Green Lantern: Rebirth #6 (May, 2005)
"Brightest Day"
Writer - Geoff Johns
Penciller - Ethan Van Sciver
Inkers - Marlo Alquiza, Ethan Van Sciver & Mick Gray
Colorist - Moose Baumann
Letterer - Rob Leigh
Assistant Editor - Harvey Richards
Editor - Peter Tomasi
Cover Price: $2.99
Let's put this one to bed!
--
We wrapped up last time with Batman flinging a 'rang at Hal Jordan. We pick up here with Hal, rightly, informing him that this perhaps isn't the best time to "do this". He turns his back, now facing Ganthallax. Batman ain't done with this yet, and goes to grab Hal's shoulder... annnnnd, well... I'd suggest that that doesn't go quite the way he anticipated. Har-har, obligatory "One Punch" reference, har-har... moving on.
The Lanterns fly off to confront Ganthallax, and the League prepares to give chase... that is, until Alan Scott stops them. This is Corps business... the League, especially this League might wind up only getting in the way.
We follow Hal and the Boyz, and get a bit of exposition explaining how different, and complimentary their methodologies are. John, being an architect, has constructs that actually function as an organized collection of "pieces". They ain't hollow. Guy just oozes green energy, Kilowog is like a cannon, Kyle is "artsy"... which, might sound and look cool, but seems like a detriment in the heat of battle. Hal is all about the precision.
The fellas recite the Oath, and lay into Ganthellax... trying to drive the entity back into the Power Battery. The beast lashes back, taking out everyone... except, naturally... Hal. He's able to hold off the attack long enough for his comrades to recover... and together, they make the final push... into the Central Power Battery!
When the dust settles... Parallax is gone, Ganthet is back, we've got a functional Oa, a Corps, and a whole gaggle'a Guardians. It's time to party like it's 1980-something! We return to the League, where... Hal explains everything. Batman isn't sure he believes it... which makes him the only one. Hal, rightly, tells him he doesn't care if Batman believes him. The League and the Corps part amicably.
Epilogue the first... back at Belle Reve, we check in with Hector Hammond. He's still giddy with the idea of playing with Mr. Rayner... but, the return of Hal Jordan adds a whole 'nother interesting wrinkle.
Epilogue the second... at Ferris Aircraft. Hal and Carol catch up. We learn that Carol is going to keep the family business going, and she offers Hal a gig. He turns her down, citing other plans for his immediate future.
Epilogue the third (and final). Hal's hanging out in Ollie's basement as they discuss everything that had just gone done. O.lie is rummaging through his things... and finds Hal's old Power Battery. Ollie had snagged it from Jordan's locker after he'd gone all Parallaxy. Ollie still can't remember the oath... but Hal will never forget it.
--
And there we have it. Hal Jordan is back... and is about to receive his own ongoing series.
Let's dig right in... starting with, Batman. Wow, what a jerk! He still doesn't trust Hal... doesn't believe him. As mentioned above, that makes him the only one to still hold ill-will toward him... making him look quite silly. It's as though his disdain toward Hal might be personal rather than moral or professional. Either way, it really makes Batman come off poorly here. I get cynicism, but when you're the only one holding firm to a position, it almost doesn't matter how "right" you might be.
It's been a while since I read this era of Justice League, but I suppose we can presume that Batman was "in charge" at this point? Otherwise, Superman and Wonder Woman look like a pair'a mooks for following his lead. It was neat seeing Alan standing up to them, but still... really makes the League look silly.
Let's talk the Corps. Wow, could you imagine fighting evil alongside this Kyle Rayner? What a pain in the ass... drawing (and erasing!) his constructs because he isn't satisfied with his draftsmanship? Yikes! It's a good thing he was flanked by four other Lanterns! Otherwise, he'd have been picked off in no time. I mean, he's always been depicted as being a bit more artsy than his contemporaries in his will-construct creation... but here, it looked mighty ineffective.
I said earlier that, while this was decompressed, it didn't feel like there were any wasted panels. After wrapping up, I kiiiiiinda feel differently. I don't think this required a full six issues... it might've been a more satisfying read if it were done in four. Last issue was a fight with Sinestro... which was a lot of bluster, and ended in unsatisfying fashion. Feels like the story got a little indulgent.
