Review: Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #36

DC Comics
Review: Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #36
By Philip Schweier
January 10, 2018 - 09:34

DC Comics
Writer(s): Robert Venditti
Penciller(s): Jack Herbert, José Luis
Inker(s): Jack Herbert, Mick Gray, Cam Smith
Colourist(s): Jason Wright
Letterer(s): Dave Sharpe
Cover Artist(s): Francis Manapul; Barry Kitson, Hi-Fi

I am hoping there was a flaw with the PDF I received of this issue of Hal Jordan. The entire first page consisted of nothing more than five long panels stacked atop one another, with 14 caption boxes of Ganthet’s thoughts. For the cost of comic books today, and the amount of padding stories often contain to make it into trade format, I expect better from the art team. Especially when that team consists of four artists. Really? Four professional illustrators and the opening page is five black boxes?

Needless to say, this left a bad taste in my mouth. “Maybe the writing will be phenomenal,” I hoped. I was disappointed. Continuing Ganthet’s internal monologue, he describes the four human Green Lanterns on page 3 – and again on page 19. And I’m not sure, but those four panels on page 19 look like they were swiped from previous issues.

The story focuses on the four GLs defeat of the Controllers. Hardly a spoiler, kids, because we all knew they would win the battle. But it’s set the stage for – well, that would be spoiling things. Let’s just say it not only bodes ill for the Green Lantern Corps, but possibly all the DC Universe. Time will tell.

Overall, this issue was a disappointment from the first page. Maybe if I read all the chapters in one sitting, I’ll feel better about the story as a whole. But this is the pitfall of reviewing serialized fiction – it’s difficult to assess the entire project when it’s being fed to you in bite-sized pieces.

Rating: 3/10