With just a few more hours to go before issue #1 graces our comic shops with Zombie Lantern goodness, I couldn't resist the temptation to read up on more DC Goodness. Following this evening's trip to the bookstore, I just had to go and grab a couple of books to pacify my cravings before the big one happens. Without hesitation, I found my reads in the form of Green Lantern: No Fear and the humongous FINAL CRISIS hardcover, the latter of which was the big event for DC prior to Blackest Night. While I can easily vouch for these books as sure wins without a moment's notice, I'll give a little background description and review on both to call it fair game and warning to you guys before ponying up the cash for them.
Green Lantern: No Fear
This is the one that started it all again.
Green Lantern: Rebirth accomplished many things back when it was released in 2005. It drew new readers into the emotional spectrum, and celebrated a new direction with the emerald warriors who defend our universe against the forces of evil. Let us not forget of course that it cemented the return of the Silver Age Green Lantern himself - Hal "Flyboy" Jordan. After a successful resurrection, the man most recognizable by fans as the "original" GL of space sector 2814 returns to begin a new solo career free from fear and full of redemption. How he goes about that is chronicled in this book - reprinting the first six issues of the new ongoing series and the Secret File And Origins 2005 Annual.
Hal Jordan is back as Green Lantern, and he's pretty damn happy about it. Returning to his duties as a superhero isn't easy, but the adventure and thrill of it is what keeps him going. Settling down in the newly rebuilt Coast City, he resumes his old life as an Air Force pilot, practically picking up where he left off after he vanished many years ago. However, his past catches up to him, as old enemies resurface and take the fight to Jordan once again with deadlier results in store for him and those he cares for.
What you see before you is a grand achievement by writer Geoff Johns - he succeeded in bringing Hal Jordan back and relaunching a title that converts more people into readers as the series progresses. Without a doubt, this is the book that should get you to appreciate Green Lantern again. Right off the bat, it has excellent writing and features a ton of artists who could get you drooling for more panels of action and adventure as you turn the page of each issue. Johns is even reunited with his Rebirth teammate Ethan Van Sciver for two issues here, and that should give you a glimpse of how great that miniseries was if you haven't picked it up yet. I won't spoil the tales inside, but it's all about humble beginnings and reunions for Jordan, as well as an encounter with an old foe that foreshadows the coming of the Blackest Night. Curious? Let this light your way through the series. It's a sure win.
Score - 10/10
FINAL CRISIS
To be honest, I'd be hard pressed to review Final Crisis properly.
One of the many reasons why I bought this was to finally sit down and take time reading this book as a whole now that its been compiled and pressed into one massive hardcover. I wasn't too thrilled about the various tie-ins and companions DC released when this was a big event, but now that it's gone and past, my mind can be at ease already. Another reason that propelled me to make the decision was because I got Batman R.I.P - which left Bruce Wayne's fate ambiguous. Only by reading FC could you learn what truly happened to the Dark Knight... and if the cover to the book didn't clue you in yet, then you really must be in denial. I don't blame you - I can relate.
Written by Grant Morrison and illustrated by a plethora of artists, Final Crisis tells the tale of the DC Universe under siege by the most evil presence known to them all - Darkseid. In a nutshell, chaos ensues and several multiverses are affected as a result. Evil has apparently gotten the upper hand, and as the heroes struggle to fight back, the destinies of several characters are forever altered. People live, casualties rise, and when this is over, nothing will ever be the same again.
I've heard it all before and I've followed all the Crisis' miniseries DC has to offer, but this is one event that had me less interested and more confused every time I came across it. Probably it was due to "Crisis Burn" as I'd like to call it. Countless weekly series and revelations killed things for me, and I sure wasn't going to collect every single title and tie-in to find out what the heck was happening. It was only upon hearing the news of "Batman's death" that I started to get curious, and I ended up buying the issue to find out the final fate of Bruce Wayne. In the end, I was slightly disappointed - It wasn't how I expected The Dark Knight to go, but Morrison put it that way, and left things conveniently open-ended in the final issue (which rendered things meaningless and more confusing than ever). However, FC seemed to have gotten people talking and interested in DC again at least. As a result, it seems to have become a bestseller in the shops and bookstores. How I really don't know why... but probably it's because of the guys who died and those that have returned to the land of the living again... like Barry Allen/ The Flash.
Would I recommend this? Hard to say... Only if you're prepared for a convoluted superhero tale of epic proportions. Don't say I didn't warn you.
Score - 6/10
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