The Green Lantern #2 – Grant Morrison, Writer; Liam Sharp, Artist; Steve Oliff, Colorist
Ratings:
Ray – 8.5/10
Corrina: Morrison-Weird
Ray: If there’s one word associated with the writing of Grant Morrison, it’s “weird”. This is why his run on X-men was so well-liked – he could create the strangest mutants imaginable, and he can do the same here with the entire cosmos at his disposal. He wastes no time in getting to one of the most unique Lanterns – the blind Lantern Rot Lop Fan, who wields the light through sound instead. Fan barely escapes an ambush by Evil Star and the new Darkstars in the opening segment of The Green Lantern #2, and I’m a bit surprised to see the Darkstars again – they just got through being the big bads in a six-month story in Robert Venditti’s run, but the ones here are very different and seem to be more of a return to the classic models. Evacuated to Oa, Rot Lop Fan is briefed by his fellow Lanterns – including one whose head is literally a volcano and whose presence is never really explained. It’s a Grant Morrison comic and I guess that’s all the explanation we really need for a visual like that.
Hal, meanwhile, is conducting the interrogation of the Spider Guild member he apprehended the last issue with the help of the bird-like Lantern Tru. The Spider, interestingly, isn’t a standard goon but a rich girl gone wilding, which is a clever twist. Morrison is clearly at home writing the “space cop” genre, something I didn’t expect out of him. While there’s a lot of surreal twists and visuals in this issue, there’s a pretty straightforward crime drama at its core. Morrison’s Hal sort of seems like a throwback, a no-nonsense space warrior without the character development of the Johns run. But I’m sure he’ll get there. The presence of classic GL villain Evil Star takes an unexpected turn at the end of the story and reveals who the real villains are, but the last page reveal is odd. I’m not sure if this is an unexpected tie-in to Superman, or if this is just one of the most bizarre coincidences in comic book history, but it threw me. I’m not sure if it’s up there with the first issue, but this continues to be a strong debut to a promising new run. And Liam Sharp’s visuals are stunning throughout as always.
Corrina: I like the weird stuff, like the GL with the volcano head. (Though that makes little sense. Maybe a sentient molten rock received a GL ring and took a mostly human form to communicate or something? Or Morrison and Sharp just thought it was a cool visual, which it is. Sorry, I got distracted there for a minute.) The opening is weird and fascinating and I like the book for moments like that. This also includes the interrogation where Hal actually plays good cop but not because of anything Hal does but because I loved the other Green Lantern.
So, even in a GL story written by Grant Morrison, I continue to be of the “Hal is the most boring character ever and they’re writing the classic Hal that frustrates me so much” opinion. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t a good story, even if it does reuse the Darkstars. My guess is that Morrison is basically ignoring that tale since he wants to do something else with the Darkstars.
Morrison gonna Morrison. Usually, it’s with good results for readers.
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Disclaimer: GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
Hal Jordan is not boring; some writers just don’t know how to use him. Morrison is slowly building the guy up to the way he used to be, which is freaking great.
I loved Hal when Darwyn Cooke wrote him in New Frontier and in the Tom King special a couple of years ago. But this book is doubling-down on everything I dislike in the character.