Tuesday, June 30, 2020

This way you don't have "Part 9 of 47" on the cover.

I've got a moment for a random comic, so let's start this pile of recent-ish Green Lantern books. "Act III, part I." Oh, comics. From 2015, Green Lantern #37, "Godhead, Act III, part I: Wall" Written by Robert Venditti, art by Francis Portela, breakdowns by Scott McDaniel.

Unfortunate event numbering aside, this was the various Lantern corps vs. the New Gods, and without looking anything up; this one opens with the bulk of them trapped in the New Gods' multiversal prison, "the Singularity Stockade." Kilowog is surprised they were betrayed by the Indigo Tribe, while Sinestro explains this is why you should have no allies. (I've recently accepted, the reason Kilowog doesn't always murder Sin on sight is that both have died, multiple times, and I'm just going to count that as evening the score.) Even with Parallax inside of him, Sinestro can't break out, but points out they all may learn a lot about fear in their prison. A valid point, that was more just for Sinestro to grouse about "the fear of our fate resting in the hands of Hal Jordan." Scary!

Back on earth, Hal is surrounded by zombies under the big top, courtesy of Black Hand. He even has the corpse of Hal's dad shuffling around, which Hal calls too far, but Hal needs Hand as an ally to stop the New Gods from using "the life equation." Death-obsessed Black Hand doesn't like the sound of that, but perks right up at the idea of space war, and joins him. Hal promises they'll settle up afterwards, which maybe gets a chuckle out of Hand. Flying out to the Source Wall...which seems like it should be more of a trip than the turn of a couple pages...instead of the Lanterns, they find Orion and his New Gods redshirts--I mean, Divine Guard! While Orion is openly contemptuous of the "glowbugs," Black Hand's ghoulish undead Lanterns put up a good fight.

Hal calls out Orion, like he wants to go fist-to-fist with him--he says "no constructs," but he's still using his ring, and a pile of undead Lanterns pile on Orion; until Black Hand gets distracted. Giddily, Hand realizes the Source Wall isn't a wall: "It's a mass grave!" Yeah, he's a little too excited.

Even with his Astro-Harness, I feel like Hal could fly circles around Orion; but hand-to-hand? No. Nooooo. Orion would leave him trying to pick up his own teeth, which would be even more challenging in zero-g. That would be a top-shelf beating; but the next chapter of Godhead wasn't the next issue; which we'll see some other time.

3 comments:

Mr. Morbid's House Of Fun said...

From what I remember this Godhead thing lasted WAAAAAAY too damn long, but that's Vendeti's run on GL in a nutshell for you.

Yeah no way in a no ring situation Hal survives against Orion. I mean the guy's able to to go toe-to-toe against his daddy dearest darkeif in the raw strength department, and I'm pretty sure he could give Superman a good long fight. Now Orion VS Lobo in a no holds barred fight? Now THAT I'd love to see. Someone dies is all I know.

googum said...

Lobo would easily piss Orion off enough, that he just goes to town on Lobo. A beating so long and so savage--Orion would probably tear Lobo's leg off and beat him with it--that Orion is starting to feel bad about it. Is this all he is? A brute? A pain-delivery machine as if he'd never left Apokolips? Once crippling depression has numbed Orion, then it's time for Lobo's comeback...

Mr. Morbid's House Of Fun said...

I don't think Orion's privy to those types of deep introspection, especially in the heat of battle. I do think he tires out eventually, with Lobo taking advantage.