Green Lantern #29

By Robert Venditti, Billy Tan and Martin Coccolo.

Really, Venditti? How the heck did you just make your Green Lantern run even more awesome? Well, you just did. This guy is on a serious roll.

Hal Jordan is a bit of a jerk. He’s a loveable d-bag that tends to shoot first and ask questions later. Venditti has used this aspect of the character to start a war against the Green Lanterns. Most of Hal’s problems stem from his inability to change (thus far) into the leader that he needs to be. This issue is of particular significance because we witness Hal actually achieving real character growth. He comes to terms with his faults and actively seeks assistance to rectify them.

Even though Hal is the focus, he still gets a little help from his friends. Characters like Kilowog, Salaak and Saint Walker add a truckload of heart to the issue. It’s painful to watch Saint Walker suffer like he has, but Venditti has handled things well and we should expect big things from the loveable blue guy.

Let’s get this out of the way: Billy Tan is an incredible artist who is perfect for a superhero title like Green Lantern. From an art standpoint, this series has been one of DC’s top books. However, this issue is not evidence of that. The artwork is split up between Tan and Martin Coccolo, which is sloppy, and manages to bring the overall presentation down. Even Tan’s work suffers from the mix and match of art. Let’s hope that this trend doesn’t continue.

Once again, the quality of Green Lantern cannot be stressed enough. If Wonder Woman wasn’t so perfect, this would be the best DC title. Venditti deserves an immense amount of praise for taking the reins from Geoff Johns and creating a whole new world of greatness. The best part is that he’s done this by solid character development. You need to read this series.