***Contains Spoilers***
The Kyle Rayner vol. 1 collection focuses on the fall of Hal Jordan and the ascension of Kyle Rayner as the Green Lantern. The book’s first half focuses on the Emerald Twilight story that results in Hal Jordan becoming Parallax. The story’s latter half shows how Kyle Rayner is tapped to be Earth’s Green Lantern, his training, and his early adventures.
I thought that the Emerald Twilight was charged with emotion. Right away, it begins with the aftermath of Coast City’s destruction, and Hal tries to recreate the city and all of his loved ones. When the Guardians came to take his ring for using it to grieve, I sympathized with Hal and his desire to both destroy the Guardians and accumulate power to continue his plan. It was difficult to become invested in his battles with the existing Corps since it was recapping much of Green Lantern history. But I found the fighting with Kilowog and Sinestro very entertaining.
This story was more brutal than past Green Lantern stories. It follows the trend coming out of the ’80s, with a much darker tone. The fight between Hal and Sinestro that ended with Hal breaking his neck was powerful. However, the story faded from there, and the ending with the Guardians left something to be desired.
The second half of this issue deals with Kyle’s journey to become the new Green Lantern, but this time without formal training. At first, I did not think that I would like the transition to a new Green Lantern like I didn’t like John Paul Valley’s Batman; however, he quickly won me over. I loved the new costume and the newer, heavy-duty constructs that Kyle creates. But what shocked me was the cold, brutal murder of Kyle’s girlfriend and his discovery of her in the fridge. That caught me off guard, and I knew this would be different from the Green Lanterns of the past.
Ultimately, this was a nice Green Lantern collection that bookends Hal Jordan’s ascension to Parallax. But nothing I would read twice, so 2-stars.
Feature Image Emerald Twilight – Green Lantern vol. 3 – art by Darryl Banks