Written by Geoff Johns.
Art by Ethan Van Sciver; Patrick Gleason; Carlos Pacheco; Darwyn Cooke; Prentis Rollins; Christian Alamy; Jesus Merino; Mick Gray; Marlo Alquiza; Moose Baumann; Dave Stewart; Rob Leigh; Phil Balsman; Jared K. Fletcher; Pat Brosseau; & Travis Lanham.
Collection Cover Art by Ethan Van Sciver & Peter Stiegerwald.
SUMMARY:
Released in 2024 by DC Comics, this 400-page trade paperback compiles Green Lantern: Rebirth # 1-6; the feature story from Green Lantern: Secret Files and Origins 2005; Green Lantern Corps: Recharge # 1-5; and, in the wake of Green Lantern: Rebirth, Hal Jordan’s Green Lantern # 1-3 – all originally published between 2004 and 2006.
In deep, deep space, Kyle Rayner’s Green Lantern stumbles into a catastrophic discovery linked to planet Oa revealing the truth behind the Parallax entity. On Earth, Green Arrow and his teenage protégé, Mia Dearden’s Speedy, are startled by Hal Jordan/The Spectre’s chilling punishment of Black Hand’s attempted theft of Oliver Queen’s power ring (kept hidden away for emergency use).
Elsewhere, John Stewart and Guy Gardner find that they have been targeted by Hal’s sinister alter ego, Parallax. Poignantly making amends with Carol Ferris, Hal’s ghost is caught between his opposing incarnations as The Spectre and Parallax. Despite Hal’s pleas for the Spectre’s intervention, it appears that Parallax’s evil has resurfaced. Even the combined Justice League/Justice Society is no match for Parallax’s intense yellow firepower.
Beaten and battered, Green Arrow and Kyle Rayner are stunned by a supposedly dead Sinestro’s return aboard the Justice League Watchtower. Their only hope comes, as Hal Jordan’s defiant spirit at last reunites with his preserved mortal remains. Facing off against Sinestro, Hal Jordan’s revitalized Green Lantern confirms how and why Parallax had successfully corrupted him.
Hal and his Green Lantern colleagues: John Stewart, Kyle Rayner, Guy Gardner, and Kilowog subsequently force a climatic showdown to thwart Parallax’s vengeful scheme. Along the way, Hal Jordan reestablishes that he is the universe’s premier Green Lantern.
Entitled “Flight,” the primary feature of Green Lantern: Secret Files and Origins 2005 reveals three pivotal phases in Hal Jordan’s life. Idolizing his test pilot father, young Hal gets an exhilarating first taste of his dream: flying. Soon afterward, Hal (along with Carol Ferris) among the witnesses of a fiery tragedy that forever shapes Hal’s destiny. Years later, Hal rips a page from his father’s playbook to concoct a nocturnal joyride. It makes for a breathtaking first date with his new boss, Carol. In the days (or weeks) after Rebirth, Hal now takes his new friend, Kyle Rayner, for an aerial adventure where their power rings are left behind.
Following Rebirth, Hal Jordan and John Stewart are designated as Earth’s two Green Lanterns. Kyle Rayner and a reluctant Guy Gardner are simultaneously assigned to Oa as instructors under Kilowog’s command. Their indefinite mission: to train new Green Lanterns currently being recruited to eventually double the Corps’ original 3,600-member size. Kyle & Guy lead a team to halt a dual incursion upon Green Lantern Mogo (a planet). Meanwhile, a handful of Kilowog’s inexperienced recruits find themselves in deep trouble in different corners of the galaxy.
The use of multiple black holes plays into the sinister Guild’s invasion scheme. Hence, the short-handed Corps must make a desperate return to planet Oa for a last stand. Hal Jordan and John Stewart appear in the bookend segments of this five-part Green Lantern Corps: Recharge storyline.
