The Green Lantern, Vol. 2: The Day The Stars Fell

The Green Lantern (Collected Editions)

by Grant Morrison, Liam Sharp (Illustrator)

The Legendary Grant Morrison continues his groundbreaking take on the universe’s greatest space cop, Hal Jordan, in The Green Lantern Vol. 2.

The twists and turns continue as Grant Morrison shakes thing up to a whole new level! Hal Jordan has always believed in upholding the law. But after recent events he may be forced to break his own code in order to protect the universe itself! One thing is for sure. Outer space’s best cop drama series continues, and Hal Jordan’s world will never be the same!

Collects The Green Lantern #7-12.

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

144 pages, Hardcover

First published December 24, 2019

About the author

Grant Morrison has been working with DC Comics for twenty five years, after beginning their American comics career with acclaimed runs on ANIMAL MAN and DOOM PATROL. Since then they have written such best-selling series as JLA, BATMAN and New X-Men, as well as such creator-owned works as THE INVISIBLES, SEAGUY, THE FILTH, WE3 and JOE THE BARBARIAN. In addition to expanding the DC Universe through titles ranging from the Eisner Award-winning SEVEN SOLDIERS and ALL-STAR SUPERMAN to the reality-shattering epic of FINAL CRISIS, they have also reinvented the worlds of the Dark Knight Detective in BATMAN AND ROBIN and BATMAN, INCORPORATED and the Man of Steel in The New 52 ACTION COMICS.

In their secret identity, Morrison is a "counterculture" spokesperson, a musician, an award-winning playwright and a chaos magician. They are also the author of the New York Times bestseller Supergods, a groundbreaking psycho-historic mapping of the superhero as a cultural organism. They divide their time between their homes in Los Angeles and Scotland.

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to say I was thoroughly bored by this. I expected something more along the lines of All-Star Superman and this steered more towards series like The Filth, which was a bore. It just wasn't very engaging. The final half of the book was a a lukewarm tie-in to Multiversity. Liam Sharp has changed hs art, giving it a retro Silver Age feel which I enjoyed.

[Tiag⊗ the Mutant · Rating 2 out of 5]

Again, Morrison overcomplicates things for no reason, started out strong but ended up extremely confusing. I also couldn't take these new worlds and characters seriously, as I'm sure Morrison didn't too.

[Malum · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would have liked to have loved this, but I didn't. Way too much talking, way too little ring slinging, too confusing in places, and for a book called THE Green Lantern, Hal felt like a side character.

[Subham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so fun and zany and everything!

It starts off with Hal in his ring and the whole thing with the world inside it and meeting the strage wizard Myrwhydden and his Power ring AI and the world there as its ending cuz the ring charge is depleting and its one of the most beautiful stories like the art there is stellar and just shows the relation of Hal and his ring.

Plus a story of two friends as Ollie and Hal team up to save Xeen Arrow and fight Mr Azmomza, a cosmic despot or hitman something like that and its a bit confusing but quite zany and fun.

Elsewhere Hal has to team up with Green Lanterns of the multiverse and rescue Universe 15 and the lost lanterns from Zundernell, the Golden lantern, Guardian of the Holy grail and that whole multiversal thing is so cool like wow its so well done and some other lanterns introduced there are so awesome and finally the art there is just stellar.

And finally Hal has to fight Qwa-man along with Sinestro from Anti-matter Universe and I quite liked that one, its quite fun but it got over soon but makes sense considering the end of the volume and its an okayish attempt at creating a new villain for them but could have used more exposition.

And finally a Jordan household stories and its kinda cute and fun and I quite enjoyed it. Introducing the hero Airwave and Radio-wave threats from those waves/dimension but seems like a silver age story but was fun albeit confusing.

Its a good volume and has many stories, some zany, some epic, the king of thing Morrison excels at and I liked most of them here but the real winner is the art which just makes this book so much better than what it is.

[Christopher (Donut) · Rating 3 out of 5]

First of all, ends on an even bigger cliffhanger than volume one, or should I say, end with Hal in even hotter water.

Speaking of hot water, the response to this has been tepid, and I can understand why.
Anyone who read the first and didn't like it should stay away from this one.

