Art By: Billy Tan, Rob Hunter, Martin Coccolo
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: August 6, 2014
Ping Ping Ping
Last time we looked at the Green Lanterns we ended the crossover event Uprising and like we all knew they would, the Green Lantern Corps came out on top and defeated the power hungry Durlans. So now the universe is safe and it's time to get back to patrolling the universe and hopefully convince the people of said universe that the Corps isn't destroying the universe by using their rings, even though they actually are. So let's jump into this issue and see how Hal is spending his time now that he's not leading a war and maybe I'll stop saying universe.
Explain It!:
Our issue begins with Hal Jordan attempting to take down one of the prisoners they let go during the Durlan war. Now this little guy apparently used to sport a death ray, but now he's just his little self with no way to defend himself. Actually he's a lot like Jim. But unlike Jim this little guy is a empathic leech and becomes a giant monster by sucking on Hal's willpower. But luckily before Hal went after the prisoner, he was all like "I'm pissed off now Jobu. Look, I go to you, I stick up for you, if you don't help me now, I say fuck you Jobu. I do it myself." So with that in mind Hal grabs a thick branch and beats the once little guy over the head with it until he calms down to a nice unconsciousness.
Hal takes the prisoner back to Mogo where we see that Simon Baz has finally made the trip to the Green Lantern Corps' HQ and even more surprising is that Hal's brother Jim (not the co-reviewer for Weird Science) and his family are on Mogo as well. But the family reunion won't begin right away because that little prisoner uses Hal being distracted to start sucking up more will power and then he breaks free from his restraints and gets back on top of Hal. Good thing Hal's family isn't used to space nonsense, because the fear the creature induces in the children actually works against his empathic leeching and makes him turn back into the tiny little guy cowering in the fetal position. Good job fearful people of Earth! So the prisoner gets locked up with some power dampeners and Hal begins to relax a little and bond with his brother.
The majority of this issue is Jim Jordan's family going off with Kilowog and Simon Baz to explore Mogo and make inappropriate comments about Saint Walker's head and Hal sitting with his brother sharing a five pack of Khundis Ale. The most important part of this is when Hal tells Jim that using the ring actually depletes a reservoir that when emptied will destroy the universe. Now we all know that, but Jim's reaction is great and being the idiot I am, I never even considered this way of thinking about it. Jim tells Hal that "life is consumption. We breath, we eat. We build houses from trees, on land that used to belong to little furry critters. The question isn't whether you consume. The question is what you do with what you use. What you do is be a hero." Now that's a way to look at it. Wow. I don't know what it is, but that line just blew my mind and for the first time since Lights Out, I don't have a secret resentment for Green Lantern using his ring.
In the end near the boundary of our universe we hear a familiar ping ping ping as a boom tube opens. Out of the portal Highfather emerges with his personal guard and we find out that he's here because of the Lantern's tampering with the Source Wall. Now he finds this blasphemous and talks about how they have endangered the order of the cosmos and all that, but he also seems to be happy because this has somehow put the Life Equation within his grasp. So I don't know, Highfather's a confusing dude. He's mad, he's happy, New Gods are crazy like that.
So that's it for this issue of Green Lantern, make sure you're back next month as we jump into the world of Five Years From Now and see what the Black Lanterns are up to in Futures End and in October we begin the mother of all Lantern crossovers with God Head. See you then.
Bits and Pieces:
The aftermath of Uprising is a quiet one with this issue, but the calm was a nice break from the over the top battles we've had for months. Just a really nice low key story focusing on Hal's guilt for using the ring after the events of Lights Out and having some R&R with his family on Mogo. New to Green Lantern this month is artist Rob Hunter, who's first seven pages in this book is the main action, which is really something and makes the beginning of this issue pop. So while this won't get your adrenaline pumping, it will definitely keep you entertained and will make you grateful for the break in the story.
8.5/10
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