A Parallax infused Sinestro is now the face that runs the place (congratulations to AJ Styles), and his Corps are running amok instilling fear into a Universe believed to be without Green Lanterns. That is until they ran into a Green Lantern and captured him to bring him to face Sinestro. From this point on, I’m giving SPOILERS, read at your own risk. We good? Ok. Hal Jordan was last seen battling a plethora of Yellow Lanterns in his attempt to stop them from kidnapping children because the Sinestro Corps are also Monsters Inc. Hal is overwhelmed by the Yellow constructs and isn’t able to save them. Meanwhile, Green Lantern leader has sent Guy Gardner on a recon mission while the GLC tries to patch themselves up from jumping Universes. Last time Gardner was seen, he was getting his ass handed to him and not going down quietly. When Sinestro is brought a Green Lantern, expecting the greatest of them all, he instead gets a big bow of loud bastard Guy Gardner.

Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #4 is still hitting very strong points throughout its story. While it makes Hal the protagonist of this story, Robert Venditti is putting everyone in the spotlight and giving them their well-deserved characterization. A small speech from Jon Stewart sets him to be the leader a broken Green Lantern Corps desperately need, and my favorite asshole Lantern Guy Gardner getting his due to be face to face with Hal’s former mentor, and still metaphorically flipping him off. It’s as if Vince McMahon had planned to kidnap The Rock and instead he got Steve Austin ready to drop a Stunner on him. I’ve been watching a lot of wrestling, guys.

Venditti is showing off his chops and the fact that he hasn’t skipped a beat since taking over Green Lantern duties. He shows a clear difference in characters when writing a big team book like GLC and has a tight grip on who is who in this Universe. Only four issues in, he has set a clear goal for each one of the Lanterns formerly belonging to Sector 2814, now what’s left is seeing Venditti dipping his toes back into writing other Lanterns like Kilowog, Arisia, or Salaak, and maybe even a returning Kyle Rayner? Wishful thinking. Either way with a current short supply of Green Lanterns, Venditti has plenty to pull from and keep the focus, and putting Hal on the bench helps him do that.

Ethan Van Sciver is one of those artists who will be known to be ‘the’ Green Lantern artist. Well versed in what they’re capable, tested through a fantastic Geoff Johns run and accustomed to the range in characters and the different types of Lanterns who create various styles of constructs depending on their personalities, Van Sciver alongside Jason Wright on colors continue to deliver gorgeous looking pages that you stop and admire. Showcasing in great half-page panels the entire might of Sinestro’s power now that it contains the Parallax fear entity in him, a costume that shows him to be well above his corps and Warworld with its Fear Engine that is Frank Quietly inspired with Van Sciver’s very own style injected into it. Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps is a much-needed continuation of what’s been Venditti’s great run, and necessary to a lackluster companion comic.

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Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #4 Writer: Robert Venditti Artist: Ethan Van Sciver Colorist: Jason Wright Publisher: DC Comics Price: $3.99 Format: Ongoing; Print/Digital

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