[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Writer: Robert Venditti
Penciller: Rafa Sandoval
Inker: Jordi Tarragona
Colorist: Tomeu Morey
Summary
Orion is in trouble. It appears that saving his life may just be the thing that brings about the deaths of Hal Jordan and Kyle Rayner. The robot that Orion refers to as a Golem is programmed to kill him and the only way to stop him is to convince him that Orion is dead. The Slyggian doctor has an idea…essentially, it is a machine to keep one’s blood pumping while the heart is removed and stops beating. While Hal tries to hold off the Golem, Kyle creates the machine with his ring and Orion stabs himself in the chest.
The doctor removes the heart and Kyle uses his ring to attach the machine to Orion’s body and keep him alive. This gets the Golem to go away. They return to Mogo and brief John on what’s going on. Green Lantern, formerly Yellow Lantern, Two Lobe is able to interface with Orion’s memories and find out more about the Golem. Orion knows of a tale of Yuga Khan, ruler of the Old Gods. He believed his progeny would kill him and he created a metal Golem army to protect him. That metal was the Nth metal of Hawkman fame. Highfather of the New Gods is one of Yuga Khan’s progeny. Two Lobe tries to find out Highfather’s location, yet only comes up with “Lightray.” This leads John to believe that the fastest New God is keeping Highfather safe. John dispatches Hal to find Lightray to warn him of the rest of the story of Yuga Khan – he’s invading. Now.
Positives
This book has always presented each Green Lantern with a unique personality and skill set. While it shouldn’t be a surprise, Hal is the quintessential test pilot. While this may limit him in some situations, his willingness to “try something new or dangerous” makes him the ideal man for many missions with the Corps. This issue shows that to be true. Despite being a veiled tie-in to the Metal mini-series, this issue stands surprisingly well on its own. One could know nothing about that series and find the events of this issue completely understandable.
Negatives
The only thing that could be a negative here is a general dislike for the concept. There’s so much diversity in types of characters that there’s nearly always something for everyone. Venditti and crew have done a stellar job on this title for quite a while and it seems unlikely they will drop the ball anytime soon.
Verdict
Even event tie-ins can’t bring this series down! The characters are diverse and allow everyone someone with which to identify. Character is King!
