Review: Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps Vol. 3- Quest for Hope

Quick Summary

Pros: The main storyline is very entertaining and the characters all end up being well-written. This volume makes some interesting new changes for the series. This volume also brings back some great throwbacks to pre-New 52 DC Comics. The artwork is mostly positive throughout the collection.

Cons: Some of the plot points seem a little illogical.

Overall: The third volume in this Rebirth series is every bit as good as the first two. It has an engaging storyline, wonderful characters, and beautiful visuals. It also advances the progression of the series in a way that moves it toward the future but also brings back features of its past. Anyone who enjoyed the first two volumes should continue reading with this one.

Story

Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps Vol. 3: Quest for Hope, by Robert Venditti, continues with almost every positive element this series has exhibited since it started. It tells a dramatic and captivating story, with exciting moments of action and thrilling, high-stakes battles. The characters within shine and inject moments of emotion or humor into the narrative. Alongside this, the cosmic side of the DC Universe continues to develop and change, in ways that are fresh and interesting to see but also incorporate characters and concepts that will be familiar to longtime readers. There are some places where the story feels a little illogical but this never becomes a distraction from the comic’s many successes. Overall, this is easily another must-read for anyone who has been enjoying this series.

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Quest for Hope collects two separate but equally entertaining story arcs. The first has some great tension through the merging of the Yellow and Green Lantern Corps and some great action through Guy Gardner’s fight with Akrillo. The second is a higher-stakes battle that has the two Lantern Corps facing off against a powerful threat. Both stories are gripping and are constantly enhanced by the wonderful array of characters inhabiting them.

Quest for Hope also continues the wonderful and interesting evolution of the Green Lantern Corps that has been taking place ever since the series entered the Rebirth era. This volume has the Corps officially team up with the Yellow Lanterns and goes a step further by having Guy and Arkillo become unlikely friends. It also brings Saint Walker back into the fold and makes steps toward restoring the Blue Lantern Corps. Meanwhile, the Corps as a whole comes across as more structured and stable, with John, logically, taking over as head of the Corps and Hal taking a unique position that allows him the level of freedom he needs.

While most of this evolution looks toward the future, some of it also looks toward the past. The Rebirth era is all about melding the past and present of DC Comics into one cohesive narrative, and this volume does a great job with that. It turns Kyle back into a Green Lantern, hints at the return of his past romance, and brings back nearly forgotten characters like Rip Hunter and the Space Cabbie. While this might not mean much to newer readers, it is sure to be appreciated by older ones.

The only real problem in Quest for Hope is that there are places that don’t really feel that logical. Guy defeating a giant alien in a fist fight seems ridiculous and the quick return of a romance between Kyle and Soranik seems too sudden. Also, the time travel elements aren’t that consistent, especially since most of the beings from the future die instead of simply popping out of existence. However, these logical deviances may be forgivable since they lead to some great storytelling moments.

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Art

For the most part, the artwork in Quest for Hope is positive. Both Rafa Sandoval and Ethan Van Sciver put in some great work throughout the chapters they contribute. The characters look bold and dynamic and the newer concepts are creatively designed. Readers familiar with their work on the past few volumes are in for a similar experience with the majority of this volume.

The only problem here is that there are a few chapters, drawn by V. Ken Marion, that don’t look as good as the rest of the volume. These chapters aren’t bad but are just alright, which ends up bringing down the overall visual appeal of the book. In the end, this book’s artwork mostly looks great but definitely could be better.

Continuity

Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps Vol. 3: Quest for Hope continues the story from Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps Vol. 2: Bottled Light (Review).

The story here continues in Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps Vol. 4: Fracture (Review).

This volume also references other comic books, detailed below:

• Hal Jordan “abandoned” the Corps and “stole” Krona’s Gauntlet in Green Lantern Vol. 5 #40, collected in Green Lantern Vol. 6: The Life Equation (Review).
• This volume briefly mentions the story of Kyle Rayner’s origins. These origins were originally shown in Green Lantern Vol 3 #50. 
• At one point, threats to the Green Lantern Corps are mentioned. Specifically mentioned are:
  • Nekron’s attack during the Blackest Night event.
  • Relic’s attack during the Lights Out (Reading Order) event.
  • The New Gods’ attack during the Green Lantern/New Gods: Godhead (Reading Order) (Review) event.
• Someone mentions that the Green Lantern Corps once saved Gorin-Sunn’s race “from being devoured by the Durlans.” This happened during the “Uprising” crossover between the Green Lantern Vol. 5 and Green Lantern Corps Vol. 3 series, collected in either Green Lantern Vol. 5: Test of Wills (Review) or Green Lantern Corps Vol. 5: Uprising (Review).