Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #22 Review and **SPOILERS**

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Admiral Bolphunga the Unrepentant

Writer: Robert Vendetti 

Artist: Ethan Van Sciver 

Colorist: Jason Wright 

Letterer: Dave Sharpe 

Cover: Van Sciver & Wright 

Cover Price: $2.99 

On Sale Date: June 14, 2017

**NON SPOILERS AND SCORE AT THE BOTTOM**

Shouldn’t this be retitled to Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps and the Sinestro Corps now? Or even Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps led by John Stewart and the Sinestro Corps with Soranik Natu in Sort of a Lieutenant Position But John Stewart is Still in Charge? Sure would save the cover artists a lot of time. For now, let’s check out the beginning of a new story arc in Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #22 in my review, right here!

Explain It!

In Space Sector 1800 resides Planet Vault, also known as Planet Property Rights, where super-rich people that probably look like squid or whatever stash their massive stores of fine spices and silk. And because of a lax guard, an opportunity for thieving has presented itself—namely to Bolphunga, formerly The Unrelenting. Ugh. Look, I know Geoff Johns pulled him into more current continuity, but using Bolphunga seems really lame. He was a plot device created by Alan Moore, never intended for development beyond his moniker being “The Unrelenting,” and has never really been used in a capacity where he couldn’t be replaced by any other conniving character that wouldn’t make me go, “ugh.” But whatever, Bolphunga is at the helm of this Oceans Eleven that’s going to crack Planet Vault open and reveal hewn gems and doubloons? Stuff like that, I guess?

Meanwhile on Planet Mogo, the Green Lantern and Sinestro Corps are getting along swell. The bank alarm from Planet Vault rings on Salaak’s comms system, so John sends out a detail of Greens n’ Yellows to check out sector 1800, headed by Hal Jordan. He is literally the worst person to head any team. I love Hal, but his first recourse is almost always to fling himself directly into the most dangerous and life-threatening part of everything. That’s precisely what he does, flinging everyone into a head-on battle with Bolphunga and crew. The Sinestros and the Greens work okay together, except Tomar-Tu who’s having trouble even while backed up by fear-wielding Fantas-M. Hal sees this and chastises M, but Tomar-Tu confesses that he’s feeling under the weather. Hal still acts like a prick about everything, so the two of them take off. Oh yeah, they subdued Bolphunga and his criminal losers pretty handily.

Indeed, after everyone’s been handcuffed and thrown in the space paddy wagon or whatever, Kilowog points out that all of these criminals had stun weapons only…and so never posed any real threat. Some high-ranking police officers might consider this anomaly and poke a little further—but not Hal Jordan! It’s all “ALL RIGHT, LANTERNS! BACK TO HEADQUARTERS!” and they’re zipping back to Mogo with their suspects. It’s only there that John Stewart and Salaak consider that there may have been a larger plot afoot, and after Kyle asks Soranik to drop her yellow skivvies for a green costume that they pressure Bolphunga about it—and he reveals that there’s a traitorous Lantern in the ranks, a Green one that murdered one of the Sinestro folk!

Which…well, like…didn’t that happen a bunch of times already? What was that whole Sinestro War about? Or is that not in continuity anymore? I’m so confused. Notwithstanding that, this was a decent enough story, with all characters behaving predictably and differently from one another. This whole idea of a Planet Vault sounds a little ridiculous, but then this is a comic book about squids in spandex flying through space to enforce a modicum of law. The art by Van Sciver is just as good and precise as you’d imagine. This was a pretty good but unmemorable singular issue, but as the beginning of a new story arc it does seem promising.

Bits and Pieces:

A pretty entertaining issue that's the opening salvo to a new story arc. Not a whole lot more to say without giving it away, except that with Ethan Van Sciver at the lead, it all looks correct. Might be a good time to jump on the series, if you're so inclined.

8/10