Green Lantern: Sector 2814 Vol. 1

Green Lantern: Sector 2814 #1

by Len Wein, Dave Gibbons (Illustrator), Gil Kane (Illustrator)

In 1984, DC Comics introduced British artist Dave Gibbons to U.S. readers with Green Lantern #172, the start of a popular run by Gibbons and writer Len Wein, best known as the creator of both Swamp Thing and Wolverine. Over the course of thirteen action packed issues, Green Lantern battled some of his greatest foes, clashed with the Guardians of the Universe, and was replaced by another human Green Lantern - John Stewart!

This title is a showcase for the art of Dave Gibbons, who moved straight from Green Lantern to Watchmen, the best-selling graphic novel of all time. Gibbons returned to the world of Green Lantern in 2007 as the writer of the new series Green Lantern Corps.

Genres: Comics, Dc Comics, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Comic Book, Fiction, Science Fiction

192 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 20, 2012

About the author

Len Wein was an American comic book writer and editor best known for co-creating DC Comics' Swamp Thing and Marvel Comics' Wolverine, and for helping revive the Marvel superhero team the X-Men (including the co-creation of Nightcrawler, Storm, and Colossus). Additionally, he was the editor for writer Alan Moore and illustrator Dave Gibbons' influential DC miniseries Watchmen.

Wein was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2008.

Reviews

[Subham · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW WHAT AN EPIC VOLUME!

I had such a great time reading it. So Hal basically returns to earth after a long time and he meets his friends but the happiness is short lived as he faces a gauntlet of villains who are looking to destroy his life or Ferris, the company he works at and I love the way Len takes time to build up the supporting cast and Rogues gallery at the same time in a brilliant manner.

We follow Hal as he fights against Javelin and rescues things he stole or a psychic battle with Shark which was my favorite one and that leads to some great drama and inner mind battle or the big one where he goes to rescue a planet named Omnicron but Ferris is being destroyed and a mysterious hero named "Predator" is here and well the drama between Hal and Carol heightens which leads to a massive decision in the end which will change things forever.

Its an epic volume with so many twists and turns and I love the evolution of Hal as he is ready to give up everything to be with his loved ones and the evolution of his and Carol was great to see and the subplots with the monitor or Clay Kendall or whatever Davis is upto and a mysterious gentleman "Smith" in the end was great.

Its a must read volume and has great writing but the terrific art of Dave Gibbons who makes this volume a marvel to look at and it will be a great time reading it!

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

ok, this volume collects the first few issues of a classic Len Wein/Dave Gibbons run on Green Lantern. after finishing up a year long exile in space, Hal Jordan returns to Earth and his life with Carol Ferris. of course, calamity ensues, and GL finds himself fighting such crazy foes as The Javelin, The Shark, and the Demolition Team! yeah!

ok, these villains are hokey, even for the Bronze Age, but that's just fine! Wein does a pretty good job with the various fight scenes, and even comes up with a couple of novel ways to deal with GL's weakness against the color yellow. Wein goes a bit overboard with the silly German accent of The Javelin, but it's fun, and that's cool, right?

one of the subplots involves a congressman who is out to get Ferris Aircraft. said congressman is in frequent contact with The Monitor. shades of Crisis on Infinite Earths, Myrtle! i checked the cover dates for these issues: late 1983/early 1984. my senior year in HS. time flies, comrade. to be honest, i didn't remember The Monitor showing up like this, and he seemed a tad out of character, but it's a nice tie to the wider DCU of the day, as are the couple of panels with the Flash, who was facing manslaughter charges at the time.

Dave Gibbons is a master illustrator. this was before Watchmen, and i'm not sure i knew who he was prior to his GL stuff. i might have seen a few stories from him in mystery books, or sci-fi titles, but i'm not sure. still, his art is very clear and crisp, even if Carol Ferris looks like an early version of Michelle Obama (high waist, large hips). Gibbons inks himself and gets inking assists from Dick Giordano, Mike deCarlo, and Mark Farmer. Anthony Tollins does most of the coloring.

There are two more volumes covering this time in the GL title, before switching to tales told in volume three of the collected Tales of the Green Lantern Corps, when Green Lantern became a book highlighting the Corps. i'm looking forward to reading them. lots of fun memories. no, these stories are not as sophisticated as most of our modern comics, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. i miss when comics were all-ages, and not for Teens and above.

