Broken Frontier

Green Lantern and Green Arrow continue to struggle against the son of Mongul in a life or death grudge match.

I know this title has been shipping late (all due to writer Geoff Johns’ busy schedule) but that shouldn’t negate readers picking up this issue. In fact, I am enjoying the high quality of art and story delivered each month, so I can overlook the small lapses with the shipping schedule.

For the most part I found this issue very entertaining since it concludes the titanic meeting between both our emerald clad heroes and the son of the late Mongul. The story begins with both GL and GA in the thrall of dream scenarios that somehow forgo their own tragic pitfalls as superheroes, and even replacing their past faults. It’s like being in heaven and if you remember from the previous issue, both heroes got caught in the deadly plant (sprung from Mongul) that caused this brief feeling of euphoria.

Hal’s dream sees him still fighting the good fight as GL and he’s respected by every single ring slinger in the GL Corps. He manages to help them subdue Parallax and then receives a series of congratulations from people like Sinestro. Hal is indeed living the life he always felt he deserved, and he’s feeling totally thrilled with the prospect of having his dad close to him as well. Of course, this all ends rather abruptly once he starts to relive the moment his dad perished in a plane crash.

Meanwhile, Ollie is experiencing a similar feeling and he’s seen thrilled to death with the birth of yet another child. His son Connor stands by his side and is so proud of him, and this fantasy hints to Ollie not being the deadbeat dad he truly is in actuality. Everything is going great for him as well until the doctor allows him to hold his newborn son for the first time. Ollie gets hit with a very bad feeling, and he quickly snaps out of it. Luckily, Hal has done the same thing and both heroes quickly realize they cannot escape their own past faults. So with this sudden realization now in front of them, both GL and GA confront Mongul in a battle with a few twists along the way.

Now that’s not bad for a story that spends some time examining the faults of both these heroes, and I really liked the way writer Johns handled it. He was able to employ a clever way of getting inside the heads of both heroes and use this ploy successfully for the most part. The ending surprised me as well, but I guess when you are dealing with a character like Mongul it’s to be expected. This villain is surely a chip off the old block!

The art was solid from first to last page and as always Carlos Pacheco is an excellent storyteller. It’s a shame that this will be his last issue of Green Lantern, since I have enjoyed his run. His strong drawing skills and high level of storytelling have helped to make the rebirth of GL a successful monthly book once again. I really do hate to see him leaving the book, but new incoming artist Ivan Reis is an excellent replacement. I am sure he will do an admirable job of continuing on in Pacheco’s stead.

So if you like quality superhero stories, then I suggest picking up this issue. This is a series I will always highly recommend, since the creators truly have a passion for this character. I know I do.