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Collecting Green Lantern #0, 48-57, New Titans #116-117 and R.E.B.E.L.S. #1.
Green Lantern #48 is written by Ron Marz and illustrated by Bill Willingham. Hal Jordan tries to recreate the devastated Coast City with his Power Ring, but his actions will come at a terrible cost.
Remember a time before DC weren't making out that Hal Jordan was the greatest thing ever and could do no wrong? Thankfully, these issues are from a time before Geoff Johns starting writing comics so we don't have to put up with him forcing Hal Jordan down our throats. I never had a problem with Kyle Rayner as Green Lantern because he was the Green Lantern when I first got into comics. At least we only have four issues until Hal gets binned off and Kyle takes over.
Green Lantern #49 is written by Ron Marz and illustrated by Fred Haynes. Needing more power to bring back Coast City, Hal Jordan heads to Oa, but the Guardians send the entire Green Lantern Corps to stop him.
Coast City was destroyed during the Reign of the Supermen story line. Hal was off in space when it actually happened and only returned to Earth when it was too late. I will go into more detail about that when I get around to reviewing the necessary trade. Hal ends up stealing the rings from the Green Lanterns that confront him and leaves them for dead. I think they end up returning when Geoff Johns brings Hal back as well. Hal's actions will end up getting explained away as being under the influence of the fear entity Parallax.
Green Lantern #50 is written by Ron Marz and illustrated by Darryl Banks. In order to stop the maddened Hal Jordan, the Guardians of the Universe have done the unthinkable and have released his greatest adversary Sinestro. Only one of them will walk away from the flight.
Sinestro's death is another thing that will be retconned when geoff Johns brings Hal back. it will turn out that the Sinestro that Hal killed was only an artificial construct. The real Sinestro was hiding all along. Kilowog is properly dead (you don't get more dead than being incinerated), but he will come back from the dead later down the line. I only have a limited knowledge of the Green Lanterns characters, but I have always thought Kilowog was pretty cool so I'm glad he doesn't stay dead forever.
Green Lantern #51 is written by Ron Marz and illustrated by Darryl Banks. Kyle Rayner is the only remaining Green Lantern in the entire universe. Which is a pity as he will need all the help he can get when a new villain called Ohm arrives on the scene.
When Hal Jordan took the energy of the Green Lantern Power Battery for himself, the Guardians gave their lives to create one last Power Ring and tasked Ganthet to find another bearer. Kyle Rayner was chosen to be the bearer of the last Power Ring. Somebody as powerful as a Green Lantern shouldn't have had as much trouble with a loser in stolen power armour like Kyle did. I suppose I can't be too angry because Kyle was just given his Power Ring. It's only understandable that he would take a few bumps as he got used to being a hero.
Green Lantern #52 is written by Ron Marz and illustrated by Darryl Banks with Steve Carr and Jamal Igle. Kyle continues to try and understand his new power as Mongul returns to kill the new Green Lantern.
Well, that was a sudden change. From a nobody in power armour to a heavy-hitter like Mongul. One way to establish a new hero is to have him fight a top tier villain. At least Kyle has his girlfriend Alex to help train him how to be a hero. I'm glad there wasn't any forced drama about Kyle trying to hide his secret identity from her.
Green Lantern #53 is written by Ron Marz and illustrated by Darryl Banks. Kyle's fight with Mongul isn't going well. Fortunately, Superman is on hand to help.
This must have been shortly after the Return of Superman arc because Superman still has that terrible mullet. It also turns out that Kyle's Power Ring doesn't have the lame weakness to yellow like all the other Green Lanterns. We don't get an explanation for that, so I am hoping that we will find out soon. Major Force also escape during Mongul's rampage. He is approached by some shadowy government types and sent to investigate the new Green Lantern. I'm sure nothing bad could possibly happen with that.
Green Lantern #54 is written by Ron Marz and illustrated by Steve Carr with Derec Aucoin and Darryl Banks. While Kyle is out, the villain Major Force comes calling and leaves Green Lantern a nasty surprise in the fridge.
