Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #2

   Action, action, action!

   That's what this series hinges on, and so far, it has delivered.

   We have Hal Jordan, restored to his status as a Green Lantern, fighting with a couple of alien Yellow Lanterns.

   The newly-returned Green Lantern Corps members (the ones who survive) are gathering their resources, with the spotlight on Kilowog, John Stewart and fan favorite Guy Gardner, who finally gets some attention.

   And we check in with Sinestro, who plans to use his Yellow Lantern Corps to establish order in the universe (whether the universe likes it or not).

   All three elements are on a collision course, and in the meantime there's plenty of fighting to keep things moving briskly.

   The art is strong and the story fast-moving. Hopefully they'll eventually find time to give us a bit more character development along the way - but at least the trip there won't be a boring one.

Grade: B+

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Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps: Rebirth #1

   I've been a fan of Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) since the early '60s, when I discovered the terrific John Broome and Gil Kane stories being published by DC Comics.

   I stuck with the series for decades, but finally dropped it a few years ago when it just got to be too much - too many multi-colored Corps, too few Guardians, too many times Hal Jordan was de-powered and had to find a way to work around that handicap.

   So with some trepidation I picked up this Rebirth issue - hoping it treated Hal as well as the original "Rebirth" series (about 10 years ago) that brought the character back into the DC Universe as a Green Lantern (after a side trip as a mass murderer and the Spectre - don't ask).

   The issue is a bit of a puzzle - Hal has apparently been transformed into green energy, the rest of the Green Lantern Corps is "gone" - and he's trying to return to the world of the living. (There's not much in the way of explanation for those of us who have missed the recent story arcs.)

   We also catch up to an aged Sinestro, who is in control of the planet-sized Warworld, which is taking its place at the center of power in the universe.

   The issue features a strong story by Robert Venditti and powerful artwork by GL veteran Ethan Van Sciver.

   So there's a lot of potential for future stories and (hopefully) a return for Hal to his position as one of DC's greatest heroes - and maybe (stay calm now, gentle reader) a return to my pull list!

   Time will tell.

Grade: B+

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