Green Lantern Issue #56

“The Madness of Hector Hammond!”

Writer: Geoff Johns

Pencils: Doug Mahnke

Inking: Christian Alamy

I was burnt-out after reading the Blackest Night saga, and by the end of 2010 I wasn’t reading many comics. I’ve recently decide to go back to the issues of my favorite superhero (Green Lantern) to see what I’ve missed these passed few months. In the coming weeks I will also touch upon the Green Lantern Corps and Emerald Warriors’ trades.

Hal Jordan--The Green Lantern--is looking for the entities that fled each respective lantern color spectrum at the end of the Blackest Night story arch.

The White Lantern is on Earth, yet Hal doesn’t seem too concerned with it at the moment. Instead he is trying to capture each lantern entity that has escaped. Of course this wont be an easy task. As we’ve seen with Parallax, most of the beings that reside inside each color spectrum’s lantern are exceptionally powerful.

Green Lantern #56 starts with Hector Hammond being coaxed into malicious acts by some form of telepathic voice. It’s not known who this person contacting Hector is, and what their motives may be. What is known, is that the entities for the Red Lantern of Rage, Blue Lantern of Hope, and Violet Lantern of Love have escaped, and this mysterious person that has sought out Hector Hammond wants them. 

Subsequently Hal Jordan is also looking for each entity and seeks the aide of the bearer of the Orange Lantern of Avarice, Larfleeze. The exchange between Hal and Larfleeze is actually pretty comical. Larfleeze is just a big spoiled brat and has been stealing material possessions from people. That’s not Hal’s concern. What he is trying to figure out is how Larfleeze managed to trap his own entity in its lantern.

Issue #56 of Green Lantern feels short; but I’m just now tapping into the Brightest Day saga, so things may start slow. Luckily Geoff Johns writing is always compelling, and I really enjoy the personality he imposes on Hal Jordan. Doug Mahnke’s art is good, if unspectacular. Colors are vibrant thanks to Alamy’s inking, but there isn’t much to touch on artistically. It’s a good-looking comic, don’t get me wrong. and I do like Doug Mahnke’s style but I feel somewhat spoiled from the phenomenal art in Blackest Night by Ivan Reis.

From the last pages of Green Lantern #56, issue #57 seems like it will ramp up the action quota. Hopefully more answers to who is after the lantern entities will be revealed as the post Blackest Night story arch, Brightest Day moves forward.