Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #39 – Robert Venditti, Writer; Rafa Sandoval, Penciller; Jordi Tarragona, Inker; Tomeu Morey, Colorist
Ratings:
Ray – 8.5/10
Corrina:
WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW
Ray: This current arc, pitting the Lanterns against General Zod and his family for the fate of “New Krypton,” may be Venditti’s best of the series, and would have easily been tops if it wasn’t for some odd backsliding when it came to some of the supporting characters. However, a surprisingly complex antagonist and some of the funniest moments of the series make Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #39 excellent. When we last left off, Hal had been captured by Zod, having sacrificed his ring to get a seriously injured Kyle to safety. This leads to the hilarious scene of Kyle, essentially jacked up on Lantern power and being kept alive by the ring, acting like Hal and wanting to get back into the field while shouting catchphrases. Because Hal’s style is so powerful that it even transfers through his ring, apparently. While the Lanterns are trying to figure out their next move, Hal isn’t having a great time as Zod’s captive, although the Kryptonian general is playing a complex chess game here.
The interesting thing is, Zod isn’t 100% wrong – he didn’t make any move against the Lanterns and seems far more interested in establishing his new society with the “help” of the natives. However, his long-standing grudge against the Green Lantern Corps for allowing the destruction of Krypton indicates he probably has more sinister plans. That’s the case John Stewart makes to the Guardians, who are…cautious. They don’t even seem to know what century they’re in at times, referring to “General Dru-Zod”, who I believe is Zod’s ancestor. They order John to hold off while they deliberate, but John essentially gives the wink to Guy to go rogue and take a team – including an increasingly Hal-like Kyle – and take the battle to Zod. Rafa Sandoval continues to be one of the secret weapons of the DCU, and with great characterization and some spectacular action, this is a book that’s rising fast. Hopefully, Sandoval will remain the artist on this book for the long haul.
Corrina: It’s weird because while Zod was busy almost killing Kyle and basically torturing Hal the last two issues, I also feel like he has a point. What’s wrong with establishing a new society with his new family? Well, the gullible aliens need to be saved from themselves, I suppose, and Zod will eventually do Zod-like things, like conquer or kill other people in his way. But it’s hard not to sympathize with his need for a new home and a fresh start.
But the highlight of this issue is Kyle channeling Hal. Kyle is hilarious as a semi-parody of Hal, sort of Hal’s personality cranked up to 11. It makes sense, since Hal made his ring, and it basically contains his essence. It’s also a ball to read.
The artwork looks great, not only in the spectacular moments but look at the expression on Guy’s face in the panel above. Perfect.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
Disclaimer: GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
