Green Lantern #2 Discussion/Spoilers

[Rakzo]

Second chapter in this new series and I still can't help but finding some of the same issues.

Jeremy Adams' main story is mostly devoted about Hal's hi jinks on trying to return to how things used to be on Earth and that of course involves Carol. Credit where credit is due, there's more character work going on here, especially thanks to a conversation between Hal and Kilowog which explores more of what's happening in the protagonist's mind (and is cool that Adams is addressing continuity like what happened during Robert Venditti's run).

Unfortunately, Hal is still annoying as hell, particularly when he's so forceful at "winning" Carol's heart once again, even when her new boyfriend is around and of course treating him very poorly when he hasn't done anything to deserve it (Oh, and speaking of which, never make a character say that a protagonist is "very funny" since that should be obvious for the reader already, especially when they haven't done anything to warrant that and is just ends-up in cringe). Plus, the superhero parts are mostly generic and the little story progress there was apparently is going to be stopped because things needs to tie-in to the next event.

Xermanico's artwork is beautiful though, very vibrant, expressive and follows the script perfectly.

It doesn't help that Phillip Kennedy Johnson's segment is overly-short now. Interesting in terms of character work and ideas but it just needs more pages to develop. Montos' artwork is fitting for a cosmic scale story, the scale is there at least.

Yep, not sure where things are going but they don't seem interesting so far.

[StarSpangledMan]

Really enjoying the character work Adams is doing for Hal, he's sort of taking it slow and we really get inside Hal's head as he reacquaints to life on Earth. Love it. Hijinks with the Demolition Team at the start and Hal lucking his way to a first officer's position in just a day; peak Silver Age Hal himbo energy and I am so here for it! Echoing what Rakzo said though, not liking Hal treating Carol and Nathan poorly; they're engaged Hal, respect it, this isn't the time or place to win her back and please let poor Nathan out of the restroom. Hopefully we don't have to see much more of that behaviour and Hal wisens up soon and moves on.

John's story is still intriguing but I need more pages damnit! I really empathise with his vigilance, with him just waiting for something to go wrong. Here's hoping John gets to be happy wherever that path takes him.

[sifighter]

Honestly kind of like the idea of Hal being a private pilot. It’s not a commercial airline so he’s not riggedly stuck to a schedule that would conflict with lantern work.

Also really like Kilowag giving Hal the kick in the pants he needs.

Will agree though Hal acted like a bit of a jerk there towards Carol’s new guy.

[Nightwing96]

I actually quite enjoyed this issue. Its clear that for Carol she is looking for stability in a partnership and that is why she is with her fiancé as she wants someone she doesn't have to worry about leaving due to their other commitments. Hal is as charming as ever (already won over the fiancé and yes I know he was doing it out of his own selfishness) but it looks like this will be the start of him figuring out what to make of his life here on earth and probably reflecting on Carol's words. She is right at the end of the day and though they are soul mates, Hal has never been around in one place for long so this ties into the themes Jeremy Adams said in his interview of whether its right for Hal to chase after her if she seems to be happy already in her own life without him. I think it will be good to see Hal grow and develop a sense of home and identity outside of Carol here on earth but I do suspect that later on in this run we will eventually see Hal and Carol reunite again (I mean she divorced her last husband so can't see why she wouldn't break off an engagement) but its clear that Carol is still holding onto the hurt of Hal always breaking her heart so she is looking for something who is the opposite of Hal right now and Hal himself needs to try and develop some roots and build a life here on earth.

[Johnny]

Could be due to my PTSD from "forced love interests meant to give the protagonist man pain" thing(not that this is really what's happening here) that I didn't find Hal's antics towards Carol and Nathan annoying, because he doesn't come off as obnoxious to me, but more as the carefree scoundrel type full of playful innocence who's been away for too long that he's forgotten his old approach wouldn't work anymore, particularly with someone like Carol who's clearly tired of it. Not that he tried to be very convincing anyway. Still, Adams should indeed pick up the pace since he has spoken at length before about not being a fan when writers write Hal like he's Guy and the need to make sure to strike the proper balance of Hal being confident without being arrogant.

