“Green Lantern: Secret Origin”
Written by Geoff Johns
Illustrated by Ivan Reis
Published by DC Comics
Origins are tricky things, especially for comic book characters. While the broad brushstrokes are easy enough to keep track of, Batman fights crime in memory of his parents’ death, Superman is an alien, Wonder Woman is an Amazon, the actual details can seem like they were sculpted out of clay, staying malleable enough to update every now and then.
“Retcons,” the shorthand for retroactive continuity, are a necessary evil in the comic book world, as writers make updates to origins, moving things forward to compensate for the fact that most of these guys were created before World War II, getting rid of the more silly aspects (Thor first fought rock aliens!), and grafting elements of more contemporary stories to make them “fit” better.
Such is the case for “Green Lantern: Secret Origin,” the most current retelling of Hal Jordan’s transformation from airplane pilot to space cop for Sector 2814. Compiling issues #29-35 of volume four of “Green Lantern,” writer Geoff Johns attempts to humanize Jordan, and largely succeeds. The larger story though, doesn’t quite make sense unless you’ve read the rest of Johns’ work on the character.
One of the criticisms DC Comics has frequently been attacked with is the notion that their characters are difficult to relate with. Looking at their “Big Three,” Superman and Wonder Woman are both darn well invincible, with a wide array of powers that, when you think about it, make it pretty hard to give them problems. Batman lost his parents sure, but he’s also a billionaire and one of the most athletic men in the world.
Marvel Comics on the other hand, has losers like Spider-man, outcasts like the X-Men, and the alcoholic Iron Man. But going back to DC, Hal Jordan was chosen to become Green Lantern, why? Because of all the people in the world, he alone had “no fear.” Could you relate with someone who doesn’t fear a single thing?
Background is fleshed out
And so Johns fleshes out Jordan’s background, particularly his family ties, and his employer/love interest, Carol Ferris. Extended training scenes on Oa, the home planet of the Lanterns, depicting Jordan as the out-of-place newbie (“Is that a human?” one of the many aliens wonders when Jordan first shows up) also help a lot, as does his pairing with the Green Lantern Sinestro, which produces a dynamic akin to many cop shows or movies of “veteran cop meets rebellious rookie.”
All of that stuff is good, and gives three dimensions to a character that was basically portrayed as a hot-headed loverboy. The problem lies within the story’s villains, especially the main one, Atrocitus.
Best described as an angry alien with a surprising knowledge of ancient prophecies, Atrocitus is the one responsible for crashing the ship of Abin Sur, the Green Lantern of Earth’s sector before Hal Jordan, ship and causing his death, while also sowing the seeds for two other Green Lantern villains, Hector Hammond and The Black Hand. Atrocitus’ inclusion in the story is the biggest retcon of the tale and his appearance in the origin basically serves only to prop up Johns’ next story arc, the DC Comics company-wide event called “The Blackest Night.” This will seem cool if you’ve read issues #1 to #28 of Green Lantern and continue to read it past #35, but they seem out of place in a story entitled “Secret Origin,” and especially if this is what you’re handing to someone whose only exposure to Green Lantern is the Ryan Reynolds movie. It’s a touch too “look, foreshadowing!” by the writer Johns.
Far more consistent is the awesome art by frequent Johns collaborator Ivan Reis. Reis produces some solidly built superhero art, but he hits it out of the ballpark on the splash pages, particularly on the Oa scenes when he goes for broke and inserts 50 different alien Lanterns. My one small nit is that his fight scenes could be a tad more kinetic, but I suppose it is appropriate, given how the Lanterns are usually just standing and pointing, and letting their constructs do all the work.
All in all, “Green Lantern: Secret Origin” is a nice supplement to the character in the movie. Readers will leave with greater appreciation for who Hal Jordan is, but to really get the most out of it, you’ll need to dip into the other Green Lantern trades and get caught up.
