It's actually issue #13, disguised as a zero issue.
The zero issues are supposed to take us back into the days before the first issue in the "New 52" series, but this issue does not give us a look at Hal Jordan's early days.
Instead, it follows up the events of GL #12, as Hal Jordan and Sinestro's Green Lantern rings are strangely merged and searching for a new host.
No doubt writer Geoff Johns would argue that this is an issue #0 for the new Green Lantern, an Arab-American named Simon Baz. He struggles with the day-to-day hatred for Arabs in the U.S. in the wake of the events of 9/11.
But he'd be wrong - this is an origin for a new Green Lantern, nothing more - and with Hal Jordan, Guy Gardner, Kyle Rayner and 3597 other GLs, do we really need a new one?
I know, ask a silly question...
My nit-picking aside, there are certainly positives for having an Arab-American hero, as this story illustrates (though the whole terrorism angle seems heavy-handed).
The art is by the excellent Doug Mahnke, again paired with a trio of inkers (I have no idea why a single inker can't cover his work). He does strong work here, although there's not a lot of action to go around - it's almost all talking heads.
It's a decent issue, and might be a collectible (depending on whether or not GL Baz catches on), but I still say it should have the number 13 on the cover.
Grade: B+
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2 comments:
Baz will not catch on. No superhero created to please a demographic has ever caught on. For example, Wolverine was not created to appeal to Canadians. He was created to be a good and interesting character. It's so stupid when the companies try to manufacture heroes based on demographics, or worse, to get attention in the media. It never works out.
Robby, I agree - if a manufactured hero ever succeeded, I can't remember him or her or it.
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