Hal Jordan, the hero who helped lead The Green Lantern Corps to victory over Sinestro and his Corps, a Corps comprised of beings who PRIDE themselves on torturing, demeaning, and inspiring fear in their fellow beings under the misguided guise of restoring order to the universe, tortures Prometheus, demeans Supergirl, and, while not exactly frightening his “knee-jerk liberal” best friend Green Arrow, causes him to be worried enough to ask “…but, aren’t we supposed to be the good guys?” What. The. Hell.
Forgive my language, but Hal Jordan might as well hook up with Sinestro, take his rightful place at his side, and bring order to the universe. Is it safe to say that Hal Jordan knows Superman? Is it safe to say that Hal Jordan trusts Superman? Is it safe to say that Hal Jordan is smart enough to NOT fall for the anti-Kryptonian hysteria, fueled by General Lane, that is blanketing Earth? Is it safe to say Hal Jordan should be aware that Supergirl, even though she makes the mistakes that any super powered teen would (just go read any X-Men, or for that matter, Titans or Teen Titans book), she has nothing but the best intentions and desire to be a hero, NOT a villain, at heart? Superman supports her, but wait, Hal Jordan thinks Superman is just too much of a socialist, soft on crime intellectual now. So, his cousin must be too. This isn’t the Hal Jordan that I know. Again, forgive my language: What. The. Hell.
Ok, so the harsh interrogation techniques yielded no info. It really wasn’t Prometheus they were torturing anyway, and they all got a bomb blast in their faces in the middle of an urban center. So, maybe it wasn’t such a great idea, but can we say irresponsible?! Torture the bad guy in a building in the middle of Gotham. That’s just brilliant. I really, really love what Robinson is doing over in Superman. He and Johns are telling a great story with a subtle, yet poignant social and political subtext. They are telling a story that has a message at its heart that is an important one. They aren’t beating the reader over the head with blatantly obvious references to real world social and political problems, but addressing the issues of xenophobia, fascist-like fear mongering, racism, etc. subtly and intelligently. Ray Palmer tap dancing on the sinuses of a bad guy while Hal Jordan sanctions and oversees the event, and Hal’s best friend Ollie/Green Arrow questioning if they’re still the good guys, after which they all get a bomb in their faces, isn’t subtle and intelligent commentary through storytelling. It’s blatant sensationalism that exploits real world issues to sell comic books. Robinson is better than this.
Maybe, all will be revealed to be a bad dream. Maybe, it’s not really Hal Jordan, but a super villain impersonating him. I don’t know. It just seems wildly out of character for Jordan to act this way. This whole series tries to be important and serious, but it comes off as satire. A satire of what Robinson is helping to do over in the Superman books, namely, tell a good tale. The heroes definitely look their parts though, even if they don’t act like it. Cascioli’s art is as good as the script is bad, and the script is pretty bad. Cascioli makes every page, scene, panel, and background look like one of the most realistic and detailed paintings of a real human being (or animal/man in Congorilla’s case) ever seen in a comic book. Every inch of his work is a delicious and worthy meal devoured by the eye. I’m really glad that he is getting to recreate these heroes in a book, but really wish it was a book more worth reading.
Maybe the plot and direction of this series will turn around, but I’m pretty much gone at this point. I’ll still read, and rave about what Robinson doing in Superman, but Cry for Justice is just plain, very oddly, and surprisingly bad.
Action Comics #883
Nighwing and Flamebird make their public debut and start the hunt for Zod’s most dangerous sleeper.
Blood and Water
Vampire stories are all the rage these days. Most are silly teenage romances, but every once in a while a vampire tale comes along that doesn’t, um…suck.
Secret Six # 15
Deadshot tries to come to terms with his homicidal impulses.
Blackest Night #4 (of 8)
Barry Allen does his best to rally the heroes, but will they be able to stand against the arrival of Nekron?
Superman: World of New Krypton #9
Jemm storms New Krypton’s High Council Chamber demanding an audience, Kal-El and Zod meet, and the first murder on New Krypton is committed.
Madame Xanadu #16
The return of series artist Amy Reeder Hadley also marks the start of a new, creepy, and great Matt Wagner story.
Superman #693
General Lane makes Mon-El an offer he has to refuse, but an unlikely ally might just save Mon-El’s life.
The Brave and the Bold # 28
The Flash travels back in time to World War II where he joins forces with the fabled Blackhawks.
Northlanders #21
A settlement along The Volga River in Russia deals with the onslaught of a plague in the start of a new story arc.
Superman: Secret Origin #2 (of 6)
Young Clark Kent experiences a bit of a super identity crisis, but manages to get by with some help from his parents and some new friends…Long Live The Legion!
Superman/Batman #65
The Scarecrow takes Superman, The Batman, The Joker, and Lex Luthor on a fear gas induced Halloween nightmare ride.
Azrael #1
The new Azrael’s ongoing series debuts with the death of a major character…
Supergirl #46
The Metropolis Three finally capture Reactron, Thara and Kara make up, and some more light is shed on Lana’s mysterious condition…