I will agree we don't need other characters to tell us how funny the protagonist is, of all people Hal doesn't need some kind of endorsement from a stranger he just met only because he happens to be engaged to his ex. Even if it was done for the sake of further telling the audience that Carol is worried about trusting Hal again with the scene making it clear why. I found it funny when the rookie pilots in the first issue called Hal an old man, and here the actual older pilot calls him a kid.

The Kilowog scene stands out again, and I thought Kilowog may not actually be Kilowog until the line that he's never seen another ringslinger like Hal. Wouldn't make much sense if he is a figment of Hal's imagination since Hal often cringes at the idea of being the greatest GL. Kilowog could very well be real but I think it would be interesting if he isn't, further solidifying the theme of isolation hiding underneath the main character's constant bravado. It also helps the intrigue of what happened during the month long gap without forcing it in your face at every turn.

Scaring the superstitious and cowardly lot was fun. Mentions of Clark and Booster Gold too makes it clear this book won't be isolated for too long.

I like how the ending leads directly to Knight Terrors to try to at least make it feel like it's not interrupting the pace of the story that much.

The back-up was nice, the Revenant Queen could have the potential to be memorable and John's scenes with his mom are again very nice to see. PKJ will do well with the character.

[Frontier]

It's great to see Hal back in the swing of things and back in the sky as Green Lantern, and how much he's enjoying himself again. I also like how he went for an unconventional means of stopping the Demolition Crew rather than usual Superhero fisticuffs.

So obviously Hal can't maintain his GL form permanently...so how does he recharge? Or is it just that the transformation fades when he leaves Earth orbit, he really can't leave?

I was kind of wondering about depressed Kilowog but he's still chill and able to give Hal the advice he needs in the usual Kilowog manner, so that was nice. Still a lot we don't know about what happened.

Hal's progression into being Carol's personal pilot is the most Hal-like thing ever.

Nathan seems like a nice guy. Totally Carol's non-Hal type. Which probably means he's going to get screwed over by the end of this.

Yeah, it was kind of a dick move what Hal did at the end. And it's not like Carol is off-base either. Hopefully this will prove to be a character building moment moving forward.

It's kind of funny how Hal tricked the Demolition Crew with ghosts and now his plane is getting attacked by ghosts.

The John backup is nice but I feel like I'm more interested in the stuff with his mom than the Revenant Queen stuff, because we hardly ever get any downtime for John or with his family.

[sifighter]

So was the ending with the ghosts attacking the plane a tie-in to Knight Terrors or was that an attack by a green lantern villain?

[Digifiend]

Tie-in. The page specifically says to be continued in Knight Terrors: Green Lantern. At least it's still the same writer. Any book with a substitute writer for the tie-in is just interrupting the story in my opinion. This is one of the few that might actually count for something.

[sifighter]

Yeah that’s actually terrifying because I hate flying enough as is, so falling asleep because of demons while in a free falling plane is absolutely scary to me.

[j9ac9k]

