Hal’s old rival Hardy has secured a nuclear weapon. The Eden Corps plan to use it on Mount Rainier to trigger a violent eruption from the long-dormant volcano!

Green Arrow and Green Lantern teamups have a long history, and it was a nice twist to pair the successor of one role with the other’s predecessor; this was the only time it could happen, too, given the circumstances! Fortunately, the issue doesn’t feel like a cheap cash-in; the dialogue, pacing, and basic story all turn out fine. At no point during Green Arrow (Vol. 2) #136 would the reader feel bored. Aside from this unlikely Green Lantern and Green Arrow teamup, it serves as an epilogue of sorts to Green Arrow (Vol. 2) #101, where Oliver Queen met his untimely end. The Eden Corps are an interesting choice of villainy, as they’re humans gone wrong rather than an overpowered villain of the week.

Dougie Braithwaite was the regular artist on Green Arrow during the late 1990s; I was never a regular reader of that book, but I later became a fan of Braithwaite’s work on Universe X and Paradise X. Like those later series, this issue is a fine showcase of his expert ability to render both larger-than-life heroes as well as ordinary people. It’s also worth noting that the superheroes involved in this tale (save for the Martian Manhunter at the beginning, and some flashback images of Superman) are human themselves, with no powers to speak of other than those provided by their equipment.

I don’t understand the eye-searing hot pink background, but the layout of the cover is still very cool. It calls to mind a playing card, and as such, it looks great flipped either way. The scene it depicts could also work in either presentation!

There’s one problem with this story: Hardy is an old acquaintance of Hal…whom we’ve never heard of before. While I’m glad that they didn’t use a crappy supervillain as the man behind the curtain, a character with at least some documented history with Hal would’ve been a better choice.

What will happen to Hal and Connor? Find out on Tuesday, when I review Green Lantern (Vol. 3) #104! (For the next two weekdays, I’ve got some new Green Lantern comics to talk about.)

Green Lantern (Vol. 3) #103

Cover Date: Early September 1998

Story: Ron Marz
Pencils: Jeff Johnson and Anthony Williams
Inks: Bob Wiacek and Andy Lanning
Cover: Jeff Johnson and Bob Wiacek

Kyle Rayner brings Hal Jordan to the JLA Watchtower, where he’s introduced to the members of the team. Most of them remember him well, but despite his future self’s transgressions, he’s welcome here. But Kyle’s in for a big shock: the League asks Hal to join them! Kyle is understandably upset, as he feels like he’s been replaced. He returns to Earth, and while saving people from a bombed building, the cops give him a hard time. When he gets home, Jade tells him that his agent called; he lost a big client he’d been hoping for. Kyle loses his temper, and then tells Jade how everything’s just falling apart. The two end up seeking solace in each other’s arms. Later that night, Kyle is woken up by Batman. The Dark Knight tells him that he was the one who wanted Hal to join the League…so he could keep an eye on him. In Batman’s eyes, Kyle is the League’s Green Lantern.

This issue seems a bit slow, but it covers a plot point that had to happen: Hal meeting other heroes (as I mentioned yesterday). The JLA seemed to accept Hal a bit too quickly, and at the same time, Kyle flew off the handle without thinking things through as he normally does (though Wally West being a douche didn’t exactly help matters). The JLA’s actions are given the proper context at the end of the issue when we discover that it was Batman’s doing, but Kyle still could’ve handled it better. Getting upset is understandable — even with one thing going wrong after another — but he’s not an inexperienced rookie anymore. He said so himself!

Other than that story fumble, the rest of the issue flowed along just fine. In fact, it’s notable that since the last issue focused on Hal, this one focuses on Kyle. The romance between Jade and Kyle was something we’d seen brewing for quite some time, and it was great to see the payoff, so to speak. Kyle and Jade’s romantic relationship would continue for well over a decade, stumbling a bit at times as most do, before Jade was booted from continuity as a result of Flashpoint. (For shame!)

The art was fine, but didn’t stand out as much as past issues. That’s likely because this issue focused on a lot more conversation in confined spaces, rather than battles or other action (Kyle saving people from the bomb being an exception). Hey, at least we got to see a slew of other superheroes!

The “Emerald Knights” action continues tomorrow…with an unexpected crossover.