Comic Info
Comic Name: Green Lantern (Volume 4)
Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Geoff Johns
Artist: Ivan Reis
# of Issues: 7
Release Date: 2008
Green Lantern (4) #30
Reprints Green Lantern (4) #29-35 (May 2008-November 2008). Hal Jordan has always dreamed of flying like his father, but Hal has also always pushed of the barrier. Flight destroyed Hal’s bonds with his family and has threatened to ruin his life, but when Abin Sur crashes on Earth while transporting a violent alien named Artrocitus, Hal finds himself as Earth’s first Green Lantern…and Hal’s life will never be the same.
Written by Geoff Johns, Green Lantern: Secret Origins is the fifth collection of Geoff Johns’ run on Green Lantern. Following Green Lantern: The Sinestro Corps War—Volume 2, the collection features art by Ivan Reis. The collection skips Green Lantern (4) #26-28 which were included in Green Lantern: Rage of the Red Lanterns. The issues featured in this collection were also included in Green Lantern by Geoff Johns Omnibus—Volume 2.
Green Lantern was a hot commodity in 2008. Geoff Johns had turned the title around, reestablished Hal Jordan as the definitive Green Lantern, and was setting up for a future movie for DC Comics…so retelling and streamlining Hal’s origin makes sense…it just didn’t necessarily make sense here.
Green Lantern (4) #35
Geoff Johns set-up some great momentum with Green Lantern and to go back to an origin story feels a bit odd. If Johns had started this run of Green Lantern with it, it would have made a bit more sense. I suppose that it does serve as a nice jumping on point for new readers especially with all the changes Johns has made to the Green Lantern Corps in his story.
I do understand why Johns did this. The story sets up two important storylines for future volumes of Green Lantern. It introduces Atrocitus who becomes the head of the Red Lanterns and explains his rage and hatred. It also reintroduces the Black Hand who becomes a quintessential character in the big event DC series Blackest Night…which is something that Green Lantern has been building to in this volume. This story smartly weaves those two future storylines into Hal’s origin and sets up something for the future.
Green Lantern has always been one of my favorite DC characters. He’s fallible and cocky at the same time. He has weaknesses (more than just yellow) and about twenty-five percent of the time makes the wrong decision. That makes for a solid character and solid storytelling…Secret Origin takes him back to his core. Green Lantern: Secret Origin is followed by Green Lantern: Rage of the Red Lanterns.
Related Links:
Green Lantern: Revenge of the Green Lanterns
Green Lantern: The Sinestro Corps War—Volume 1
