wrapping it up
In Brief: Hal and Sinestro have a chat with the blue oompa loompas, where some pretty interesting things come up. The rest of the issue feels a bit like the end of a pilot episode for a T.V. show.
The Writing: After the action of the last issue this one represents a cool-down. Last issue was the climax of the story, this is the denoument, where everything gets tied up in a relatively nice package.
While Johns does just about everything well, he seems to be returning to his forte here. This is a slower, character-based episode that is mainly about tying up the plot and setting us up for more issues in the future. That being said there is still plenty of great writing that adds to the characters that we have come to know. For example- just check out the scene where Sinestro and Hal are justifying their actions to the gaurdians. We see all of those aspects that we know and love- Sinestro is arrogant, self-assured, confrontational. Hal is this cocky young upstart, always questioning why and also showing us that he actually has a brain behind all that bravado. He figures out the real fear behind the guardians, and why the deuce the entire planet is dominated by yellow architecture. This little touch is a master stroke from Johns, who shows us why Hal is going to be the greatest Green Lantern (after Sinestro of course). If he were just brash arrogance with nothing to back it up then he would be less heroic and more annoying. But, by throwing the gaurdians off their game with some astute and insightful observations Hal shows us just not just how powerful he can be (he did use the ring against yellow in the previous issue) but also how intelligent he can be. Two sides to a hero? What a novel concept.
The Art: More great stuff here. Oa is just as imposing as it was when we first saw it, heightening the contrast between it and earth. This contrast is on purpose, showing just how out of place Hal is on Oa amongs all the glittering buildings and impressive looking aliens. This makes the Green Lantern that much more impressive on earth. What is the final decision? The art is incredible, it fits the theme of the story and the idea of Green Lantern. Just wonderful.
The Star of the Show?: Hal Jordan. Pretty much for the reasons listed above. He is a presumptuous egotist, he has let his family down time and time again. But beneath all of that swagger there is bravery, insight, genuine concern for humanity, genuine need for redemption, a true hero. We see it when he confronts the oldest beings in the Universe, and some of the most powerful with some hard truth. We see it in his relationship with Sinestro, a Lantern by far his superior. We see it in how he interacts with Carol and Tom. This is why I read comic books, for stories like this and characters like Hal.
Overall: Wonderful stuff. You need to get it to understand what happens in the rest of the Green Lantern universe (the whole lead up to Blackest Night and beyond) but basically you need to get it for Hal telling off the guardians. It is worth it for that scene alone, to see a test pilot from California tell off some of the most powerful beings ever. That is just awesome.