This is the infamous issue that popularised the term for a character being killed in a needlessly gruesome manner for the sole purpose of motivation the lead character. Kyle's girlfriend is killed and stuffed in a fridge, so that is why 'Women in Refrigerator's became a thing. It also led Gail Simone to create a website listing all the instances of female character being brutalised just to motivate the male lead. I wish I could say the this sort of thing doesn't happen any more, but comics creators do love to go for cheap drama and how better than to kill off the lead's love interest?
Green Lantern #55 is written by Ron Marz and illustrated by Darryl Banks with Derec Aucoin and Craig Hamilton. Kyle meets Alan Scott, the original Green Lantern, who tells him the history of the Green Lanterns.
Green Lantern was too late to save Alex because of a time-quake nearby where a futuristic city appeared in the middle of Los Angeles. This was presumably because of the events of Zero Hour, where time was going screwy and effecting various other titles. Kyle also hasn't thought to recharge his Power Ring, so he ends up running out of power in the middle of his fight with Major Force. Major Force was given a green stone by his mysterious employers. The green stone just so happens to be a Power Battery and Kyle is able to get a recharge just in time.
Green Lantern #0 is written by Ron Marz and illustrated by Darryl Banks. After the events of Zero Hour, Kyle Rayner and Hal Jordan end up in the ruins of Oa. Hal sees all the destruction he has wrought and begs Kyle for another chance to prove himself a hero.
At the end of the Zero Hour event, Kyle Rayner grabs Hal Jordan's Parallax just as Green Arrow shoots him in the heart. In the ensuing explosion, both were flung into the time stream and ended up arriving in modern-day Oa. Hal is still determined to remake reality and tries to absorb all of the remaining energy from Oa, but Kyle is forced to destroy the planet and Parallax escapes yet again. Parallex's death in Zero Hour seemed final enough, but I guess he survived after all. I did wonder how Hal Jordan managed to survive only to redeem himself during the Final Night event.
Green Lantern #56 is written by Ron Marz and illustrated by Darryl Banks. Kyle finds himself stuck on an alien planet trying to find a way back to Earth. He meets former Green Lantern Adara, who ends up stealing his Power Ring.
Kyle seems to be losing his ring a lot. Hal Jordan took it in the previous issue, and now Adara takes it. Kyle will have to take better care of his ring if he wants to live up to Hal Jordan's reputation. Meanwhile, Darkseid has taken an interest in the new Green Lantern. Nothing will come of that for a while, but I think that will be covered in the next volume. I don't have volume two, I wanted to see if I liked this series before I started reading any more.
R.E.B.E.L.S. #1 is written by Tom Peyer and illustrated by Arnie Jorgensen. The R.E.B.E.L.S. are in the sights of a fleet of L.E.G.I.O.N. gunships, but the arrival of Green Lantern could turn the tables in their favour.
I don't know if this group was supposed to have any connection with the Legion of Super-Heroes. The Legion of Super-Heroes has been rebooted so many times that I find it impossible to understand what is going on. I am starting to dread the time when I get around to reading any Legion of Super-Heroes stories. Any way, Kyle Rayner is still lost in space and is beamed aboard a L.E.G.I.O.N. ship.
Green Lantern #57 is written by Ron Marz and illustrated by Darryl Banks. Kyle relocates to New York. Unfortunately, Psimon takes over his mind and sends him against the New Titans.
Kyle's new apartment just so happens to be in Bleecker Street. On his way there he meets a bald Asian man who says the area may be a bit strange. This is of course a reference to Marvel's Doctor Strange, whose Sanctum Sanctorum is located in Bleecker Street. The bald Asian man is supposed to be Strange's manservant Wong. I thought that was a cute little in-joke. Kyle's new supporting cast seems nice as well. I wonder how long it will take for them to die horribly.
New Titans #116 is written by Marv Wolfman with Frank Pittarese and illustrated by Stephen Jones. The possessed Changeling continues his fight against the New Titans. As if that wasn't enough, the mind-controlled Green Lantern shows up as well.
