Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Green Lantern #37
DC Comics
Johns, Reis & Albert

Just when you thought you knew Hal Jordan, he goes and does something completely off the radar. This issue may be tagged “Rage of the Red Lanterns” with a “Faces of Evil” banner as well, but this issue is very much about Hal Jordan and his demons coming back to bite him. The issue plays very well with the spectrum of colors and corps. There is some fighting and a good hook at the end to keep the suspense high. This was a very good comic.

The issue starts out with the Blue Lanterns and Hal in route to rescue Sinestro from the Red Lanterns. The Blue Lanterns are still in Hal’s ear about leading their corps while Hal barks at them periodically to try to dissuade their advances. It’s interesting that the leaders of the Green Lanterns are actually blue skinned. Shouldn’t Ganthet and Sayd have changed their skin color to green or something to lead the Blue Lanterns?

When Hal finds Sinestro strung up like a side of beef, the Red Lanterns spring their trap and a battle breaks out. Hal gets himself captured and in come the Sinestro Corp to the rescue, as well as the two Blue Lanterns that Hal had ditched.

Now armed with his ring, Sinestro goes to town on anyone in his way. Yet, he doesn’t attack Jordan. The face on the cover, Laira, who had been a Green Lantern, now a Red Lantern, is trying to fight out of the Red Lantern’s spell. Sinestro works his manipulation and Hal loses his mind in a fit of rage. Yes, rage. Wink, wink.

A solid cliffhanger helps to bring about a color change in one of the main players here. While it’s an interesting ending, this person has two different rings on from two different sectors, which seemed very odd.

The issue itself is an excellent read on many levels. Hal and Sinestro have such a unique relationship that it plays out here in a way that they don’t help each other while not going out of their way to fight either. They seem to have found a new common ground to co-exist in this predicament. Sinestro does manage to push some of Hal’s buttons. It’s interesting that Hal traveled into the Red Lantern’s lair to retrieve Sinestro only to be pushed to the brink of killing him right then and there. This issue doesn’t at all address the reveal that Sinestro seems to have a daughter out there somewhere.

This issue is also good because it drags in a lot of Hal’s history when he was a villain. It really doesn’t try to rewrite anything in doing so either. Hal was a murderer for a while there and everyone seems to know it and is willing to use it against him.

The action is good, but the dialogue during the action may have been better. I particularly liked the part when the robot gives Sinestro back his ring and comments about how it was such an honor to carry it. Sinestro’s reaction was classic.

The art takes the issue and makes it feel epic. You would think this was Sinestro Corps War scale big in this issue because the art just makes the whole comic feel huge. I was very happy looking through this one over and over again.

I’m not sure how long this arc is, but so far the infusion of the two new Corps has been brilliant. We have a great cast of characters and all have distinct voices here. I’m starting to think Blackest Night is going to have an impossible task topping the ramp up between this title and Green Lantern Corps. Rage on, Hal, rage on.

5 out of 5 geek goggles