Superhero Times: a service of Action Online
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When Geoff Johns started reworking the history of Brainiac in Action Comics, most fans were eager to see what he could accomplish but scared of what he might ruin in the process. The same can be said for the origin of Hal Jordan in the latest story arc in Green Lantern. Johns is actually using the origin story to set-up threads for the upcoming “In Blackest Night” storyline, and fans knew that he’d be playing with Hal Jordan’s history a bit.
Much like the arc in Action Comics, Johns work in Green Lantern is superb.
Atrocitus, Hector Hammond, and Black Hand are all touched-up a tad while mixed-up with each others’ and Hal’s own origins. The brilliance of Johns’ ability to layer a story shows in the way he brings all these characters together without mudding up the story. At no time do you get lost or confused and it’s hard to imagine a time when Hal’s origin didn’t contain all of these over lapping stories. Consider the fact that Johns has merged in Sinestro and Abin Sur, and you begin to see the scope of what Johns is trying to do.
Deep at the heart of this issue is a confession by Abin Sur and a moment shared by Hal and Sinestro. Without revealing too much of a spoiler, this confession is another instance where several threads from the history of the Green Lantern character have been re-worked and woven together to create an event that with insure that Green Lantern will never be the same, yet feels like it must have been what John Broome and Gil Kane had in mind when they created the character almost fifty years ago.
No discussion of the book would be complete without heaps of praise poured on Ivan Reis and Oclair Albert. The artwork in this book is fantastic and rivals anything currently of the market from any company. It is crisp, clean, consistent, and downright beautiful. Even Randy Mayor deserves a nod because the coloring could easily sap the energy away from the stunningly rendered pages.
DC Comics has made a push for a higher standard on many of their books since Identity Crisis brought the spotlight back to the company a few years ago. This current arc, and the work of Geoff Johns in general, is proof that they have found what they were looking for.