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Rating:  -
As a newcomer to GL series I started with GL: Rebirth and was overwhelmed by a sheer number of terms and characters. I didn't like it for that reason. This volume actually is a much better start for a new reader as it focuses on a story and a few characters instead of trying to mention everything in GL mythos.
Rating: -
When you comic fans about Geoff Johns, the words "Green Lantern" are always going to come up.
Like Frank Miller connecting with Daredevil, this is perfect marriage of a creator and a character. Johns had a key insight that Green Lantern is a story about a man using his willpower to overcome fear. It is a great hook, since it allows Johns to bring in various horror movie tropes that are intriguing in a superhero context. Johns is great at building from suspense to action and he uses that talent to good effect here.
Johns is also extremely strong with plot. He lays down a lot of threads in these pages and does a nice job teasing upcoming issues. He juggles the huge, sprawling cast extremely well. Dozens of characters bounce in and out.
Johns big weakness as a writer is drawing characters. That is not a major issue here. He has a better handle on who Hal Jordan is than most of the characters I have read his work on. Johns treads the line between showing Jordan as cocksure and showing Jordan as jerk very adeptly. But really, most readers are not coming to Green Lantern for well-drawn character-driven stories anyway. Hal Jordan has to be the least introspective character in the DC Universe, so picking a title with him on the cover should spell action with a capital "A". Johns delivers on that count.
The art is wildly uneven.
Darwyn Cooke is wonderful artist, who used Hal Jordan to good effect in "New Frontier". However, he a Geoff Johns tell very different kinds of comic book stories. Their styles actively conflict in places, which undermines the best bit of character work Johns does with Jordan.
Carlos Pacheo draws the majority of the issues compiled here. His work is solid, classic superhero stuff. Nothing to complain about, but nothing to really rave about either. He tells a solid story, but doesn't bring anything to the table from a character design perspective. That is a shame, since Johns rolls out three new supporting cast members in Pacheo drawn chapters. Non-superheroes need a lot more help from the artist than the colorful heroes and villains.
Ethan Van Sciver draws a chapter. His style suits Johns scripts well enough. Highly detailed art is great with action-packed stories. Van Sciver draws extremely detailed pages. That helps his chapters to have some of the most memorable action sequences. However, his figure drawing is stiff and his facial expressions are very slack. Combined with Johns weaknesses, this makes for some very generic victims of the various menaces GL eventually fights.
Simone Bianchi is probably the strongest of the lot. He reminded me of Gil Kane in places, which is still the gold standard of Green Lantern artists. His strong design work compensates for Johns in several key sequences. It is a real shame that Bianchi didn't draw the entire volume.
Rating: -
If you're a fan of the Green Lantern, and specifically Hal Jordan, this is the coillection for you. Johns ability to turn lame villains into serious threats is amazing. I really enjoyed looking into Hal's past with his family, stuff I never really cared about before. The art with a few too many pencilers was really good. Pachecho and Van Sciver were the best making the Shark terrifying and Hector Hammond ultra-creepy! I really good read!
Rating:  -
With the exception of the Geoff Johns hand-picked Lantern collection "in Brightest Day" this is the first Lantern graphic novel i have read. And to put it simply, it made me a Green Lantern fan for life. I ordered volumes 2 and 3 along with this one and they are just as well Excelent. If you are just starting out with the Green Gladiator like i was i strongly suggest you pick up these three volumes and their predecessor Rebirth. You will NOT be dissappointed.
Rating:  -
Green Lantern: Rebirth is one of the greatest comeback stories from DC comics. When Hal started up his own series, however, there was a huge drop in story quality. I'm not sure why Johns was so quick to slip into irrelevant and unmemorable stories after his smashing debut, but he went no where fast with this mediocre arc and a half. I recommend skipping from REBIRTH to SINESTRO CORPS WAR, with perhaps a detour at the Star Sapphire arc, but only because that pertains to the upcoming War of Light and Blackest Night story lines.
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