Green Lantern #3
When I reviewed the first issue in this new series by DC Comics, I admit to being a bit hard on it (see my review and subsequent apology to writer Geoff Johns elsewhere on this site). After reading my scathing critique, fellow HollywoodJesus reviewer Maurice Broaddus urged me to be patient, saying that he usually allows a title to develop the storyline over three or four issues before deciding whether or not to give it the thumbs up or thumbs down. In this case (as in others), Maurice turned out to be correct. While I couldn’t find much to love about the first or second issue in this series, by the time I read the third issue, I began to think it might just have some potential after all.
Issue three opens with Green Lantern/Hal Jordan at the mercy of the next-gen Manhunter. Just when he is about to bite it, the Manhunter takes off in pursuit of its primary directive, the destruction of an old Manhunter android. Realizing the resulting battle could set off an explosion that would potentially kill thousands of people, Green Lantern devises a way to avert the disaster, even though the power charge in his ring is nearly at zero. When Jordan returns to Earth, not only does he regain the respect of his old flight commander, General Stone, he discovers that his heroic example has also inspired others—namely, Jordan’s brother—to step out with boldness rather than hunker down in fear. This inspires Jordan, in turn, making him think that perhaps resuming his identity as Green Lantern wasn’t a mistake after all.
What really touched me about this issue were the final few pages, where Jordan asks, if fear is the strongest emotion in the universe, what’s the point of being a hero at all? What’s the point of living? Sure, we can remove a particular fear, but sooner or later, it is bound to be replaced by another. And then what?
Thankfully, Jordan realizes that even though fear may be ever-present, it is not all-powerful. Fear may loom large at first, but it quickly shrinks in the face of other emotions, such as hope and courage. We have seen this truth born out time and again, especially in the wake of recent manmade and natural disasters. And yet, we must remind ourselves of this truth each time a new source of fear comes along. Otherwise we risk being lost or consumed by the fog of our own insecurities.
Issue three opens with Green Lantern/Hal Jordan at the mercy of the next-gen Manhunter. Just when he is about to bite it, the Manhunter takes off in pursuit of its primary directive, the destruction of an old Manhunter android. Realizing the resulting battle could set off an explosion that would potentially kill thousands of people, Green Lantern devises a way to avert the disaster, even though the power charge in his ring is nearly at zero. When Jordan returns to Earth, not only does he regain the respect of his old flight commander, General Stone, he discovers that his heroic example has also inspired others—namely, Jordan’s brother—to step out with boldness rather than hunker down in fear. This inspires Jordan, in turn, making him think that perhaps resuming his identity as Green Lantern wasn’t a mistake after all.
What really touched me about this issue were the final few pages, where Jordan asks, if fear is the strongest emotion in the universe, what’s the point of being a hero at all? What’s the point of living? Sure, we can remove a particular fear, but sooner or later, it is bound to be replaced by another. And then what?
Thankfully, Jordan realizes that even though fear may be ever-present, it is not all-powerful. Fear may loom large at first, but it quickly shrinks in the face of other emotions, such as hope and courage. We have seen this truth born out time and again, especially in the wake of recent manmade and natural disasters. And yet, we must remind ourselves of this truth each time a new source of fear comes along. Otherwise we risk being lost or consumed by the fog of our own insecurities.
1 Comments:
Bite me!
(Oh, ha ha... you'll see the joke if you look long enough!)
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