'Green Lantern: Secret Origin' another good graphic novel in the series

By Mack Perry

October 31, 2008 | Much has been said about Geoff Johns' seminal run on Green Lantern, ever since Johns rebooted the franchise with the phenomenal 2004 Green Lantern: Rebirth mini-series.

Many have credited Johns with not only revitalizing a franchise that has probably suffered the most from DC's '90s mandate to replace all of its iconic, flagship superheroes with younger, more relatable Peter Parker knock-offs (although Kyle Rayner certainly developed into a strong, likeable character in his own right, Girlfriend in Refrigerator Syndrome not withstanding), but also for making Green Lantern one of the most well-crafted, superbly written mainstream superhero books on the stands. So much so that Johns' 2007 Sinestro Corps War became the must-have series of the year for DC and Marvel fans alike, and a staggering example of how to do event stories right.

Johns has raised the bar so high with this series and, thanks to the exemplary writing of Green Lantern Corps scribe Peter Tomasi and the now legendary pencil work of Ethan Van Sciver, this franchise that the building excitement for the 2009 conclusion to his Green Lantern trilogy, dubbed The Blackest Night, is at an all-time high.

For Johns, part of preparing for Hal Jordon's next big challenge has involved revisiting his past, and the current seven part Secret Origin arc has managed to showcase some of Johns' most compelling character work, lay the foundation for what's to come in Blackest Night, and provide readers with the definitive Hal Jordon origin story.

While reading this introspective, yet highly engaging retelling of how Hal Jordon, considered by many to be the most renowned and memorable hero to bear the Green Lantern moniker, was first given his power ring by the dying, papaya-hued alien Abin Sur, I couldn't help but think of some of the finest, character-centric flashback episodes from the first seasons of both ABC's "Lost" and Showtime's "Dexter." Like many of these early, series-defining episodes, Secret Origin is an intimate, emotionally-charged examination of the those crucial moments in an individual's life that go on to define what motivates them and influence the kind of person they become.

It's often been said that the appeal of Hal Jordon as the Green Lantern lies with the fact that some manifestation of the character illustrates what Han Solo would've been like if he were the Jedi Knight rather than Luke Skywalker. And this is certainly true to an extent. But only if Han Solo was fleshed out with the same amount of depth and detail as two other well-known pop-culture icons whose franchises were recently rebooted, albeit in the medium of film: James Bond in Casino Royale and Bruce Wayne in Batman Begins. And much like these infamous anti-heroes, a tragic death in Hal Jordon's past did a lot to inform his current status as a brash, emotionally detached fighter pilot and its Jordon's estrangement from his own family and his relationship with the Ferris family, and the bitchy, disconnected Carol Ferris in particular, that makes Secret Origin such a fascinating read. Oh, sure, there's plenty of the series trademark combination of sprawling, sci-fi flavored grandeur and gritty, "Shield"-esq. procedural storytelling, but it's the Earth-based family drama that keeps the story, and Hal, grounded and interesting.

If there's one flaw that this arc possesses, however, it's that Hal's training amongst his fellow cadets on Oa, under the iron-clad fist (or is it hoof?) of Green Lantern drill sergeant Killowog, feels rushed and, well, like a bit of a missed opportunity. What should be a pretty significant part of the story and of Hal's journey as the Green Lantern representative of Sector 2814 is brushed aside in favor of Hal and Sinestro's buddy cop pursuit of Atrocitus, a demonic alien who will reportedly have a pretty significant role in the War of Light, the precursor to "Blackest Night." But considering the fact that this arc also managed to offer tantalizing clues about the stories to come and provide some great interaction between Hal and his future nemesis, I suppose it's probably forgivable that the page count for Hal's training sequence was cut a little short.

Overall, Johns' trademark brilliance shines through every panel thanks to his evocative script and the stellar line work of Ivan Reis, an artist that is just as capable at rendering intimate, small-scale exchanges as he is at the epic, awe-inspiring space battles this series is known for. There is some truly gorgeous art on display here, particularly during sequences that feature the heated arguments between Hal and Carol. Reis does an excellent job of conveying the anger that these two use to hide their inherent loneliness and how the tragedies in their lives have pushed them to such a dark place. The fact that so much tension and understated attraction can be rendered by some ink and color on paper is truly remarkable. Simultaneously a captivating look back at defining moments for a beloved icon and an enticing look forward to the concluding chapter of arguably the greatest Green Lantern run in the history of the character, Secret Origin, like all great revisionist origin stories, takes what was once old and makes it new again.

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MS