Green Lantern: Earth One (Vol. 2) by Gabriel Hardman

details
Title: Green Lantern: Earth One.
Volume: 2.
Writer(s): Gabriel Hardman & Corinna Bechko.
Artist(s): Gabriel Hardman.
Colourist(s): Jordan Boyd.
Letterer(s): Simon Bowland.
Publisher: DC Comics.
Format: Hardcover.
Release Date: August 11th, 2020.
Pages: 144.
Genre(s): Comics, Science-Fiction.
ISBN13: 9781401293031.
My Overall Rating: ★★★★☆.
Previously in the Green Lantern: Earth One series:
Green Lantern: Earth One (Vol. 1) by Gabriel Hardman.
thoughts

DC Comics has been known for the past years to continuously develop their concept of a multiverse, taunting the reader with the potentiality of multiple parallel universes somehow co-existing with their own respective realities. With each comic book series centered around a hero (or a group of them), they’ve explored countless different stories where time and space are relative, but it is through non-canonical series that they are able to allow writers and artists the chance to write stories with unique premises. Their Earth One graphic novel series is one of them, paving the way for various creative teams to re-imagine to their liking the origin stories of all the superheroes we’ve come to love throughout our lives. While some are far less memorable than others, Gabriel Hardman and Corinna Bechko continue to successfully deliver a surprisingly coherent and cohesive origin story for Hal Jordan, the legendary Green Lantern.

What is Green Lantern: Earth One (Vol. 2) about? Taking place after the events of the first volume, the story begins with an interplanetary peace event set on establishing a partnership between Earth Central Command and the Llaran Colony. As things take a turn for the worse, an incident forces both parties to retreat, while a group of scientists and diplomats are kept hostage by the Llaran colony. To quickly resolve this issue before Earth is forced to come up with an offensive invasion, Hal Jordan flies off after them to try and understand what went wrong. On his way there, a new threat appears with a familiar technology: Yellow Lanterns. Fighting the same menace as the Green Lanterns, this new group working under a mysterious Guardian, possess an agenda far deadlier than anything before, testing the loyalty of many Green Lanterns in the process. Will Hal Jordan be able to save the day or watch his friends fall to darker instincts?

There’s something thoroughly appealing in writers Gabriel Hardman and Corinna Bechko’s Hal Jordan. His character doesn’t resemble much to the original hero besides being a persistent risk-taker who would do anything to right a wrong, especially when it concerns the well-being of others. The world they also conceive for this character, void of any other hero that doesn’t belong to the Green Lantern lore, makes for a fascinating social and political climate where he essentially presents himself as a mediator between humans and extraterrestrial beings. But how much can the world trust a man with an alien technology giving him incredible powers? His composed attitude and sense of leadership, however, make for an excellent role-model who is genuinely rooted in a morally- and ethically-appropriate vision of life.

This concise tale also draws upon more of the well-known elements of the Green Lantern universe, from the crucial and mysterious role played by one of the Guardians of the Universe to the ideologically-opposed dilemma faced by none other than Sinestro himself. Without ever really being a simple rehash, writers Gabriel Hardman and Corinna Bechko offer a compelling story that fully explores the various dynamics inter- and intra-planetary that requires the presence of these Lanterns to supervise and promote peace and prosperity. This volume also introduces Jon Stewart and offers him an excellent and modest origin story as he looks to the good within him to do the right thing during this crisis.

When it comes to artwork, it remains astonishing to see writer Gabriel Hardman deliver just as much quality as an artist on this volume too. It’s crisp, jagged, and heavily focused on shadows, brilliantly giving the world a distinguished sci-fi tone where space isn’t all bleak and empty. The panel structure is also brilliantly conceived, fully making use of each panel to capture the sequence of events with stunning accuracy. The Green and Yellow Lanterns also add a splash of colour that exquisitely jump off the page and remind us of the power of their force. With excellent character designs, it’s safe to say that Gabriel Hardman’s art and Jordan Boyd’s colours help make this volume a wonderful read. Both visually and narratively.

Green Lantern: Earth One (Vol. 2) is an excellent and compelling sequel building upon its first volume to expand the Green Lantern lore.

EXHIBITA
Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for sending me a copy for review!
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