Hal Jordan is back, and here to stir the pot a bit! Not only did he crash a virtual reality plane on the first day of the job, but Earth’s favorite smug and most-willed Green Lantern is here to stop crime while having a good time. So, all things considered, things are looking up for Hal Jordan. But will the man who shoots for the sky reach the stars when he’s grounded? Meanwhile, what happens when John Stewart is grounded?
The issue revolves around three stories. With two of the Green Lantern Corps’ greatest and bravest back on Earth, Hal seems to be taking it as well as one would expect: with sheer confidence and a smile bigger than Coast City. The issue opens with a flashback showing Hal testing his ring’s limits. How he got the ring is similar to Hal Jordan & The Green Lantern Corps during DC Comics Rebirth, and it’s just so true to the character – at the end of the day, Hal Jordan will always be the will-est to ever will his ring into existence. Overall, Jeremy Adams knows how to write a witty hero, and although he’s quite different than Wally West, Adams sure knows how to write him. Adams finds ways to examine Hal’s relationships while furthering the story in exciting new ways that make an enjoyable story. However, there is a bit of jumping around that makes it a little jarring at times, but certainly not too much so.
The second story, which still is a fun two-in-one, bounces between John’s time on Earth and the secular Lanterns from another universe that seems to be connected to John somehow. More than any other Lantern, John Stewart is the heart of the Green Lantern Corps. His relationship with his mom is truly the best dynamic in the issue. Philip Kennedy Johnson may be popular for writing Superman, but his writing of John Stewart is likely to be his next great hit. With a shocking revelation to cap off the issue, readers will be anxiously waiting for the next installment in September.
Someone tell the Four Corpsmen to step aside, because this issue has readers experience the great work of artists Xermanico and Montos with respective colorists Romulo Fajardo Jr. and Adriano Lucas. The development of Xermanico over the last few years is outstanding. His line work is spectacular; the pages come to life faster than you can say “Green Lantern’s Light”, and they all are so expressive. Action sequences find ways to soar to new heights while the more somber moments bring the reader back to Earth. Romulo Fajardo Jr. matches this with a pastel softness to the art that makes a Green Lantern pop.
Meanwhile, Montos provides some truly haunting art (in the best way possible) and balances that with some of the more joyful moments in the back half of the story. Adriano Lucas, who at this point deserves no introduction as one of the premier colorists in the industry, contrasts some of his work in Nightwing with some more intense pages in this story. One of my favorite pages Montos works on with Adriano Lucas is only the second to last page in the story, and it’s just so beautiful because of how well-crafted it is. Overall, the art in this story is a grand slam.
Green Lantern #2 is a great continuation of the first issue and begins to shed some more light on what the direction of John’s story will be. Hal’s story, much like his life, has a few surprises in store that fans will have to wait a few months for until they can pay off. That said, the first story is exactly what a Hal Jordan story needs to be to succeed: witty, action-packed, and filled with just the right amount of drama. Altogether, both stories are joyful reads that should make fans of both characters happy with their respective direction.
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