ACW #642 – Chapter 1 (of 4)

Action Comics Weekly #642 (Chapter I)
“Where There is a Will…!, Chapter I: The Decision”
Writer – Elliot S! Maggin
Art – Gil Kane
Colors – Glenn Whitmore
Letters – John Workman
Editors – Mark Waid & Brian Augustyn

This is the End… well, the beginning of the End.


I had originally planned on just yanking the band-aid off in one “go” to spare us all the pain of “letting go”… but, that just ain’t my style.  I prefer more of a Michael Scott approach when it comes to engaging in something that might be rather painful and unpleasant.

Ya see, no matter how much I’ve been looking forward to this project coming to a close… it’s still quite difficult for me to let go and move on.  So, rather than just get all of the emotions over with… I’m gonna drag it out for a few more days.  Heck, even right now in this pre-ramble, I’m dragging it out… just repeating myself over and over again!  Yeesh.


Whattaya say, Michael?

Yup.


Chapter One… let’s do it!


—

Chapter One: The Decision opens on a pretty familiar scene.  Green Lantern, Abin Sur is downed in the desert… and knows his ticket is just about to be punched.  Like any responsible Corpsman, he commands his ring to find him his successor.  The ring takes off… returning some time later with… Clark Kent?!

Clark uses his X-Ray vision to try and do whatever he can for the busted up Abin… and manages, with help of some emerald energy to at least take away some of his pain while he lay dying… and so, the two are able to get down to brass tacks about just why Clark had been summoned here.  Abin performs a little scan of his would-be successor… only to learn that he’s not native to this sector, because, ya know, he’s from Krypton.  Allegedly the Corps requires each of their Lanterns to be “native” of their protected Sector.  Not quite sure how legit that is… but, we’ll play along for now.

Abin asks if Clark would be willing to undergo a mind-wipe, to forget this meeting ever occurred… then projects the emerald visages of each potential successor into the sky.  Not sure exactly why he would do that, other than it kinda looks cool?  I dunno… it’s weird.  Anyhoo, the “floating folks” feature some familiar faces.  One of whom Clark recognizes… a “straight arrow” who was recently passed over for an astronaut program.  His name is, duh, Hal Jordan.  Clark tells Abin that Hal’s his guy… and is then “amnesiated” and returned to wherever the ring found him.

—

Pretty short chapter to kick us off… but, a decent one nonetheless.  Nothing we haven’t seen before, what with Abin Sur biting the dust.  I could swear I’ve read that Clark Kent was in line as a potential Corpsman… though, for all I know that might’ve been established here.  That’s not to say there haven’t been skatey-eight hundred Silver Age and Elseworlds stories where he slang the rang.


Over the next few days, we’re going to get a pair of disparate (and contradictory) points of view into the relationship between Superman and Green Lantern (Clark and Hal).  I think it’s going to be pretty interesting… especially some of the backstage stuff that stemmed from it.  Heck, it’s going to be the primary reason why Action Comics Weekly has two endings… published over a decade apart!


If you’ve been following along with this project from the start… firstly, thank you… I know how hard that’s probably been!  Second, you might recall a scene that occurred wayyyyyyyy back in Action Comics Weekly #606 (as covered on March 8) that I suggested you pay “special attention” to.  That’s finally about to pay off!  If you’re new, or have forgotten… here’s that scene again:

Action Comics Weekly #606 (Green Lantern) James Owsley (w) / Tod Smith (a)

In that scene Hal Jordan’s really looking for a pal… and so, he makes a list of folks he might reach out to (including Barry Allen, who was quite dead).  Clark Kent’s name is there… I see it, you see it… and a certain fella by the name of Neil Gaiman also saw it.  More on that as we continue through these last few days of coverage.


So, we’re setting the table… we got a neat flashback scene… and things are going to really pick up tomorrow!  See ya then!


Tomorrow: Chapter II – The Decline!  Featuring the Death of Hal Jordan?!