There are a number of good things, but they do not add up to anything very new to Morrison fans.

This was pretty good:

[RG · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just passes. Morrison over complicates this story.

[Dan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Grant Morrison seems to have two settings for the past few decades: "Holy shit, that was amazing!" and "Holy shit, what the fuck did I just read?"

This was one of the latter. I literally have no idea what the book I just read was about.

Which is a shame, since I loved the first volume. I am not looking forward to the next two.

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

I actually found myself engrossed in the first story and thought Grant Morrison was about to turn this series around, but then he went back to his usual bag of tricks, paying homage to the Silver and Bronze Ages of comics while one-upping their weirdness with his own blatherskite and scattering dozens and dozens of obscure characters across the pages.

Apparently this rolls over into a Blackstars spin-off mini-series before coming back to the mother title with a new #1 for Season Two. I won't be seeking those titles out, but I can see myself plucking them off the library shelf some day if my to-read pile is running a bit short.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have moments when Grant Morrison is just not for me. I couldn't get into The Invisibles or The Filth as much as it seemed everyone else did. Yet, I consider We3 possibly the finest graphic novella I have ever read.

So, here is Morrison saying he's taking Hal Jordan back to what he sees as the character's roots, which is the guy's a space cop. Part of what I remembering being drawn to in Jordan's original series was the space tales. Plus, when the series was brought back what fanboy would forget the Vulcan GL cameo?

Morrison keeps to his early interview promises of keeping this pretty much one and done in each issue. The final quarter of this 12 issue long series is one connected story, and it is Morrison going big. Like his JLA or Warren Ellis Authority/Stormwatch stories-BIG. Yep, summer movie blockbuster big.

Is this graphic novel literature-No. For that I have to suggest checking out Eisner, TODK, even Watchmen. But, this is sure as hell is fun, and at times you'll wonder what the heck Morrison and artist Liam Sharp were thinking. What sort of mind comes up with a Green Lantern who's head is an active volcano.

Disclosure: read as digital floppies and this review is for the entire 12 issues. I elected to enter only volume two.

[Lashaan Balasingam · Rating 2 out of 5]

You can find my review on my blog by clicking here.

The Green Lantern lore allows for the perfect match made in heaven as it essentially fuses interstellar science-fiction with crime-fighting action and mystery. With a wide array of heroes donning the green suit and ring, the character has lived long enough to have countless writers and artists bring to life a colourful yet weird universe. It was only a matter of time before the legendary writer Grant Morrison gave us his own wild take of the character. With his never-before-seen imagination that continues to grow to this day, this series was a golden opportunity for him to make fans of the Emerald Crusader proud. Or was it? Teamed up once again with artist Liam Sharp, acclaimed writer Grant Morrison further explores the unknown universes of the intergalactic lawman as the danger grows bigger than ever.

What is The Green Lantern: The Day the Stars Fell about? Collecting The Green Lantern #7-12 and Annual #1, the story throws readers into a universe within Hal Jordan's Power Ring as he faces strange creatures and learns to resolve his problems by himself. It then shifts to a space cop adventure where his alliance with Green Arrow and Carol Ferris are highlighted and put on the forefront while an intergalactic mess is stirred up among the United Planets. To wrap things up, the story then introduces the evil Blackstars as they attempt to create the Anti-Matter Lantern and bring forth the anti-matter universe where reality is bent in unimaginable ways. This is where all of the Green Lanterns need to work together in their final stand against the destruction of reality.

Writer Grant Morrison is well known for his psychedelic story-telling. His love to forgo any narrative structure that would make his stories accessible and linear always invites a fair amount of criticism but it isn't always without a reward. He sometimes has an ability to craft complex plots while interweaving social commentary or subtle psychological or societal thematic that make for some ambitious yet fascinating reads but he is also capable of going overboard. This was the case. Although the first volume served as a truly authentic homage to the Green Lantern universe, a bit rough around the edges too, this second volume saw the writer take the hero to all kinds of edges of the universe and miserably fails to create a cohesive narrative as each issue continuously skips around from one insane story to another.