Even with all that said, I did enjoy the story as a whole... and really dug Hal's comeback. Johns made the return feel legit... and filled in a lot of blanks. He also connected a lot of dots that, at the time, we didn't even realize needed connecting. Still not sure exactly how Sinestro came back... but, whattayagonnado?
Overall, I'm glad I revisited this one... had a really good time with it. Well worth your time... though, as I've been saying a lot lately... if you're reading this piece, you've very likely already read this story.
--
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Green Lantern: Rebirth #5 (April, 2005)
"Rings"
Writer - Geoff Johns
Penciller - Ethan Van Sciver
Inkers - Prentis Rollins & Mick Gray
Colorist - Moose Baumann
Letterer - Rob Leigh
Assistant Editor - Harvey Richards
Editor - Peter Tomasi
Cover Price: $2.95
Len Wein 1948-2017
--
Hey! Hal's back... and he's not pleased to see that Sinestro is too! As we left them last issue, Kyle and Ollie are down and out and ol' Sin's about to drop the hammer. Hal tells the baddie to stand down... and wouldja believe it, he refuses! Hal approaches... and gets blasted from the Watchtower for his trouble. Welcome back, buddy!
The next several pages are filled with fightin'. Topics discussed are the Green Lantern Oath, and how seriously one ought to take it. Sinestro is adamant that it was the Oath (and the Lanterns) that abandoned him... and not the other way around. They argue about vengeance... which, is kinda funny considering Hal was the Spirit of Vengeance, like five minutes ago! Sinestro calls Hal out as a hypocrite... and a murderer! A murderer that he made him!
We jump into a flashback of very early on in Hal's Green Lantern career. This bit is basically Emerald Dawn II without the jail cell.
The fight continues... with the chat turning to the subject of Kyle Rayner. Sinestro still considers him an unfit "street rat" of a Lantern... Hal, on the other hand sees him as a man more than worth respecting. Kyle was the man to carry the legacy of the Corps on his shoulders when no one else would... and speak of the devil, here he is!
The battle culminates with Sinestro and Hal bumping rings... the force of which causes the yellow one to crack, and finally shatter. Sinestro vanishes... with a chuckle and a "welcome back" for Mr. Jordan.
Hal checks in with his ring and learns that Sinestro still lives and has snuck back into the Anti-Matter Universe. It's here where we get our official Hal Jordan/Kyle Rayner introductory handshake. Hal tells Kyle it's clear why the ring "picked" him... which, well... hmm. I seem to recall him being more a "any ol' port in the storm" when Ganthet interrupted his back alley... whatever he was about to do. Either way, this was a nice little scene. Kyle tells Hal that he's not like the other Lanterns... because he can't overcome fear. Hal's all "ya could'a fooled me" and off they go.
Back on Earth, Parallax has infected Ganthet... and ooh boy, does he look gross. Kyle and Hal arrive... and we get ourselves a neat, though brief, Green Lantern Corps reunion. Hal promises to explain later... because, they gotta go to work.
Say it with me... not so fast, kemo sabe...
Because the Justice League (and Batman) want those answers now. C'mon guys... there's a Giant Yellow Fear Bug from Outer Space infected Guardian of the Universe standing like ten feet away!
--
Getting comfortable in his own skin!
This issue was a really good look at Hal reacclimating to flesh, blood and bone. I really appreciated that he didn't automatically kick Sinestro's butt too. That first scene of Hal getting blasted across the Moon was perfect. Hal is a headstrong and overly confident fella who was used to wielding the powers of Parallax and the Spectre. You gotta figure Sinestro would seem like small potatoes to him... so, it was nice seeing him get ka-powed!
There isn't a whole lot to say about the middle portion of the issue... it was a fight scene. A beautifully rendered one with some great chatter, but still... a fight scene. I really did dig Sinestro reminding Hal that he's a murderer. No matter what he does... how he redeems himself... he still committed murder. Sinestro's own murder! We also don't know if Parallax had fully sunk his fear-ful mandibles into Hal at that point either! That one might actually be on him.
We get a bit of revisionist history on Kyle's Lantern origins. I'm pretty sure he was a "you'll have to do..." type of find for Ganthet rather than the perfect successor for Hal, Guy, John, the Corps... you get the idea. Don't get me wrong, still love Kyle, but he doesn't need this revision. He was special because he is so different from Hal and the Gang. We didn't need him to become just another soldier.
