Green Lantern #62

And things are beginning to get...interesting. Hal actually shows up in this issue...and gets his firm taut ass handed to him, by none other than Krona. A tiny wizened creepy-looking Krona. Hal even mentions that he used to be taller, which I found to be oddly amusing. But boy howdy, does Doug Mahnke make him look eerie.

Krona is quite the fellow apparently. According to him, at any rate, he's the one who imprisoned Parallax in the Central Battery in the first place...not to mention inventing the Sciencecells and the handy dandy pocket universe that they use to keep their lanterns in. Unlike the Guardians, he doesn't think that emotions are necessarily a bad thing. Of course he's also responsible for accidental creation of the anti-matter universe, but hey, ANYone can have a bad day. The Guardians aren't real big on forgiveness apparently.

So naturally, Hal being Hal, he starts using his ring against Krona...with very little effect., although he does manage to get a few lucky licks in. During their battle Krona keeps up the running dialogue, some of which is QUITE perspicacious...and some of which is out and out crazy. Krona probably isn't dealing with a full deck of cards at this stage. Barry is dithering on the outskirts of the battle, when the rest of the various corps show up, with the exception of Carol and Sinestro who are busy doing other things. So everybody attacks!

Krona calmly tells Hector Hammond who is working as the Greed entity, the Ophidian to...deal with them...which he does quite handily. Boy, does Hector still have a thing for Carol! Even Atrocitus shows up, but Krona manages to grab him, and figure out that he's got the Butcher, Entity of the Red Ring hidden away in his own battery. Why that sly boots! And before you can say Jack Robinson, Krona has managed to corral the Red entity as well. Naturally Hal isn't having him just walk away and attacks again.

And wakes up battered, bruised and just a little groggy. Batman, Barry and Superman are standing over him, looking concerned. Well...Superman and Barry are looking concerned. Batman is being...Batman. Hal has four broken ribs, a concussion and a black eye not to mention various cuts and abrasions. He looks oddly hot for being so beat up. But his battery is there, and he charges up and looks good as new, while Batman yammers on about Parallax and Atrocitus. Barry and Superman just want to help. Batman probably just wants to keep an eye on him. Hal himself points out that Bruce has only been back three weeks, but he's right back to being a jerk.

Heh.

Then all of the rest of the gang shows up, St. Walker, Larfleeze, Indigo and Atrocitus. Barry and Superman still want to help, but naturally Hal turns them down and disappears with his new hoodlum friends. That's no way to keep treating your old JLA buddies Hal. On the other hand, this sort of thing IS perhaps just a touch out of their league, pardon the pun. Well, Superman could probably help but just what the heck Batman or even Barry could do, is beyond me.

So, we're moving closer...ever closer to the start of the War of the Green Lanterns, and a confrontation with Krona and probably the Guardians as well. I liked this issue. It isn't really that often that Hal LOSES so conclusively.



I can't help but think that Krona is off to find the Star Sapphires next, and since he's got Hector Hammond in tow...it should be quite interesting.