Zero Hour vs. Crisis!
Well that Parallax retcon from Geoff Johns has really
colored how Hal Jordan is viewed, huh? Tony Bedard’s story places the burden of
Emerald Twilight clearly on the shoulders of Parallax rather than on Hal
Jordan. When the dome went up around Metropolis, Hal Jordan regained control of
his body and immediately regretted his actions. All that murder and mayhem from
Twilight happened while Parallax was driving.
Kyle Rayner only had the ring working for a short time
before the dome came down. And Hal Jordan has been sitting in a jail since
then, asking that he be made to pay for his crimes. I’m sort of torn on this
one, because unlike in the JLI crossover where I’m seeing the best incarnation
of those characters, I actually like the pre-52 Kyle and Hal. Their experiences
shaped them into better people, and in Kyle’s case, his comic book experiences made
him into one of my favorite DC characters. This book ALMOST gives me back the
real Kyle Rayner, he’s just a tad off. But at least he’s a Green Lantern
instead of a weirdo White Lantern.
As someone who came into the DCU after Crisis, I have
absolutely no idea who the folks in Electropolis are. I guess the gal who shows
up in Metropolis can manipulate the Green like Swamp Thing, but other than
that, she’s a total blank for me. That’s OK, though, because it sure seems like
the true antagonist in this story is going to be the newly ascendant Parallax.
I think Kyle will have to rein him in as he did in the 90’s, which is fine with
me. After all, I’m the 40-year-old man who has a Daryl Banks poster of Kyle
fighting Parallax over my bar.
Ron Wagner’s art has always been strong, but he can
sometimes get a bit sketchy for my taste. But thanks to the strong inks of Bill
Reinhold, this book looks really good. Kyle is back in his 90’s era look,
complete with excellent crab mask. And man, Parallax did have a nice costume, didn’t
he? I sort of wish these characters were facing down more Kingdom Come
characters, I think Wagner and Reinhold could do a bang-up job with Magog.
I’m pretty much over the Tellos-mandated battles at this point.
As a narrative device, it is rather lazy. However, Convergence, for me, has
nothing to do with the battles; it is all about getting a few more pages
featuring characters I used to love.
As a comic, this is GOOD thanks to the characterization and
art. The plot is POOR but I’m learning to look past that and enjoy the good
parts.
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