Let's talk that ending. Ho-lee smokes, Batman you gotta chill out man. Like I mentioned above... Giant Yellow Fear Bug-Guardian standing literally ten feet away threatening to inflict fear on the entire Universe... I think Batman's lecture can wait a few minutes! Oh well, seems horribly irresponsible and misguided, but whattayagonnado? It almost feels like they might be making all of the other heroes take one step back, so Hal and the Boyz can look better by simply standing still. They don't need that... but, again... whattayagonnado?
Overall, great penultimate issue... all of our pieces are in place. We'll wrap this one up tomorrow.
--
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Green Lantern: Rebirth #4 (March, 2005)
"Force of Will"
Writer - Geoff Johns
Penciller - Ethan Van Sciver
Inker - Prentis Rollins
Colorist - Moose Baumann
Letterer - Rob Leigh
Assistant Editor - Harvey Richards
Editor - Peter Tomasi
Cover Price: $2.95
Let's get to reborning!
--
Picking up where we left off, Sinestro has made his presence known before Kyle and Ollie at the wrecked Justice League Watchtower. He talks about breaking Hal's will... with the break of his own neck, to facilitate the Parallax sinking it's mandibles into his soul. Sinestro continues, noting how at one time he was the shame of the Green Lantern Corps... and how that has now changed. Kyle feels his ring being infected by Parallax... and chatterbox Sinestro comments that he was only introduced to the Giant Yellow Fear Bug from Outer Space during his own exile into the Power Battery.
In Coast City, Parallax and the Spectre do battle... until the former tires of the latter. Be blows up the apartment building at 22 Sea View. As he trudges through the wreckage, the limp body of Kilowog crashes at his feet. Ganthet informs 'Lax that 'Wog has been cured of the fear... and it's about to get real.
Elsewhere Guy and John approach, both full of fear and vinegar... until Ganthet intervenes, and burns the scaredycat outta them. They both have that moment of profundity where they realize everything that's gone down... and everything they've done! Together with a now stirring Kilowog, our little Corps (and little blue man) stand united before Parallax.
He thinks it's cute... surely, he can take out a trio of Lanterns. Well, not so fast, kemo sabe... they're packin' back-up in the form of the Justice League of America, the Justice Society of America, the Teen Titans... and more!
Back at the Watchtower, Sinestro continues to wipe the floor with poor Kyle Rayner. It starts to get personal... Sinestro refers to Kyle as an "alley rat" who was never supposed to be a Green Lantern. If he really wanted to "shake" him, he should've told him he didn't like Nine Inch Nails. Ollie, still wearing the duplicate Lantern ring, pulls himself to Kyle's lantern... and tries to recite the oath... but can't remember the damn thing!
He pulls himself into the next room where Sinestro has Kyle pinned down. Sin thinks it's adorable that Ollie thinks there's anything he can do. And so, Ollie launches a construct green arrow (heyyy) from the ring. It pierces Sinestro's chest, but doesn't seem to injure him. Suddenly there's an explosion... Kyle, back on his feet, carries Ollie to safety. Ollie is absolutely spent, and asks Kyle if that's how it feels to use the ring. Kyle answers "every time"... which... I dunno, I think we'd have a few Lanterns falling out of the sky if that were true.
Back by Coast City, the heroes unleash on Parallax... who has taken a particular interest in "the statesman" Alan Scott. Suddenly, we see Hal Jordan tear through his Parallax facade... skin and all. He calls out to the Spectre for aid... and it would appear that our Jordanian Trinity is now three completely separate entities... Hal Jordan, the Spectre, and Parallax. Hal asks for the Spectre's aid in stopping the Giant Yellow Space Bug from Outer Space... buuuut, he's got better things to do. Man, I hate the Spectre. He knows that his next host will soon be murdered... and needs to be there to, I dunno, claim his soul or something.
Parallax, now without a tether... latches on to Ganthet! Suddenly, a tunnel of light appears... pulling the spirit of Hal Jordan into it. Ganthet fights off Parallax, and manifests a tiny orb of green light... releasing it, asking Hal to follow it. As he ascends, he sees the spirits of former Lanterns Abin Sur, Tomar-Re, and his former squeeze Arisia. Sur tells him he will succeed in overcoming fear. Hal turns to the right, where he sees the spirit of his father, Martin Jordan. He tells him he "wears it right", referring to his bomber jacket. The green orb cuts right, and instead of entering the hereafter, Hal chooses to follow it.
