THE GREEN LANTERN #8
Writer: Grant Morrison
Artist: Liam Sharp
Colorist: Steve Oliff
Publisher: DC Comics
10/10
SPOILERS AHEAD
THE GREEN LANTERN just gets better with each passing issue. The creative team of Grant Morrison, Liam Sharp and Steve Oliff are creating a masterpiece before our very eyes. With mind bending stories and out of this world visuals, this is easily one of the best takes on Green Lantern since his creation.
This issue has brought together one of my favorite team-ups in comics, Green Arrow and Green Lantern. Their relationship is something that has been missing in the DCU for a LONG time. So to say that I have been anticipating this issue would be an understatement. After reading the issue, I can wholeheartedly say it was well worth the wait.
Once again Morrison has brought us yet another insane addition to the DC Cosmos, the brand new world of Hadea-Maxima, a world where murder is natural law. This is a world where only the strong survive. one of the inhabitants of this murderous planet, a drug lord named Brotorr sets an assassin to Earth to take out a drug dealer name Glorigold DeGrande. Where Morrison comes up with these crazy ass names, I can't even imagine. Not to mention that Sharp turns these strange and unique character ideas to life in a way I don't think any other artist could.
When we get to Earth, this is where Green Arrow makes his entrance. We see him taking out a group of druggies and drug dealers only to get some assistance in the form of Hal Jordan. There interaction during this scene was very reminiscent of the O'Neil/Adams run from the 70's. The art and dialogue give a sense of nostalgia, but in a way that honors the past without
coming off cheesy. I couldn't help but smile when I read Ollie lecturing Hal.
From here our heroes go off to stop these strange otherworldly drugs from flooding the streets. Morrison leave no story unturned in this current run of THE GREEN LANTERN. He touches on an old Jack Kirby Green Arrow story, a two-parter in ADVENTURE COMICS #252‘s “Mystery of the Giant Arrows!” and #253’s “Prisoners of Dimension Zero!”. In those stories Kirby gave Green Arrow a sci-fi spin where he introduced a GA lookalike called Xeen Arrow. It's things like this that make Morrison one of the greatest writers in comics, no story is to goofy or weird to utilize.
After catching up with Glorigold, our heroes fall under the influence of the strange drug. Liam Sharp uses this opportunity to make the reader feel exactly what our heroes are feeling. He makes you feel as if you too have fallen down the rabbit hole. After defeating Glorigold, Morrison and Sharp do the unthinkable by bringing in Sinestro. But if you pay closer attention it's actually the Anti-Matter Universe's Sinestro (notice the invereted colors on his costume). Big things are gonna be happening in this book, so get ready.
Overall this was one of my favorite issues of this run so far. It once again proves why Ollie and Hal are one of the best duos in comics. It also continues to show what an exquisite and breathtakingly beautiful comic series this is. There's no stopping these guys and I'm so happy to be on this crazy ride.