Title: Green Lantern: Earth One.
Volume: 2.
Writer(s): Gabriel Hardman & Corinna Bechko.
Artist(s): Gabriel Hardman.
Colourist(s): Jordan Boyd.
Letterer(s): Simon Bowland.
Publisher: DC Comics.
Format: Hardcover.
Release Date: August 11th, 2020.
Pages: 144.
Genre(s): Comics, Science-Fiction.
ISBN13: 9781401293031.
My Overall Rating: ★★★★☆.
Previously in the Green Lantern: Earth One series:
Green Lantern: Earth One (Vol. 1) by Gabriel Hardman.
DC Comics has been known for the past years to continuously develop their concept of a multiverse, taunting the reader with the potentiality of multiple parallel universes somehow co-existing with their own respective realities. With each comic book series centered around a hero (or a group of them), they’ve explored countless different stories where time and space are relative, but it is through non-canonical series that they are able to allow writers and artists the chance to write stories with unique premises. Their Earth One graphic novel series is one of them, paving the way for various creative teams to re-imagine to their liking the origin stories of all the superheroes we’ve come to love throughout our lives. While some are far less memorable than others, Gabriel Hardman and Corinna Bechko continue to successfully deliver a surprisingly coherent and cohesive origin story for Hal Jordan, the legendary Green Lantern.
What is Green Lantern: Earth One (Vol. 2) about? Taking place after the events of the first volume, the story begins with an interplanetary peace event set on establishing a partnership between Earth Central Command and the Llaran Colony. As things take a turn for the worse, an incident forces both parties to retreat, while a group of scientists and diplomats are kept hostage by the Llaran colony. To quickly resolve this issue before Earth is forced to come up with an offensive invasion, Hal Jordan flies off after them to try and understand what went wrong. On his way there, a new threat appears with a familiar technology: Yellow Lanterns. Fighting the same menace as the Green Lanterns, this new group working under a mysterious Guardian, possess an agenda far deadlier than anything before, testing the loyalty of many Green Lanterns in the process. Will Hal Jordan be able to save the day or watch his friends fall to darker instincts?
There’s something thoroughly appealing in writers Gabriel Hardman and Corinna Bechko’s Hal Jordan. His character doesn’t resemble much to the original hero besides being a persistent risk-taker who would do anything to right a wrong, especially when it concerns the well-being of others. The world they also conceive for this character, void of any other hero that doesn’t belong to the Green Lantern lore, makes for a fascinating social and political climate where he essentially presents himself as a mediator between humans and extraterrestrial beings. But how much can the world trust a man with an alien technology giving him incredible powers? His composed attitude and sense of leadership, however, make for an excellent role-model who is genuinely rooted in a morally- and ethically-appropriate vision of life.
This concise tale also draws upon more of the well-known elements of the Green Lantern universe, from the crucial and mysterious role played by one of the Guardians of the Universe to the ideologically-opposed dilemma faced by none other than Sinestro himself. Without ever really being a simple rehash, writers Gabriel Hardman and Corinna Bechko offer a compelling story that fully explores the various dynamics inter- and intra-planetary that requires the presence of these Lanterns to supervise and promote peace and prosperity. This volume also introduces Jon Stewart and offers him an excellent and modest origin story as he looks to the good within him to do the right thing during this crisis.
When it comes to artwork, it remains astonishing to see writer Gabriel Hardman deliver just as much quality as an artist on this volume too. It’s crisp, jagged, and heavily focused on shadows, brilliantly giving the world a distinguished sci-fi tone where space isn’t all bleak and empty. The panel structure is also brilliantly conceived, fully making use of each panel to capture the sequence of events with stunning accuracy. The Green and Yellow Lanterns also add a splash of colour that exquisitely jump off the page and remind us of the power of their force. With excellent character designs, it’s safe to say that Gabriel Hardman’s art and Jordan Boyd’s colours help make this volume a wonderful read. Both visually and narratively.
Green Lantern: Earth One (Vol. 2) is an excellent and compelling sequel building upon its first volume to expand the Green Lantern lore.
Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for sending me a copy for review!
Roars and Echoes 
Would you see that! You make me want to read this one when Green Lantern is my least favorite of the bunch Lashaan! And agree on the art being crisp!
