The Green Lantern #8 Review

It's Not Easy Being Xeen

Writer: Grant Morrison
Artist: Liam Sharp
Publisher: DC Comics
Release Date: June 5, 2019
Cover Price: $3.99

Grant Morrison gives readers an homage to the old team-ups of old and I am always down with that.  I mean, there is not much more fun than a Green Lantern/Green Arrow romp like the days of Dennis O'Neil and Neal Adams, right?  So, how was it?  Let's find out...


I'm going to tell you right off the bat...this issue is out there.  That shouldn't be a surprise to Morrison fans (or nonfans), but your mileage will vary depending on the amount of wacky you can handle.  I used to think I could handle a lot but after this issue, I realize I am a lightweight!

We start off the issue on Hadea-Maxima where we start with Brotorr yelling and shooting guns out of his chest, demanding the entire planet gets whacked as Azmomza heads off to kill Glorigold on Earth.  You got that, right?  Don't worry, it's Morrison throwing out words to make everything seem more clever than they really are.

We then head off to Earth and see Green Arrow stop a drug deal with the help of Hal Jordan and this little bit was my favorite part of the issue.  The dialogue between the old friends was good and Hal using a fishing rod construct made me smile.  That continues when we head to Ollie's apartment where Hal makes a funny Neal Adams reference and Ollie begs Hal to come back to work permanently.  Oh yeah, they also have a soul in a jar.  Yep!

That leads them to the docks where they find a giant green arrow sticking out of a warehouse and a giant green Robin Hood hat nearby as well.  That can mean only one thing... Xeen Arrow of course!  You know, Xeen Arrow, the giant from Dimension Zero last seen in Adventure Comics #253 in 1958.  Come on!  You aren't down with the Xeen?!?  I told you it was wacky!

All this sounds like fun to me, but in reality, it doesn't do much for the story at all.  After a fight with Glorigold, Hal and Ollie realize that there is an assassin on the moon (it's Azmomza) trying to kill Glorigold (who is very happy he has made the big time) and Hal creates a construct hand to use Xeen Arrow's giant bow and arrow to shot the arrow through a space fold to stop Azmomza.  Oh yea, Hal is really, really high and needs help keeping his aim steady.  It all works then Hal sends a construct punch to hit Azmomza and send a message (why didn't he do that in the first place?) and then Green Arrow throws up a bit.  Back on Hadea-Maxima, Azmomza returns and whines that Hal knocked out his teeth and then his head blows up and Sinestro is there drinking some tea.  What the fuck did I just read????

Grant Morrison pays tribute to the silver age and may have one-upped its craziness.  I was just left wondering if he is making fun of it all more than paying homage to it.  Is it fun...yea, it is, but not all for the right reasons.  My biggest complaint is that this series is going nowhere.  We are now just getting random one-shots and half stories and I really don't know if there is an overall story going on anymore.  If you just want to show up once a month to see how crazy Morrison can be, this book is 100% for you.  If you are looking for a well-paced story told within a defined continuity then you probably need to look elsewhere.  I am somewhere in between which leaves me in the noman's land of not really caring about the book before, during or after reading it.

Liam Sharpe does a good job of aping Neal Adams' style for this homage issue.  I am a fan of Adams and Sharpe gets the overexaggerated expressions that I love.  Better still, he makes it fit into his personal style as well. 

Bits and Pieces:

This issue is a mind bender, but the over-the-top silver age craziness comes off more as a parody than an homage at points and doesn't really help the story much.  I liked Liam Sharpe's Adams-inspired art, but this book is treading water even if the water is laced with tons of acid!

5.5/10