[Douglas Gibson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know that this is the type of comic book writing and storytelling that make some of today’s audiences cringe, but to me it’s the absolute heyday of comic perfection! This is the period of comics that I grew up reading and loving. I time before everything became so serious. This story takes place about a year before the universe shattering “Crisis on Infinite Earths,” occurs and even features The Monitor.
This volume checks a lot of boxes on my great comic book checklist. First a soapy, melodramatic love story between Hal and Carol that ultimate has him struggling with the choice of keep Carol or keeping his position with the Corps. This dilemma is handled with through great characterization of Hal/Green Lantern and he reflects on his past and what he wants for his future.
Secondly, includes several cameos from some of my other favorite heroes- Flash, Superman, and Green Arrow. Green Lantern goes to all of his friends separately seeking advice on what to do. Sadly, Flash can’t offer much help because he’s going through his own troubles as he faces a trail for the murder of Reverse Flash (double love it!)
The villains in this collection are laughablely lame (you can’t make up Javelin Man or the Demolition Team) but they are not the focus of any major story, their function is almost secondary to revenge plot hatched by non-costumed villain, Congressman Jason Blotch, who is out to destroy Hal Jordan because he holds Hal’s father responsible for his father’s death (i know, right?! So good)

[Pat Sul · Rating 3 out of 5]

there is something odd about green lantern. often when i am reading a hal jordan as green lantern tale i get the feeling that hal isn't the smartest cookie in the jar. this collection does little to dispel that idea.

very much old school comics and that makes it all the more enjoyable.
len wein's writing is solid, if in places silly. dave gibbons art strong and clean.

the volume starts off with hal making a plea to the guardians to return to earth and ends with a plea from hal to the guardians to withdraw his green lantern power. between this you'll get to meet some odd characters - the very lame 'demolition team', they may not be the worst villains ever, but they are pretty close to the bottom. the shark, with his invisible yellow force field.and more.

if you like good fun stories - then this is the one for you.
don't expect to see anything flashy, just the basics down well.

[Steven · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh dear me, Hal is such a total dick. The endless whining over being ordered to save a planet from planetary catastrophe that might have wiped out billions, his tantrum at the Guardians because his girlfriend pulls a "the ring or me!" on him, the whole me me me thing that runs through the entire book and gets *very* tiring very quickly. In short, Hal...is a dick.

This is also where the whole squicky business with Arisia takes hold, too (she's a young teenage Lantern; eventually she decides she's in love with Hal, and over the course of things, and following his rejection of her because of her youth, uses the ring to age herself up; Hal promptly shacks up with her.)

Dave Gibbons' artwork is solid, but not a patch on his later work. Everyone has to begin somewhere, though.

[Kris Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes you discover a run of comic books that are so good that you feel stupid for not having known that it even existed before. This is one such run of comics. The thing that I have come to terms with is that even after decades of reading comics and consuming them at an unhealthy rate that there remains untold treasures in the wings. I perceive this as a good thing, as the sky is the limit for the greatness out there just waiting to be discovered.

Len Wein is a writing powerhouse, able to juggle multiple plotlines at once while moving the main story forward. His insistence on using the term “ring-slinger” annoys me in the same manner as when he used the term “web-slinger” when he wrote Spider-Man. I don't know why, but the phrase annoys me and sticks out like a sore thumb among his otherwise superb writing. It's like a stellar musician who intentionally hits one bum note over and over and over. Dave Gibbons is a great artist who would soon go on to draw some series that no one remembers. I think that it was called Watchmen.

Len Wein wraps up a lengthy arc where Green Lantern was assigned to outer space to protect the rest of the sector assigned to him by the Guardians Of The Universe, Sector 2814. Hal Jordan (aka Green Lantern) returns home after a year away to resume his life, particularly his love life with Carol Ferris, his boss at Ferris Aircraft. There are all sorts of things wrong with the scenario of dating your boss here in 2016, but for the sake of suspension of disbelief let us journey to the simpler days of 1983 and 1984 when these comics were originally published and enjoy them for what they are.

I really enjoyed Green Lantern's battle with the Javelin (#173 and 174), who uses yellow weapons against which our hero has no defense for. You see, due to an imperfection in the manufacturing process of his power ring, Green Lantern has no control over anything yellow. Yes, I realize that this makes no sense, but use your suspension of disbelief and dig it anyways, okay? His battle with The Shark (#175 and 176) was cooler still. I was a Marvelite in 1984 and wouldn't touch anything from the Distinguished Competition as an 11 year old kid. I am glad that I have gotten over that. My son, on the other hand, seems to have the recessive DC gene, preferring Batman and The Flash to anything in Marvel's stable of heroes.

One of the plotlines that Len Wein slowly unraveled here was Congressman Bloch's personal vendetta against Ferris Aircraft. Bloch goes as far as to hire a team of garishly costumed and ridiculously powered villains called the Demolition Team, who show up to destroy the financially beleaguered company. As Green Lantern gets set to spring into action, the Guardians call him to save an entire planet from exploding. He must then decide on keeping his vow to the Guardians and the entire Sector of space that he has sworn to protect or save the factory of the woman he loves. He chooses duty over love, saving the entire planet. When he returns he finds that a mysterious new hero(?), the Predator, has dealt with the Demolition Team, although not before they could destroy nearly everything. Carol Ferris reads Hal Jordan the riot act, forcing him into a corner. The result is him going back to the Guardians and quitting the Green Lantern Corps.

