He's Alive?
Abin Sur's still alive so you know this is going to result in some gigantic differences in what we already know.
The Good
It's so weird seeing flashbacks to a young Abin Sur. At the same time, it is so awesome to see him going toe-to-toe with a Manhunter. This is a book that will completely take the idea of Flashpoint to a different level. We know things in the universe are different but imagine the possibilities with Abin having survived. What does that mean for Hal Jordan and all the events he was part of as a Green Lantern (which we should see some of in the Hal Jordan mini-series).
The way this starts out, there almost doesn't seem to be a connection in seeing this series thrown in the mix of the other Flashpoint mini-series but you can rest assured that there is a reason for Abin Sur to journey to Earth. Adam Schlagman has his hands full with the years of Green Lantern events to consider. The art and color by Felipe Massafera and Rod Reis are a pleasure to see. There's so much green and pink and it all comes together so nicely.
The Bad
There almost feels like there's too much thrown into this issue. Because of the mention of the Black Lanterns and the White Entity, I can't imagine how this three-issue mini-series will go. There is a lot of possibility here and I can't wait to see what Abin's mission has in store for him. This issue, as the first, has to set up his story. It just feels like too much is happening too quickly.
The Verdict
Even though I knew about this mini-series for months and that it would feature Abin Sur, it wasn't until I started reading that I thought about how crazy things could be. It's often said that one little incident that happens differently could greatly affect the outcome of things, Abin surviving does away with Hal being a Green Lantern. The thought of everything he was involved in as a Green Lantern makes you wonder how it all turned out. This issue does try to give us glimpses of some of those huge events but it starts to give you a feeling of too much. This issue has the task of catching us up on this new world along with where the mini-series will go. I felt like I had to pause to catch my breath after reading. Lots of cool things here. My fingers are crossed the next issue blows me away further.