Back on Earth, Hal’s shared investigation with John Stewart of a mysterious alien spacecraft stalls. In the meantime, having rejoined the U.S. Air Force as a test pilot, Hal resumes his old life as Captain Hal “Highball” Jordan. His new Coast City supporting cast is subsequently established: i.e. Col. Shane Sellers; Capt. Jillian “Cowgirl” Pearlman; General “Herc” Stone; and possibly Hal’s brother, Jim.
Linked to his origin as Green Lantern, the Air Force’s experimental new aircraft sets up Hal’s intense showdown against two Manhunter robots reminiscent of alien-caliber Terminators.
Note: This title is also available digitally.
REVIEW:
Twenty years later, Green Lantern: Rebirth # 1-6 and his follow-up tale from Green Lantern: Secret Files & Origins 2005 remain two of Geoff Johns’ career highlights. Frankly, both of these entries exploring Hal Jordan are masterpieces.
With welcome visuals from a top-caliber art team, Johns effectively reverses almost two decades (1986-2004) of Jordan’s misuse by DC Comics. While there were still occasional glimpses of Jordan’s legendary status before his replacement by Kyle Rayner, DC inexplicably squandered the Silver Age’s most influential super-hero. Hence, Johns deserves considerable credit for reigniting the Green Lantern franchise. More importantly, he finally rights the misguided course far too many Green Lantern writers before him had gone depicting Hal Jordan.
The first five Green Lantern Corps: Recharge issues, by comparison, aren’t must-haves. Make no mistake, though: Johns and the art team concoct an entertaining edge to the short-handed Corps. Like Hal Jordan, the Corps concept had grown increasingly stale post-Crisis. Hence, fans of Kyle Rayner, Guy Gardner, and Kilowog should be pleased. Rather than banishing them from Jordan’s primary title, giving them a shared spin-off makes good creative sense.
Having John Stewart (and, to a lesser degree, Jordan) gravitate between the two titles (plus John & Hal soon sharing Justice League duties) makes for insightful forward-thinking. The same applies to bringing back Carol Ferris as a potential recurring character. Johns, suffice to say, proves very much on his game.
As for the first few issues of the Green Lantern reboot, it’s a fresh take imagining Hal’s vigorous new life mirroring his past. Incorporating nostalgia-friendly sub-plots (i.e. Carol’s re-launch of the Ferris airfield; Hal’s remaining family; bringing Hector Hammond back into the franchise) with a 21st Century polish consistently works on all thrusters. More so, it’s a necessary storytelling upgrade given Hal’s forgettable adventures dating back to the post-Crisis mid-80’s/early 90’s where he, John Stewart, and Guy Gardner awkwardly time-shared Green Lantern.
Either, as a gem of a library find, or as a superb enhancement to any Green Lantern fan’s bookcase, this book supplies 400 pages of emerald dynamite. Green Lantern by Geoff Johns, Book One is highly recommended!
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
Each full-page cover precedes its story. Green Lantern: Rebirth # 1-6’s cover artists are Ethan Van Sciver and Peter Stiegerwald. Cover artists for Green Lantern: Secret Files & Origins 2005 are Carlos Pacheco and Jesus Merino. Green Lantern Corps: Recharge utilizes two slightly different cover artist teams. Specifically, they are Patrick Gleason, Christian Alamy, Mouse Baumann; and then it is Gleason, Prentis Rollins; and Baumann. For Green Lantern # 1-3, the cover artists consist of Pacheco, Merino, and Stiegerwald.
The brief full-page variant cover gallery supplies Van Sciver & Baumann’s Green Lantern: Rebirth # 1 followed by their Rebirth collection cover. Also included are the Alex Ross Green Lantern # 1 variant; and an unused (inks-only) Van Sciver cover for Rebirth # 3. The last page depicts Van Sciver’s black-and-white ‘turnaround’ designs for DC Direct’s Hal Jordan/Green Lantern action figure.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 10 Stars
