Writer: Jeremy Adams
Art: Xermánico, Romulo Fajardo Jr., and Dave Sharpe
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $4.99
Release Date: June 13th, 2023
Hal Jordan’s homecoming is off to a rocky start as Green Lantern #2 by Jeremy Adams begins to take shape! Carol Ferris is this close to firing him from the job he’s only just begged his way into, his power ring isn’t exactly working right, and off in the shadows, Sinestro, the architect of Hal’s current crisis, is waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Plus, the hard-hitting “John Stewart: War Journal” backup series from writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson and artist Montos heats up as the Guardian John Stewart and his team, the Watchtower, fall under siege from a mysterious new threat!
If you’re interested in this comic, series, related trades, or any of the others mentioned, then simply click on the title/link to snag a copy through Amazon as you read the Green Lantern #2 Review.
THE DISPATCH
Adams always seems to find a way to slide in some of his own humorous blends into his comic stories and characters. And as Green Lantern #2 kicks off, we see the very same as Hal takes his new ring for a test drive in some lighthearted disruption and shenanigans. Now, just like Wally West before him, we watch Adams tone down Hal Jordan for the first time in a LONG time. Hal has been super serious, off-world 99% of the time, and forced into facing terrorizing universal threat after terrorizing universal threat. Adams opens with Hal regaining his abilities but keeps it tensely low-key and down to earth which has been drastically missed from the character M.O.
However, the amusing moments continue as Kilowog makes an appearance to share some sly, tender moments that are also used to catch readers up on Hal’s whereabouts and subtle reasoning for not being in the Green Lantern Corps right now. Adams does a phenomenal job providing fans with some of the details they need without coming directly out and stating them to you or stating it directly into the story. Sure, we don’t necessarily know the specifics yet. We don’t know EXACTLY how and why. But we know enough for issue two in order to keep fans invested in the story.
Plus, Green Lantern #2 feels like a partial trip down memory lane with Carol and Hal the way things used to be many moons ago when the title was more grounded and less heavy. Green Lantern #2 by Adams is just getting its feet wet while it finds a new place on Earth for Hal Jordan who’s been off-world and jazzed up since… gosh maybe Parallax! Nevertheless, things get a bit crazy as the summer of Knight Terrors kicks off and continues this story in Knight Terrors: Green Lantern #1. Yet as straightforward as Adams story is, Phillip Kennedy Johnson’s backup story involving John Stewart is a bit nuts. I can’t necessarily tell if it’s the future or the past. I’m assuming the future… but it’s hard to tell. Either way, the art mixed with the lack of narrative clues makes what could be a fascinating story a bit hard to comb through.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Green Lantern #2 continues to showcase Hal in a charming, witty light that lends itself perfectly to Adams style and tone. The jokes don’t slap you in the face and they provide a level of comfort to the story making the issue easier to navigate. Sure, I’d love some more information as to how and why Hal is back on Earth. I’d love to know exactly how and why he got his powers back. And I’m sure we will get more of those details ironed out in the next few issues. Nevertheless, we get enough for fans to get a strong footing as to what we need to survive the story to this point. Now, I half think Adams is tiptoeing through the opening because he knew Knight Terrors would interrupt and hijack his story. So, he just slowed things down a bit so he could put the pedal to the metal come September.
Readers, Green Lantern #2 is perfect to show fans what Adams can do as well as his lighthearted, tender side of comic writing. Adams isn’t heavy-handed nor does he feel a need to stress fans out. His comics are easy to read while still providing an enjoyable story and escape for fans alike. Additionally, he’s creating a fantastic jumping-on-point for any new Green Lantern fan interested in checking out the character. I highly recommend grabbing this issue, as well as the last, and jumping in now while it’s super easy to navigate. Let me know what you think, have a great week, and God Bless!