***Contains Spoilers***
Green Lantern: Kyle Rayner vol. 2 is an exciting and well-rounded collection that builds the foundation for Kyle Rayner, both as a Green Lantern and as a Titan. The collection has a few different arcs: Capital Punishment with Guy Gardner, the return of Hal Jordan, and the Seige of Zi Charam with the Titans.
This issue also builds the relationship between Donna and Kyle. Donna Troy is a true badass in this series, and it is great to see her in action once again as a Titan and a Darkstar. Kyle and Donna Troy have a great dynamic, and their interactions are always entertaining to read. She has always been one of my favorite Titans, and it is great to see her continue to kick butt in this series.
The Guy Gardner crossover was a fun arc, as it gave me a chance to see Kyle get his justice over Major Force. This crossover was also an excellent opportunity to see another side of Guy, and it makes me even more interested in his story, especially considering events like Invasion!.
The return of Hal Jordan was handled well in this volume as he tries to reclaim his place as a Green Lantern. One thing that jumped out to me is Hal’s presumptuous attitude that he should just be forgiven for his past indiscretions. The line “Let’s not dwell on the past,” where he killed the entire Green Lantern Corps, the Guardians, and kicked off Zero Hour, is a great example of this. The showdown between Hal and the JLA was a great moment in this volume, as it felt like a mini Zero Hour. It was interesting to see the JLA fight against a former member, and the tension in this scene was palpable.
I also appreciated that, in this volume, they removed the 24-hour and yellow weakness of the lantern ring. This change not only improved the overall power level of the ring but also made the series feel more modern and up-to-date.
The Seige of Zi Charam was an alright arc in this volume, although I personally don’t love all the cosmic battles. However, it was still fun to see this new group of Titans fight together and grow as a team. Titans are one of my favorite teams, and one small disappointment is that the New Titans is not collected past the 50th issue, so I was a bit unfamiliar with the turnover on the team.
In conclusion, Green Lantern: Kyle Rayner vol. 2 is a good comic book collection that offers a mix of action, character development, and high stakes. Kyle and the Titans are the highlights of this volume, and the Guy Gardner crossover was a standout moment. While the stories themselves were just alright, the character-building around Kyle sets him up as a solid Green Lantern moving forward. I give it 2-stars, as I will probably not reread this now that I have the Kyle Rayner background.
Feature Image Green Lantern: Kyle Rayner vol. 2 Cover art by Darryl Banks and Romeo Tanghal
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