The story also seems to stretch itself thin as it tries to tie into ongoing developments across the DC Universe (e.g. Bendis's United Planets subplot). It simply felt like writer Grant Morrison was letting himself loose and rushing himself into poorly executing a couple dozen of his kooky ideas before moving on to other projects. Artist Liam Sharp, however, continues to offer a retro visual style that remains fairly consistent but slightly altered to fully embrace writer Grant Morrison's wackiness. Similar to his narrative, the artwork steers clear from any sense of order and makes full use of the entire page without resorting to traditional panels and dialogue bubbles. It wouldn't be too much of a stretch to say that they wanted to make sure that the kaleidoscopic nature of the story was fully observed by the reader through both story and art.

Following the showdown in the final issue, it was clear that writer Grant Morrison's shenanigans were to continue but not with a 13th issue within this series, that now comes to an end, but rather with a new three-issue series entitled The Green Lantern: Blackstars that will have significant repercussions on the DC Universe history. It's safe to say that my interest in it is almost at rock bottom now. Maybe if I'm feeling like taking some hard drugs without taking the actual thing, I'll go check it out...

The Green Lantern: The Day the Stars Fell is a cacophonic and catastrophic story-arc absorbed in a ludicrous story-telling black hole that leaves you in limbo.

Yours truly,

Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: https://bookidote.com/

[Nacho Fregossi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ya es hora que DC le de un sello al Mozz para que pueda seguir jugando con su propia continuidad. En este tomo (el cierre de la primera temporada de Morrison y Sharp al frente del personaje), queda claro que su Green Lantern puede leerse como un capítulo más de esa continuidad o universo paralelo de historias que Morrison ha venido desarrollando desde hace más de una década en DC.

En estos números, el Multiverso vuelve a colocarse en el centro de la historia. Los Guardianes del Multiverso (con un Green Lantern hippie y fumeta que merece serie propia), el homenaje a la etapa de Green Lantern y Green Arrow de O'neil y Adams, y 700 ideas por página con las que algunos autores currarían por años.

El nivel de Sharp es menos parejo que en el tomo anterior, con algunos pasajes en que se lo nota un tanto apurado, aunque cuando juega fuerte lo hace a un nivel altísimo. Ésto, sumado al número 12 (dibujado por un poco inspirado Camuncoli) que es el típico fill-in que hace las veces de puente de descanso para lo que vendrá, explican las 4 estrellas (que deberían ser 4,5 si el déspota Goodreads permitiera los puntajes con fracción).

El final deja la puerta abierta para la miniserie de Green Lantern y los Blackstars (el culto intergaláctico con el que Morrison reversiona a los Darkstars), y que espero sea recopilado en breve.

[Gabriel Llagostera · Rating 4 out of 5]

En este tomo se cierra la primera temporada y deja un cliffhanger digno de una serie de tv. Las historias se diferencian del anterior en que se vuelven más delirantes y morrisoneanas, si cabe el término. Ya desde el comienzo vemos textos más poéticos que se alejan del tono policíaco del anterior.

El arco que más revistas ocupa (y que deja el final abierto) bebe directamente de conceptos anteriores del autor vistos en Final Crisis por ejemplo. Las ideas se retoman para ampliarlas y llevarlas a un camino distinto para profundizarlas, siendo entonces un acierto de Morrison.

Tal vez podría criticarse que el cambio de tono de la serie es demasiado abrupto y radical, pero eso es más un gusto personal que un problema del cómic en sí.

El tomo cierra con un Anual medio choto que corta un poco el ritmo de lo que se venía leyendo, aunque capaz Grant lo retoma más adelante.

Los Blackstars demuestran ser muy buenos villanos. Veremos más adelante como sigue esto.

[Murphy C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read the single issues (reread, actually), but didn't want to add each one here. I didn't realize there's an Annual, so now I'll have to track that down. This was enjoyable, quite good occasionally, but damned hard to follow. Morrison isn't always concerned with plot and pacing, and, for better or worse, this is one of those times. High highs and low, head-scratching lows.

