The Green Lantern Corps is gone and Hal Jordan is now known as Blackstar Parallax. Under Controller Mu, will Hal Jordan bring “peace” to the universe? Find out in the miniseries Green Lantern: Black Stars #1 by DC Comics.

GREEN LANTERN: BLACKSTARS #1 (OF 3)

Writer: Grant Morrison
Artist: Xermanico
Colorist: Steve Oliff
Letterer: Steve Wands
Editor: Brian Cunningham
Publisher: DC
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: November 6, 2019

Previously on Green Lantern: After the crazy events of Green Lantern #12, Hal Jordan was last seen locked up by the Blackstars and was given the opportunity to join their ranks. Why did the name change from Darkstars to Blackstars? Why does Controller Mu want Hal Jordan in the ranks? What is going on?

BLACKSTARS AND THEIR MISSION OF PEACE

The issue begins with Countess Belzebeth and Parallax, both Blackstars, are on the planet Oa to claim for Controller Mu. The denizens here are horrific monsters that initially refuse the Blackstars offer of peace and as a result Belzebeth kills one of the denizens and drinks its blood. After this, Oa submits to the Blackstars. Next target is Warworld led by Mongul and Hal Jordan offers to provoke Mongul into “peace”. When Mongul attacks Hal, it gives reason for the Blackstars to attack and decimate the planet. Belzebeth drinks Mongul’s blood and sets up the planet for Controller Mu. As Mul arrives, it is revealed what Hal Jordan’s role is. He is to marry Countess Belzebeth.

TENSE

Oh man, this book opened with a punch. The first thing I want to compliment is the artwork. I opened the issue and was completely absorbed by the monsters the creative team created. It was those monstrous images in the few few pages that completely brought me into the story. But despite how scary these creatures are, Belzebeth is the most intimidating figure in this story. She drives the narrative forward and acts as a mouthpiece to Hal Jordan and the reader.

This mouthpiece is so important because I have no idea what is going on. I was not following the previous Green Lantern story and apparently the entirety of reality changed in that previous series. Without any preface of the plot, I had to research what happened to get the wider context. There is a lot in this book to figure out and without the larger context the book makes no sense. With that being said, I think the book is well written and if I knew the information from previous books, I would be in great shape.

BOTTOM LINE: GOOD WORK

The book keeps you on the edge of your seat as you are trying to figure out why Hal Jordan is here. A strong edition to a great series and I am looking forward to where this goes next. 4 out of 5 for Green Lantern: Blackstars #1.

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