Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Green Lantern: Secret Origin, by Geoff Johns

***

~~SPOILER ALERT~~

A decent enough origin story, though not the best ever. Honestly, it's tough to convince readers that a red-faced, pencil-mustachioed alien named Sinestro, of all things, was ever going to be anything other than a bad guy. The name alone should have been enough to disqualify him from the Green Lantern Corps. Of course, most who read this origin story would already be well aware of Sinestro's destiny, so in all likelihood the unsurprising reveal in future (previous) novels would not detract from their experience.

Hal Jordan doesn't seem the most compelling of characters, at least based on this installment, but perhaps he develops more of a personality once he's been a Green Lantern for a while. In this volume, his primary relevant contribution is to personify the American tendency to challenge authority.

Overall, though, the idea behind Green Lantern mythology is intriguing. Like Superman, the writers rely on an alien race to provide the superpowers necessary for a good superhero--though this time, the weakness is yellow, instead of green. The use of aliens provides a convenient source of opponents and allies, limited only by the authors' imaginations. There is a girl (of course) and she is both strong willed and tough minded yet also tender and devoted (equally of course), and there are plenty of obstacles to keep them apart over many, many volumes.

All in all, not a bad book, and I suspect I will end up reading more about the Green Lantern in the future, which is by no means a bad thing.

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