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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
Clearly I don't have enough history (or any history) with Hal Jordan and his fellow Lanterns for this book to have an impact on me. I'm going to try to continue on through the rest of Geoff Johns's well regarded run and maybe it'll be more impactful by the end of it.
I was never a fan of the late 90's-mid 2000's super dark art of the time at DC. Otherwise this was an awesome part. I always found the Spectre and Parallax things to be convoluted, but those gripes aside, there was great coloring where that was present, awesome character moments, and a solid story. Easy enough to pick up as your first GL book, but dipped in enough lore for long=time fans, and got me hyped for the rest of the run.
seeing all the diff ways the lanterns use their abilities based off who they are as a person made me giddy like something hacked into my brain
If you haven’t read any Green Lantern graphic novels this one will make absolutely no sense at all. It starts out with Hal dead and the spectre inside of him. The art was not my favorite of the Green Lantern series. The characters look so different in this one than in all of the other books. I prefer the artist for Blackest Night. I’d definitely suggest reading the stories previous to this one in order to understand what’s going on here. If you aren't up on everything in Green Lantern's world you will be even more lost than I was!
Reviewed by Kole for Book Sake.
Reviewed by Kole for Book Sake.
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I’m not super familiar with Green Lantern, but I’m trying to expand my comic book knowledge so here I am. If you’re a big fan of the character, then this was probably the coolest comic ever. It was a little confusing for me since I’ve never read any Lantern comics before, but still really cool. This was recommended as a starting point for the character, and I’m not totally sure I agree with that. However, this tells a really cool story and I definitely enjoyed it. I have a much better understanding of the character and its mythos now. I might have to check out some more Green Lantern stuff.
This like GL’s Flashpoint. I’d never read it and I’m glad I finally have. Makes me like Hal Jordan more!
I guess it is hard to be objective when reviewing a comic book, and everyone brings their own reading history into the mix as well. You have people that have read Green Lantern for years and will nitpick about details, you have people that are Justice League fans that will complain about the way the Justice League was portrayed here, and you will have people that have read very little Green Lantern and are confused by Rebirth. So I will follow the trend and say I've read the first two Green Lantern Showcase editions from the Silver Age, and did a little research about what happens with Hal Jordan/Parallax before reading this. With that limited reading I was fully able to follow this with no lingering questions.
The plot of this is pretty self explanatory, Hal Jordan is being brought back to life after being killed in Volume 3 of the Green Lantern series. Since he killed a bunch of people we have to explain that away and redeem him somehow, and this collection begins that process. The art style looks great, the characters each have a distinct personality, and everything fits together nicely. There is action for people that want that, plenty of green beams, and Sinestro of course, which is great.
The only problem I had was the inner monologue. In my somewhat limited comic reading history I've been thrown off by the inner monologue sometimes. In the 1960s Green Lantern series it makes sense. Hal will think things like, "Oh no, a yellow barn, how will I lift that?" and I follow, but now Kyle Rayner starts talking in his head and it's a bit more like "Dear Diary." All of it adds to the understanding of the plot, but I could do with a bit less maybe. My only other complaint is that the writing is a bit short and choppy. I understand that comics have to be direct and to the point, and I love that about them, but I'm referring more to the specific sentence structure. Sentences are missing subjects often, for example it will say "been doing well lately" instead of "I've been doing well lately" and some sentences are missing important connectors like "and." That's pretty much all I can think to complain about, and they are pretty minor details to me.
I couldn't put this down, and I want to read the rest of this installment of Green Lantern as soon as possible. It may cost me around $300 to catch up, but it will be worth it. I love the emotional spectrum, and I love the entire Green Lantern universe. I also like the little details that have been added with this series, all of which are outlined in the introduction, so I won't spoil anything. If you want to catch up to the current Green Lantern series, this is where you should start. I think your enjoyment of it will be personal, and that makes this hard to review, but I loved it.
P.S. Yes, the Justice League comes off as full of bossy, irritating, know-it-alls in this, and yes, Batman gets some flack from Hal Jordan. After the numerous discussions I've had with my boyfriend about the value of Batman to the comic book world, I can certainly say I very much enjoyed Batman getting his face punched in by Hal Jordan, and I've been a defender of the Batman franchise. This is a Green Lantern collection, not a Batman collection, so I think Hal Jordan should knock Batman out a few more times if necessary :)
The plot of this is pretty self explanatory, Hal Jordan is being brought back to life after being killed in Volume 3 of the Green Lantern series. Since he killed a bunch of people we have to explain that away and redeem him somehow, and this collection begins that process. The art style looks great, the characters each have a distinct personality, and everything fits together nicely. There is action for people that want that, plenty of green beams, and Sinestro of course, which is great.
The only problem I had was the inner monologue. In my somewhat limited comic reading history I've been thrown off by the inner monologue sometimes. In the 1960s Green Lantern series it makes sense. Hal will think things like, "Oh no, a yellow barn, how will I lift that?" and I follow, but now Kyle Rayner starts talking in his head and it's a bit more like "Dear Diary." All of it adds to the understanding of the plot, but I could do with a bit less maybe. My only other complaint is that the writing is a bit short and choppy. I understand that comics have to be direct and to the point, and I love that about them, but I'm referring more to the specific sentence structure. Sentences are missing subjects often, for example it will say "been doing well lately" instead of "I've been doing well lately" and some sentences are missing important connectors like "and." That's pretty much all I can think to complain about, and they are pretty minor details to me.
I couldn't put this down, and I want to read the rest of this installment of Green Lantern as soon as possible. It may cost me around $300 to catch up, but it will be worth it. I love the emotional spectrum, and I love the entire Green Lantern universe. I also like the little details that have been added with this series, all of which are outlined in the introduction, so I won't spoil anything. If you want to catch up to the current Green Lantern series, this is where you should start. I think your enjoyment of it will be personal, and that makes this hard to review, but I loved it.
P.S. Yes, the Justice League comes off as full of bossy, irritating, know-it-alls in this, and yes, Batman gets some flack from Hal Jordan. After the numerous discussions I've had with my boyfriend about the value of Batman to the comic book world, I can certainly say I very much enjoyed Batman getting his face punched in by Hal Jordan, and I've been a defender of the Batman franchise. This is a Green Lantern collection, not a Batman collection, so I think Hal Jordan should knock Batman out a few more times if necessary :)
I read this so I could have a better conversation with my son on Green Lantern. Overall, meh. I'm not a huge superhero fan and this comic, though well written and with a decent story, just could not pull me in.
Hal Jordan's triumphant return is exactly what was needed. It explains most of the details of his turn to evil and absolves him of most of his crimes. It also manages to revive the Corps and the Guardians. It is very comic bookish and a bit rushed in some places, but seeing Hal Jordan return just makes me smile.
To be honest, for the first half I was pretty confused (I am a complete GL newb).. But things sorted themselves out and I can see how this is such an amazing reboot. Some honestly touching and meaningful moments. I'm glad this was recommended to me as the first in a long series of trades to introduce me to the Green Lantern!