ACW #617 – Green Lantern

Action Comics Weekly #617 (Green Lantern)
“Assault on a Green”
Writer – Peter David
Pencils – Richard Howell
Inks – Arne Starr
Colors – Anthony Tollin
Letters – Helen Vesik
Assistant Editor – Dan Raspler
Editor – Denny O’Neil

Hey gang, I’m going to be honest… I wasn’t sure this post was going to go up.  Up until yesterday’s look at the Action Comics Weekly Preview, all of the posts from the past week had been written well ahead of time.  Generally speaking, ever since moving to the Action Comics Daily format, I’m usually at least a week ahead.  But, after this week my “buffer” of posts ran out, and I was left thinking it might finally be the right time to hang it up… or at least go on “hiatus”.  Just didn’t really feel like it mattered, ya know?


Then… I thought of some words from a very wise individual, who has been trying to instill in me that Chris is on Infinite Earths has long since ceased being a “blog”… and it has transformed into a “resource”.  This same wise individual was extremely excited and supportive when I switched to the ACD format, because, well, it hadn’t been done before.  He told me, time and again, that this place would become the place for all things ACW… anytime a future comics historian wanted to know about the odd stories that took place in this weekly anthology, they could come here and find out!


It’s for that reason that I decided to keep going.  Also, because I do believe that very same wise individual would be mighty disappointed if he found out I ended the streak… this week.


So, famous last words… and with apologies if my heart doesn’t seem completely in it over the next little while: Let’s try and see this one through.


—

Hal joins Arisia at her sublet, where it would appear she has a bit of a shrine to Disney’s Lady and the Tramp… which she is meditating in front of.  I guess that makes sense, considering… ya know, she’s a child.  He attempts to apologize for snapping at her, but she is unresponsive.  Our man isn’t sure if this is actually meditation or just the silent treatment… and so, he leaves.  No sooner does he go, than Arisia opens her eyes, and moans his name.

We follow Hal over to Police Headquarters, where Rensaleer was able to procure the prison records for those two Freak Show members who crashed the Tech Expo.  Turns out there’s a pretty good reason why they were so elusive… ya see, the both of ’em are listed as deceased!

We shift scenes to the office of “a” Hawkes.  I mean, we know who we’re supposed to think this is… and, since this isn’t our first rodeo, many of us probably know who this will actually turn out to be.  Whatever the case, she is shrouded in darkness.  After receiving a Facetime from Castle (on a doohickey that looks like one of those table-jukeboxes you might find at a 5 and Diner), she instructs him to use… Incinderella to stop Green Lantern.  Incinderella?  Sheesh.

Back at Police HQ, Rensaleer gives Hal the quick and dirty about Hawkes Industries.  The C.E.O., Milton passed away a year ago, leaving the operations to his elder daughter Veronica.  Lillian is noted as having been given a “minor post”.  Hal takes his leave, and during his flight, happens across a rooftop-washer-woman who is fretting about losing her hung laundry to a gust of wind.  Yeah, really.

Hal makes the save, and our lady gives him a hug… which soon becomes heated.  Yes folks, it’s here that we meet Incinderella.

The rest of the Freak Show appear, and a fight is on!  Runaround Sue zips passed Hal with such speed, that he believes for a moment that his old friend Barry Allen has returned!  Sue snatches Hal’s ring off his finger… without considering that he might still be able to control it, even if he’s not wearing it.  The power ring “punches” her in the face.

Hal lunges in for another round, only to be halted by… yet another new member of the Freak Show, Stasis!  We wrap up with Hal stuck in… well, stasis.  The state of stasis, not the guy Stasis.  Oh!  And the geeks finally formally introduce themselves as “The Freak Show”.

—


So yeah, this is still pretty silly, ain’t it?


Let’s consider something for a moment.  The whole gimmick for the bad guys (as far as we know at this point) is that they’d been declared legally dead.  While kinda “ehh”, I feel like there’s still potential for this to get interesting.  I mean, as we trudge along through this arc, I’m pretty sure that whole plot point is forgotten about… or, at the very least is immaterial… but, we’ll play along for now.


So yeah, that much is interesting… or at least has the potential to be.  They’re also working for one of the Hawkes sisters… which was established last time out… which, for me… kinda lowers the stakes.  Just doesn’t seem like that big a deal.  Maybe this re-read will change my mind… but I doubt it.


I wanna talk for a moment about the contrived set-up to ensnare Hal here.  I mean, did Castle call Incinderella for help, and she was like “Yeah, right after I finish my laundry…” to which he replied, “Laundry?  That’s perfect!  The Laundry’s the thing wherein I will catch conscience of the Ring!” (lookitme, breaking out some pseudo-Shakespeare!).


Just seems so silly… first that Hal would even stop to help, because… c’mon… it’s just laundry.  Second that he’d actually drop to the roof to give the washer-woman the opportunity to jump his bones.  Just so many tumblers gotta fall into place for this to work.  Oh well, I suppose the fact that it gets us from Point A to B is what matters… and the quicker we get there, the quicker this arc will be over!


Tomorrow: Be cautioned, there’s gonna be some mature-ish language in Blackhawk!