It’s the machine that never stops, the battle between good and evil will be a staple in human history till our ultimate destruction and the roaches take over. This may seem a bit nihilistic when I’m simply reviewing a book which main driving focus is between the rivalry of Hal Jordan and Sinestro. Sometimes one must take a step back and examine what makes this particular confrontation different than the times before? Are both characters in the same mindset than their previous encounter? It’s time for a little self examination before Hal and Sinestro fight once more. Final warning, there will be spoilers going forward read at your own risk. You have been warned.
When we think of DC heroes and villains, the common misconception is that both sets of characters tend to be very straightforward in their motivations to commit good or evil. In this case, both Hal Jordan and Sinestro each have their own basic motivations, but Venditti attempts to peel away at the layers for both of these two strong willed characters. If I’m being honest about, Sinestro once again earns a bit more character depth as Venditti makes Sinestro’s viewpoint understandable. Sinestro has always been the catagory of villains that believe what they are doing is right. However actually believing those villains is something different entirely.
Sinestro’s demeanor at the thought of Hal ruining his plans for actual peace through the universe, is a face that I’ve myself have personally had before. While Sinestro’s ego plays a huge part of it, judging by his excellent facial reactions by Van Sciver show his disappointment that his own personal vision is falling apart before his eyes. Since he was labeled a renegade for ruling Korugar, the disappearance of the Green Lantern Corps has made his goal a reality. Readers can never forget the crimes Sinestro has committed, but this opening scene gives him more depth as a character than any previous version of Sinestro I’ve read. Perhaps it’s because Sinestro himself is a death’s door with only Parallax sustaining him.
The only real criticism I have with this issue is this weird sexual tension between Lyssa Drax and Sinestro. I’m not sure exactly why these two particular characters would be attracted to each other. I’m not sure why Venditti would include this scene since this book doesn’t exactly need this sort of subplot, but something tells me this will lead to something in one form or another.
Interesting enough the scene with Natu and Hal felt very natural given that the point of the scene was exposition to catch up not only Hal but estranged readers on what exactly happened while Hal went renegade, and reminds us that he hasn’t forgotten about Hal becoming actual will (not the person…I know it’s abstract but work with me here). Hal’s own personal sense of desperation, the brash confident Hal from the first three issues is not gone, but rather this another layer to Hal’s character that combines with his brashness. I love Hal’s riding on the seat of pants as much as any Green Lantern fan but I’m also a fan of exploring the multiple attitudes that a character has. Hopefully as this series goes further along, there will be character depth for Hal Jordan given his current state of mind.
Ethan Van Sciver penciled this issue and to not much surprise, his pencils were spectacular once again. It’s easy to admire the double page splashes of the Green Lanterns taking on an invading horde or the intricate details when the camera looms over War World. I did have some minor problems with his art despite the praise. Seeing Van Sciver draw Natu seemingly look more and morel like Sinestro. It’s well within Ethan’s artistic right to draw her like this, but seeing her with a hard look to her distracts from her calm demeanor, it’s a clash of dialog and art that sends mix messages to the readers. Finally Hal’s single page splash, Jordan’s left leg looks a bit stiff when looking at an other wise great visual.
Hal Jordan & The Green Lantern Corps continues to be a a great return to classic Green Lantern, even though the most interesting character so far is Sinestro but he was a former Green Lantern so that’s okay. Other than minor complaints this issue was a good as the previous four.
Hal Jordan & The Green Lantern Corps earns a 4/5