Monday, January 7, 2013

Green Lantern Vol. 2: Revenge of the Black Hand (The New 52) by Geoff Johns - Book Review

Several years ago, Geoff Johns started revamping Green Lantern.  He took a somewhat simple concept – intergalactic cop – and turned it into a sprawling story, with its own set of myths, prophecies, and history.  Instead of just using green and yellow light rings, Johns incorporated the whole spectrum.  He even gave each color its own emotion and attributes.  It added tremendous depth to the story and added numerous opportunities for conflict and intertwining stories.
Thankfully, when DC rebooted their comic universe, they left the newly created Lanterns stay basically the same.  Green Lantern Vol. 2 – Revenge of the Black Hand picks right up where Volume 1 left off.  Hal Jordan has been kicked out of the Green Lantern Corps, Sinestro has given him a ring, and the Guardians are trying to eliminate all the Green Lanterns and remove free will from the galaxy.  Initially, Jordan and Sinestro encounter the Indigo Lanterns and learn the secret behind their creations.  Indigo Lanterns use empathy/compassion as their main emotion, which adds an interesting twist to their background.  Following this story arc, Black Hand has escaped and become a Black Lantern (death) again.  Sinestro and Jordan are forced to confront him.  This, and their encounter with the Indigo Lanterns, has repercussions that affect the Sinestro/Hal Jordan relationship. The final story arc involves the Guardians attempt to use the First Lantern to begin to bring about the end of the Green Lantern Corps, setting up another massive battle to save the galaxy in the next volume of Green Lantern.
I really enjoyed this graphic novel.  However, it is definitely not the place for new readers.  If you have been a Green Lantern fan, you should enjoy this story, and it will leave you waiting anxiously for the next one.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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