This was an incredibly satisfying read and I give it my highest recommendation.

[DrCrower · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entretenidísima y creo que no del todo justamente valorada en la etapa del gladiador esmeralda. Después de haber leído algunos de los episodios que componen el volumen en mi infancia (editados por Zinco, aunque admito que nunca fui nada fiel a la serie, apasionado en mis primeros años de afición entre guerras secretas, mutantes y crisis varias), reencontrarme con ellos tantos años después ha estado lleno de encanto. El funcionamente "soap" de los tebeos ochenteros se que ha funcionado mal para parte de la crítica especializada pero me fascina su zeitgeist (hay un reparto en la serie de casi 12 personajes entre principales y secundarios, aunque girara en torno a Hal las tramas brotan y rebrotan entre los trabajadores de Ferris Inc, sin contar ese misterio un poco creo inspirado en el Duende spidermanesco de descubrir la identidad de "Depredador") pero es un estilo que me evoca muchos recuerdos y sensaciones de ese periodo -no el mejor de los tiempos, tampoco el peor, pero al que reconozco con comodidad de inmediato-. Aunque sea "pre-Crisis" creo recordar que los sucesos aquí contados se mantuvieron a posteriori. El dibujo de Dave Gibbons era francamente bueno, estaba a punto de caramelo para "Watchmen".

[B.A.G. Studios · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can’t say any particular aspect of this grabbed me because of the plot. It’s interesting enough, but it’s more to see where it’s all going than to enjoy the journey for me, in this instance. Honestly, the way Bloch’s storyline is wrapped up was a major disappointment and could’ve really been what secured an easy 4-star review, but it just… ends. “That’s over, here’s the next overarching plot thread, enjoy!” So it feels very… meandery. I’m somewhat glad I got this immediately after Hard Travelin’ Heroes, because Hal quitting the Corp after that makes a lot of sense. I just trim a few pages from the volume here and there, suddenly it’s as if 100 issues never happened.

The standout is the art. Of course this was Gibbons’ first DC work, why wouldn’t it be? Well, it also happens to be my introduction to his art, and I am impressed. It’s squarely in the style of the day, but he has an attention to detail and a flare for staging that I do appreciate, as the novice I am.

Ready to see where the story spins once Stewart takes over, since that’s clearly the intention here. But I can’t say I’ll ever be itching to return to this. It’s fine. It’s about on par with Hard Travelin’ Volume Two, but I do think I like the art better in this.

[Deryk Rumbold · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is in that era of DC where you can feel the transfer from serializing the brand more away from the "enemy of the week" feel. Which you get the "best" of both worlds. Some low grade Lantern baddies like Shark (Not King Shark) and Demolition Team mixed with some overarching internal struggle for Hal Jordan to choose between Carol Ferris or the Green Lantern Corps. The latter being the more interesting piece which is a bit glossed over with the lame action of fighting bad guys. It sets up some John Stewart focused issues after this which I would be interested to check out but this specific volume might be a skip for me.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid, classic Hal Jordan Green Lantern that ends with a more hallmark story--specifically when Hal quits the GL Corps. Honestly, reading this just made me more disappointed in Grant Morrison's current run. If you're a fan, I get it--he is creative. But the new stuff feels like it's trying so hard to be creative that the story gets lost. I'll probably be reading more older stuff like this and just picking up the new run, well... maybe some time (at least just to stay current with continuity).

[Nabil Hussain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chillin' and Thrillin' Classic Green Lantern Graphic Novel!!

This graphic novel is expertly drawn by Dave Gibbons. The graphic novel is from the past sometime and is not so much full of colour as opposed to graphic novels nowadays. It was a good story with Hal being on Oa and the Shark and Javelin battling Green Lantern. The Demolition Team were formidable villains. All in all, an entertaining volume!!

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fun and I was surprised how much it all reminded me of the Iron Man comics from around this time. All Hal needs to do is developed a drinking problem and they'll be really alike. Gibbon's art is always a treat. After reading some older Green Lantern now, I am so glad we finally moved away from the stupid general weakness to anything the yellow. Although, part of me does wonder if everything on Oa is yellow on purpose.

[Zachary King · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading Geoff Johns’s definitive take on GL, I didn’t think anyone else could come close. Len Wein and Dave Gibbons sure do! As Hal struggles to balance his obligations to the Corps, he faces foes like the Shark and the Demolition Team. Great character work here, and the art is predictably fantastic.