[Alex Sarll]

Initially a vast improvement on the first volume, taking in the sort of bonkers cosmic stuff Morrison does so well – like a world inside Hal Jordan's ring, and an homage to the old socially conscious GL/GA run as Hal joins forces with Green Arrow again to fight - SPACE JUNKIES! But the annual* tying back to the radio Sonic analogue from Morrison's Flash run didn't really come off, despite a fun inversion of power of love resolutions, and the Guardians of the Multiverse story, in which Hal teams up with the Green Lanterns of parallel worlds, was a big disappointment. Exactly the sort of stuff Morrison usually does best, from Animal Man to Final Crisis' best chapters, but somehow here it feels confused and comparatively drab, not as bright and bold and crazy as cross-world team-ups ought. The final issue in particular is a baggy, dreary slugfest, only temporarily enlivened by the arrival of an alternate universe Sinestro I couldn't help but hear as Kevin Eldon's Terry-Thomas-inspired alien Gurk. To add insult to injury, it doesn't even have a proper resolution, because it's setting up an unappealing spin-off miniseries. On the whole, a disappointing read, though it did contain the immortal line "Good to have confirmation on one thing. Batman's a dick in every universe."

*Which apparently isn't even in the collection, though I'd hope they'll update that, because I'm not sure where else you'd put it.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is perhaps the most unfocused, over-the-top thing that Morrison has written (and I mostly love his work). I was unsure after reading V1, but reading V2 turned out to be really a chore.

The first few issues are the worst: an almost unreadable issue set inside Jordan's ring, then an attempt to mock the old GL/GA comics that just doesn't go anywhere. Things feel like they pick up when we get a Multiversity story of the Lanterns, but after a few issues, it starts to spiral out of control too, just like Morrison's entire Green Lantern run. I wasn't even sure what was going on by the end.

The annual, co-starring the Jordan family, was kind of cool.

Overall, this is a forgettable mess.

[Fraser Sherman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Frustrating in the "good enough I wish it had been better vein."
The story invovles a variety of parallel-world superheroes and some obscure Silver Age heroes (Strong Woman and Hyperman) working against some sort of Anti-Hal Jordan from the anti-matter universe of Qwaard. It's got some clever ideas but it's too damn confusing — which is partly because Morrison's borrowing from his Multiversity (which I've read but don't remember) and I gather from some other crossover or miniseries.
The art doesn't help. I kept getting lost on who was giving the smackdown to whom.
Best bit is the one-shot annual in which Hal hangs out with his family and a radio entity appears and attacks. Except it turns out it's only a dream ... or was it?

[Jesús · Rating 3 out of 5]

Between the first and second volumes, Morrison and Sharp's Green Lantern transforms from an oddball homage to strange sci-fi comics into a much more conventional Green Lantern story.

Morrison's writing downshifts into generic characters and plots, and Sharp's visuals grow predictable in their subterranean crags and dark shadows. Nevertheless, it remains a fun read, and I'm still on board for the duo's continued work with the character.

[Read in single issues]

[Ryan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Anti-Matter Lantern is out to exterminate all forces of defenses in the universe & Hal Jordan will need every ally he can gather to help stop this force from destroying all the light. He will have to travel through multiple dimensions to find the anti-matter and it will be the very threat that pushes him off reality.

Continuing off the first volume, the main quest of locating the traitor in the Corp and the release of the Anti-Matter is first off sidetracked by two one-off team ups at the beginning. One is a journey inside the realm inside Jordan's own power ring and the other is with a cartel crime with Green Arrow. After this does it kind of refocus to the main objective of the Blackstar's creation of destruction. However, the use of different alternative dimensions kind of made things confusing, and at times, felt fragmented. Whatever was left hanging at the end of Volume 1 is not even brought up until the ending, which also ends on a cliffhanger. While the retro art style is still passable, I felt the story just boring and losing interest by the midway. It's a shame because Grant Morrison is a great writer, but I just couldn't get into this. And generally, plots that involve different dimensions feel convoluted to me. The Annual chapter was interesting, better art & easier to follow plot, but I still felt a little confused about how things went, along with the family lore of the Jordan family. So far, the recent era of Hal Jordan's Green Lantern doesn't feel as exciting as I was hoping for.

