The Green Lantern #5 // Review
A trial of death and rebirth await Hal Jordan once again as Grant Morrison and Liam Sharp pit the brash pilot in the middle of Vorr, the planet of vampires. The duo continues to deliver a run that stands apart from anything that has come previously and a total breathe of fresh air to the overall mythos and to comic book shops in general. With these new chapters answers fan questions from the previous issues, putting the spotlight behind Hal’s motives of the past and where he is headed next.
Having joined the Blackstars within the previous issue, Hal Jordan sets on a trial by fire through the planet of Vorr to prove his place in the new group. Shedding light on his mission through a flashback, Morrison dangles bits of the larger plot with each new issue. Returning successful and dawning a somewhat iconic new name for his adoptive family, Jordan must now face the ultimate decision of life and death for an old friend.
Liam Sharp’s art stands as a crowning achievement not only for the Green Lantern series but for DC Comics in general. The sheer amount of detail is unmatched by any other artist currently working in the medium. Sharp’s establishing shots are absolutely unforgettable and second to none, genuinely blowing his predecessors out of the water. The legendary Steve Oliff continues to painstakingly color through the intricacies put down by Sharp, leaving the pages perspiring in great brilliance.
The ever-enigmatic Grant Morrison continues to pit Hal Jordan through a 2000 AD lens while delivering a title in the same vein as All-Star was to Superman. Morrison feeds readers one piece at a time as the overarching story begins to come into place. Typically reading better when collected, the expansive storytelling structure of Morrison can be a bit daunting for unfamiliar readers. While still continuing forward with the story, allows for some exploration of the past to give readers more insight into Jordan’s mission and taking some heat off of Grant for some of Hal’s more questionable actions. This series continues to push the boundaries of what this title can accomplish, Grant Morrison is the perfect writer for such a task.
As the halfway point to year, one rears its head, Morrison and Sharp continue to deliver this uniquely beautiful entry into the Lantern mythos and leave their marks all throughout the title. With much still yet to come, this series proves once again to stand head and shoulders above its predecessors in not only artwork from Sharp, but the outlandish and grandiose scripts of Morrison truly delivers something unique to this universe and readers everywhere.
Grade: A+
