Green Lantern: Earth One

[thwhtGuardian]

Written by Gabriel Hardman and Corinna Bechko
Art by Gabriel Hardman

This newest chapter in the Earth One line is probably the best entry to date with the creators really trying to fundamentally rethink the characters and the universe in which they operate in order to create a fresh and modern story. Gone is the 1960's test pilot, and in his place a blue collar astronaut in the not too distant future simply trying to earn a few bucks while mining an asteroid. It's gritty and real, but without being dark which makes for a very relatable character in Hal Jordan.

Still, that said like all of DC's prior Earth One books, Green Lanterndoes struggle with pacing as it becomes evident once again that the graphic novel format simply isn't ideal to contain the stories these creators are trying to tell. While it starts out strong the issues that arise when shoe horning this plot into a one and done graphic novel become evident in third act which feels very rushed and truncated. Characters that feel like they should have been important and more developed drop out of the story abruptly and others are introduced with out being given their full due. As effective an overhaul as this Earth One revamp is, it's hard not to wonder how much it could be improved with a longer page count or by being converted to a limited series. None of this is to say you can't have a series of graphic novels, Mike Mignola has had great success of late in telling a series of stories as stand alone graphic novels, but rather it's a case that this story in particular seems ill fitted for the medium.

[tako]

tbh, I found this kind of boring. Same with the rest of the Earth One novels.

[thwhtGuardian]

tbh, I found this kind of boring. Same with the rest of the Earth One novels.

I do think the plot was a little thin but I really enjoyed the creativity inherent in the concept.

[chachi]

I never read any green lantern comics before. I do enjoy the Earth One line (Didn't care for Superman ones, never read vol 3). So I picked this up. I did enjoy it, thought the art fit the story.