The Titans that Kyle encounters aren't exactly the big name members of the team. That being said, Arsenal was an original Titan as Speedy. Impulse is part of the team as well, so at least there's one person that I like on the team. Donna Troy is part of the team, but she is going by Darkstar at this time. As far as I can make out, the Darkstars were created by an off-shoot of the Guardians of the Universe called the Controllers. They took over as galactic policemen when Hal Jordan wiped out the rest of the Green Lantern Corps, so they are basically Green Lanterns for the rad 90's. Also, Changeling has turned evil for some reason. I have only read a few bits of the early New teen Titans, so I don't have the faintest idea what's going on.
New Titans #117 is written by Marv Wolfman and illustrated by William Rosado. Green Lantern and Donna Troy team-up with the New Titans to take on Psimon.
Green Lantern spends most of this issue unconscious, but he wakes up just in time to join the final battle against Psimon. There are so many other characters that I don't recognise in these issues. Maybe I should read more of the later New Titans issues. I do feel that there is something lacking without George Perez on art. it doesn't help that most of the Titans I actually know are elsewhere. I think this was the time when Nightwing Became Batman while Bruce Wayne was recovering from the beating Bane gave him. Starfire is back on Tameran, but I don't know what happened to Cyborg and Raven.
As I said at the beginning of this review, I never had a problem with Kyle Rayner as Green Lantern as he was the only Green Lantern when I first got into comics and I never knew any different. Unfortunately, the salty comics fans that were up in arms about Kyle taking over became writers for DC and brought Hal Jordan back and started forcing him down everybody's throats, just how they thought Kyle was being forced down everybody's throats back in the day. You can tell I have a lot of issues about these characters. Thankfully, I din't have many more Hal Jordan appearances in my read list. The only Green Lantern-related comics in my list involve Lanterns other than Hal and the villains so I shouldn't have to put up with everybody making out Hal is the best thing ever.
My rating: 3.5 stars.
Next time: Amazing Spider-Man Masterworks Vol. 1
Green Lantern #48 is written by Ron Marz and illustrated by Bill Willingham. Hal Jordan tries to recreate the devastated Coast City with his Power Ring, but his actions will come at a terrible cost.
Remember a time before DC weren't making out that Hal Jordan was the greatest thing ever and could do no wrong? Thankfully, these issues are from a time before Geoff Johns starting writing comics so we don't have to put up with him forcing Hal Jordan down our throats. I never had a problem with Kyle Rayner as Green Lantern because he was the Green Lantern when I first got into comics. At least we only have four issues until Hal gets binned off and Kyle takes over.
Green Lantern #49 is written by Ron Marz and illustrated by Fred Haynes. Needing more power to bring back Coast City, Hal Jordan heads to Oa, but the Guardians send the entire Green Lantern Corps to stop him.
Coast City was destroyed during the Reign of the Supermen story line. Hal was off in space when it actually happened and only returned to Earth when it was too late. I will go into more detail about that when I get around to reviewing the necessary trade. Hal ends up stealing the rings from the Green Lanterns that confront him and leaves them for dead. I think they end up returning when Geoff Johns brings Hal back as well. Hal's actions will end up getting explained away as being under the influence of the fear entity Parallax.
Green Lantern #50 is written by Ron Marz and illustrated by Darryl Banks. In order to stop the maddened Hal Jordan, the Guardians of the Universe have done the unthinkable and have released his greatest adversary Sinestro. Only one of them will walk away from the flight.
Sinestro's death is another thing that will be retconned when geoff Johns brings Hal back. it will turn out that the Sinestro that Hal killed was only an artificial construct. The real Sinestro was hiding all along. Kilowog is properly dead (you don't get more dead than being incinerated), but he will come back from the dead later down the line. I only have a limited knowledge of the Green Lanterns characters, but I have always thought Kilowog was pretty cool so I'm glad he doesn't stay dead forever.
