This is a review of Green Lantern: The Silver Age Volume One. For the most part, this is fun comic book science fiction. The writer introduces many characters and concepts – the Green Lantern Corps, Sinestro, Hector Hammond, The Weaponeers of Qward – and lays the groundwork for future stories here. There’s a story about a group of people who live underground hooked up to the Matrix – er, machines, but their minds wander about in a dream city.
Green Lantern is Hal Jordan, hotshot test pilot. He’s summoned to the spaceship of a dying alien, who gives him his power ring. This ring can manifest anything into existence, as long as you have enough willpower. I’m unsure what ‘willpower’ means in this context. Does it mean resisting second helpings or double desserts, or maybe holding it in when you have to use the bathroom? After reading this volume, I figured it means being decisive and quick-thinking, but what do I know?
Anyway, Hal becomes the equivalent of a cosmic cop. He fights evil with his power ring, which has a single vulnerability – it can’t affect the color yellow. Of course, Hal’s boss/love interest Carol Ferris falls in love with Green Lantern, while giving Hal the cold shoulder. BTW, Hal is the type of employee who gives Human Resource Departments migraines.
The episode I’ll always remember is when Green Lantern, trying to avoid Carol’s marriage proposal (it’s Leap Year, which means it’s okay for Carol to propose!), creates an enormous green monster with his power ring so he’ll have something to fight. When he bumps his head, the jolly green giant almost destroys the earth. Boy, they don’t make comics like that anymore!
My issue with this graphic novel has to do with Green Lantern’s sidekick, Thomas Kalmaku, who goes by a nickname that I will not use here. Thomas is written as a racial stereotype who’s used mostly for comic relief. Back then, people might have thought that was funny, but today it’s cringeworthy, and mars an otherwise good graphic novel.
Abandoned Places 