Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #40 – Robert Venditti, Writer; Rafa Sandoval, Penciller; Jordi Tarragona, Inker; Tomeu Morey, Colorist
Ratings:
Ray – 7.5/10
Ray: The showdown between the Green Lantern Corps and General Zod and his family continues in Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #40, in an issue that’s essentially straight action from moment one. The issue opens with John Stewart trying to explain to the Guardians how a rescue mission was dispatched to Zod’s planet against their orders, and while I’m not thrilled that the Guardians have already fallen back into the role of heavy, I do like that even John isn’t really taking their orders seriously anymore. Meanwhile, on Jekuul, the Lanterns and Kryptonians are at war, and Kyle still has Hal’s ring – and to some extent, personality. He’s cocky, aggressive, and far stronger than he ever was, and it’s starting to wear Zod down. However, the rest of his family is having an easier time and is delivering a curb-stomp to the rest of the Lanterns.
If I have one big issue with this arc, it’s that Ursa is basically a one-note villain and Lor-Zod is a sadistic little twerp. I’m not sure what happened to him in the Phantom Zone, but it seems like any remnants of the more complex character we saw in the original Superman arc and Gods and Monsters have been thrown out the window. The kid makes Damian seem cuddly, and watching him talk about doing horrible things to whoever he encounters just isn’t very compelling. Venditti does get some good mileage out of the Lanterns, though, and some underrated characters get to shine. Who remembered Space Ape? It’s good to see him get something to do for the first time in a few arcs, now that the Sinestro Corps plotline is long over with. Kyle’s sacrifice at the end of the issue finally puts Hal back in the game for a final showdown as the story concludes next issue. Overall, it’s a good arc that’s maybe gone on an issue too long.
Corrina: While I enjoyed the last issue because of it’s loonier moments (Kyle channeling Hal), this issue felt too much like a generic Lantern fight scene, mostly because we’ve seen a great deal of that recently, such as in the previous arc that rescued the Guardians. I can only take so much of the Zod family pontificating as they punch things and, overall, the fight reads similarly to the original fight when Hal and Kyle found Zod.
So, good arc, good concept in fighting over Zod taking over a planet, but, as Ray said, it’s probably stretched out at least one issue too far.
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Disclaimer: GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
