Green Lantern #2 – Jeremy Adams, Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Writers; Xermanico, Montos, Artists; Romulo Fajardo Jr, Adriano Lucas, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: Green Lantern has been a cosmic hero for so long, playing on the biggest scale imaginable, that it’s hard to remember anymore that he was a normal earth-based hero for much of his history. So Jeremy Adams calling back to that is unexpected, but welcome. Hal Jordan is at his lowest in a long time, but also back to his roots—he’s on Earth, with a ring he forged himself, taking on low-level villains like a demolition-themed group of vandals. He’s also having fun in a way he hasn’t in a while, using his rings for clever tricks like creating a haunted graveyard. The reveal that Kilowog is on Earth as well is a welcome surprise, as it gives Hal someone to bounce off with the other human GLs still enlisted.
However, another of Hal’s relationships is the focus here, as he makes an ill-advised play to win Carol Ferris back. I’m not sure about Carol seeming so settled and… normal here, given how long she was the leader of the Star Sapphires, but this book seems to be going for a back-to-basics approach. Hal manages to scheme his way into a position flying the Ferris Air private jet, then tricks her fiancee Nathan into getting out of the way and makes an attempt to convince Carol to come back to him. It’s not very convincing, and I don’t think it’s supposed to be—it feels like a lot of this is reminding us that Hal has sort of forgotten how to be human. The cliffhanger leads directly into Night Terrors, as the event kicks off next month and the main series numbering takes a break.
As for the backup. Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Montos continue to deliver a very strong horror tale as a young Green Lantern comes under assault from the terrifying Revenant Queen. This has a much darker tone than the main series, with excellently moody art, as the quest leads the hero to a powerful and aged John Stewart. The flashback segments showing John Stewart at home on Earth-0 go a long way towards humanizing a hero who is often portrayed as a little too steely and put-together. Looking forward to the solo run.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
