Can you believe it’s been an entire year since Robert Venditti and crew took? I know I can’t, it feels just like yesterday. For only being on the job for one year, Robert sure has tested Hal in a way that I didn’t think was possible. Forcing him to be a leader readers saw Hal mature as a leader and as person. With all that being said, war is at the door steps and The Green Lantern Corps face not simply the Khund, the Durlans, the Outer Clanns, but races who have joined with them. Needless to say that’s one heck of a enemy fleet. So without further adieu, let’s start this uprising!
The opening scene of our trio of villains meeting on the deck of a Khund flagship. The opening felt akin to the start of a blockbuster movie right about to start. This is the calm before storm, plus for readers who haven’t been reading the last year of Green Lantern it’s a great recap without making a simple block of text. It lays out their motivations for the upcoming conflict, and Venditti does all this without it coming off as boring exposition.
Billy Tan returns and I am personally in love with how he renders the Durlan elder. He gives off the illusion of a constant moving form, making him indistinguishable in certain panels. It’s a nice touch of detail for the opening scene.
Transition to home base as we rejoin Hal and the rest of the book perfectly capture how he has evolved as a character and leader. This all begins with Hal wanting some of Green Lanterns who refuse to use their rings to rip it apart and find any intel that could be of assistance. Hal makes the job feel important to the war effort. Hal finally begins to realize that he can’t win this war without everybody in the corps working as one.
Before the action can begin to officially start Venditti has a nice little comedy scene over the lost of kitchen staff (who were Durlan spies). It’s humorous and it’s a nice to have some fun character moments. Perfectly timed if you ask me,
The invading force has decided to take the fight right to our favorite Lanterns and this is perhaps my favorite part of this issue in terms of characterization of Hal. Instead of simply blazing in right into a fight against a armada he pauses and thinks. He offers the road of negotiation.
One of them even considers hearing him out. On the artistic side of things, the book takes a bit of a hit. Some panels seem to lack detail and some of the facial features just looked a bit off.
Before Hal could be heard, the Durlans sleeper cell Green Lanterns attack. Now universe still views the Green Lantern in a negative light and they are attacking key members of the corps. Tan delivers does a great job depicting the tense action and delivers an awesome splash page of Hal busting out of a energy construct.
For a moment this book becomes Gurren Lagann (bet you didn’t expect that name to appear) in order for Hal to get “moth” a lanterns ring, he actually out wills them, It’s an awesome closure to the book and has the bad guys on the run. I do disagree with revealing the Durlan spies so early on.
So much could have been done internally with that idea and now that it’s gone within a few pages the tension from established in previous issues is already gone. Perhaps Venditti has something bigger but I can’t deny the disappointment of this plot point being used so early.
Other than that this a great way to open of this crossover with Green Lantern Corps. Hal has evolved as a leader, but only the inconsistent art hurt the issue overall.
Green Lantern #31 earns a 3/5
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