Green Lantern: Season Two #4 Review

Don't Toy with Me

Writer: Grant Morrison
Artist: Liam Sharp
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: June 17, 2020

This season of Green Lantern has been wacky!  Grant Morrison seems more intent on warping people's minds with slightly related one-shots than telling a story, but Liam Sharp's art kick ass!  So, what do they have for us this week?  Let's find out...

This issue is a Green Lantern/Flash team-up, and I'm so down with that!  The reader gets thrown into it all without much warning, and after some possible Heroes in Crisis shade, and character (somewhat) introductions, it's off to the races. 

Grant Morrison is doing a bunch of callbacks in this issue.  The Golden Giants that Hal and Barry check out in the museum are the same as Zundernell, the giant that the Guardians fought in issue #11 of Season 1 and first appeared in The Flash #120 back in 1961.  Morrison also introduces us to Olivia Reynolds, Hal's ex-girlfriend, from The Flash #191 in 1969.  The big thing going on here is Olivia has the "U-Mind," a power that can destroy universes, though Hal and Barry had made her forget about it back in the day.  Morrison likes to give shoutouts to creators by basing an issue on a past creator, and these are John Broome's creations.  The problem is it seems to be for Grant Morrison's enjoyment over that of his readers.  

Watch our The Green Lantern: Season Two #4 Video Review

The actual story is simple but is lost in the utter insanity Morrison throws on top of it.  Liam Sharp shines here and must have had a ball, but at points, it is unreadable.  An alien race intent on invading our planet grabs Hal, Barry, and Olivia to see if Earth could fight back.  Each character gets to kick a little ass, including Olivia, who gets to use her U-Mind.  Simple enough, right?  Well, throw in the alien-speak that is sometimes impossible to follow, sing-song nursery rhymes, clockwork planets, cosmic judges in flying space heads and transitions that might make sense if you were dropping acid and I had to read this issue multiple times to figure out what was going on.

Now, I don't mind rereading an issue.  It's something I do for these reviews anyway.  The problem here is it was a chore.  I wasn't having any fun, and it felt more like work than a hobby I love.  Grant Morrison's imagination can sometimes be the best thing in the world, but times like these, it's a burden to the reader.

In the end, our heroes show the invaders that Earth is badass, Olivia forgets about the U-Mind for now (?), and we finally get to something that progresses the overall story of Season Two.  It's not much, but after all this nonsense, I'll take it!

While I know that someone will tell me this will all tie into the ending of Season Two, that isn't making me happier right here, right now.  I mean, I'm quoting Jesus Jones' songs now, for crying out loud!  Liam Sharps art is the main draw, and I could look at the art and convince myself it's worth the price of admission.  I should have only done that and saved myself the headache.  Grant Morrison may be having a ball writing this book, but I am struggling to enjoy it.

Bits and Pieces:

Grant Morrison gives readers a John Broome inspired story that is simple in concept, but frustratingly convoluted in practice.  Liam Sharp's art is incredible, and so far, that has been the main reason to pick up any of the Season Two issues.  There's a glimmer of the overall story by the end, but I need more than that to stay excited about this book.

4.5/10