Hal Jordan and The Green Lantern Corps #43 // Review
The Darkstars make their presence known across the universe in Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #43, as Robert Venditti and Rafael Sandoval bring the militant group back from obscurity and into the forefront to overthrow the Green Lantern Corps. While caught completely off guard, the Corps members are outmatched, wildly outnumbered, and left at the mercy of the Darkstars. As the epic final arc to Venditti's run on the title continues, the stakes perpetually raise higher as this story hits the ground running approaching its epic finale.
The title is at its all time best when Venditti is accompanied by an artist that can interpret and elevate his scripts to the next level, such as with Rafael Sandoval. Sandoval's return is a godsend to the story arc and series, further solidifying him as the quintessential artist on the title. Every page is layered in absolutely stunning, detailed artwork. Being able to fit a massive amount of characters into the panels while never losing the attention to all the facets of detail involved is par for the course with Sandoval. Tomeu Morey continues to act as Sandoval's second hand, bringing all the exquisite art to life with their brilliant color work. Everything about this issue screams high art, all the way down to the gorgeous Ethan Van Sciver cover.
A veteran in the Lantern mythos, Venditti displays his ability to interpret each Corps member with their very own personality, yet still remaining true to their character. Having worked with the Lanterns for years, Venditti understands how to juggle the larger cast of protagonists and naturally capture each Corps member specifically. What seems to be easily the strongest the series has been since the start of Rebirth, Venditti weaves all of the remaining plot threads together as this serial reaches its boiling point and the finale draws near.
While already off to a great start, the current arc continues running up until July and, with four issues remaining, gives the creative team ample opportunity to bring this story the conclusion it deserves. Perpetually increasing the tension, but making the stress feel natural and unpredictable, is paramount to the conclusion of this run. With the prospect of Grant Morrison on the horizon for the Green Lantern title, it's time for Venditti and team to go out with a bang!
