A Mother Box Arrives : A Review of Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #44
What does a Mother Box and a Green Lantern have in common? A means to New Genesis, of course! In what is turning out to be a fascinating, last story line for writer Robert Venditti and his take on the Green Lantern Corps, issue #44 is setting up things for an intense, and possibly insane, finale.
Warning : Spoilers are Most Certainly Ahead
Where are we in the DC mythos timeline? I’m not sure; I revisited Dark Knights: Metal this past weekend, and in issue of #6 of that series, there was a scene that included the seven Controllers and their newly minted/designed Darkstar exoskeleton. So is this Hal Jordan and Green Lantern Corps subsequent to the Dark Metal mythos, or congruent to the Doomsday mythos, or something entirely else? I don’t know, but I’m curious to see where this all ends up.
Issue number #44, Darkstars Rising : Part One : Enemies Closer takes us on an intergalactic cruise within the course of some 30 odd pages. To begin this issue, we see an immediate (and likely very important) reference to the classic Crisis on Infinite Earths series. Darkstar champion, Tomar-Tu, has tracked down his father’s killer, Keith Kenyon, or Goldface, in Goldface’s Sector 2814 Iron Heights Penitentiary. Goldface pleads for his life, but upon seeing Tomar’s face, shrieks in horror. Tomar-Tu proceeds to brutally burn away Kenyon’s yellow, gold color skin with his Darkstar unit’s weaponry. It’s a vicious execution, and it’s the way of the Universe’s new model of justice. Again, the days of the ineffective Green Lantern Corps are coming to end.
Hal Jordan is sent to investigate Kenyon’s cell, and is greeted by Barry Allen as the Flash. After a discussion between the two Justice League friends regarding morality, ethics, and Hal’s concerns on his mentorship and possible failures as a superhero, Hal reminds us once more of the gravity of the current situation. The Flash’s help in finding Tomar-Tu is not required. The upcoming war between the Green Lanterns and the Darkstars does also not need the services of the Justice League. Again, Batman in a space suit is not enough for this upcoming galactic crisis. Hal Jordan, likewise, has told Barry Allen his services will not be enough.
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We are then rushed to the planet Heep, in Space Sector 1974, where Lantern Gardner is seen entering a drinking establishment. Queue the entrance of Yellow Lantern Arkillo; Arkillo’s ring and tongue appear (?) intact, and the story hints at a strong friendship between he and Gardner. I’m sure there is more to come in respect to that storyline. Yet the alliance between the two will no doubt be paramount in respect to the upcoming War. The Yellow and the Green raging war on the Darkstars? Most exciting!
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We also get to witness Lantern Stewart forcing an encounter in Space Sector 2811 on the planet Jekuul. Jekuul is home to the Royal Hall of the House of Zod. The hatred between Zod and the Green Lanterns is well known, but Stewart is the pragmatic Lantern. Despite the current agreement between the Lanterns and the Zods, Stewart knows that the Corps need Zod’s help to defeat the Darkstars. With a little luck, a little Kryptonite, and ring code name “Fist Bump,” we leave this passage with Zod carrying a broken hand and as apparent willing to ally with Green Lanterns. The Zods are a powerhouse of the DC Universe; how they fit in will also be interesting.
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My favorite of the book was the section dealing with Kyle Rayner seeking out the Space Cabbie through Transluminal Space travel. Rayner finds Cabbie, gets Cabbie to agree to transport him, and with the assistance of the “Kirby” Mother Box, Cabbie and his space craft transport Rayner to an ambush above New Genesis. To be honest, I really love this idea incorporated in the story. Rayner and his link to New Genesis brings this whole arc to another level, in context to the idea of the multiverse. It’s not exciting from an action standpoint, but the ethereal Kirby stuff regarding New Genesis, the New Gods, the Old Gods…how this fits with everything going on the DC Universe…again, I can’t wait to see how the writers play this out.
