The Revolution loves Johns and Reis’ Green Lantern. Of course, that is when this title actually comes out. It seems like Green Lantern is on a tri-monthly schedule. I barely even remember the last issue it has been so long. Any way, Green Lantern #14 kicks off a new story arc involving the Global Guardians. I’m confident that Green Lantern #14 is going to be a great read. Let’s hit this review
Creative Team
Writer: Geoff Johns
Penciler: Ivan Reis
Inker: Oclair Albert
Art Rating: 10 Night Girls out of 10
Story Rating: 10 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 10 Night Girls out of 10
Synopsis: The issue starts with Hal dreaming of the day when Abin Sur’s power ring called out to him and carried him to Abin Sur’s wrecked space craft. However, instead of giving Hal the power ring, Abin Sur suddenly wakes up and angrily yells that Hal isn’t worthy of being a Green Lantern and punches Hal in the face.
Hal then shifts into his F-22 and is flying over Chechnya. They were targeting a terrorist group that had attacked U.S. battleship. Hal left his power ring back in his locker like he always did when he flies his plane. Hal, Rocket Man and Cowgirl were all shot down and then taken captive. They were brutally tortured for 14 weeks by the leader of the terrorist group that Hal nicknamed Bones, because he liked to break bones. During the time in his cell, Hal worked at wearing down one of the links on the chains on his wrists.
One day, the terrorists brought Cowgirl to Hal’s cell. Bones told Hal that if he didn’t answer their questions then they would beat Cowgirl. The terrorists begin to beat on Cowgirl. Hal then snaps the weakened link on his chains and proceeds to open up a can on the terrorists. Hal frees Cowgirl and they grab a couple of guns and look for Rocket Man. Hal kills the guards in Rocket Man’s cell and the three of them escape the terrorists’ facility. They were eventually found by a group of mountain climbers who took them to an American Air Force Base.
Hal mentions that since the Justice League of America was disbanded during that year after Infinite Crisis, that none of his teammates came looking for him. That the JLA’ers all though Hal was on one of his missions in space. The JLA’ers all visited Hal in the hospital as he recovered. They all apologized for not looking for him. All of them except Green Arrow. All Ollie said to Hal is that Hal should have worn his damn power ring.
We cut to General Stone talking to a military therapist that Hal, Rocket Man and Cowgirl all missed their appointments for the mandatory therapy. Instead, we see the three pilots engaged in their own kind of therapy down at a local bar. They are all drinking beer. Hal notices that Cowgirl has recovered the fastest from their 14 weeks in captivity than either he or Rocket Man. That Rocket Man had promised his kids that he would be an astronaut one day so he told them that he had been on the moon for those months that they were captive in the terrorist compound.
We then cut to 24 hours later. General Stone is informing Hal and Rocket Man that the military had found the terrorists that had captured the Hal, Rocket Man and Cowgirl. That Cowgirl led a mission against the terrorists. However, they have now lost contact with Cowgirl and her team about ten minutes ago. Hal says that Bones and his men work to fast and that a rescue team won’t be able to get there fast enough to save them. Hal makes a quick exit and charges up his power ring.
We shift to the Central Command Center of the Rocket Red Brigade in Moscow has detected Green Lantern violating their air space. We see Green Lantern arriving at Cowgirl’s crashed plane. Green Lantern tracks down the terrorists from the crash site. We see Green Lantern in his own specially power ring designed attack armor kicking the crap out of the terrorists. Green Lantern breaks into the facility and has his ring scan for Cowgirl. The power ring reports that she is nowhere in the facility.
Bones then appears and tries to shoot Green Lantern. Green Lantern proceeds to beat up Bones and demands to know where Cowgirl is located. Suddenly, somebody blasts Bones to death. Then we see the terrorists that Green Lantern captured all get blasted to death. Green Lantern turns around and sees the Global Guardians on the scene. Green Lantern asks them what did they just do. Crimson Fox responds that they didn’t do anything. It’s what Green Lantern did. Crimson Fox then radios to the U.N. and tells them that they have found Green Lantern and he has just murdered two dozen prisoners that they were about to take into custody. Crimson Fox requests permission to bring war crime charges against Green Lantern. The U.N. grants her permission. The Global Guardians then attack Green Lantern.
We then cut to a brigade of Rocket Reds flying to the battle scene. We then cut to a blue skinned alien bounty hunter named Hunger Dog at the crash site. He radios a small alien named Loragg and tells Loragg to tell Loragg’s benefactor that Hunger Dog is on Green Lantern’s trail and will have him on ice in an hour. Loragg replies that Hunter Dog has some competition since the Faceless Hunters and the Dominator have just called Loragg and told him the exact same thing.
