This issue will focus on the Green Lantern of the Silver Age, and one of my personal favorite holders of the Green Lantern mantle: Hal Jordan. When it comes to Green Lantern, I have to thank one man for making me a fan of the character: Geoff Johns. Johns and Ethan Van Sciver's mini-series Green Lantern: Rebirth made me a fan of the character. So I thought it would be nice to review and old-school comic featuring Hal Jordan. I took out my copy of the trade paperback Green Lantern: Sector 2814 Vol. 1, and here we are!
The cover is really well-done. Hal Jordan is shown front and center, facing the Guardians of the Universe, and other Green Lantern Corps members in the back. Hal himself looks like he's pleading. It fits, considering the contents of the main story. There's an audience of GL Corps members behind Hal, but their position is covered up somewhat by the title logo. I do like that Hal is front and center. After all, his is the star of the book.
"Judgment Day"
Writer: Len Wein
Penciller: Dave Gibbons
Inker: Dave Gibbons
Colorist: Anthony Tollin
Editor: Len Wein
Editor-In-Chief: Dick Giordano
The issue begins with the Hal Jordan Green Lantern flying through space.
Hal is heading to Oa. He's been exiled out into space for a year, away from his native Earth. I'm not sure of the circumstances of this exile, but I'm guessing the Guardians had something to do with it. He had spent a year out in space, and is eager to go home. He also has something on his mind.
However, Hal is so lost in thought that he misses a meteor storm heading towards an inhabited planet. Hal considers letting the storm heading towards it, figuring that the atmosphere would burn the rocks up before they could do any real harm. He ends up changing his mind anyway, and flying towards the storm. Good idea, Hal. There's no guarantee that the atmosphere would burn up the rocks, considering they may be big enough to do some really bad damage anyway.
Hal weaves through the meteor storm and uses a construct of a pool cue to knock the meteors into each other, and finishes them off with some energy blasts from his power ring.
Making things out of light is definitely cool to see. It was one of the best parts of the old Superfriends cartoons. Hal then arrives on Oa, the home of the Guardians of the Universe, Hal's bosses. Hal has a bit of nerves about what he wants to do next, but the other Green Lantern Corps are there to greet him.
His fellow GLs, including Katma Tui, Arisia, and Tomar Re, tell him since they're Hal's friends, they won't let him go through his issue with the Giuardians alone. Salakk grumbles that he is there to see that "Justice is served". Is Salakk a Scourge? However, Arkkis Chummuck basically tells Salakk to shut up. Another Lantern, Eddore (Yeah, Arisia and Eddore are nods to E.E. Smith's Lensman series), reassures Hal that things will go well for him here.
The Guardians arrive, and wish to hear Hal's petition. Hal basically tells them that well, he wants to go home. He's been out in space for a year, and he's homesick. He misses his family and friends on Earth. The Guardians are disappointed, and they explain they exiled Hal because they felt he put too much emphasis on Earth, and didn't concentrate on protecting his entire sector.
Hal counters that he has no intention of abandoning his sector, but he can serve it from Earth just fine. Just call him when there's an emergency. Hal feels it's cruel for him to be kept away from his friends and family. Salakk mocks this, saying this is proof that Hal isn't dedicated to his Corps duties. Unfortunately, Arkkis Chummuck doesn't rip out his tongue. Hal continues on, saying that his friends and family make him the man he is.
Among the characters I can recognize are Tom Kalmaku, Carol Ferris, the Barry Allen Flash, the Oliver Queen Green Arrow, and John Stewart. The Guardians ask if Hal would be willing to resign from the Corps for them. Yeah, the Guardians being jerks is nothing new. It was emphasized in Geoff Johns's GL work, but it's clearly something that's been a thing with the Guardians of the Universe for a very long time.
Hal responds that in the past, he would have resigned. Now, however, he has no desire to. He wants to be a GL, but he has needs of his own. He needs his family. He needs his friends. To the immortal Guardians, a year is merely an insignificant span of time between heartbeats. For a human, though, it's a long time.
The Guardians are uncertain about this, but Hal pleads with them. Just because the Guardians gave up their humanity, doesn't mean they have any right to force Hal to give up his. The Guardians then relent, agreeing to let Hal go back to Earth. The test pilot is overjoyed, and the other GLs (except for Salakk), erupt into a jubilant cheer. Hal goes to recharge his ring in a giant Green Lantern battery, and heads for home. Before he leaves, he promises Arisia that they'll meet again.
A while later, Hal arrives on the big blue globe he calls home. He then briefly thinks about his friend Dorine, whose people he helped colonize a world the villain Evil Star devastated in Green Lantern #159-161. He thinks of his lady love Carol Ferris, the head of Ferris Aircraft, and occasional Star Sapphire. When he's about to land, however, he gets a bit of a surprise.
Yup, Carol is smooching with another dude. Hal takes it well.
It's really not surprising, Hal. You were gone for a year. Did you even talk to Carol during that time?! You ring allows you to do a lot of stuff, you couldn't give Carol some regular calls?! Seriously! I'm really starting to understand the reputation Hal has for being an idiot.
Anyway, Hal is frustrated, and is looking to take it out on someone. His ring tells him of a robbery in progress, and Hal pities the robbers. In a supermarket, a group of men are holding up the store. One of the hostages, an old man, tries to get the robbers to listen to the cops and let them go. They're not hearing it.
Funny enough, the robber's name is Spyke Nayle. Yeah. Spyke Nayle. This guy's going to stick around and become a supervillain, isn't he? With a name like Spyke Nayle, that's going to happen. Green Lantern appears and asks them to surrender. Nayle basically says, "Screw you, I have hostages". Hal just smirks and remarks that he sees no hostages, as he used his ring to teleport them out. The robbers are furious and start firing on GL, but he creates some hand constructs to pluck the bullets out of the air.
Nayle mocks this, saying that Hal Jordan isn't very tough without his ring. Hal just smirks.
Hal Jordan loves a good brawl, and he'll take an opportunity to get one in. He makes short work of the robbers, and drags out Nayle in a green mousetrap construct. One of the cops thanks him, saying he's glad the Emerald Gladiator is back. Hal tells him he may not stick around for very long, so he should not get used to it.
He returns to Ferris to pack up his stuff. He plans to leave town, figuring that Carol's moved on, and he would only add on to the grief he's given her over the years. Carol finds him, and she asks why Hal didn't come see her when he returned to Earth. Hal explains that he flew in on her little moment with another guy.
Carol explains that it was actually Clay Kendall, a new hire at Ferris. She was congratulating him for getting a new research grant. Kind of an odd way to celebrate, but okay. She really loves Hal, and she would've waited forever for him. Aww. She does admonish Hal for not thinking. Yeah, I do like Hal, but he can be a bit of a dope.
She then welcomes him home, and they kiss in front of a Green Lantern logo. Because comics.
This was an...okay story. It's not the best GL story, but I don't think it's really that terrible, either. Hal just comes home and fights some generic robbers, which got a little chuckle thanks to one having a funny name. It is nice to see that Carol is aware of Hal being a Green Lantern, which I'm sure would make his life a little easier in some way. The art is pretty good, too. This is Gibbons pre-Watchmen, so it's interesting to see where he was before he got that assignment.
The story is a bit short, though. However, I don't think that's the comic's fault. I think there was some pages dedicated to a back-up story, but the trade I got the scans for this doesn't have it. A real shame. I'd have loved to read it. I would only pick this up if you can find it dirt cheap, you're a big fan of Hal's classic GL days, or it's part of a trade.
Next time, we go from the star-spanning GL to something more earth-bound, as we join Captain America as he battles the Secret Empire...
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