Green Lantern: Emerald Dawn II (DC)
Written by Keith Giffen & Gerard Jones, drawn by M.D. Bright
Collects Green Lantern: Emerald Dawn II #1-6

When I was a kid, DC went through a lot of changes when it came to their big time superheroes. Superman died, Batman got broken and Hal Jordan went nuts. So, I became very used to the idea of change when it comes to my superheroes. I also developed allegiances to the newer, younger, cooler characters like Kyle Rayner, especially when I heard about the old guard complaining so hard about that old guy Hal getting kicked to the curb.

Aside from a few random comics I acquired over the years, Emerald Dawn II, a 1991 miniseries became my first real introduction to Hal Jordan. This series is the sequel to 1989’s Emerald Dawn and takes place directly after that. See, the series that launched in 1990 was all about current, grey-templed Hal, so these series’ about the rookie space cop were a bit more appealing to me. I scored these particular comics while visiting Carol & John’s in Cleveland while visiting my grandma who was always a big supporter of my geekery. However, looking around in my library’s system for other GL comics reminded me of this story’s existence. A few clicks later and I had requested the trade.

So here’s the deal, not long after getting the GL ring and joining the Corps, Hal Jordan needed training so the Guardians sent one of their most accomplished officers, Sinestro, to do just that. Making matters more difficult is the fact that Hal just got sentenced to jail for drunk driving and is spending his days in prison. While hanging out with Sinestro, it soon becomes very apparent that the large-headed, pink-hued GL is actually a pretty big despot on his home planet of Korugar. This is the first time Sinestro’s expulsion from the Corps is expanded upon. There are also references to Invasion and appearances from Guy Gardner as a social worker, which is a wrinkle of his character I wasn’t familiar with.

I had a pretty good time reading this story from a time when DC was excited about explaining these Silver Age characters in ways that make more sense while expanding on their histories. This is just a few years after Crisis On Infinite Earths still. A lot of people, including my pal Ben Morse, feel that Hal is just too much of a hot shot jerk to like, but I thought he came off as much more human and likable in this series. Things might get a little After School Special at the very end, but overall, I dug this Year One-ish story. Not only did Emerald Dawn II make me want to get my hands on the original series, but also dig out my recently completed collection of Guy Gardner comics written by Gerard Jones as well as the Guy Gardner Reborn miniseries which I also haven’t read yet.