Green Lantern Batman?
PLOT OVERVIEW: (Do not read if you don't want this issue spoiled yet) The Tattooed Man gets a reboot in this issue as he terrorizes Gotham City. Hal and Salaak discuss Hal's ugly past and what it means for him in the eyes of the other Green Lanterns. And Hal must team up with Batman in order to stop Tattooed Man and his ink spawned devilish creations. After Tattooed Man is beaten Hal offers Bruce his ring to try and help him finally overcome his parents death. However, seeing as this tragedy was what created Batman, he returns the ring after a minute or so.
THE GOOD: The issue starts out revealing that the villain for the story is going to be the Tattooed Man, yes this is a very silly idea for a super hero villain there is no question about that but it is an intriguing idea if nothing else. The dialog between Hal and Salaak is a nice change of pace for Salaak who is usually written as nothing more than the stodgy old bean counter always telling those young whippersnapper Green Lanterns to keep off his lawn. The witty banter between Bruce and Hal is very well written and gives the whole issue a very Brave and the Bold feel. The art done by Ethan Van Sciver is stunning as always so theirs no surprise there.
THE BAD: The main problem that i had with this issue was that the main cover depicted Bruce done up in full Green Lantern regalia looking quite awesome and tough. Yet, when you read this issue he appears in this issue for little more that two pages. No matter how good this story maybe its hard not to feel a little bit cheated out of something that could have been awesome to see. I realize that covers are done in advance sometimes due to the often hectic schedule, but when you have a cover that barely matches up to the content inside it can lead to disappointment that didn't need to happen.
OVERALL: Yes this issue is mainly just a filler piece before the "One Year Later" story arc but it is a fun read none the less.
