Books : Green Lantern Vol. 2: Revenge of the Green Lanterns

In association with Amazon.com

Rating:

- WELL WORTH IT FOR THE MAIN STORYLINE
Green Lantern: Revenge of the Green Lanterns is a somewhat uncommon collection in as much as the seven issues it collects (#7 - 13) don't contain a solitary storyline the way most hardcover or trade paperback collections do. There are three distinct storylines although I suppose you could make a case for them being loosely tied together if you really reach.

The opening story finds Green Lantern and Green Arrow battling the children of Superman Arch-villain Mongul as they have come to claim the Earth in the name of their late father. The story isn't significant so much for the battle against the pair but rather the back-story of how Hal and Ollie see their lives after they've been infected by Mongul's alien plant known as Black Mercy.

The second story arc finds Hal teaming with Batman against a foe known as the Tattooed Man who can bring his tattoos to life. Again, this minor threat isn't the main thrust of the story but rather it's the mending of the relationship between Batman and Green Lantern after the events in Infinite Crisis. Much life most of DC's other superhero titles, Green Lantern is getting re-booted with a clean slate so to speak.

Finally we get to the title story arc. When the Green Lantern Tomar Tu, thought killed by Hal in the whole Parallax storyline, comes crashing to Earth in his spaceship he mutters that he will kill Hal Jordan. Back on the home world of the Guardians, Hal recalls those terrible events in which he killed several fellow Green Lanterns which still earns him much distrust in the Green Lantern Corps. Hal believes that perhaps the others he thought were dead may still be alive and wants to investigate, but the sector, known as Blackest Night, home of the artificial beings known as the Manhunters is off limits and Hal is denied.

Of course, he goes anyway, joined by Guy Gardner, off to the Manhunter's world known as Biot. They discover thousands of Manhunters being created including hulking behemoths known as Highmasters that use Green Lanterns as batteries and amplify their powers by a hundredfold. But who the mastermind behind the Manhunters is the real surprise.

While I could give or take the first two stories, the Revenge of the Green Lanterns arc was extremely well done. It's a rousing superhero tale at its best with great villains and the return of many friends we thought long gone. Geoff Johns is one of the best pure superhero writers around and proves it again. It's obvious how much he respects the characters, a rare thing these days. Credit also artist Carlos Pacheco whose jumping-off-the-page action recalls fond memories of Neal Adams at his peak. The book may not be worthy of a hardcover, but it is a very solid collection.

Reviewed by Tim Janson

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