Review: Hal Jordan gets an unexpected visitor in ‘Green Lantern’ #3
PUBLISHER’S PITCH
Hal learns more about his mysterious Green Lantern ring while Sinestro makes a deal with the mysterious Guild to launch a full-scale attack on Ferris Air. The Green Lantern is now faced with the realization that his greatest enemy is back on Earth and undoubtedly up to no good. FEATURING JOHN STEWART HOMECOMING: PART THREE--THE LEAD-IN STORY TO GREEN LANTERN: WAR JOURNAL!
REVIEW
After only two issues were released before the new series went on hiatus for “Knight Terrors,” Jeremy Adams is back with GREEN LANTERN #3. Given the direction of this week’s issue, it’s apparent that the previous issue’s story involving Hal piloting Carol’s flight was done to set up Hal’s “Knight Terrors” tie-in. Nathan is absent and Hal is no longer flying Carol’s private jet. However, Sinestro is back and begins to put his plans into motion. Adams’ is writing Sinestor with a meticulous approach that is both subdued and ominous. He believes he has the upperhand on Hal and is making power moves to taunt him.
Adams starts to tone down Hal’s creepy obsession with Carol, even though there are still a moment or two of cringeworthy exchanges. I get that Hal is the master of willing things to happen but his continuous advances on Carol when she is clearly not interested is some Grade-A toxic masculinity that I really don’t need or want to see. What does work and showcases Hal’s best qualities are scenes like the one where he uses his ring to build up the confidence of young kid in need of a boost. It’s a small moment in what may seem like a throwaway scene compared to the issue’s main story, yet it perfectly captures the charm and idealism of Earth’s Green Lantern.
Does Xermánico have his sights set on an Eisner award for next year? Because the work going into this series so far would be a great submission. This issue is light on traditional action sequences compared to the first two issues, but Xermánico is still able to incorporate motion in interesting ways during a scene involving Hal pitching during a little league baseball game. What continues to stand out though are his wide-angle and zoomed-out environment shots that come to life like watercolor prints hanging in the world’s best art museums. The opening page continues a scene from the last issue where Hal is falling back to the Earth and it’s simple breathtaking. Panels featuring the Coast City skyline and Washington D.C.’s National Mall are smaller in scale but equally gorgeous. Romulo Fajardo Jr.’s colors complement it all with softer tones that bring a lifelike quality to every panel.
We also get part three of John Stewart's "Rise of the Revenant Queen" arc from Phillip Kennedy Johnson as a backup story. We finally see how the two different storylines we’ve been following will converge as the Revenant Queen retreats from her battle with that universe’s John Stewart and Lantern Shepherd to seek out Earth Zero’s John Stewart. With minimal pages to work with, Johnson is squeezing in every bit of character development for Earth Zero John Stewart and I can’t wait to see what he does with the character in Green Lantern War Journal, which debuts later this month.
Montos and Adriano Lucas continue to match the main story’s art team in quality with their backstory visuals, no more apparent in the culmination of the Revenant Queen battle. These panels offer jaw-dropping action in vibrant colors. This John Stewart creates an army of Lanterns to even the playing field and they look intimidating and awesome thanks to the work from Montos and Lucas.
FINAL VERDICT
Hal’s interactions with Carol really kept me from loving the first two issues of this series but with that tempered down, I’m finally aligned with the praise this series has gotten so far. We’re on the precipice of a major confrontation between Hal and Sinestro and it’ll be very interesting to see how Hal’s optimism and newfound powers are put to the test with whatever Sinestro has planned. And Xermánico’s art alone continues to make this series a must-read.
