DCU Comic Book Reviews

GREEN LANTERN #2

No Fear

August 2005

Written by Geoff Johns

Pencils by Carlos Pacheco

Inks by Jesus Merino

Cover by Carlos Pacheco & Jesus Merino

Synopsis

Seventeen miles out of Edwards Air Force base, a strange visitor destroys a bus load of people.   At the air force base, Hal Jordan (aka Green Lantern) investigates the X-2020, which has been built from extra terrestrial components.  General Jonathan Stone arrives to tell Jordan that the plane is classified information and the air force will take care of it.  Jordan recalls the time when he took a joy ride and “Major” Stone refused to discharge him, so Jordan punched him on the jaw.  Meanwhile, the truck with its strange cargo continues to get closer to Edwards.  Back in Coast City, Hal’s brother tries to convince Hal to leave Coast City.  At the base, Hal learns that the X-2020 is being kept in Hanger 44.  Just then the truck with the cargo drives by and the ring alerts Jordan to a threat.  From within the truck, a mangled and beaten Manhunter appears.  Jordan attacks, but is sent flying into Hanger 44.  Inside, he sees Abin Sur’s old space ship.  Just as the Manhunter grabs hold of Hal, he is saved by the strange visitor, who then destroys the Manhunter, who is considered old and obsolete, by order of the Grandmaster.  The strange visitor then reveals himself to be a Manhunter and tells Jordan that Sector 2814 belongs to them.

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

One of the interesting aspects of Rebirth was the revelation that Hal’s bomber jacket had belonged to his father.  It is obvious that there are some family issues with Hal and I like the fact the Geoff Johns is exploring these.  I’m not sure if this was present in any of the previous Green Lantern series with Hal, or if the incident with Major Stone actually occurred within the pages of a comic book, but I like this aspect of Hal’s past.  It would make sense, given his “death” and return that the past would come back to haunt him.  Hal’s father and his father’s death has apparently always hung over him and as he tries to get his life back in order, it still does.  From his brother’s request for Hal to leave Coast City to trying to get back into the corps, his old life still weighs heavily on Hal’s mind and on his ability to get back to the things he loves.

Having said that, I am not too sure I like the idea of Abin Sur’s old ship still being around.  In one sense it would make sense that the government would want to keep an extra-terrestrial ship and attempt to figure it out and use it, but on the other hand one would expect the Guardians would take it back to protect themselves.  I guess it just smacks of trying to hard to bring together all of Jordan’s past to confront him.  Even the Manhunter seems a little out of place, although I really hope Johns builds upon the Manhunters who confronted Kyle Rayner a number of years ago.  In that story, if I remember correctly, the Manhunters had developed a collective mind (similar to the Borg, you sci-fi fans) and attempted to use Kyle’s ring to increase the mind power.  If these Manhunters build from the “collective mind” idea, but if Johns discard this, then it will seem like a cheap ploy just to recall all of Hal’s old enemies.  Well, it already seems like a cheap ploy, but I can forgive it as long as the continuity is maintained.

Knowing that Geoff Johns is writing, however, fills me with some hope that he can re-style Green Lantern’s old enemies into something menacing and worthy of Jordan.  Johns’ five-year run on The Flash was noted for his knack of re-writing all the rogues and giving them not only the abilities to threaten the Flash but also the complexity of character.  They were not one-dimensional characters.  They lived and breathed and the reader could identify with him, almost feel compassion for them.  And if Johns can do for Green Lantern what he did for the Flash, then this will certainly be an interesting run.

Comic Connection

Kyle Rayner’s confrontation with the Manhunters occurred in the third series of Green Lantern, issue #129.