Flashpoint: Hal Jordan #2

   After the Atlantean assault in issue 1, the only fighter battalion left to defend the United States is the squad contracted out by Ferris Aircraft. But things are looking up as the aerospace plant has been assigned with retrofitting their planes with technology cloned from Abin Sur’s crashed ship. However, the hopes and dreams of a Guardians powered air force will come crumbling down when Ferris is attacked by a fleet of Amazon piloted planes.

   INVISIBLE Amazon piloted planes!

  This chapter in the Flashpoint tie-ins was awesome! Thrills on every page. Adam Schlagman has crafted an amazing storyline that interweaves with his other Flashpoint title Abin Sur- The Last Green Lantern.

  But once again, it’s the amazing art by Cliff Richards that steals the show. The majority of his work over his career has been contained to horror titles like Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Yet, his work in Hal Jordan looks like he’s been crafting war comics for decades. It’s his genius level of attention to detail that is making him a new personal favorite artist with every page I turn of this dynamic miniseries.

  Worth Consuming

  Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Flashpoint: Hal Jordan #1

   Hal Jordan- Green Lantern of Sector 2814. He's been so hit-and-miss with me. As a child I loved his costume and above all else, his power ring and all the funky things that he could create with it led to the character being such a favorite of mine. For quite some time, he was in my top-5 superheroes. Then when I started collecting comics again 10 years ago, I bought up a fair share of Green Lantern books and I was completely unimpressed. Then I discovered Darwyn Cooke's tribute to the DC Silver Age, The Final Frontier, and Jordan captured my heart again. That was until Ryan Reynolds took on the mantle in the 2010 film, I mean,  stinker of the same name. Why can't the character be executed consistently?

   Well, Adam Schlagman (Flashpoint: Abin Sur- The Green Lantern) was able to craft an opening chapter in this 3-part mini-series tie-in and capture that child-like wonder and Silver Age goodness that I loved about Hal Jordan's character. It felt like I was reading a vintage classic filled with action, adventure, and above all, it was fun!

   Hal's been haunted by his father's ghost as a hot-shot pilot since I can remember. Here, with Hal Jordan being the East Coast's first line of defense as a combat pilot contracted out through Ferris Air and NOT a Green Lantern, I felt like this was a comfortably familiar but completely original take on the DC Universe's Man Without Fear. Plus, the smart-ass that is Oliver's Hal Jordan is what Ryan Reynolds' Green Lantern should have been!

    Added to this issue's brilliance was the artwork by Ben Oliver (Ultimate X-Men.) His airbrush painted quality style was amazing. His character's looked like I was looking at photographs and then there's the action scenes. From opening the book to the very first page, every dogfight scene was action packed and breathtaking.

     So good, I'm tempted to read ahead for more action and thrills instead of waiting until after reading about 2 dozen other tie-ins.

    Worth Consuming

    Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.