Loragg then goes to report to his benefactor that the price on Green Lantern’s head has doubled and that the bounty hunters are close to getting Green Lantern. That Green Lantern will be in their custody either dead or alive. We then see Loragg’s mysterious benefactor. It is Abin Sur’s son! The son says that he wants Hal Jordan alive. That he wants Hal Jordan disgraced and proven unworthy. And then he wants his father’s power ring back. End of issue.
Comments
The Good: Curse that Geoff Johns! Why is he so damn good? We got a double shot of Johns this week with Teen Titans #40 and Green Lantern #14. I always raved about Teen Titans #40 in an earlier review. And here Johns goes ahead and impresses me with Green Lantern #14. This was an awesome issue. Johns is really in his prime. Johns is in the zone and simply can’t do anything wrong on any of the titles that he is currently writing. It is rare that a writer suddenly becomes on fire and turns out incredible stories on each and every title that he is writing. Johns is currently in that rare state of being. Whether it is Action Comics, Teen Titans or Green Lantern, Geoff Johns is simply unstoppable. Johns is in the absolute prime of his career and is as hot as any writer has been.
Green Lantern #14 was well paced. Johns spins a nicely constructed story that has a great flow to it. Johns serves up some strong dialogue. This issue manages to captivate the reader and pull them into the story from the very beginning. Johns creates a rather emotional story with the flashback scene recounting the experiences of the three P.O.W.’s. Johns did an impressive job showing what the pilots went through and how Hal Jordan, who as a Green Lantern does not kill, had to put aside those restrictions and kill the terrorists in order to escape. Hal’s rationalization is that this is war and in war you have to do certain things you normally wouldn’t do like kill. I really liked seeing that side of Hal and his determination and his indomitable will that makes him the greatest Green Lantern also enabled him to do what he had to in order to save his comrades and escape.
I liked how Johns handled the reaction of the other JLA’ers. How they all apologized except for Green Arrow. Ollie calling Hal out for not wearing the power ring was classic Ollie. I loved it. I have always thought it was ridiculously stupid of Hal to never wear his power ring while flying. Hopefully, this incident has shown Hal the folly of his ways.
We got plenty of kick-ass action in this issue. The scene where Green Lantern swoops in on the terrorists and takes them all out was great. Johns always manages to deliver a nice blend of drama and action.
But, the absolute best part of Green Lantern #14 was the ending. Johns totally overloads the reader with delivering an insanely wild ending. We have the Global Guardians killing the captured soldiers and then framing Green Lantern for their murders. But, that isn’t enough. Add on to that a brigade of Rocket Reds flying to the battle scene to arrest Hal for violating their air space. Then throw on top of that a bunch of bad-ass bounty hunters about to capture Hal for some mysterious person. And then to top it all off, that mysterious person is none other than Abin Sur’s son who wants to discredit Hal and take back his power ring! Damn, that is one hell of an ending! You really can’t ask for much more than that. If you aren’t on the edge of your seat with the end of this issue then you have nerves of steel or you better check your pulse because you might be dead.
Johns has this story arc cranked up to a high pitch frenzy and I cannot wait for the next issue. It is going to be a blast to see how Johns gets Hal out of this sticky situation. I haven’t read a comic book with an ending as exciting as this one in a while. Green Lantern hasn’t come out on a regular basis, but the incredible quality of the story is making up the spotty scheduling. If this title can manage to come out on a monthly basis on time then there is no reason that Green Lantern shouldn’t be cracking the Top 10 of the sales charts each and every month. There are very few titles that are as exciting as Green Lantern.
As always, Ivan Reis is flat out gorgeous. Seriously, nobody, and I mean nobody, can draw a Green Lantern like Reis can. The one page splash shot of Hal Jordan transforming into Green Lantern was fantastic. And the two page splash shot of Green Lantern in his attack armor was just sick. I love the design of the attack armor. The power ring offers an artists a practically unlimited tool to create some of the most off the wall and over the top weapons possible. And Reis certainly takes advantage of it.
The Bad: Absolutely none.
Overall: Green Lantern #14 was an incredible read. Johns is as hot as a writer can get. Reis is continually cranking out some of the best artwork on the market. The team of Johns and Reis is amazing and they make Green Lantern a very unique title. One that is well written and can deliver well developed characters and nicely done drama just as easily as exciting fight scenes all wrapped up in wonderful looking art. If you aren’t reading this title then you have to give it a try. Green Lantern is well worth the money.