'The Green Lantern' #6 Review: Drawing From the Past in a Fresh New Way

The Green Lantern continues to shine in the most unique of ways. Grant Morrison and Liam Sharp draw from the past both from a narrative and visual perspective, though things never feel formulaic or stale. Morrison has found a way to bring back the vintage qualities and concepts of Green Lantern and put them through a modern prism, and it was just what the character needed. Granted, a few moments might take a re-read to fully digest, but it's well worth the time and effort, and ultimately rewarding as the possibilities going forward are just as exciting.

Hal Jordan himself has also become far more interesting as a character under Morrison's guidance. Focus has never been something Hal struggled with in the past, but Morrison's found the right counterbalance of wit and lightheartedness to go with it, something other interpretations have often struggled with. Hal's not the soldier like John or the lovable ox like Gardner, and he's not the sarcastic funny guy like Kyle. Finding somewhere between all that to define someone can be difficult, but Hal strikes a nice mix of all three while retaining that smidge of cockiness he's always brandished as well.

Sharp finds similar nuance in his visual interpretation of this world. Rann's mix of ornate fixtures and modern technology is amazing under Sharp's pencils and Steve Oliff's colors, and the expression work is excellent as well. Take for instance the duel between Hal and Adam Strange, where Hal clearly struggles with what he needs to do. Once you get a wink though, the view of that sequence plays out much differently, showing those expressions as struggling with another issue altogether, and the visuals complement both scenarios brilliantly.

It's also welcome to see the main villain not treated as an idiot. Controller Mu didn't get here by being easily fooled, so Morrison's decision to out Hal's undercover guise is a smart one. It allows the story to go in a far more interesting direction than other undercover stories like it, and when we say interesting, we mean it.

Morrison's no stranger to pulling old concepts out of DC history and revitalizing them, but I'm pretty sure no one saw those last few pages coming. In addition to this being the character's DC Rebirth debut, this is a concept that plays right into what Morrison is doing so well with Green Lantern, and we can't wait to see what he brings to it.

Now, as previously mentioned, this issue does require a re-read in certain sequences, but that's not necessarily a negative. Those pages involving Controller MU and his plan B going into effect were a bit confusing at first, though it mostly made sense after another run through. Morrison straddles a line of complexity throughout, and for the most part, keeps things from becoming too complicated.

The Green Lantern continues to impress, paving a bold path narratively and visually that both longtime fans and newcomers will adore. If you haven't given Hal Jordan a chance, it might be time to change that.

Published by DC Comics

On April 3, 2019

Written by Grant Morrison

Illustrated by Liam Sharp

Colored by Steve Oliff

Lettered by Steve Wands