Jeremy Adams and Xermanico are in Hell! As we saw in the last issue of Green Lantern, Hal Jordan, the Phantom Stranger, and Zauriel journeyed to Hell in search of an artifact that will help stop Star Breaker and Sorrow’s misuse of the Emotional Spectrum. While there, we have seen some wild things, most importantly, G’Nort! From this cover, you know there awaits the Spectre, so how will Hal and the Spectre react to this new meeting? I know I’m excited to see this teaming up of the two, as “Hal Spectre” was something I didn’t mind in comics, back when Hal was not a Green Lantern. Better charge your ring, as this group of characters and the creative team prepare to be Hellbound!
DC
Now, if we start with the cover, I like how Xermanico and Adams tease us with the question, “The Spectre once more?” Right behind those words is a fierce face-off between Hal and the Spectre. I know those two characters didn’t leave on the greatest of terms, and there wasn’t any closure between them with their time together, so I hope to see more interaction and reference in this issue. As we jump into the comic, the art continues with a high standard, and I love how the coloring brings out the shadows, making it have a creepy vibe. The four Heroes finally get to a cell with a prisoner behind it; this must be an important prisoner because the Phantom Stranger states, “Only one from above may unlock a cell below.” This is how we meet Aidia, chained up in their cell and looking quite monstrous.
DC
The scene shifts back to space for our other quartet of heroes with Kyle Rayner, Superboy, Odyssey, and Dan Garrett as the new Silver Scarab while they try to escape the Reach. Not only do they have a group of angry Reach soldiers chasing them down, but they also have to worry about a giant mouth space monster ready to devour them; that monster is quite an ugly sight and reminds me of one of those deep-sea creatures that you don’t want to even know about. I like the humor Adams gives Garrett as he mutters “kids…” while trying to survive with this group. An interesting moment between the Lantern spaceship and Kyle’s ring seems to have caused a power surge to help initiate light speed. I wonder how that will play out later and what it could mean for Kyle or the rings.
DC
Kyle’s and Hal’s groups manage to endure the challenges while entertaining us, but Hal’s team has to deal with the Spectre before their conclusion. Spectre is upset about Hal changing Aidia’s punishment; I wish that Aidia had been an actual character from “Hal Spectre’s” series, but this new implant could be interesting. I am also curious to see what will happen to a Spectre without a host, and it was great to see Spectre go to Hal after being unbound from Jim Corrigan in the DC All In Special. I would’ve liked more of Hal and Spectre interacting and some callback to their time together, as this “team up” felt rushed. At the end of their conflict, I liked that Hal told the Spectre to let his next host know “everything” before they bond. I do hope we get to see some closure on Spectre’s story somewhere in the DCU.
Speaking of closure, Aidia’s story seems unfinished, and we might get a new Lantern emotion from them. The issue delivers with cosmic chaos, character tension, and Emotional Spectrum mystery to keep my interests piqued.
Green Lantern #23 lights the fuse for something big, cosmically and emotionally. Between old ghosts like the Spectre and new wildcards like Aidia, Adams and Xermanico are playing the long game with Hal and the wider Lantern mythos. Kyle’s strange ring reaction, Aidia’s potential link to a new emotion, and Spectre’s cryptic warning all suggest we’re only scratching the surface of big things in the DCU. If Hell and deep space are proving grounds, then our Lanterns just passed these trials, but what’s waiting deeper in the dark might burn brighter than anything we’ve seen.
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