Writer: Robert Venditti / Artist: Rafa Sandoval / DC Comics
Thus far, the “Rebirth” era of the Green Lantern franchise isn’t looking so good. DC thought it was good idea roll out their diverse book in the franchise first and that could have been a great idea if Green Lanterns weren’t a 10 car pileup on repeat. And since DC refuses to do something so audacious as to give the people what they want and put out of John Stewart solo title, it’s up to their Great White Hope (all shade intended), Hal Jordan, to take up the slack in Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps.
Even right out of the gate, Robert Venditti does a lot right with this book. Granted, Hal Jordan doesn’t have the same quirks and spice as his rookie counterparts, Jessica Cruz and Simon Baz, but seeing our hero get right down to good old fashioned ring slinging is satisfying in the same way professional wrestling is. There’s not a lot of soul searching character development at play (at least not on the good guys’ side), but there’s enough action to whet our appetites for the obvious mayhem to come as we see the rise of an old fan favorite foe. Whereas Green Lanterns’ whole “worst buddy cop duo ever” schtick fell flat quicker than the first episodes of Preacher, Venditti invokes the beginnings of what we loved best about the Geoff Johns era of the franchise and delivers more of the swashbuckling space cop action that worked so well before.
Visually, Rafa Sandoval really came through in the clutch. These are some truly beautiful, well-detailed moments, especially where the Lantern constructs are concerned. Also, the return of (old fan favorite foe here) looks absolutely magnificent. These are the sort of epic sci-fi visuals people read this book for.
Bottom Line: This is the book that should have always been the flagship Green Lantern book to kick off DC’s Rebirth series. Venditti gets right down to the sort of action and intrigue we expect from the franchise. This one’s a keeper.
8 Brightest Days out of 10
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