Hal Jordan, we hardly knew ye

Marvel and DC.  Should really be named Johns vs BD, as in Geoff Johns (DC creative head) and Brian Michael Bendis (Marvel's creative head) since those are the only writers that do any of the major work concerning the universes.  I gotta say though that comics has an unholy tradition of stretching their writers out too thin but these guys seem to love the idea of being workhorses, especially in regards to Johns who basically is re-shaping DC as we speak.  I mean he did Infinite Crisis, 52, Rebirthed GL and the Flash, Blackest Night and now Brightest Day but before that, he did Secret Origins starting with our very own Hal Jordan.

Thanks to my best buddy Josh, I got a copy of Green Lantern: Secret Origins.  Why was it a secret?  I have no idea.  Probably because he was being seduced by a Russian spy for the secret access to the hearts and mind of children and geeks everywhere, especially geeks since we tend to usually hold high levels of access to technology when we are not choosing to live with our parents (it's a legitimate choice dammit!!)  Or was good ol Highball Hal a bed wetter?  Now everyone already knows the story of Hal Jordan since it's the basic flyboy former Air Force test pilot who got a green energy ring from an alien space cop before he died.  Pahleeese.  Guys, can you be more creative then that?  Now if you made him a giant head of Willian Shatner as with little tiny legs then I'd say you're in business!!  So I wasn't expecting much from this title.  True I am a GL fan but not the biggest one to date but a comics a comic and Josh does have good taste. 

So what's so damn new about John's retelling?  Well not really too much honestly.  The basics are still there but it's what's added that makes the story so appealing is that it really expands upon who Hal Jordan is and his struggles before becoming a Green Lantern.  It's very similar to Batman Begins in the way of the origin story since it shows the personal and psychological aspect of the character and Johns really seems to dig Hal and makes it so that we do too.  But not only does he re-do Hal Jordan but also slight revamps of the supporting cast and villains as well so that he can tie it all into his version of the DC universe.  What's also so great is that we not only stay fresh to the original Alan Moore story of Tygers, which gave the ideas of Blackest Night but also set the standard for Green Lantern lore. 

Another great thing about Johns is how he gives a great tune up to the old corny GL villians from Hector Hammond to Black Hand and makes them corny to truly and utterly fearsome foes. I admit before this story I considered Hector Hammond a weird, giant headed pedo verion of Professor X but here in Secret Origin, I found out how really vile the guy is and how creepy he is as an obsessed stalker of Carol Ferris.  Then to add more to current DC universe, here Johns added Atrocitus, the head Red Lantern from Blackest Night as part of the lore.  At first I thought it was a cheap ploy but as I read on, I coulnd't get enough of it and how he was the one who caused Abin Sur to crash.  I mean the original story of the yellow element fucking up his ship was kinda cheesy and didn't make a whole lot of sense.  However adding old red and angry in it, makes a kinda of sense.  Plus it's also great to see Sinestro before he became the hated enemy of Hal Jordan and the friendship that helped to shape them.  It also added a sense of tragedy to the whole relationship. 

 However the greatest depth came to Hal Jordan.  Now Hal was the typical "No Fear" Maverick from Top Gun type of guy and although that's a cool character, it tends to wear a bit thin.  But in here, we learn the tragedy and anger that drove him and how he learned to grow up after realizing he became a wash up and Air Force eject.  I mean he did punch out Batman since he wasn't afraid of him so Hal's the man.  Plus just like Flash: Rebirth, you learn to like the guy even though he did go insane and kill a bunch of folks but that wasn't his fault.  Seriously.  Read GL: Rebirth.  But overall it's also great to see Hal Jordan as struggling with the GL power and coming to terms with it since well, honestly, the most powerful weapon in the universe fueled by will should at least come with an instruction manual and take some time to get used to.  Plus we're all so used to confident Hal that seeing unsure Hal is a welcome thing and makes him a more endearing character.  My favorite moment was when Hal questioned the Guardians....priceless.  The retelling also ties everything in for the current DC Universe run that involves Blackest Night and Brightest Day as well and again, very smoothly I might add.

Now the artist on this team is Ivan Reis, who's worked with Johns before on many titles and on the recent Blackest Night run and is always in top form and this is no exception.  His nuances and shadows give a great compliment to the action and adds a dramatic, cinematic feel to the story.  Speaking of which, Hector Hammond is going to be the main baddie in the new GL movie and originally, I wasn't for it however I do have to say that now after reading this, I'm looking forward to it and I know that they probably read Secret Origin as essential reading before getting to the script or at least using it as a source for a rewrite. 




  

 In fact after digging a bit, I saw that Reynolds said that the Secret Origin book was the bible he used for the upcoming movie to characterize Hal Jordan.  So I'm happy it's going in the right direction.  Now as for that other movie....

Overall I gotta say:

5/5.  Go pick it up before the movie



Actual movie poster from WB