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Although I am enjoying Geoff Johns work on Green Lantern I am disturbed by his propensity to ignore the silver and golden age and all of the rich GL history that has preceded his run. I never believed this secret origin was necessary. Johns has stated that he couldn't tell his blackest night story without first doing this secret origin, however much of it feels repetitive and unnecessary. The amount of original content could have been condensed into a two issue flashback with the story then moving into the Red Lanterns saga. Instead, Johns feels it necessary to completely rework some heavily treaded GL territory. Martin Jordan's death, Abin Sur's death, Hal's early relationship with Carol Ferris, his training on Oa, the first meeting with Sinestro, these have all been done before (including by John's in the current GL run) and personally, in the case of “Emerald Dawn I and II”, retaconned Hal as a much more interesting figure. In that regard, “Secret Origin” has disappointed me greatly. The Hal Jordan origin of “Emerald Dawn” was a down and out near-drunk who was saved by having the Corps come into his life. During that origin, Hal’s inherent strength was recognized by the ring and rediscovered by Jordan himself. It made for a much more effective origin story then Johns’ “wide-eyed” and more sanitized version of .
What permeates “Secret Origin” is a feeling that Johns cannot conform his work to the GL history already in existence, so he instead steamrolls over that history as if launching an all together new series. The Abin Sur story could have been told without reimaging his death. Atrocitus could have been introduced into the continuity without completely wiping clean all of the GL history that has come before him. Hector Hammond and Black Hand could be modernized without eliminating what had come before. It is widely acknowledged that time passes between story arcs, Johns could just as easily have fitted his work within the continuity, not in spite of it. GL has always been a very linear series. When Hal turned into Parallax it was tragic because he had a long history as the Greatest Green Lantern. Johns is an excellent writer who has breathed new life into this series, but there is value to those early GL books. His work would only benefit from acknowledging that and incorporating, rather then eliminating, the continuity that preceded him. 
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What has impressed me most about the current run of Green Lantern Corps is that the various GL's, human and alien, are all being written with distinctive personalities. Past incarnations of GLC have always had a tendency to lump the "aliens" into three categories; weird, awestruck, or angry. GLC #24 is an excellent example of the new direction DC is taking the Corps. While continuing the very entertaining Mongul story, writer Peter Tomasi fills the issue with dialogue between Rayner and Gardner’s team that details their various personalities and beliefs, while demonstrating the commitment they all have to team and Corp. In a few panels of banter Tomasi shows the fierce loyalty of the Earth GL's, the ethical debate on killing between the principled Natu and the warriors Isamot and Vath, and even the fussy royal bearing of princess Iolande. In a cut away scene, Tomasi uses 2-3 panels to deftly show the toughness and attitude of the Oan warden Voz, as he "walks" the sciencell prison yard. These are not generic alien GL's that fill the background while the humans do the heavy lifting; they are equal teammates and partners with their own experiences and baggage. Tomasi interjects humorous asides and quips that cleverly portray cops on the beat who have seen much and simply want to get the job done without casualty. GLC would be well served to make sure that the alien GL's do not get lost in this series, as there is great potential for a well fleshed out character book like the X-Men or Legion series. As good as the writing has been I have never been a fan of Patrick Gleason's artwork, finding his pencils to be too busy and at times sloppy. However he does convey emotion well and his depiction of the passive revolt of the imprisoned Sinestro Corps is chilling. Gleason makes excellent use of one panel page and one a splash page to demonstrate the level of power and control a defiant Sinestro still wields over his people. GLC has been a great book, and the level of detail and planning that reportedly has gone into the next two years of GL is evident in this series.
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Following the incredible Sinestro Corps War this issue once again revisits the origin of Hal Jordan. Much of it is rehashed background from the recent series and seems repetitive. The issue can't escape the feel that it is nothing more then filler from one major storyline to the next, but there are some compelling aspects of Hal's origin that are fleshed out. The impact of how Hal's decision to run away and join the air force affected his family is very well done. One can see how Hal goes from here to the down and out boozer of "Emerald Dawn". As expected from Geoff Johns, issue #29 is extremely well written and Ivan Reis penciling is exciting and realistic. The story concludes with a powerful scene featuring Abin Sur. Very little has been done to showcase this legendary character and the brutality and force he displays are previously unseen. The conclusion foreshadows the beginning of what appears to be another fantastic arc in the Green Lantern universe.
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