It’s officially August, and the heat keeps ratcheting up. While it’s way to early to say whether or not DC’s Rebirth is a success (that’ll be a December issue heh) from this small reviewers’ perspectives, it’s recaptured the magic that DC comics mostly lacked between 2011-to early 2016. Focusing on the titles that you the reader care about, and I dare say that both series dedicated to the emerald cops provide their own unique directions yet they feel part of a bigger picture. So lets see if Hal Jordan & The Green Lantern Corps can maintain the rush from the previous issue. Also remember kids spoilers are near. Please get your parents permission before reading further on.
Reading both issues back to back I noticed one thing, this issue didn’t feel like the next chapter for this series instead it felt like I was reading the second half of the first issue. It’s an odd feeling because the first issue felt like a great opening salvo. Make no mistake I still enjoyed the energetic pace with Hal Jordan alongside Sinestro’s manipulations of his own daughter (even though that’s pretty evil and I don’t endorse that). It didn’t read like a second issue for the most part, instead it felt like I was reading chapter 1.5 instead of chapter 2, the exception of course circles around the return of Corps to the main universe. Some might see this as a nitpick, but with a book coming out bi-weekly the plot needs to move a bit faster for my taste or least give me the illusion of plot movement.
In a minor side note, Venditti handled the Lost Army/Edge of Oblivion fiasco in the most logical way. Acknowledge that something happened to the Corps itself (because ignoring it doesn’t help anybody) and then move on to Guy Gardner being the rascal that we all know and love. Bogging new readers down with a two separate mini series that don’t even match within their own continuity.
Even though I have a problem with the structure of this issue, one aspect I can’t deny that he has the voices for these characters. It’s not secret that Venditti can write a great Hal Jordan (he’s been doing that for three years after all). It seems to me that Venditti has stripped Hal down to his core, the fly on the seat of your pants character. Normally I’m bothered by the lack of depth that characters will have in comics, but seeing Hal being his old self while wearing his classic duds is exciting. What’s more impressive than Hal Jordan is Venditti’s approach to Sinestro. The scene between Sinestro and his daughter Soranik Natu personifies what makes Sinestro compelling yet completely revolting at the same time. Sinestro’s ability to manipulate the situation around him and turn it in his favor even if that means undermining his own daughter. Sinestro’s own egotism can’t be kept under a rock and Venditti understands that, it’s even better when Sinestro’s composure breaks when he hears about Hal’s return.
Before I talk about the magnificent art by Rafa Sandoval once again I neglected a huge aspect that made the art sing was colorist Tomeu Morey. I’m not a person who honestly doesn’t notice coloring all that much unless it’s something that is intertwined to the art style itself. While I still feel that Sandoval’s pencils are still the shining light for the series so far, Morey’s coloring enhances said pencils. It’s almost borderline sensory overload with the amount of green and yellow on the given page, but it does make the page pop and there’s enough contrasting colors around the characters to serve as a balance from those two primary colors.
Rafa Sandoval’s art once again remains consistent and beautiful to look at. Sandoval’s art is by in large your standard superhero artwork. As I’ve noted with Jason Fabok that doesn’t mean the look of the comic will be bland, but they fill in other aspects that other artists tend to forget. Sandoval’s strength’s lie in his great line work, dynamic action sequences, and his character acting. Sinestro commands a presence with how Sandoval has him positioned with the angle looking up, using art to implies Sinestro superiority. It’s also great to see consistent art from start to finish unlike Green Lanterns from last week.
Hal Jordan & The Green Lantern Corps #2 read more like #1.5 but it still an enjoyable read from start to finish.
Hal Jordan & The Green Lantern Corps #2 earns a 4/5