-- Man, I hate to say it but I might be glad that we're taking a detour over to "Knight Terrors" the next few months. Maybe it'll be more interesting than the setup we've been given so far. This issue annoyed the frick out of me, and it's mostly about Adams's take on Hal. (and also disappointment over his take on Carol) but the overall tone so far feels too old school. It's not that Hal's acting out of character, but as others have said about last issue, this is all well-worn territory. He may not be the "cocky jerk", but "self-doubting loser" isn't a great look either. Maybe it's for newer readers who haven't seen all this before, but for me this feels like Hal's regressed, rather than capturing good nostalgia feels. There were a few enjoyable bits, but this is the internet, so I'm going to list my grievances, both big and nitpicky:
-- Seeing the cops during Hal's fight with Red Anger?... Crimson Metalhead?... was a waste of a page. They deserved one panel, then ... maybe show us the fight?
-- Does Adams think the Manhunters were people in armor? Or is he referencing something I'm not aware of because there have been Manhunter robots and people in Manhunter costumes, but has there ever been Oan energy powered Manhunter armor? If not, I don't like how they're glossing over that it's unusual, as though Manhunter armor is a thing. It's also just so convenient that armor that was sold on ebay ended up in Coast City so Hal could use it. I know everything's contrived, but it feels like Adams was supposed to have Hal leave the Corps but still have his ring, so it felt like box-checking rather than a story, like any other time a hero gives up their superhero identity and works their way back to it. (which of course Hal's done before)
-- The DT scene was fun, but it was just silly that they ran to the cops asking to be sent to jail. It felt like a bad cartoon.
-- So Hal was actually fired - great. Adams says he wants people to love Hal, but being incompetent in his job doesn't make me like him. Hal whining about it and second-guessing his decisions again doesn't make me like him. Kil telling Hal to stop whining brought back bad memories of Ollie's "get a life" speech.
-- Yeah, and Hal's behavior towards Carol and her fiance doesn't make me like him. I don't think I've ever seen Carol's hair miscolored before. New pet peeve - at least Hal's boots were correct.
-- "Hal leaves." Ugh - that old chestnut. Didn't Carol take off to space with Kyle and the New Guardians or something? I didn't read that title, but it would have been nice for Adams to reference her time as Star Sapphire and that both of them have grown since the old days. So now, Carol once again represents stability and settling down. Fart.

This isn't a complaint, but I guess we'll have to wait months to find out how Hal survived that fall? My guess is Kilowog, but who knows? Maybe it was Clark, since he mentioned him. Or maybe it was sheer willpower?

[Frontier]

-- Man, I hate to say it but I might be glad that we're taking a detour over to "Knight Terrors" the next few months. Maybe it'll be more interesting than the setup we've been given so far. This issue annoyed the frick out of me, and it's mostly about Adams's take on Hal. (and also disappointment over his take on Carol) but the overall tone so far feels too old school. It's not that Hal's acting out of character, but as others have said about last issue, this is all well-worn territory. He may not be the "cocky jerk", but "self-doubting loser" isn't a great look either. Maybe it's for newer readers who haven't seen all this before, but for me this feels like Hal's regressed, rather than capturing good nostalgia feels. There were a few enjoyable bits, but this is the internet, so I'm going to list my grievances, both big and nitpicky:
-- Seeing the cops during Hal's fight with Red Anger?... Crimson Metalhead?... was a waste of a page. They deserved one panel, then ... maybe show us the fight?
-- Does Adams think the Manhunters were people in armor? Or is he referencing something I'm not aware of because there have been Manhunter robots and people in Manhunter costumes, but has there ever been Oan energy powered Manhunter armor? If not, I don't like how they're glossing over that it's unusual, as though Manhunter armor is a thing. It's also just so convenient that armor that was sold on ebay ended up in Coast City so Hal could use it. I know everything's contrived, but it feels like Adams was supposed to have Hal leave the Corps but still have his ring, so it felt like box-checking rather than a story, like any other time a hero gives up their superhero identity and works their way back to it. (which of course Hal's done before)
-- The DT scene was fun, but it was just silly that they ran to the cops asking to be sent to jail. It felt like a bad cartoon.
-- So Hal was actually fired - great. Adams says he wants people to love Hal, but being incompetent in his job doesn't make me like him. Hal whining about it and second-guessing his decisions again doesn't make me like him. Kil telling Hal to stop whining brought back bad memories of Ollie's "get a life" speech.
-- Yeah, and Hal's behavior towards Carol and her fiance doesn't make me like him. I don't think I've ever seen Carol's hair miscolored before. New pet peeve - at least Hal's boots were correct.
-- "Hal leaves." Ugh - that old chestnut. Didn't Carol take off to space with Kyle and the New Guardians or something? I didn't read that title, but it would have been nice for Adams to reference her time as Star Sapphire and that both of them have grown since the old days. So now, Carol once again represents stability and settling down. Fart.

