DCU Comic Book Reviews

GREEN LANTERN #4

Alienated

October 2005

Written by Geoff Johns

Pencils by Ethan Van Sciver

Inks by Ethan Van Sciver

Cover by Ethan Van Sciver

Synopsis

Driving home around three o’clock in the morning, two soldiers stumble across what looks to be an alien body.  Meanwhile, Hal Jordan has returned to Oa.  The Guardians are re-starting the Corps and have asked Kilowog to remain and train the new recruits.  Hal gets a call to return to earth, where he inspects the body.  Turns out it was human, just slightly evolved, about 50,000 years ahead of humans now.  Before he can explain further, Hal learns that Hector Hammond is willing to tell Hal about the body.  At Belle Reve Hospital, Hammond is willing to tell Hal what he knows, providing Hal gives Hammond a memory of a date with a woman.  Hammond tells Hal that the meteor that transformed him as well as the dead body found was sent by “them” and that there is another transformed person in Coast City.  Along the beach, a man and woman are swimming when the man is attacked and sinks below the water.  The woman swims to shore and thinks she is safe, but the shark follows her right onto the beach.

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

I love Ethan Van Sciver’s art.  The final shot of King (or Killer) Shark coming out of the water is brilliant, with the body of the man crammed into its teeth as it reaches for the woman.  And the look on the woman’s face when sees the eyeball and the blood on her shoulder.  Ethan Van Sciver is an outstanding artist; his work on Rebirth was brilliant and I am glad he is still working with this title.  His drawing of hector Hammond is freaky and I have trouble with him because his head’s so big and he drools and it is grotesque.  His rantings about wanting to be Hal and living his life were creepy, but then to realize that Hammond is a pervert looking to live vicariously through Hal sealed the deal.  Johns and Van Sciver did a wonderful job with Hammond, but I hope Hammond is not used that much.

The fight in the marsh with Kilowog seemed to be a plot to get some action into a story where there really was no action.  It is not that I disliked the fight, it just seemed unnecessary.  I liked the ribbing Jordan gets for being a human.  There were not too many human looking recruits standing around, although there are some planets (such as Rann and Thanagar) that having human looking people. 

I am curious to know why Sonar was included for that brief moment, but I am also curious to know what kind of role King (or Killer) Shark plays as well.  Was the shark part of the experiments sent by the meteor?  Or does he know something about what is going on?  And isn’t he a villain for Aquaman and not Green Lantern?  Okay, went to Wikipeida and looked it up.  It is neither King or Killer but simply Shark an original foe of Hal Jordan (back in the 60s) that eventually fought Aquaman and lost his telepathic powers.  I’m guessing that was fixed.

The most interesting aspect of this particular issue is the difference between Hal Jordan and Green Lantern.  In the first several issues, Hal’s integration into his new life was pretty seamless as everyone accepted that he wasn’t dead and got on with it.  Now, as Green Lantern returning to Oa or in contact with those who knew him as Green Lantern (such as Sonar), his past is catching up to him.  Let’s face it:  Hal destroyed the corps, save the world, and became an omnipotent spirit of vengeance.  There has got to be some residual fallout from being all of these aspects, especially amongst Green Lanterns.  Hopefully, the brief bits in this issue signals that Johns is going to tackle this head on and not simply brush it under the carpet.

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