Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #49 – Robert Venditti, Writer; Rafa Sandoval, Sergio Davila, Pencillers; Jordi Tarragona, Inker; Tomeu Morey, Colorist
Ray – 8/10
Ray: The penultimate issue of the series, Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #49 continues the no-holds-barred action theme of the last arc, as the Corps and their former enemies make one last desperate stand against the Darkstars. With even the Guardians entering the fray, the odds are still long as the Darkstar hivemind and teleportation abilities make them impossible to pin down. That’s why Hal and Hector Hammond have a special mission – to break into Darkstar headquarters and sever the psychic link created by the Controllers. With John Stewart holding the line at base, Hal and Hammond sneak into the Controllers’ base, and Hammond cuts them off from the Darkstars with disturbing ease. Although Hammond’s initial instincts are more violent, he still manages to turn the tide of battle. With the Darkstars no longer functioning as one unit, the next step is to create a disruption field that knocks out their teleportation abilities. With the Darkstars finally sitting ducks, the Lanterns are able to turn the tide and begin making inroads in the battle.
There’s a lot of fighting going on in this issue, with Guy Gardner and Arkillo getting some of the best moments. The most important conflict, however, is that between Hal and his former ally Tomar-Tu. When Tomar-Tu was first revealed to be a murderer, he was almost sympathetic – his victim was a serial killer from his own world, and he was avenging children. What emerged in later arcs, though, was a cold-blooded murder-obsessed vigilante, with dark fantasies about avenging his father’s death on all the “guilty” – which quickly expanded from murderers to petty criminals to simply anyone in his way. With his powers stripped, Tomar-Tu and Hal are left to face off with brutal blows in a way that reminds me of the conclusion to Geoff Johns’ classic Sinestro Corps storyline. This is ultimately a story about the meaning of justice, and I think it might be a little too action-packed and widescreen to really get that across. There’s no question it’s an entertaining visual feast, and as the whole Green Lantern line gets ready to close up shop for a big revamp, I expect this series will finish strong.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
