Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #23

Writer: Robert Venditti

Artist: Ethan Van Sciver

Colourist: Jason Wright

Publisher: DC Comics

This wasn't anything special. Aside from the absolutely stellar art, the story being told by Robert Venditti is a little bit predictable, as the twist at the end of the issue was something I've been anticipating for quite a long time now.

If you've been reading this book and have been paying attention, then the ending shouldn't come as a surprise to you. However, the story surrounding the twist is told in a compelling way, focusing on John Stewart's efforts to try and keep the alliance between the Green Lanterns and the Sinestro Corps afloat. I really felt for John in this issue, as Venditti gave us this small, tender moment with John in the last issue that made me feel proud of his accomplishments. Venditti goes further and portrays the ideal Green/Yellow relationship in Guy Gardner and Arkillo, who dominate this issue on the action front and provide most of the humour.

The revelation that the previous villain Sarko was the son of Kyle and Soranik is also touched upon with great effect. While Kyle can come across as a bit controlling, he does it to secure the future and wants to keep Soranik unaware.

Hal seems to be given the least to do, as he berates John for ever thinking that a Green Lantern would murder a Yellow Lantern. Given Hal's outlandish personality and out-of-the-box thinking, I didn't think that Hal would be in this state of mind. In fact, this more narrow point of view would suit John better, which I think would lead to a more dramatic reveal at the end.

I mentioned Ethan Van Sciver's art above, but I need to praise it again. His art is definitive Green Lantern and it's always a treat to read his work. His panelling was great but there were times when I felt like it could have been bigger, allowing for double-page spreads as some panels didn't portray an entire character's face, making it feel like the character's face was cut off by the panel border.

Venditti chooses to frame this murder mystery in the mindset of John and his desperation to keep the two Lantern Corps united. Despite this, the story was still on the predictable side and I wish it could have been more dynamic. Van Sciver's art is still epic, though.