Green Lantern #51 is written by Ron Marz and illustrated by Darryl Banks. Kyle Rayner is the only remaining Green Lantern in the entire universe. Which is a pity as he will need all the help he can get when a new villain called Ohm arrives on the scene.
When Hal Jordan took the energy of the Green Lantern Power Battery for himself, the Guardians gave their lives to create one last Power Ring and tasked Ganthet to find another bearer. Kyle Rayner was chosen to be the bearer of the last Power Ring. Somebody as powerful as a Green Lantern shouldn't have had as much trouble with a loser in stolen power armour like Kyle did. I suppose I can't be too angry because Kyle was just given his Power Ring. It's only understandable that he would take a few bumps as he got used to being a hero.
Green Lantern #52 is written by Ron Marz and illustrated by Darryl Banks with Steve Carr and Jamal Igle. Kyle continues to try and understand his new power as Mongul returns to kill the new Green Lantern.
Well, that was a sudden change. From a nobody in power armour to a heavy-hitter like Mongul. One way to establish a new hero is to have him fight a top tier villain. At least Kyle has his girlfriend Alex to help train him how to be a hero. I'm glad there wasn't any forced drama about Kyle trying to hide his secret identity from her.
Green Lantern #53 is written by Ron Marz and illustrated by Darryl Banks. Kyle's fight with Mongul isn't going well. Fortunately, Superman is on hand to help.
This must have been shortly after the Return of Superman arc because Superman still has that terrible mullet. It also turns out that Kyle's Power Ring doesn't have the lame weakness to yellow like all the other Green Lanterns. We don't get an explanation for that, so I am hoping that we will find out soon. Major Force also escape during Mongul's rampage. He is approached by some shadowy government types and sent to investigate the new Green Lantern. I'm sure nothing bad could possibly happen with that.
Green Lantern #54 is written by Ron Marz and illustrated by Steve Carr with Derec Aucoin and Darryl Banks. While Kyle is out, the villain Major Force comes calling and leaves Green Lantern a nasty surprise in the fridge.
This is the infamous issue that popularised the term for a character being killed in a needlessly gruesome manner for the sole purpose of motivation the lead character. Kyle's girlfriend is killed and stuffed in a fridge, so that is why 'Women in Refrigerator's became a thing. It also led Gail Simone to create a website listing all the instances of female character being brutalised just to motivate the male lead. I wish I could say the this sort of thing doesn't happen any more, but comics creators do love to go for cheap drama and how better than to kill off the lead's love interest?
Green Lantern #55 is written by Ron Marz and illustrated by Darryl Banks with Derec Aucoin and Craig Hamilton. Kyle meets Alan Scott, the original Green Lantern, who tells him the history of the Green Lanterns.
Green Lantern was too late to save Alex because of a time-quake nearby where a futuristic city appeared in the middle of Los Angeles. This was presumably because of the events of Zero Hour, where time was going screwy and effecting various other titles. Kyle also hasn't thought to recharge his Power Ring, so he ends up running out of power in the middle of his fight with Major Force. Major Force was given a green stone by his mysterious employers. The green stone just so happens to be a Power Battery and Kyle is able to get a recharge just in time.
Green Lantern #0 is written by Ron Marz and illustrated by Darryl Banks. After the events of Zero Hour, Kyle Rayner and Hal Jordan end up in the ruins of Oa. Hal sees all the destruction he has wrought and begs Kyle for another chance to prove himself a hero.
At the end of the Zero Hour event, Kyle Rayner grabs Hal Jordan's Parallax just as Green Arrow shoots him in the heart. In the ensuing explosion, both were flung into the time stream and ended up arriving in modern-day Oa. Hal is still determined to remake reality and tries to absorb all of the remaining energy from Oa, but Kyle is forced to destroy the planet and Parallax escapes yet again. Parallex's death in Zero Hour seemed final enough, but I guess he survived after all. I did wonder how Hal Jordan managed to survive only to redeem himself during the Final Night event.
Green Lantern #56 is written by Ron Marz and illustrated by Darryl Banks. Kyle finds himself stuck on an alien planet trying to find a way back to Earth. He meets former Green Lantern Adara, who ends up stealing his Power Ring.
