Green Lantern: Wanted: Hal Jordan

How badass is Hal Jordan? How about even without his ring he can take on just about anyone! See Hal Jordan get mixed up in some dangerous territory and have to over come bounty hunters, crazy militarist and his own past mistakes!

Great stuff from Geoff Johns once again. Shame about his Superman work, but this is great.

Green Lantern: Wanted Hal Jordan collects issues 14-20 of the current Geoff Johns' run and is the next collected edition after Green Lantern Vol. 2: Revenge of the Green Lanterns. I'm not a fan of Hal Jordan's P.O.W. status during the missing year, mostly as it seems to reference a life-changing event that will ultimately be overshadowed by the epic, space opera tales of Green Lantern: The Sinestro Corps War, Vol. 1 and the forthcoming Blackest Night. Hal must rescue his fellow-pilot and romantic interest Cowgirl from a mission gone awry, and gets entangled in superhero politics and alien bounty hunters. The politics are a little dry if you aren't up to speed on the DC Universe, and as a result this volume feels a little less self-contained than the two that came before it. The other stories are excellent however, including Abin Sur's son come to seek revenge and the rebirth of the Star Sapphires. These add a bit more of that cosmic influence readers expect from a Green Lantern story. Daniel Acuna's art for the Star Sapphire story seems to get mixed reviews, but I love it. It's jarring from the clean pencils of Ivan Reis (responsible for the bulk of Green Lantern) but seems to fit the romantic elements of the tale and the fact that the story is told from Carol Ferris' perspective. Also sprinkled along the way are teases for the Sinestro Corps War, which starts in the next volume. In all a great buy for Green Lantern fans, but probably the weakest of the collected Geoff Johns stories at the same time.

Hal Jordan has been a busy man since writer Geoff Johns brought him back from the dead. He's re-joined the Justice League, played a vital role during the cataclysmic events of Infinite Crisis, and now he's been framed and is wanted for being an international terrorist. Yeah, the poor guy just can't catch a break. This is why Geoff Johns is one of, if not the, best superhero writers in comics today. His obvious affection for the Green Lantern mythos has made his run on the title the best the character has seen in eons, and the new twists that Johns has put on old foes has been a sight to behold to say the least. Case in point, old foe Star Saphire gets a new twist on her powers and abilities as she and Hal go head to head; all the while Hal fights to clear his name and save the day. The artwork by Ivan Reis and Daniel Acuna (to a lesser degree) is wonderful as well to boot. As the previous review stated, one gets the feeling that Johns is gearing towards something big happening in the near future, and indeed something is as the Green Lantern mythos is getting re-established for a new generation of comic readers, and will attempt to be propelled to big time territory. The best part of this is with Johns at the helm, the possibilities are almost endless. All in all, Wanted - Hal Jordan is the best TPB in Johns' Green Lantern relaunch yet, and even for those who haven't been following his run but are fans of the character, consider this TPB a must own.

Green Lantern: Wanted - Hal Jordan compiles issues 14 through 20 of the current GL series. The first story covers the capture of Hal Jordan and two of his fellow pilots by terrorists where they are tortured for over three months prior to escaping. When the terrorists are located again, Hal goes in to capture them and rescue a recaptured comrade when an unexpected turn of events causes all hell to break loose and he ends up being branded an international criminal. This roller coaster ride ultimately leads Hal Jordan to a figure linked to the day Hal first became a Green Lantern as well as events that will play a large part in his imminent future. The second story arc in this collection features the return of an old Green Lantern foe, Star Sapphire. This time around there is a new twist to how her powers are generated. I won't spoil the details but it is an interesting spin on an old character and could have major ramifications for the Green Lantern Corp in future stories. Both stories move along very well and appear to form a foundation for larger events in the future. The art switches from Ivan Reis in the first story to Daniel Acuna in the second. Acuna paints in a somewhat funky style, while Reis provides highly detailed pencils makes so it is a particularly jarring change. Fortunately, Geoff Johns writes the entire volume so there is at least some cohesion. This book is not only very entertaining in its own right, it appears to be a foundation for major events in the future. I'm wary of every saying "Green Lantern will never be the same again" because that tag line is used all the time and is virtually never true. I will say that in the near future, events will likely unfold whose seeds are planted here. The bottom line is that whether reading solely for the present or preparing for the future this book is well worth owning.