For all its faults, the recent Hal Jordan and the Green Lanterns Corps
was far better than the crap Grant Morrison is currently feeding us. DC
tried to fix the Green Lantern franchise, but only made it worse.
Once
upon a time, the DC Universe was rich and varied, but in recent years, it seems
DC Editorial has tightened the reigns on characters and franchises which might
fall outside the primary continuity. Somehow, the notion of something existing
in world without Superman and Batman became… undesirable. Such properties
include the Warlord, Sgt. Rock, Jonah Hex, and the Legion of Super-Heroes.
One
might argue that these properties no longer have a market, but in the case of
of the LSH, legions of fans would strongly disagree(pun intended). So instead
of actually publishing a new LSH title, DC instead coyly features aspects of
Legion lore in other titles. In recent years, the Green Lantern titles have
featured the Dominators, and in this week’s issue of The Green Lantern we not
only have the Sun Eaters, but also a clumsy cameo (Wink. Wink.) by Legionnaire Dirk
Morgna (look him up).
Adding
to this patronization is an awkward storytelling technique, in which two
criminal-type characters share a narrative in which the GL encounters the
aforementioned Sun Eaters, leading to a dramatic change in Hal Jordan’s status
in the Corps. I can safely say I am spoiling NOTHING when it is revealed one of
this unsavory criminal types is exposed as Hal Jordan. But the BlackStar he is
speaking with seems to be already aware of that. As were we all.
There
is another plot point I can’t explain without giving much away. But I will go
so far as to say that if Grant Morrison thinks he can convince us that Hal is
not undercover, then his reputation is considerably tarnished. His narrative
choices in this issue– telling a disjointed story from two different
perspectives – does nothing to impress me. But honestly, he’s never impressed me. Your mileage may
vary, but I doubt by much.
Rating:
3/10