Grief must be a difficult emotion to deal with in the DC Universe. After all, there's no such thing as closure available, as death doesn't boast the same sense of finality it's meant to. Resurrection and spiritual visitations aren't uncommon. Johns taps into the awkwardness of that lack of closure here to tell a cosmic story that also brings with it some surprisingly personal moments among the cast of characters. The art is detailed yet dark, reinforcing the eerie and uncomfortable mood of the story. Aside from the notion that this series promises to return the DC Universe to a status quo it left behind years ago, the only real problem here is how much backstory the reader needs to be aware of in order to make sense of plot elements in this book.
Strange things are happening all over America, and all of them have some sort of connection to the late Hal Jordan, the one-time Green Lantern who now possesses the power of the Spectre, the Spirit of Vengeance. People are drawn to him when he appears and spontaneously spew forth confessions of their sins. Coast City, Hal's hometown that was destroyed by an alien warlord years before, is partially restored. And Guy Gardner, who was once a Green Lantern like Jordan, finds himself a victim of his own alien powers running amok. Something is wrong with Hal Jordan, and it doesn't bode well for the world.
Ethan Van Sciver's art has come a long way since the days of Cyberfrog, his stints on Impulse and work on the Justice Leagues fifth-week event for DC. He's definitely grown as an artist, and this work stands out as his strongest effort to date. His style here reminds me of a cross between the works of Phil Jimenez and Brian Bolland, with the dark maturity one routinely found in Tony Harris's Starman art. Moose Baumann's colors are brilliant, but they never threaten that darker atmosphere. Instead, they reinforce it and add to it with an eerie feel.
What happened to Coast City? Why does Green Arrow have a power ring? Why did Hal Jordan ever lose his way as a hero? This is just the beginning of all of the questions that could arise as a result of the glancing references to past continuity that go unexplained in this issue. I really enjoy Geoff Johns's work, because he often expands on past stories that I enjoyed in my youth. The problem lies with how inaccessible his scripts. Yes, I follow most of what's going on, but his storytelling is so steeped in what's come before that it's bound to alienate some readers. Even I had a couple of continuity questions lingering in my mind after reading this issue.
Where Johns succeeds is in establishing a foreboding atmosphere. I had assumed this story would be focused on the triumphant return of a classic hero, but instead, the emphasis is on how doom follows him wherever he goes. The scene featuring the Black Hand is quite chilling, and the heroes' tension upon realizing all of the weirdness that's arisen and how it's all connected to Hal rings true. 6/10
