Comic Book Journal

It suddenly occurs to me Geoff Johns deserves serious, serious props for making Hal Jordan so darn cool. For years it seemed certain comic creators (read: Alex Ross) unfairly demanded the rest of comicdom like Hal Jordan because he’s . . . ummm . . . Hal Jordan. But Geoff Johns not only brought Jordan back to the mantle of GL, but also fleshed out a character acceptable to both old and new fans.

That personality is in full view in issue #19, which opens as Hal flees the alien parasite Star Sapphire, who has taken over the body of Jordan’s air force buddy (and love interest) Cowgirl. Jordan is also busy protecting Sapphire’s former host - his former boss and love interest Carol Ferris! The banter goes something like this.

HAL: And we were only having a drin.

CAROL: Which IS a date.

HAL: You got married.

CAROL: You were dead.

HAL: Not THAT long.

The great thing about Johns’ characterization is he doesn’t play favorites. We could see Jordan falling in love with both spunky pilot Cowgirl or headstrong Carol Ferris, because both characters are so particulaly well-defined, and well, loveable.

A significant portion of the comic is a re-telling of the Sapphire origins from Carol’s perspective. The Star Sapphire was actually the product of a fringe group of Oans who refused to abandon the emotion of love like their blue big-headed colleagues. But years of isolation and contact with the mind-altering crystals has lead them to put a different spin on love, and the issue ends with a group of Sapphire Corps demanding Hal Jordan turn over both of his lovers to these mysterious aliens.

So Green Lantern Corps are composed of fearless agents supervised by apparently emotionless aliens. The Sinestro Corps are the opposite, relying on fear to get what they want. And somewhere in the middle is this Sapphire Corps, who rely on the power of love, albiet a very different and altogether alien “love”.

Green Lantern is certainly moving in some interesting directions, only amplified by Sinestro’s own return this summer. But for Johns’ sake, I hope we don’t see a different Corp for all the colors of the rainbow. Just three is enough.