Back at the Watchtower, Sinestro is still playing with his food. Suddenly, Ollie's ring flies off his finger... and into the casket.
We close out with the Rebirth of Green Lantern. Heyyy, lookit that!
--
Alrighty, everybody back in their own bodies? Good!
Now, I was of two minds about this when I first read it. We've got Hal Jordan's soul reuniting with his body... and rising up to (presumably) save the day. Back in 2004/2005 I was a bit bugged that he was going to immediately outshine (pun!) Kyle... while at the same time, I couldn't deny that the scene that was playing out was incredibly important. This was Hal... back! After a ring-less decade, Hal Jordan was back. I might've been a Kyle-guy, but I could not pretend this wasn't a big deal.
Other than that, this was a very "putting pieces in place" issue. Our mini Green Lantern Corps are freed of Parallax's influence... Hal, the Spectre, and the Giant Yellow Fear Bug from Outer Space are separated... DC's cavalcade of superheroes are all present... not a bad outing, and certainly sets us up as we head toward our conclusion.
Really don't have any complaints. The Johns/Van Sciver team is always one worth checking out. While I think Ollie being wiped out by using his will power to fire an arrow is a bit much, I really can't be too mad at it.
Overall... if you've read this far in the series, there's very little reason why you wouldn't wanna read this one too. Though, if Hal's Cleared Conscience last issue was a turn-off, I suppose a case could be made for skipping it. I dunno... I enjoyed it, and believe it to be worth reading. This is where the "Rebirthing" actually goes down.
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Green Lantern: Rebirth #3 (February, 2005)
"Yellow"
Writer - Geoff Johns
Penciller - Ethan Van Sciver
Inker - Prentis Rollins
Colorist - Moose Baumann
Letterer - Rob Leigh
Assistant Editor - Harvey Richards
Editor - Peter Tomasi
Cover Price: $2.95
We are halfway through... seems as good a time as any for a big ol' info dump! Let's clear Hal's conscience!
--
In New Mexico, the soulless-looking Kilowog refuses to stand down at the word of Ganthet. Wow, where was this guy during Emerald Twilight? Wog unleashes all of his power in the li'l guy's direction... but it's to no avail. With a wave of his hand, Ganthet stymies the onslaught. Off to the side, Kyle is forced to rais his ring... at which time he gets to see some of the Lanterniness going on... he sees Guy and John Stewart, both in various stages of having "lost it". He thinks to himself... he hopes Hal Jordan is "worth it".
Speaking of Hal, we join him on the outskirts of this barren, but logistically sound all-new Coast City. He's drawn to his old apartment building... probably because it's the only building there... and heads inside. He passes his landlady in the hallway, who razzes him about bringing his lady friends back every night. He laughs it off and enters his apartment. In the middle of the floor sits... his old Lantern. Picking it up, he sees his reflection... and it's Parallax!
Back in New Mexico, Kilowog is being kept at bay. Hal's corpse appears none the worse for wear... though, ya know... still dead. We learn that Kyle retrieved the body from the center of the Sun, likely where it was left at the end of The Final Night. Kyle needs to visit with the Justice League to let them know what's happened to Hal... and we learn that "it" has already gotten John, Guy, and 'Wog.
We join Kyle as he arrives at the now-ruined Watchtower. DC's big brains, J'onn, Mr. Terrific, and Dr. Mid-Nite have been kayoed. Green Arrow is down, but not out... he informs Kyle that the damage is due to Guy Gardner goin' all sorts of whack. Ollie gets to his feet... and sees that Kyle didn't come alone... sorta. He's got Hal's casket in tow. We're about to get some new info...
But first... back in Coast City. Hal is fighting off Parallax... and soon "they" are joined by the Spectre! 'Lax is being a jerk, threatening that something bad may befall Carol... but she's "fine" for now. The Spectre struggles to regain control, because he has something important to tell Hal... the truth about Parallax... the truth about himself!
Back at the Watchtower, Kyle begins telling Ollie his story. Toward the end of "his" volume of Green Lantern, Kyle decided to leave Earth for a bit. While on his cosmic walkabout, he learned something... at the edge of the universe. On the tenth planet, Pagalus, he met a race of folks who feared that the universe was about to end... at the hands of Parallax! Their crude cave-painting of Parallax didn't really resemble Hal Jordan though. Enter: Giant Yellow Fear Bug from Outer Space!
