Future State: Green Lantern #2

Writers: Geoffery Thorne, Josie Campbell, Robert Venditti and Priest / Artists: Tom Raney, Andie Tong, and Dexter Soy / DC Comics

Future State: Green Lantern ends its two-issue run keeping the same anthology formula as the first issue, showing glimpses of different Lanterns in the aftermath of the loss of the central power battery.

As Future State begins to wind down, we are beginning to learn about what’s to come for our favorite characters from DC Comics.

It’s been a little confusing figuring out just what is gonna be canon and what isn’t. I came into Future State with the assumption that some of these stories were one-offs, while others were jumping off points for DC’s newest reboot: Infinite Frontier. I’m not so sure anymore. A lot of this look like canon now. 

This final issue gave us three stories. The first is the conclusion to John Stewart’s story from issue one, the second is a story following Teen Lantern, and the third is centered around Hal Jordan as he searches for answers about what happened to the central power battery. 

John Stewart’s story was really fun. It wasn’t anything that I was expecting when they first announced this book, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t love it. While we didn’t get to see him be the prime Green Lantern that we all have grown to love, we got to see the willpower and perseverance that granted him the ring in the first place put on full display. 

The man single-handedly took down a terrorist faction on an alien planet with his two fists and some dreads. You truly love to see it. Whatever is coming next for the Green Lanterns, I hope our boy is front and center.

Teen Lantern’s story was really dope. It follows her as she’s meeting with the Guardians for the first time. They’re trying to figure out how this kid from Earth figured out how to hack their power. They send her and Mogo to meet with Jo Mullein, but that’s when the central power battery goes out, stranding them in dead space. 

The mounting tension of this short was balanced by Teen Lantern’s adolescent levity. I was sad when it was over. I want to see more of her in this context.

Finally, Hal Jordan’s story actually didn’t manage to bore me. It’s no secret that I think he’s the weakest Green Lantern and one of the wackest characters in all of comics, but my guy showed up this issue. The story follows him as he jumpstarts a spaceship using amplified willpower to get him to OA so he can get some answers. On his way, he learns that Earth’s space enemies are inching closer without the protection of the Green Lanterns. 

What I enjoyed about this story was how it balanced Hal as a Green Lantern with his history as a pilot. He was essentially flying through space in a fighter jet and it not only looked cool, but the importance of it was felt. I cared about Hal for the first time in years. Don’t tell anyone, though.

Future State: Green Lantern #2 ends and promises a really compelling story on the horizon spanning the entire Green Lantern Corps. 

10 Mogos out of 10

Reading Future State? Find BNP’s other reviews here.

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