Review: Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps Vol. 6- Zod’s Will

Quick Summary

Pros: The main narrative focuses on a thrilling fight that is fun to see play out. The book has some interesting themes that pop up every now and then. The artwork looks beautiful and works as a complement to this narrative.

Cons: Many of the book’s more interesting themes often feel marginalized.

Overall: Action, action, action; this is a volume that does not pull its punches. It depicts a dynamic battle between powerful forces, creating a fight that has both tension and fun. Plus, beautiful artwork helps bring this battle to life in a way that is wonderful to look at. The only problem is that the book does not offer a ton outside of the action. This is a volume for fans who like high-stakes battles and have a penchant for outer space.

Story

Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps Vol. 6: Zod’s Will, by Robert Venditti, is an action-packed thrill ride from start to finish. It centers around a fight that pits several Green Lanterns against several powerful villains. The resulting showdown plays out in a way that emphasizes power, tactics, and the charm of the characters within it. There are also some compelling themes built in to the mix, though they do end up feeling underutilized. In the end, this collection will appeal to those looking for thrilling fight scenes from the Green Lantern Corps.

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The main positive in Zod’s Will is the high-stakes action that erupts across nearly every one of its pages. The book opens with Hal Jordan at the mercy of one of DC’s most powerful villains and manages to build on this already impressive premise. It has Lanterns pull off some seriously impressive stunts, only to be one-upped by the sheer power of the Kryptonians, only to have the Lanterns find a way to rally once again. The ebbs and flows here work out well and ensure that there is never a dull moment in this book.

Alongside the action, the book finds small moments to inject bits of humor and fun into the mix. Kyle’s struggle with Hal’s personality creates some great pieces of dialogue that feel like fan-service for readers who have been following the Green Lantern series for years. Later, the Corps’ decision to back Hal up in his time of need feels like a triumphant victory for Earth’s Green Lanterns, even if they do not ultimately defeat Zod.

The narrative in Zod’s Will also manages to take some time to build up some interesting themes. Zod makes a few good points about his own quest for self-government and I even found myself sympathizing with him at points. Meanwhile, the role of the Guardians becomes another point of discussion, as it is unclear if they should be taking an active or passive place in the universe’s politics. The only problem with these interesting topics is that they feel marginalized next to the volume’s action-driven storyline.

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Art

In our reviews of previous volumes from this series, we’ve talked about how Rafa Sandoval’s visuals are a great complement for stories that emphasize fun bouts of cosmic action. Since the story in this volume exactly fits that description, it may come as no surprise that the artwork in Zod’s Will looks beautiful. Sandoval’s pencils are dynamic and the page layouts lend themselves to the flow of this volume’s fight scenes. They make the characters look like they are constantly ready to jump right off the page, with this energy then translating into the volume’s action. This is then further enhanced by some gorgeous colors from Tomeu Morey. Plus, on top of all of this, Ethan Van Sciver contributes another chapter of appealing visuals. In general, the artwork in this collection does not disappoint.

Continuity

Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps Vol. 6: Zod’s Will continues the story from Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps Vol. 5: Twilight of the Guardians (Review).

The story here continues in Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps Vol. 7: Darkstars Rising (Review).

This volume also references other comic books, detailed below:

• Zod’s story here continues from the “Revenge” story arc from Action Comics Vol. 4: The New World.
• John mentions a number of the previous Guardians’ evil actions:
  • The “Blackest Night” took place across the Blackest Night event.
  • The Third Army came to be during the Rise of the Third Army (Review) (Reading Order) event.
  • The First Lantern came back during the Wrath of the First Lantern (Review) (Reading Order) event.