Green Lantern #44

Is DC doing the whole "90s Covers" thing three months before Marvel?

The Little Prince nearly killed himself last issue trying on Krona's glove, so this issue he's going to have to sit out all of the action in Darlene's medical bay. That'll give Hal Jordan some time to get to know The Little Prince's butler, Trapper. Does anybody remember the television show "Trapper John, MD"? That show didn't have as many flashbacks to Korea during surgery as I would have liked.

Writers can win me over by writing huge, competent plots with complex, intriguing characters. Or they can win me over in sundry small ways as well. Robert Venditti had my good will when he took over Demon Knights and kept that book as good as it had ever been (which was really good!). But it's those small moments that keep me coming back to comic books. Small moments that work so well in this medium when a writer has the pacing down and the dialogue is realistic. Little moments like this:

This is cute and it goes a long way to getting me on Trapper's side.

I don't know how translations and languages work in the DC Universe unless everybody speaks Interlac in space. But the idea that the concept of an Earth pound wouldn't translate is something a lot of writers wouldn't even consider during this discussion. Billy Tan (or Martin Coccolo?) nails the look on Trapper's face as he examines the contraption and then as he realizes his life hinges on Hal's being able to correctly estimate these "pounds." I appreciate characters, even bad-ass bounty hunter outlaws who kick major butt up and down the universe, having vulnerable moments like this. This is how readers bond with characters. Well, this and naming them Maps and making them super adorable little nerds.

Jordan is making a stop to get The Little Prince some medical attention before he heads off to save Earth from The Black Hand's Source Wall curse. The planet is one of those planets that is like one of those towns that begins a horror movie where a disturbing family lives nearby a deserted town and the family loves to make people into sausage. I think those movies sometimes start with a creepy little kid running off amid the abandoned buildings. Just like this one! Except the kid isn't creepy. She's actually a cute little goat girl with a stuffed animal. This issue might also be based off of an old sixties Star Trek script. Hopefully it's a script written by Gene Roddenberry so the story can be a not very subtle examination of problems on Earth in the sixties. Wasn't there an episode when aliens way out in space somehow had access to relics from the Confederacy?

The people in the town are fearful of the guests because some creature has taken control of their village. Maybe I was wrong about the script. I think this is another Twilight Zone episode. The doctor doesn't really want to help because he's afraid of the monster that has taken over and seems to feed on visitors. But he's a doctor and you can always convince doctor's to help people in need because they have to take an oath. Even alien doctors, I guess.

Hal begins asking too many questions which is weird because he's not usually the type to want useless things like information. If a problem crops up, he knows he can just punch it in the face. Unless that problem is Coast City being completely destroyed and then the only thing left to do is punch everybody in the face all of the time until God thinks, "Hey! That guy would be a good fit for my Wrath!" It might have happened somewhat differently and with more details but I think I got the gist of it.

Virgo isn't cured quickly enough so the guests get to meet the hosts.

I guess they're a host of Thanagarian angels? Is that why all the "guest" stuff?

I don't know why we need to know the names of all of the hawkpeople. I guess so we understand by their names that they've modified themselves with pieces of the guests and their ships?

The doctor decides to explain that the Thanagarians rob and kill everybody who comes to port. Hal isn't exactly happy that the Doc was only forthcoming about this after it was too late. But what does Hal care? He's got a Krona's Gauntlet. He'll be okay.

Hal and Trapper take out the Thanagarian gang with only a small bit of trouble that leaves Hal bleeding from the ears. He wakes up later in the Doc's office. I bet the village throws him a big party! And maybe they'll never hate the Green Lanterns again!

I hope the little girl stows away on Darlene.

Green Lantern #44 Rating: No change. Post-Convergence Hal Jordan is my favorite Hal Jordan in a long time. He's never felt like a great leader to me and I hate to see him in that position. Being the captain of a small crew of misfits flying around the universe seems to fit him. I feel like I've read this version of Hal before! He just needs Green Arrow to join him on his road trip through space dealing with problems that can't be solved with an arrow or a light construct. Maybe Trapper just needs to grow a goatee and start wearing green.