Writer: Grant Morrison / Artist: Liam Sharp / DC Comics
So, the Green Lantern torch has been passed onto iconic writer Grant Morrison and one issue in…he has not disappointed. Issue #1 doesn’t hold back on the world-building and sets the stage for the kind of big concepts we can expect from Morrison.
The story is simple enough: Hal Jordan, fighting an uphill battle to adjust to life as an earthbound civilian, is called back into active duty when a fellow Lantern turns up dead under bizarre circumstances. There isn’t much in the narrative that feels like a successor to anything we read in the run before. That leaves us with as much of a cold open for new readers as can be expected. Granted, it doesn’t necessarily undo anything that preceded it either. But someone who read Green Lanterns or Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps might have trouble finding their bearings.
Whereas Robert Venditti’s GL had all the trappings of a summer sci-fi blockbuster film, what we’re getting in this relaunch resembles a Douglas Adams novel, walking the line between wonder and ridiculousness. It’s more than commendable that Morrison breaks further out of our need to see humanoid characters in our sci-fi, even if one of the examples in this book does happen to border on comic relief.
Meanwhile, we’re introduced to a slightly different Hal Jordan when the focus shifts to him. Some unknown amount of time has passed since the last time he wore the ring and he’s experiencing some kind of mandatory off time. It’s been explored in bits before, but I appreciate how Morrison approaches the concept that Hal Jordan can only be good at two things: being a pilot and being a hero. Liam Sharp’s artwork does more than right by the trademark strangeness of Morrison’s script. There isn’t a single piece of any panel that goes undetailed. The color palette and impeccable line work give us a book with a classic quality as if it were found in a time capsule from the Silver Age.
Bottom Line: Morrison opens up strong with an inaugural issue that sets up a very different, more bizarre version of space than we’ve seen in previous runs. If you’re looking for a book that picks up where the previous GL books left off, your miles may vary. Other than that, it’s a mostly solid start.
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Whereas Robert Venditti’s GL had all the trappings of a summer sci-fi blockbuster film, what we’re getting in this relaunch resembles a Douglas Adams novel, walking the line between wonder and ridiculousness. It’s more than commendable that Morrison breaks further out of our need to see humanoid characters in our sci-fi, even if one of the examples in this book does happen to border on comic relief.
Meanwhile, we’re introduced to a slightly different Hal Jordan when the focus shifts to him. Some unknown amount of time has passed since the last time he wore the ring and he’s experiencing some kind of mandatory off time. It’s been explored in bits before, but I appreciate how Morrison approaches the concept that Hal Jordan can only be good at two things: being a pilot and being a hero. Liam Sharp’s artwork does more than right by the trademark strangeness of Morrison’s script. There isn’t a single piece of any panel that goes undetailed. The color palette and impeccable line work give us a book with a classic quality as if it were found in a time capsule from the Silver Age.
Bottom Line: Morrison opens up strong with an inaugural issue that sets up a very different, more bizarre version of space than we’ve seen in previous runs. If you’re looking for a book that picks up where the previous GL books left off, your miles may vary. Other than that, it’s a mostly solid start.
8 Sentient Colds out of 10.
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