DCU Comic Book Reviews

GREEN LANTERN #35

Green Lantern Secret Origin, Part 7

November 2008

Written by Geoff Johns

Pencils by Ivan Reis

Inks by Oclair Albert with Ivan Reis

Cover by Ivan Reis

Synopsis

The Guardians order Hal Jordan and Sinestro to Oa to stand trail for disobeying the editorial edict; Green Lanterns must remain within their sectors.  Jordan wants to know why.  The Guardians claim it is to keep the corps stronger.  Jordan thinks it is because the Guardians are afraid the corps will turn on them, like the Manhunters.  Sinestro adds that by working together, the corps can be stronger.  The Guardians allow Jordan and Sinestro to keep their rings while they think about what was said.  On Earth, Jordan resumes his job as the pilot for Ferris aircraft.  He also decides to tell his brother about the power ring.  It is a long story, so he wrote it down. 

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

This issue was actually a little anticlimactic and felt more like an epilogue to the story rather than the conclusion, which happened in the previous issue.  This issue essentially wraps up a lot of loose bits, either to put characters in place to match up with Jordan’s history (such as his trip to Sinestro’s home world that ends with Sinestro’s expulsion) or to set up the upcoming Blackest Night story (Atrocitus and the rage of the Red Lanterns) or even future Green Lantern plot points (Sinestro’s stranglehold over Korugar).  But then, this is exactly what the secret origin story has been about, not only a re-telling and re-imagining of Jordan’s early beginnings, but also a method to lay the foundation for future stories.  In some of the issues it worked and in others, it didn’t.  Strangely enough, Johns manages to integrate both past and future fairly well in this issue.  The problem lies in the fact that there is not much happening, other than to wind down the story.  The confrontation with Guardians doesn’t go anywhere or resolve anything (and I love how the Ganthet situation is completely glossed over) while the rest of the scenes are simply designed to follow-up on bits and pieces from earlier in the story.  Still, this entire story has been great, so I can’t complain too much.  Johns provides a decent ending that does what he set out to do, makes me eager to read the upcoming Blackest Night storyline. 

I forget the issue, but I distinctly remember asking in a previous review why the buildings on Oa were yellow.  It just seemed like an odd thing.  Here, we get the answer.  I am not sure if Johns planned it this way or managed a good way to cover up a mistake, but the answer makes some sense. 

I would also like to point out the need to add the scene where Jordan fails to overcome yellow, which is such an integral part of the Green Lantern mythos.  By adding that scene, Johns doesn’t take away from previous Green Lantern stories.  What Jordan did was an aberration, something he could not duplicate.  In essence, Jordan overcame it only that one time, in a fit of anger/rage, which I will assume will become a bigger deal with the Blackest Night story.

Finally, there were female Guardians in this issue.  There were no female guardians, originally.  They were all male.  Female guardians only existed when Kyle Rayner (with the power of Ion) brought back the Guardians.  He did it as part of an experiment.  So, does this issue invalidate what Kyle did?  Yet, that can’t be since the Green Lantern corps as we know doesn’t exist without Kyle.  I am confused. 

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