HAL JORDAN AND THE GREEN LANTERN CORPS #13
Written by Robert Venditti
Art by V. Ken Marion, Paul Neary, Dexter Vines, and Alex Sollazzo
Published by DC Comics
Release Date: January 25, 2017

We’ll need heroes, now and forever. In times of great need we look up to each other to get through them and this issue details what heroes do for family, friends, and what they mean far and wide through time. In a departure from the main cast of the series, this special issue takes a look out what the Green Lantern Corps means for others on a specific planet decades from now, showing heroism is invoked in anyone and can not only be strengthened as time passes but shine brightly in generations to come.

Set sixty Earth years from now in Space Sector 2813, we focus in a family that was caught in the crossfire of both the Starro and Larfleeze attack. The tales and adventures of the Green Lantern Corps have echoed throughout time, sustaining the legacy they’ve built through bed times stories for the young children. It paints the Corps as legends that grew in the telling, how acts we read on as “just another day in the life” are paving the way for everyday citizens to be inspired by the Corps and begin their own path. Every now and again, there comes an issue of Green Lantern that hints at the next batch of Green Lantern stories for years to come (and they have some major upheavals in store!)

The future is filled with old and new enemies, war, and surprising resurrections seem to be in store for our heroes, and while those prospects entice us as readers, the main draw of the issue is the encompassing pages being a part of a story told to children. Yes the future isn’t entirely set in stone for comics but Venditti captures what the Corps means for people in the long run. He writes a heartwarming family tale wrapped inside of a Green Lantern book. Taking a break from Hal and the rest of the Corps to serve as an interlude between arcs is refreshing to say the least. Abandoning the main cast in favor of innocent bystanders with general connections to the run is great for fleshing out people and locations. Venditti gives the family a life of their own in the short time we spend with them, zooming in on them washing dishes and instilling renewed hope and faith in the next generation as they go to bed. The dialogue is rich with history between the loving couple and the speech parts don’t come as cheesy or preachy but as words of wisdom you can take with you after you finish the book.

Marion art is very detailed and with Neary’s inks create fulfilled pages throughout. The alien family are full of emotions and range, they’re pretty much an all human family but with orange skin and beaks! The city is populated with all manner of Xudarian’s in their different clothing and shops. Giving the pages a sense of life and fleshing out an entire planet within 32 pages. The colors from Sollazo like any other GL title reinforce why these line of titles are amazing to look at. The prophecy pages are some of the most colorful visuals of recent issues besides the bombastic Hal vs. Sinestro arc. Every corner of the spectrum gets on these pages and it’s showing it’ll be no rest for the weary for the Green Lantern Corps with the rest of the Lantern Corps joining in on the fun eventually with new and old threats plaguing the galaxy.

Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #13 has broken away namely from the “Hal Jordan” part and focused on the future of the Green Lantern Corps, what the future has in store, how events shape our being, and what joining your heroes means for the future. You have to fight for what you believe in…what you want to protect and who. To instill hope and faith in those closest to you despite the adversity, that stands the test time and shows what it means to be a hero.

Venditti and company have struck a more hopeful mindset with this title and that’s more than welcome right now given what the next arc will be focused on and the state of the country. We’ll need heroes by the dozen with a guiding light to face what’s ahead.