Act two of the Godhead crossover begins here, in the pages of Green Lantern #36. Hal Jordan decides to take what’s left of his team to perhaps the least likely place, New Korugar, to meet up with Sinestro. With dwindling numbers all around, the separate Corps are finding it necessary to, for the time, stick together, despite the gargantuan differences they may have left to sort out.
The Guardians also arrive, and finally reveal to all that White Lantern Kyle Rayner is, in fact, not dead as long believed, and that he is the secret weapon that is now in the grasp of the New Gods. Logic dictates that to fight life you would need death, so Hal journey’s to Earth to get their own secret weapon while Sinestro takes everyone else to Qward in the Antimatter universe in the hope of staying safe.
*An interesting little potential easter egg: I found that the cover for this issue has a striking similarity to Green Lantern #36 of the previous volume. Coincidence? Or maybe this pose is more common than I recall.
Positives
This issue improves upon every aspect from last month’s. The writing and pacing is far superior, with two particularly great dialogues between two characters each: Highfather and Orion at the beginning of the issue, and Hal and Sinestro, towards the end. Specifically the latter may be some of the best work Robert Venditti has done so far on the book. He really gets to the core of why the relationship between the once great Green Lantern and his star pupil is so deliciously dramatic after all these decades. We also start to see Saint Walker come out of his funk, which was a big anchor weighing the book down.
The oft criticized Billy Tan’s art gets a break here, with a fill-in job from Francis Portela and breakdowns by Scott McDaniel. It’s quite good, and I especially love the disturbingly brilliant epilogue to the issue, showing off Black Hand at a circus full of corpses, pulling plenty of fun gags as well as a few bits that make you think “alright, that’s in poor taste“.
Negatives
None. Honestly, every criticism I had with the book previously has turned around this issue.
Verdict
For those following the entire Godhead event, I think they will find a lot to enjoy in Green Lantern #36. Plenty is established and progresses, lots of meaty bits are presented, and there’s an excitement to see where it goes next week. A strong, solid issue, all around.