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Finally, we see Hal Jordan’s last attempt to recruit an ally in supervillain Hector Hammond. Hammond is currently incarcerated at Stryker’s Island Penitentiary. As a byproduct of the insane species known as the Kroloteans, Hammond is considered “a God Brain,” or an Ultimate Weapon. Keeping in line with the theme of the plot, that being the Lanterns need allies in low places, Jordan appears to be in the process of recruiting and possibly freeing the God Brain from Stryker Island. Of course, the thing known as the Atomic Skull carries a different plan for Jordan. The Atomic Skull, aka Joseph Martin, has historically been a comparable superpower to that of the Kryptons on Earth; with that said, he has historically used his radiation-originated powers to conflict with Superman. Of course, something is apparently off once more in the DC Universe, and after blasting Jordan with a beam of energy, tells the Greatest Lantern of them all that he is under arrest.
I really enjoyed this story, and cannot wait to see how this finishes up. I believe there is a much larger thing going on the DC Universe, and we are seeing just a glimpse of that something else in this story. Overall, the average review (between one and ten) was 8.44 on the comic book roundup. Being new to the Hal Jordan mythos, I’d give a solid 9.0, but that is only because of the esoteric elements in play. Speaking of which…
A Secondary Analysis
Most comments found online regarding the current Darkstars versus Green Lantern dynamic is that of the social commentary in the form of police brutality. The idea of the Darkstars as judge, jury, trial, and executioner is a theme seen in the world today; the Darkstars might be growing in popularity with the masses in the Universe, but might not be as popular a concept back here on our world.
That being said, I’d like to return to the esoteric concept of the Chariot. The usual card is here:
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The Richards version of Hal Jordan is here :
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What does the Chariot represent in the greater cosmos? If we return to this diagram:
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We see that the Chariot archetype resides between Binah and Geburah; the Chariot is the first to straddle the Abyss with one hand in the Supernal Triad, and the other hand in the realm of physical manifestation. Much like the will power of the Hal Jordan and his ability manifest his will into matter with the assistance of his ring, the Chariot could be seen as the Gnostic Demiurge. Or better yet, a facet of the Godhead. This is important.
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In the overall context of the story, again we return to the Controllers. The Controllers wish to adjust the existing Universe, not to blatantly reset it. The Controllers have grown tired of the Green Lanterns and their existing paradigm of law and order that has reigned over the Universe for millions of years. To challenge this paradigm, the Controllers have unleashed a nasty version of their new form of justice; the Darkstar exoskeleton. Upon the release of the Darkstars, the Green Lanterns and the Guardians of the Universe panic. They realize that their rules and archetypes for form and order are now in grave jeopardy.
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With that said, we see the Demiurge archetype (Hal Jordan), the “thing” that manifests the material and visible world, as being challenged by the oldest intelligence in the Universe (the Controllers). This could be the Hidden God, or the Separate God; this is the “thing” that resides in the Pleroma nonetheless takes no real interest in its abortion’s Creation. Yet now this Separate God has taken an interest in its mistake. This “interest” is the equivalent of the Darkstars; something extremely lethal, dangerous, and powerful.
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Their adjustment is seen in the form of the execution of “Gold”face. Gold resides in the domain of the Demiurge, and alchemically it represents the most perfect and most precious state of all metals. All changes beginning with the lower psyches, lower elements, and lower metals have the ability, through the art of alchemy, to evolve into perfection and illumination (ie gold). This is an existing design of the Demiurge and its simulation that we live in…one that is representative of change from something less to something perfect under its rules. The Darkstars represent a complete and utter challenge to this design; in doing so, they too has too challenged the will of the Demiurge.
All that being said, what to make of this? Well, so much, of course. We have a possible convergence of Universes (from Metal forward) in play, beginning with the cracking of the “Kirby” Source Wall. Some questions I have considered –
- Is there more than one type of Demiurge agents responsible for the Multiverses?
- Does each Demiurge hold standing in its own unique number within it unique space?
- Does the cracking of the Source Wall (next post) imply that the true source of existence has been unleashed, and that the prospect of the Separate God wishing to eradicate its abortion’s mistake/creation represents the true challenge to the Universe?
- What archetype will be made of the New Gods and of New Genesis in context to the Universe?
And were the Controllers aware of such a threat; is it possible the Darkstars contain the power to actually challenge whatever it is beyond the Wall? So many questions, so little time. Fortunately, these titles are out every two weeks!
Please feel free to drop a comment as always. As I mentioned last in my last comic post, it’s an exciting time to be a fan of DC comics. The good folks at DC have done nothing but push the envelope on this medium. I do hope they keep it up.