Green Lantern: Earth One Brings Gritty Sci-Fi Noir to Space

Houston, we got a great f'n problem with this series
Green Lantern: Earth One

Writer: Gabriel Hardman, Corinna Bechko / Artist: Gabriel Hardman / DC Comics

“I found life upon this planet
Damnit, I’ve been damaged, But I-I can manage”
– Big K.R.I.T.

For Star Wars and Star Trek fans also into comics, Green Lantern is DC Comics’ series that tackles space adventures. Green Lantern: Earth One is a new twist to the mythos of the The Green Lantern Corps that have been around since the 1960’s. Gabriel Hardman and Corinna Bechko can throw their names to the pantheon of creative teams that have taken on the Corps.

Green Lantern: Earth One

Green Lantern: Earth One introduces us to a more scientific approach to the Green Lantern mythos with Hal Jordan as an astronaut. This isn’t the same stubborn and arrogant Hal Jordan. This is a man of science that’s been through it all (or so he thinks). Jordan feels like a remnant from the aftermath of the days of the space race and age of exploration.

New universe, new rules in Green Lantern: Earth One

For those of us that waited patiently for a new vision of what Green Lantern could be, Hardman and Bechko deliver in spades. The way the rings work is different to what fans of the lore have come to know. That’s what makes the story so good. We’re not only learning with Hal Jordan about the ring, we’re learning the story behind it as well. Throw out everything you know about Green Lanterns and their history. Bechko and Hardman took risks with Jordan and characters we’ve known over the years. Those risks present a space adventure that feels gritty and rugged as fuck.

Green Lantern: Earth One

The hero’s journey here is not an easy one. Nothing comes easy for our protagonist. The reader will feel just as battered, tired, and hopeless as Hal for this trip. That downtrodden feeling is what separates Green Lantern: Earth One from other Earth One series. There’s urgent desperation, clear threats, and fucked up choices to make. This that real rap raw right here.

A Pretty Space Noir

Hardman’s art is such a great selling point for this story. It’s dark, hard, and fucking noir type gritty. It truly feels like a real adventure taking place in space. You see and feel Jordan’s temperament right from jump. Hardman’s depiction of Jordan throughout the journey shows the change not only in demeanor but in choices Jordan is forced to take.

Stories in space take a lot to make them look appealing as they can be hit or miss. Hardman’s portrayal of the worlds and characters is uniquely imaginative. The people and places we encounter feels like you’re playing different levels of a video game. The landscape is creative and matches the dreary mood of this universe. Green Lantern: Earth One could easily translate as the script template for a Green Lantern movie (that good, I’m serious).

Green Lantern: Earth One

The Green Lantern Hot Take We Deserve

Gabriel Hardman and Corinna Bechko hit a home run with this shit man. There’s a lot left in the air and so many strings to be tied up. This is what Green Lanterns needed in order to be re-envisioned. A blank landscape with new rules is all that’s needed to separate this iteration of Green Lanterns from the mythology we’ve become accustomed to.

8.6 Apollo 13 references out of 10

***Green Lantern: Earth One drops on March 20th, 2018

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