By Cat Wyatt

Issue 42 of Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps has us starting up a new plot. That isn’t to say that Zod isn’t still a threat (because he absolutely is), but he’s likely acting in the shadows and out of sight for the moment. This issue does bring around some enemies we’ve become more familiar with as of late, which is always fun. It also introduces a new threat (well, new to rebirth I should say).

The first page shows us a factory on the world of the Controllers. Based on the production we’re seeing, it’s safe to say that they’ve been very busy. Here we see row upon row of finished products; the Darkstars.

It would seem that the Controllers have gotten it into their heads to create a force that can directly oppose the Green Lanterns. Obviously, the Controllers biggest issue is numbers…well, I should say it was their biggest issue, but you know what I mean. With this new force, they’re hoping to take away the power that the Green Lanterns (and Guardians) have held for so long.

These units are Darkstar Mantles. According to the bragging we’ve been allowed to witness, they’re stronger, more durable, and more lethal than their predecessors. Since these are essentially suits, I believe the Controllers were hoping they’d all wear the primary suits (I’m sure they arranged to have better suits than anyone else), and those loyal to the cause (translation: those easily controlled) would be allowed to wear the others.

Meanwhile back on Mogo, things are going pretty well on the whole. The patrols keeping an eye on Zod haven’t spotted anything amiss, though that doesn’t mean all that much, does it? Whatever Zod may be up to right now (and I’m sure it’s something quite brilliant and malicious), the fact remains that Hal has a little bit of spare time on his hands for the moment.

Enough time for him to go to the Sciencells and visit an old friend…of sorts. Tomar-Tu was a Green Lantern before he killed Romat-Ru. We can argue ethics and morality all we want, but the fact remains that Romat-Ru was a horrible person that killed countless Xudarian children, and Tomar-Tu feels no regret for what he did.

For what it’s worth, I can actually see both sides of the argument. In Tomar-Tu’s mind, he stopped a killer for good. Sure, he could have followed protocol and had him arrested, but then what? There’s a chance he could have escaped, or even served his time and been let free. What if he was to leave the Sciencells, only to go immediately back to killing Xudarian children? Would that have been on Tomar-Tu’s head, since he was the one that hadn’t taken lethal force? What about those that died, before Romat-Ru got arrested again? His actions can never be undone.

Meanwhile Hal believes that the Green Lantern Corps members to not have the right to be judge, jury, and executioner; a common concern among organizations such as these. Because really, what right do they have to act like that? History has shown that people who take the law into their own hands like that, or worse, those that abuse their authority as such rarely ever stay on the right path for good, nor are they free of mistakes.

Given the two scenes we’ve seen so far, the choices may seem odd at first. But it quickly becomes clear that the Darkstars are not inclined to let the Controllers…well…control them, and instead will do exactly as they were designed to do (regardless of how their builders feel about it). The first mantle to waken naturally begins to search for a compatible subject, much like the Green Lantern rings do.

I’m sure you can guess where this is going to lead next. The Darkstar mantle found that Tomar-Tu was the perfect fit, and promptly teleported (or the equivalent of) into Tomar-Tu’s cell to offer him a chance at bringing about lethal justice. Which given everything we’ve learned about Tomar-Tu this issue alone, I think we can all guess how he’ll respond to an offer like that.

So far Tomar-Tu appears to be the only person the Darkstar mantles have chosen, but I’m sure that won’t last long. I wonder if there will be more named characters picked, or if they’ll have to introduce new ones for the sake of this plot. Either way, it should be interesting to read. The next issue is titled ‘The Hunt for Tomar-Tu’, so obviously the focus is going to stay on him for just a little bit longer.

This issue was mostly spent setting up the Darkstars and Tomar-Tu’s transition into their corps. There wasn’t any fighting really, but it was still incredibly interesting. I love the time spent setting up Tomar-Tu’s perspective on justice and the lack of permanency Green Lantern justice has. This made his choice to join the Darkstars wholly believable.

Score: 4/5

Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #42
DC Comics