“Fast Friends”
Creative Staff:
Story: Jeremy Adams
Art: Xermanico
Colors: Romulo Fajardo Jr.
Letterer: Dave Sharpe
What They Say:
After Sinestro’s attack on Ferris Air, Hal calls in a fast friend for help. This brave and bold duo comes one step closer to uncovering the mystery of Sinestro’s plans, all while Hal continues to figure out what it means to be the only Green Lantern on Earth! PLUS: Meet the all-new character SINSON, in the first installment of a prelude story the to upcoming Sinister Sons by Peter J. Tomasi and David Lafuente!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Green Lantern continues to be a favorite of mine going back decades but I haven’t read much since the Flashpoint reboot over a decade ago. I’ve enjoyed the character in a bunch of the non-continuity books over the years and have decades of prior reading of Hal and most of the gang. This series has Jeremy Adams stepping in to guide Hal to a new place in the DCU and it’s my first time reading their work, which they handle well here. What got me to check out the book, however, was Xermanico on the artwork as I thoroughly enjoyed their stuff on some of the digital-first series I read several years ago and still miss. There’s a good dynamic look to the action here, the designs are great, and with the color work from Fajardo Jr, it delivers a solid experience without overdoing the green.
With Sinestro showing up at the end of the previous issue, on top of the Knight Terrors event this summer, the book is definitely struggling to find its own voice with all of these things pulling at it. Sinestro’s presence at least brings a few more things to the forefront since he wants Hal’s ring to get offworld with. The way that the sector is under quarantine has him looking for a way to get back to Korugar but unable to through his usual connections and means. But what we find reinforced here is that Hal’s ring is very much bonded to him and that’s an interesting new wrinkle to work with. One that frustrates Sinestro, however, and causes him to follow through on his threat to blow up the city by setting the explosions in motion. It’s all a feint to distract Hal so he can get away but any collateral damage won’t bother Sinestro either, so we get the callous villain role handled well here.
Hal’s at least smart enough to call in for help from The Flash and Barry’s all too eager to help out. There’s some creative stuff to how it unfolds in trying to find the tech and stop the explosions from happening. And that’s something that spins into another action sequence as there’s an attack nearby from Major Disaster, which tracks as an alien attack at first. What they find and corroborate is that there seems to be an influx of alien weapons on Earth lately and that’s causing problems. What’s the most fun about all of this is just getting Barry and Hal working together in and out of uniform since Hal brings him to check out the aircraft that Sinestro may have tampered with. That in itself is solid and smart but we also get Carol showing up, which introduces plenty of interpersonal drama as well. Barry’s someone that’s smart enough in relationships at this point to give Hal some solid advice, including just backing off Carol for a while, but I wish he would just tell him to let it go and if it’s meant to be, it will. Hal’s life is always just going to be too complex for it and while it works for Barry and Iris it’s not fair to expect it to work here as they’re all very different people.
In Summary:
Green Lantern continues to be somewhat frustrating but it mostly comes from the release schedule itself and the summer event that put it on ice for a couple of months. This issue does a fun team-up bit with The Flash and there’s obviously a very long history of that so it works well to bring them together. It scratches that kind of old-school itch in a good way to make it fun and hit the nostalgia side while being useful to the current storyline. The script moves through well with its pacing and the way it handles the various character dynamics, whether it be Hal and Sinestro or the fun of Barry and Carol when it comes to their lives. The Barry and Hal rooftop scene is probably the best in just trying to clarify things in a way that’s realistic within this context and it works well to put things in the right light to go forward with. Overal, it’s definitely a lot of fun.
Grade: B
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: DC Comics
Release Date: October 10th, 2023
MSRP: $4.99
