GREEN LANTERN #47

[ ADD TO YOUR GREEN ] 

Look, up into the sky! Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's, someone that's never-ever mentioned in the following comic book Published by DC Comics in December, 2015. Not even by Robert Venditti, Martin Coccolo, or Billy Tan. Tut-tut-tut! Shame on them.

TO QUOTE Sam Ewing: 'When you finally go back to your old home, you find it wasn't the old home you missed but your childhood'.

THE REVIEW:

Once upon a time there was a renegade space-cop called Hal Jordan, who one day decided to come home to the planet Earth so he could visit his brother Jimmy and his adorable family. However, as soon as Hal stepped foot into his brothers fairly asymmetrical looking home, he immediately was held at bay by a fluffy-wall of resistance.

First, two police men turned up and blamed him for breaking and entering (Naughty-naughty, Hal! Didn't your parents ever teach you to call before paying someone a visit?). Then, his brother turned up, told the police men to bugger off (as you do), who also told Hal to cut his hair short (Yes. No more Hippy-Hal. I can now sleep in peace). And finally, once that was all over and done with, brother spoke to brother about life, security, missing Corps members, plus a fairly fun funfair where Hal could watch Jimmy and his ****ing family have, dare I say it... fun (Nooooooo!!!!!!!).

Ha! In all seriousness though, folks, loosely speaking this is how the overall narrative plays out, minus two other scenes: One where two alien members of the Sinesto Corps gets killed by, coff-coff, spit, not-again. Whereas the other scene involved Trapper, Darlene, Hal and Virgo, talk about, well, looking after the spaceship while Hal is visiting his family. 

Now please forgive my flippant attitude towards this issue, because on the whole I didn't mind reading it at all. Like always Robert was able to define both character and plot without making things seem too exposition-like in tone (especially that plot point about Baz disappearing with the rest of the Corps, as well as Hal's recount of his current status quo). What's more I didn't mind Martin, Billy, and Marks artwork on this issue either. Considering it was three of them penning one singular story, somehow they managed to make their styles blend rather than distract from its telling.

That said, however, the one thing I wasn't too keen on was the fairly predictable way you could tell something wrong was going to happen at the funfair. In broad terms it was conveyed like a horror movie, where one of the characters would say to another, 'Hey! Let's go to that abandoned mine-shaft in the middle of the woods. Nothing can happen to us there!'. Sure. Whatever. Knowing deep down that something bad is bound to happen sooner or later. And this point is particularly highlighted in a scene when a funny potato-faced man mouths the infamous words... 'Modora'... the homeland of a certain Sonic powered villain who I have not heard from in ages.

Another thing about this issue I was disappointed with was the fact that Virgo and Trapper didn't accompany Hal in visiting his kin. Now I can completely understand Hal's reasons for not wanting them to come along. It's just that as of late Trapper and Virgo are spending too much time in Darleen the spaceship while Hal is away doing other things. Plus, wouldn't it be fun to see them both on Earth interacting with the general populous?

Oh! And while I'm on the subject of the general populous, without giving anything away, the ending to this episode of Green Lantern was a right blast. It was shocking. It was alarming. And it definitely makes me want to come back next month for more. 

THE MUSIC:

Maybe this is just me, but whenever I read a story about someone going home, I always think of the Willie Nelson song, 'On the Road Again', for fairly obvious and literal reasons.

THE COMPARISON:

Now you know how up above I compared this comic book to a horror movie? Well, scrap that idea and let's compare it to Marge Simpson.

Face it, she's used to coming home and bad things happening.

  

THE CONCLUSION:

At the end of this issue it's revealed who's the vile villain that killed the two Sinestro Corpsmen at the start of it. So, just for fun, I think, let's see if you can guess who this vile villain is out of the following eight suspects. Could it be...

1. Kim Kardashian: As I hear she's having a tough time with her porno-pregnancy.
2. Lex Luthor: Jealous, because Hal is able to cut his own hair.
3. Electro: Well, didn't you see him in that Spider-ham film? It was shocking I tell you. Shocking!
4. Parallax: Oh no! Not him again.
5. Bill Clinton: Damn him and his stains.
6. The Cyborg Superman: Now wouldn't that be a surprise?
7. Joan Crawford: Who's used wire coat hangers?
8. Larry and Bob: No. I don't know who they are either.

Nuff said.