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Hahahah I’m glad to show you the way towards enjoying a good Green Lantern story, Sophie! 😉 Thanks for reading. 😀
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I never quite knew what Green Lantern’s powers were, until I saw the movie with Ryan Deadpool Reynold, and ever since then I thought the character is pretty cool. I never really got into the comics themselves though, but now having read this review this might be a nice chance to go and pick up some excellent stories. Not only that, I love great art, and this looks terrific indeed! Another winning review Lashaan, keep them up! 😊
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This Earth One series would indeed enlighten you quite quickly and wonderfully on what Green Lantern is all about. When you go deeper into the Corps’ story, it becomes even more colourful and fascinating too. 😉 Hopefully, the next live-action GL movie will give everyone a better idea (and a better adaptation) of the hero’s world! Thanks for reading, Michel! I appreciate it a lot! 😀
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I was never a Hal Jordan (or Green Lantern in general) fan, but this does look good! And I do like the Earth One offshoot…. Hmm, I can see myself checking this out, not necessarily in some parallel universe… 😀
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It’s quite decent indeed and, personally, of all the Earth One stories released so far, I find Gabriel Hardman’s GL stories a much better re-imagining of the hero’s origin story. Hope you enjoy it if you ever end up giving it a go. 😉 Thanks for reading, Ola! 😀
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I’m guessing that the various colors of the Lanterns are like different versions of Kryptonite?
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Sort of, except with Green Lantern, the colour spectrum is connected to emotions. 😉 In fact, when I first started Weeks’ Lightbringer series, I was amazed by the similarities I could almost see with the GL lore too hahaaha
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Huh, maybe Weeks’ magic system wasn’t as “new” as I thought. The things one misses by not reading comics 😀
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Comic-book arftwork for grown-ups.
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Tell me about it! 😀 😀
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Looks like you really enjoyed this one and it sounds fascinating. Great review!
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I indeed did and hopefully, the next (and maybe final) volume will be just as nice or better! Thanks for reading, Yesha! 😀
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I love the sound of the multi-verse thing!
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Same here. Always been a fan of the concept too. 🙂
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Hi Lashaan! I love your selection and review. The read coincides with our present times of being imaginative within a variation of crises. Cheers!💗🍂🍃
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Thank you so much! That is so kind of you to say. I appreciate it a lot! 😀 😀
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I like that the writer is also the artist. That doesn’t happen all that often, does it? Adds a lot to the workload, but maybe also reduces it some as you don’t need to coordinate and compromise as much with others. The multiverse seems like an interesting idea if you’re looking for something different, outside the historical canon. Maybe these stories can attract fans that weren’t attracted to what’s come before.
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You’re right. It is rare. So far, they are usually very poorly-written stories but with stellar artwork when the artist decides to write the story himself (it’s never the writer who becomes an artist). But when it works, like here, it’s amazing!
I definitely see these Earth One stories, at least this one for Green Lantern, as a nice entry-point for newcomers. Veterans will enjoy it too as I find it refreshing to revisit an original origin story hahah Thanks for reading, Todd! 😀
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The shadow work really is spectacular. Did you know this was going to be a positive review when I mentioned last time that I knew Green Lantern would not be rated highly by you?
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I had already read it and was just waiting to review it actually hahah I had a good time with the first volume too so I wasn’t surprised that this sequel was just as good too. 😀
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I had a feeling that was the case.
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Oh so there are different lanterns with different colours? I like that! 😍 The artwork is amazing and your review is amazing too, Lashaan! 😍
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Yep! The whole colour spectrum exists. 😉 And each colour is usually associated to an emotion too. Thanks for reading, Caroline! 😀
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Ooooh!! 😮 that’s so cool!
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The Green and Yellow Lanterns also add a splash of colour that exquisitely jump off the page and remind us of the power of their force.
“The Green and Yellow Lanterns also add a splash of colour that exquisitely jump off the page and remind us of the power of their force.” – okay yeah..now I see how dull it would have looked with any other color other than yellow. 😅
LOVED THE REVIEW, Lashaan! As ALWAYSSSS!!! 😍😍❤️❤️🌟🦋😇☀️👻
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Hahaha I’ve never had to reread a sentence I wrote that many times before! 😛 Thanks for reading, Rain! 😀 😀 😀
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Sorry.
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Oh no, don’t be. It made me laugh as I reread what I once wrote having no memory of it till now. 🙂
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Okay WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED TO MY COMMENT?!?? 😭😭😭😭😭 I recorded sooo manyy thoughts about how the yellow lanterns should have been called the Gray lanterns, considering how the color Yellow is such a happy and hopeful one and…and…I also said how cool the name SInestro is…😭😭😭😭 but then…okay….you get the idea, right?!
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Hahahah I don’t think your comment disappeared but it’s funny that you seem to run into that problem often? Does it happen on other blogs? 😮
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Yep.
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And tbh, not that funny when I gotta rewrite the same comment again and again. Haha
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Shame on me, I still haven’t read volume 1 which sits in my ever bulging digital pile…I have to move it up the priority list as you’re review for volume 2 has me salivating as a fan of Green Lantern and the creative team (adored their Planet of The Apes comics for Boom!).
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I’m telling you now, I think this Earth One series is by far the best one of all those that exists right now (although the others aren’t that good anyways hahah)!
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