[Chris W · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's OK. The art is decent, Hal is literally the lamest Green Lantern and this volume definitely proves it. He is extremely unlikable. The villains are fairly lame but Dave gibbons art and the quick pace make it somewhat passable. Overall 6/10

[Kurt Rocourt · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's fine. Mostly forgettable in my opinion. It has a nice ending which ends up being negated later. It tries to have some form of long-term story telling but it doesn't work. In the the end it's just an okay story.

[Darcofi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clasicote como él solo. Diálogos sobreexplicativos, villanos ridículos... Pero con más de una sorpresa por ahí. Y bueno, el dibujo... Ay, el dibujo.

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice to look at, hard to read.

[Andi Chorley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bronze age tales of the Green Lantern I grew up with Hal Jordan written by the great late Len Wein and drawn by Watchman and 2000AD artist Dave Gibbons

[Josh Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing series

What a thrilling and heartbreaking series. I would recommend this Vol to any fan of Green Lantern who wants to see more Hal Jordan

[Dony Grayman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recopila la etapa pos-exilio pero pre-crisis de Hal Jordan, con guiones de Wein y dibujos de Gibbons. Incluye los "crossovers" de la serie con CoIE.

[Adam Stone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite being from the 1980s, this is pure 1960s Silver Age silliness, with a few crumbs of more modern comic writing thrown in. There's a minor villain named Spyke Nail, his compatriot Chubby (whose last name was clearly Fatterson in Wein's canon), and a few other slightly silly names before he gets to more tame names like April O'Rourke, whom everyone calls "Irish" because Len Wein can't write a book without someone being referred to as Irish, for some reason.

The hackiest moment in the book comes when the underwhelming new villain, Javelin, is revealed, and he is given an accent that would have felt over-the-top on Hogan's Heroes. It's the kind of lazy, uninspired writing choice that just makes you want to put a book down and make a note to never read anything by that author again.

There are some nice, understated for the 1980s moments, such as when Hal catches a drunk driver and the fallout only takes up a page in the story. This was during the age of the Afterschool Special/Very Special Issue era of comics when you might expect a break in the story for Hal Jordan to will the fourth wall down to tell kids that drinking isn't cool, and if you ever see an adult about to get behind the wheel drunk to call another adult, but Wein just has Hal trap the driver in a giant green whiskey bottle and move on the rest of the plot. I thought that was well-handled.

The weirdest dropped ball is that we have two or three issues building up to Hal "The Suckiest Green Lantern" Jordan battling Javelin, and after he defeats him, Green Lantern ends up being shunted away and we are never told whether or not there was any consequence for Javelin building a yellow missile to try and blow up Ferris aircraft. He's just not mentioned again for the rest of the collection.

The Shark is also a hokey, silver age villain, but he's actually from The Silver Age, so I'm not going to lay that completely at Wein's feet. It was a weird choice for a villain, though.

If you like silver age comics, you might love this throwback. It wasn't entirely for me but I didn't hate it. I was mainly reading it because it sets up the John Stewart Green Lantern storyarcs but, it turns out, you don't see that at all in this collection, apart from John Stewart showing up at Ferris. So, if you're looking for the setup to that story, it's in Volume 2, and you can completely skip this one, as the beginning of volume two sums up all the relevant plot points leading to Stewart's tenure.

[Víctor Segovia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Con la presente reseña, llego a mis primeros 200 libros leídos ¡Todo un logro!
Posiblemente, uno de los personajes con una mitología un tanto desaprovechada, pero extrañamente, tan rica como la del hombre de acero, la amazona o el caballero de la noche el guardián esmeralda en su encarnación de Hal Jordan nos muestra en el presente libro un héroe muy adelantado a su época. Se nos vendió que los héroes de la Distinguida Competencia eran siempre perfectos, sin mancha alguna en su historial personal, pero aquí vemos un Hal tan humano como cualquier lector.
El dibujo de Dave Gibbons es maravilloso, trabajando muy bien con el guión de quién fuese el responsable de cierto engendro del pantano, posiblemente una de las razones por las cuales leer esta obra, conocer las cosas en las que trabajó el dibujante británico antes de colaborar con Alan Moore.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Hal Jordan's Green Lantern but Gibbon's rudimentary art (he's often genius) is not enough to lift these stories out of it's 80's-ishness.

[Matthew Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good post-Silver Age story-writing. This is from the often-overlooked era of Green Lantern comics. Post-O'Neil/Adams, but pre-Emerald Dawn.

[Carles Muñoz Miralles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Buenas historias, buen dibujo, buena narrativa. De esos tebeos que, sin ser obras maestras, te hacen disfrutar un buen rato.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun pre-Crisis stories whose main appeal is the Dave Gibbons art. Honestly, was the Demolition Team taken seriously in 1984?