The Pagalan Elder tells Kyle what had happened billions of years earlier. Parallax threatened to consume the universe by instilling fear in every living creature... fear, which would lead to violence... and therefore, more fear... over and over again. The Guardians of the Universe arrived and used the Central Power Battery's collected willpower to combat the Yellow Space Bug's fear. Parallax wound up imprisoned within the battery... and would be responsible for the "yellow impurity" the rings had up through Emerald Twilight.
Got that? Good, cuz we ain't done yet. One day... Parallax woke up. He/it found Hal Jordan... and saw him as one who may (unwittingly) help him/it escape. Parallax latched onto Hal... which is how we explain away Hal's pre-Emerald Twilight graying temples, because... ya know, fear makes your hair turn white. We jump ahead to the destruction of Coast City... this was the moment where Hal was shaken enough for the entity to fully take over. We know the deal from here... Hal tries to remake Coast City, is called to Oa to stand before the Guardians, slaughters disarms every Lantern who gets in his way, and finally... snaps Sinestro's skinny pink neck.
From here, Hal destroys the Central Power Battery... freeing Parallax completely. The Yellow Bug grafts itself onto Hal's very soul. From here, Par-Hal-lax attempted to restart time with Zero Hour, and finally... sacrificed himself to save the Universe during The Final Night. Whew... reminds me of that old saying: "How can we miss you (Hal), if you won't go away?" Anyhoo, this also serves to explain why Kyle's ring never had the yellow deficiency... Parallax was no longer inside the Central Battery... because there was no more Central Battery! Stands to reason, no?
Back in Coast City, the Jordanian Trinity continue jockeying for position. Parallax gets personal, and brings Hal's pop into the discussion, and the Spectre finally reveals why he chose Hal as his host. The Spectre saw Hal as an "infected being", and hoped in latching to him, he could burn out Parallax as though it were a disease.
That's all well and good... but unfortunately, Parallax is finally able to overtake Hal's will... shredding through his civilian facade (skin and all!). Parallax lives... and he's gross!
We wrap up back on the Moon. Ollie's annoyed at the Guardians... which is nothing new. Kyle informs him that Ganthet's memories of Parallax (the bug) had been purged. Ollie laments the fact that the Giant Yellow Fear Bug from Outer Space marred Hal's reputation... and stole his soul (see, it wasn't Hal's fault after all!)... and wonders aloud how and why Parallax suddenly awoke that day... and why it chose Hal. Who was responsible? Well... no sooner does he ask, than he and Kyle are hit by some yellow arrows... Why, it's our old friend Sinestro of course!
--
Alrighty... there's our big reveal. Hal wasn't (completely) responsible for his actions as Parallax. How do I feel about that? To be honest, I don't dig it so much. Though, to be fair, I never viewed Hal as wholly irredeemable.
How was the reveal handled? Despite my not feeling it was necessary... it was handled perfectly. The precision-point on Geoff Johns' continuity pen makes George Perez sweat. Perez's pencils are allegedly 0.03mm, by the way. Everything you could want explained... and several things you may not, are popped in place perfectly here. Everything from Hal's hair going white... to Kyle's ring not having the yellow-weakness... to why the Spectre chose Hal as a host! So well done that I cannot dismiss it... regardless of how bad I might want to!
I won't bore you with my "take" on Par-Hal-lax... just suffice it to say, I don't think he'd ever lost his altruism. And dammit... even that is explained as part of the reveal! His sacrifice during The Final Night is referred to (by Kyle) as "a momentary glimpse of the real man shining through."
I will say, however, this reveal might be a bit too clean. As far as we know now, the Parallax entity is responsible for all the bad stuff Hal's done since 1994. As far as the other heroes (will eventually) know, Hal=good/Parallax=bad. This makes Batman's distrust of Hal seem rather outlandish... buuuuut, I'll expand upon that s'more later on.
Speaking of explaining away erratic behavior, we learn here that "it" is Parallax... and "it" is responsible for Guy, John, and Kilowog's acting out. Fair enough. I mean, Guy is a loose cannon, and 'Wog just returned as a "dark being" or whatever, so that's easy enough for us to swallow... but John attacking the Justice League really needed to be explained.
Another great issue... and definitely a sign that business is about to pick up for our green-ringed pals.
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