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Hal Jordan and The Green Lantern Corps #44 Review

Comic Books

Hal Jordan and The Green Lantern Corps #44 Review

Hal Jordan reveals why he’s taking the Darkstars personally.

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A war is brewing for our emerald heroes — a war between different types of justice. The Darkstars force believes the only justice is swift and deadly, while the Green Lanterns hold a more traditional point of view. The problem is the Darkstars are too powerful for the Green Lantern Corps to do anything at all.

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So what’s it about?

The official summary reads:

“DARKSTARS RISING” part three! The Darkstars draw a line in the sand and tell the Green Lantern Corps not to cross it–but Hal Jordan never toes the line!

Why does this matter?

Robert Venditti has been crafting one hell of a run with the Green Lantern Corps, and this latest arc continues his trend of pushing the heroes into new places. Hal is going on a very personal journey as the son of the Green Lantern who trained him is leading the charge for the Darkstars. Did Hal fail him? Is Hal wrong for even thinking killing criminals might be a smart move?

Fine, you have my attention. What’s good about it?

Hal Jordan and The Green Lantern Corps #44 Review

Damn, that’s evil.

This issue is composed of six scenes, each of which adds to and layers on the complexity of the Green Lanterns’ plan. The opening scene reminds readers why the Darkstars are a serious problem as justice is served on a criminal currently serving time. This criminal holds some importance which helps Venditti reveal Hal’s guilt over Tomar-Tu’s turn to the Darkstars. A strong scene between Flash and Hal helps further center the story around Hal’s guilt and past failures. That adds the emotional core to an otherwise bigger issue.

That bigger issue is revealed in the following scenes like John Stewart asking help from an unlikely family, Kyle Rayner seeking add from the cosmic cabbie, and a surprising turn for Hal who is more desperate than ever. The balance between each character helps you hold their presence in the bigger picture, but also pushes the narrative a little closer to the eventual conflict.

The art by Brandon Peterson is easy on the eyes with a good superhero look that’s clean. The use of light from Hal’s ring and the Darkstars’ ring gives a good juxtaposition to their use of powers for good and for questionable evil. There’s some impressive use of scale too, like Kyle rushing at the reader flying through space only to be surprised by the massive cabbie taxi. The character reveal on the last page is a nice touch with an impressive full-page splash.

Hal Jordan and The Green Lantern Corps #44 Review

Does Flash needs to pose like this?

It can’t be perfect can it?

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Anyone who starts reading here is going to be serviced by a heavy dose of recap from Hal earlier on in the comic. Those who have read the last two issues might find this tiresome like I did, since most folks should be caught up this early on in a story arc.

Is it good?

There’s a lot here to enjoy, from the surprising villain reveals and seeing the current emotional state Hal is currently in. Venditti is priming readers for an excellent confrontation.

Hal Jordan and The Green Lantern Corps #44 Review
Hal Jordan and The Green Lantern Corps #44
Is it good?
Another solid installment in a series Venditti has been crushing.
The plot jumps around a lot keeping things moving
Hal's emotional state state is probed well
Clean and pleasing art
Two or so pages has some heavy recap from Hal that isn't necessary if you've been following along
9
Great

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