Kyle seems to be losing his ring a lot. Hal Jordan took it in the previous issue, and now Adara takes it. Kyle will have to take better care of his ring if he wants to live up to Hal Jordan's reputation. Meanwhile, Darkseid has taken an interest in the new Green Lantern. Nothing will come of that for a while, but I think that will be covered in the next volume. I don't have volume two, I wanted to see if I liked this series before I started reading any more.
R.E.B.E.L.S. #1 is written by Tom Peyer and illustrated by Arnie Jorgensen. The R.E.B.E.L.S. are in the sights of a fleet of L.E.G.I.O.N. gunships, but the arrival of Green Lantern could turn the tables in their favour.
I don't know if this group was supposed to have any connection with the Legion of Super-Heroes. The Legion of Super-Heroes has been rebooted so many times that I find it impossible to understand what is going on. I am starting to dread the time when I get around to reading any Legion of Super-Heroes stories. Any way, Kyle Rayner is still lost in space and is beamed aboard a L.E.G.I.O.N. ship.
Green Lantern #57 is written by Ron Marz and illustrated by Darryl Banks. Kyle relocates to New York. Unfortunately, Psimon takes over his mind and sends him against the New Titans.
Kyle's new apartment just so happens to be in Bleecker Street. On his way there he meets a bald Asian man who says the area may be a bit strange. This is of course a reference to Marvel's Doctor Strange, whose Sanctum Sanctorum is located in Bleecker Street. The bald Asian man is supposed to be Strange's manservant Wong. I thought that was a cute little in-joke. Kyle's new supporting cast seems nice as well. I wonder how long it will take for them to die horribly.
New Titans #116 is written by Marv Wolfman with Frank Pittarese and illustrated by Stephen Jones. The possessed Changeling continues his fight against the New Titans. As if that wasn't enough, the mind-controlled Green Lantern shows up as well.
The Titans that Kyle encounters aren't exactly the big name members of the team. That being said, Arsenal was an original Titan as Speedy. Impulse is part of the team as well, so at least there's one person that I like on the team. Donna Troy is part of the team, but she is going by Darkstar at this time. As far as I can make out, the Darkstars were created by an off-shoot of the Guardians of the Universe called the Controllers. They took over as galactic policemen when Hal Jordan wiped out the rest of the Green Lantern Corps, so they are basically Green Lanterns for the rad 90's. Also, Changeling has turned evil for some reason. I have only read a few bits of the early New teen Titans, so I don't have the faintest idea what's going on.
New Titans #117 is written by Marv Wolfman and illustrated by William Rosado. Green Lantern and Donna Troy team-up with the New Titans to take on Psimon.
Green Lantern spends most of this issue unconscious, but he wakes up just in time to join the final battle against Psimon. There are so many other characters that I don't recognise in these issues. Maybe I should read more of the later New Titans issues. I do feel that there is something lacking without George Perez on art. it doesn't help that most of the Titans I actually know are elsewhere. I think this was the time when Nightwing Became Batman while Bruce Wayne was recovering from the beating Bane gave him. Starfire is back on Tameran, but I don't know what happened to Cyborg and Raven.
As I said at the beginning of this review, I never had a problem with Kyle Rayner as Green Lantern as he was the only Green Lantern when I first got into comics and I never knew any different. Unfortunately, the salty comics fans that were up in arms about Kyle taking over became writers for DC and brought Hal Jordan back and started forcing him down everybody's throats, just how they thought Kyle was being forced down everybody's throats back in the day. You can tell I have a lot of issues about these characters. Thankfully, I din't have many more Hal Jordan appearances in my read list. The only Green Lantern-related comics in my list involve Lanterns other than Hal and the villains so I shouldn't have to put up with everybody making out Hal is the best thing ever.
My rating: 3.5 stars.
Next time: Amazing Spider-Man Masterworks Vol. 1
Category Story / All
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File Size 11.6 kB
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