Writer: Robert Venditti / Artist: V Ken Marion / DC Comics
I will always appreciate the fact that Robert Venditti is never afraid to aim high and make epic Green Lantern stories that are always for the fate of the universe. Having said that, parts of this latest story arc seem to work better in theory than in practice. The musical chairs game being played with the art duties hasn’t exactly helped things either. But did Venditti manage to finish the Prism of Time arc strong?
Answer: Mostly. Issue #21 is a tough talking book with real consequences that answers a few questions about Hal Jordan since the first arc. The dialogue is on point, the drama is strong and it’s mainly fun even though the villain likes the sound of his own voice a bit much for my taste. Although Hal gets the spotlight more than I’d like, Venditti does a pretty good job of spreading the love around to other major players in the Corps right down to one in particular who is delivered a shot to the groin. The conflict is wrapped up a little too neatly for my liking, though. It feels like the win is almost handed to Hal too easily for all his big talks about flying into the heart of danger and all that.
V Ken Marion’s artwork isn’t necessarily bad, but there’s something that feels stiff about his figures and they all make this one same half smile face that’s a little annoying. The overall style is so different from the aesthetic established by Rafa Sandoval, it makes the book a little hard to dive into, honestly.
Bottom Line: Narrative-wise, this is a perfectly good (maybe a little rushed) tale here. The perpetually juggled artwork is the thing holding this book back from true greatness, but Venditti’s ambitious storytelling still mostly justifies the four bucks.
Reading Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps? Find BNP’s other reviews of the series here.
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