The New Face of Evil... Hal Jordan?!
Now that Venditti has 7 issues of Green Lantern under his belt (8 if you count Green Lantern Annual #2, the epic conclusion to Lights Out) I think it's fair to evaluate his work as a whole on this series. Usually I like to give a writer at least one story arc before doing so and in this case, considering the nature of a story like Lights Out, I wanted to see where Venditti would take it. I was half expecting these changes to the Green Lantern universe to be undone. These initial feelings have nothing to do with Venditti as a writer, but more to do with the big 2 in general. We are often told an event will bring "lasting" or "far reaching" changes but often such promises aren't delivered upon.
In Green Lantern's case, it delivers. Lights Out showed us something that Johns' run didn't really explain too well - where do the Lanterns draw their power from? Sure, Johns explained that lanterns draw their power from the emotional spectrum, which in turn is powered by the very emotions present in the universe. That would lead us to believe it is infinite (within reason). As long as there are sentient, feeling, people in the universe, there would be power for the lanterns to use. Venditti kind of turns that on its head and says the source from which the lanterns get their power is actually finite. It could almost serve as a type of retcon to Johns' run depending on how this plays out. I could see how this could alienate fans of Geoff Johns' run. Myself included. But I think it's too early to tell if Robert is really trying to make such changes. There is still much we need to learn about what is beyond the Source Wall.
I've seen very divisive opinions among Green Lantern fans about the book's current direction, especially those of Geoff Johns' run. I think the reason for this is because Venditti has a very different approach to the Green Lantern mythos than Johns. Venditti takes a more sociological approach, looking at how what the Lanterns do affects society at large. There's political undertones as well. Some might even say Lights Out was a bit heavy-handed in its environmental allegories. Personally, I thought it was handled well and I appreciate the freshness of Venditti's run.
He's offering something VERY different than Johns - something that the Green Lantern universe needed in my opinion. Johns run was stupendous. It was a space epic. Maybe even a space opera, often Star Wars-esque in just the vastness of its mythology. No one can write Geoff Johns better than Mr. Johns himself. So it's a smart move by DC to accept Venditti's pitch and give an up and comer a shot. One that tries not to do a lesser version of what Johns did, but to shake things up in a fresh way.
Thus far we've seen Hal become Corps leader, new corps members coming in, old ones finding themselves in new positions, Oa is no more and now the central precinct of the Corps is always on the move via Mogo. Much has changed and I think this bothers people. They miss Johns run, we all do. But that doesn't mean we can't also love what Venditti is doing. I'm way on board with this new group of creators, especially Venditti. The books as a whole seem better than ever. It felt like before I had to read Corps, New Guardians or Red Lanterns just to keep up with everything. Now I look forward to reading each of them. The writers, the artists; they are all paired so wonderfully together, with each book hosting it's own human lanterns while also offering something slightly different from the others.
Billy Tan's art has really grown on me. I like his "scratchy" style. And he draws one hell of a Kilowog.
It's a shame this run isn't finding too much popularity just yet. Venditti is doing a great job. This issue in particular sees the Corps falling apart even further as the Durlans set up a revolution against them. It seems like since Hal has taken over, nothing has gone his way. In fact, things have gone from bad to worse. It'll be interesting to see what happens in the future, especially since we know Sinestro's own title is on the horizon.
Green Lantern fans are lucky to have Venditti. I can't wait to see what's in store for Hal and company.