This isn't a complaint, but I guess we'll have to wait months to find out how Hal survived that fall? My guess is Kilowog, but who knows? Maybe it was Clark, since he mentioned him. Or maybe it was sheer willpower?

I guess to me it feels like stuff we haven't really seen in really a long time and it's depicted solidly that it doesn't feel like well-worn territory...but I guess that just comes with the territory of bringing it back to basics.

I can understand wanting more of an action sequence but I felt like they were going for a comedic beat and build up to showing Hal easily trouncing the Manhunter guy with his ring back. It seems like there's more to the story with Hal and his ring that we're developing now.

Bad guys getting so terrified they run straight to the police is a staple .

I think it was less of an instance of Hal being incompetent so much as just bristling with the new Ferris Air, yet it also shows his ingenuity to always land on his feet and back in the air. If anyone knows how to improvise, it's Hal Jordan. They didn't really seem to have Hal dwell that much in my opinion.

I'm wondering if we'll see Carol ring up in the next issue.

[HsssH]

-- Does Adams think the Manhunters were people in armor? Or is he referencing something I'm not aware of because there have been Manhunter robots and people in Manhunter costumes, but has there ever been Oan energy powered Manhunter armor? If not, I don't like how they're glossing over that it's unusual, as though Manhunter armor is a thing. It's also just so convenient that armor that was sold on ebay ended up in Coast City so Hal could use it. I know everything's contrived, but it feels like Adams was supposed to have Hal leave the Corps but still have his ring, so it felt like box-checking rather than a story, like any other time a hero gives up their superhero identity and works their way back to it. (which of course Hal's done before)

Adams can always return to this plot point later, but yeah, so far it is being treated like a normal thing when it is not normal at all. I'm also annoyed that two issues in and we still don't know what happened with UP and GLC or why there are multiple GLs (and Sinestro) on Earth now. Or whats up with Hal's ring. And we probably won't get any answers before September? Sucks.

So funny bit was very weird not only because characters shouldn't really act like that, but Hal actually didn't say anything funny? Maybe it was the boyfriend trying to act nice? Either way it was awkward scene.

I guess whole Carol situation looks a bit weird when you think about her own history as Star Sapphire, but am I the only one who wouldn't mind if most of it was retconned out of continuity?

So far I'm enjoying PKJ's backups more. If we add Dark Crisis one-shot PKJ had about same amount of pages as Adams did so far and I feel like I have better understanding of what is going on with that story.

[sbp1972]

I wish I could find the article, but I seem to recall Adams recently saying that he was intentionally starting off with the bare-bones, stereotype version of Hal Jordan as set-up, and then building up from there.
I think he did a pretty solid job "rescuing" Wally West from the Didio assassination attempt, so I'm willing to give him some rope on this and see where he goes with it.

[Rakzo]

I wish I could find the article, but I seem to recall Adams recently saying that he was intentionally starting off with the bare-bones, stereotype version of Hal Jordan as set-up, and then building up from there.
I think he did a pretty solid job "rescuing" Wally West from the Didio assassination attempt, so I'm willing to give him some rope on this and see where he goes with it.

I don't think there was any need to regress Hal like that. The transition to this immature version is very jarring especially after the things Hal went through during Venditti's and Morrison's runs.

Also, Williamson already did most of the hard work with Wally after Heroes in Crisis. Adams just followed on that (and to be honest what he did was overly-predictable).

[Hol]

I don't think there was any need to regress Hal like that. The transition to this immature version is very jarring especially after the things Hal went through during Venditti's and Morrison's runs.

Also, Williamson already did most of the hard work with Wally after Heroes in Crisis. Adams just followed on that (and to be honest what he did was overly-predictable).

When? In that one issue of Speed Metal? People give that issue so much credit because of the crap we had gotten for so many years prior. Adams, IMO, is the one who not only redeemed Wally but brought him back to greatness!