Green Lantern #35 (Godhead)

by Robert Venditti, Billy Tan and Alex Sinclair

Coming off the first installment of Godhead, which was a little up and down on as far as art goes, Green Lantern #35, also known as Act 1, Part II of Godhead, was a big sigh of relief. After the collective work on the first, introductory issue, the Green Lantern crew just went back to doing what they do best: making Hal Jordan’s life a living hell.

No, seriously though, Venditti really seems like he has a hate on for Hal Jordan because what else could you possible throw at this guy? Well, I guess this is a good start… just when the Corps is getting settled, they come face to face with the New Gods who, frankly, swat the Corps aside like they’re a bunch of annoying insects. Robert Venditti, while clearly enjoying what he does, takes an interesting route by making these New Gods seem so over powered that a handful of Corps members, including ol’ Hal, don’t even stand a chance. While we’ve seen a lot of the Corps with their backs up against a wall, it’s been a while (at least to this reviewer’s recollection) since the Green Lantern Corps have be so utterly outmatched.

As always, Billy Tan shines with his pencil work for Green Lantern. It’s great to see him continue as a regular artist, especially with the complaints about Godhead #1; he does a stand up job with not only the Corps that we know and love, but the classic Kirby characters as well. Speaking of which, Alex Sinclair does a fantastic job of highlighting the great ground work laid by Tan. All the greens of the Corps and the reds and yellows of the New Gods and their Boom Tube just pop off the page, while the subtle colors of Mogo really bring out the trouble that everybody’s favorite living planet is in.

Since the Geoff Johns era ended, both Venditti and Tan have done a fantastic job keeping the legacy alive and well. Godhead is just one more step towards cementing their own legacy, outside of the massive shadow that Johns casts. Only two acts in and Godhead is really starting to feel huge in scope with consequences that could affect the entire DC Multiverse for years to come.