A race against time, and only one Green Lantern has the will to keep up with the New God known as Lightray. To let you all down easily, Lantern fans it’s not G’nort. Warning they’re will be spoilers going forward. Read your comics before reading this review, you have been warned.

You would think that over the decades of reliving Hal missing his dad, that most attempts just feel hollow and only use the death of Hal’s father to remind old readers (or establish it with new readers) of the trauma Hal deals with. On the surface this issue feels unneeded, because once you boil it down it’s really just a conversation between Hal and his long deceased father as Hal chases down Lightray to catch Highfather. So in terms of the narrative actually moving forward, on an emotional level this issue hit the ball out of the park.

In most instances of Martin Jordan making a cameo in a comic, it’s usually a flashback at best or just a simple image of his leather jacket. However, here, Venditti decides to take the cameo a step further. On one hand I could see this issue as being impenetrable because it’s referencing an aspect of Hal’s past that hasn’t been shown in this current volume, but I disagree with this viewpoint entirely. Venditti handle’s this scene with such elegance that you don’t to have previous context. This issue was about a man who needs one final push to complete his mission, and I’m pretty sure that we all can understand the context then. Yes it’s cliched in certain lines of dialog, but I’m pretty sure that’s the point.

It’s really difficult to replicate a chase sequence in the medium of comic books, honestly it’s one of the few aspects that other forms of media outshine comics. Rafa Sandoval wanted to prove me wrong with this issue. Despite me just looking at static images, Sandoval was able to replicate that feeling of surreal speed, and it’s not just by drawing a ton of speed lines “simulating speed.” It’s how the panel is angled, giving the impression of speed or even the strain on a character’s face when the speed hits is turned up a notch. If this issue was drawn by a different artist’s I might have a different reaction to Hal seeing the ghost of his father. Sandoval absolutely nails a expression that is nigh recognizable for the fearless Hal Jordan, and that expression is somber. Hal is a character that lives and breathes in the moment, but just like a normal person even Hal succumbs to trauma.

Even though I deeply enjoyed Venditti digging into the conscious of Hal as he attempts to chase down a God. If you’re a reader who wants the story to move forward, than this issue might be great in your eyes. I enjoyed what was done with this chapter, but I’m ready for the plot to actually move forward.

Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #28 earns a 3/5