Tony Black reviews Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps Rebirth #1…
Superstar artist Ethan Van Sciver returns to the world of Green Lantern! In the absence of the Green Lantern Corps, Sinestro and his fear-inducing Yellow Lantern Corps patrol the universe as its sole protectors—but deep in space, a green light still burns. Harnessing the remainder of his will, Hal Jordan must become a one-man GL Corps to defeat his greatest foe and restore freedom to the cosmos.
SEE ALSO: Check out a preview of Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps: Rebirth #1
While the new Green Lanterns have started to establish themselves on Earth, their erstwhile guide Hal Jordan here goes on his own journey of discovery deep in the shadows of space, as Rebirth continues folding out by setting up Hal Jordan and the Green Lanterns Corps, focusing on the wider Lantern picture beyond Sector 2814. This first issue throws us into deep space, to the very centre of the universe, as Hal begins a transformation which leads him to self-examine his own journey so far, who he is, why he does what he does, and how everyone around him in his life have been affected by the choices and decisions made in the past. Writer Robert Venditti consequently manages to get every man and his space bound dog in this opening tale.
Newcomers such as me may end up lost to an extent, though Venditti does a good job in characterising Hal and reminding us of his backstory–as effectively in story he reminds himself–in order to give context to why he does what he does in this Rebirth issue, in order to birth the run to come. Hal believes in what the Lantern Corps is capable of, what it stands for, and much like in many other Rebirth titles, is very much all about trying to regain what has been lost, all the relationships with alien and human Lanterns and galactic figures alike, all drawn well in a vivid series of frames by Ethan van Sciver.
As Hal continues his introspective journey of enlightenment, his arch nemesis Sinestro prepares to undergo his own; at the end of the universe, controlling a vast weapon called Warworld, fuelled by the beastly Parallax, the melancholia of complete victory has overcome the old master and there’s a real sense in Venditti’s characterisation of lament, that he wishes a worthy adversary still existed out there. Good job he’ll still have Hal to fight, once his rebirth is complete.
Truth be told, Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps isn’t the best of the Rebirth trigger issues so far but it could evolve into one of the most entertaining series, and one of the most defiantly different given it takes place far away from Earth in the distant realms of space. It does characterise Hal well, introducing him as a character and giving his backstory with the gauntlet consuming him some necessary context for newcomers, but there are so many dangling elements hinted at and touched upon it sometimes feels more like a primer for the show to come, rather than a solid, well told one issue story.
Rating: 6/10
Tony Black is a freelance film/TV writer & podcaster & would love you to follow him on Twitter.
. url=”.” . width=”100%” height=”150″ iframe=”true” /]
https://youtu.be/b7Ozs5mj5ao?list=PL18yMRIfoszEaHYNDTy5C-cH9Oa2gN5ng
Originally published July 16, 2016. Updated November 14, 2019.