[Guilherme Smee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Embora eu tenha achado o início desta fase de Grant Morrison no Lanterna Verde de modo difícil de se acompanhar, ao longo do primeiro volume, que envolve as seis primeiras edições consegui me empolgar bastante. Este segundo encadernado, que no Brasil saiu em diversas edições em separado do herói, me pareceu que não me empolgou tanto quanto o primeiro. Diferente daquele, este começa muito bem e termina mais desempolgante. Não fica muito claro para o leitor como Hal Jordan acaba abandonando o manto e a Tropa dos Lanternas Verdes para se tornar um Blackstar, uma outra ordem de protetores do universo, mais sombrios e perigosos. Os Blackstars são uma corruptela dos Darkstars, que, para quem não sabe, foram bastante populares nos anos 1990 tendo ganhado até uma revista própria que lidava com os personagens Donna Troy e o "último" Lanterna Verde Kyle Rainer. Os desenhos e a narrativa de Liam Sharpe continuam bastante positivos e envolvem bastante o leitor no clima e na ambiência do espaço sideral. De qualquer forma, essa passagem de Grant Morrison pelo Lanterna Verde está longe de ser considerada uma das suas melhores obras nos quadrinhos, seja da DC Comics ou num cômputo geral.

[Adam Fisher · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm beginning to feel about Grant Morrison the way I feel about Frank Miller. Something in his writing (same as Miller's art) just doesn't resonate with me anymore (though I have always hated Miller's art style). Morrison takes something simple, adds a tons of unnecessary lore and elements (usually which will never be used by another author again) and WAY over-complicates a title, to the point when I want to stop reading it.
DC - Can we please go back to Green Lanterns fighting other Lanterns? Rage/Avarice/Fear/Death... all these powers are still a force in the world. My vote is to go back to the full spectrum.
Anti-Verse, opposite talking, way too many aliens we've never seen before...
I'm lost... no clue what is going on here. You've gone too far Grant Morrison... at least for me.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Decidedly better than the previous volume, though it was still clunky and, therefore, difficult to follow--like pretty much everything I've read by Grant Morrison. If you're a fan of his, that's cool--he does have larger-than-life ideas. But, for me, he never seems to be able to follow through on them, putting an emphasis on the idea rather than the characters and the plot structure. Still, seeing different Green Lanterns from across the multiverse was fun and even creative, especially with their different oaths. (Particularly the hippie and Batman Green Lanterns.) All in all, this volume felt more fun, even if it didn't come close to other Green Lantern comics I read.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vol. 1 was a bit ho-hum. But the stories really take off in this Vol. 2. We'll have to see where the story goes from here (as the main story does not wrap up in this volume) but on the strength of this collection, we might be looking at some of Morrison's best work yet. If he can keep up this high quality insane plotting, I hope Morrison will be on Green Lantern for a long time.

[Colin Post · Rating 3 out of 5]

Each bit of the book seems like Morrison trying to one-up themselves to make the weirdest GL book, and they mostly succeed! It’s a lot of fun, especially the storyline with the GLs from different universes coming together for a shared mission. I’m all for Morrison’s postmodern take on comics, though this one does fall apart by the end. The bigger story isn’t resolved - or left unresolved in an interesting way - it just kind of falls apart.

[Bill Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

More Grant Morrison whimsy in this collection of his anti-nostalgic Green Lantern stories. Kudos to DC for letting this prankster rummage through their old files and have his way with 60+ year-old characters and concepts. I enjoyed the Green Arrow issue more than the rest of the contents, but I still really dislike most modern comic art. Don’t think that’s likely to change.

[James Bowman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Starts off strong, and fun ideas throughout, but a bit weaker than the first volume (especially near the end of the arc, which has some plot hiccups). Also not sure what to think of the final, possibly non-canonical story. In any case, nice to see the Green Lanterns of the multiverse (and beyond)! (B+)

[Kris Ritchie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kind of boring if I'm being honest. The art was fantastic for me throughout, but I found myself glossing over most of the text as it seemed to ramble on.

[Kai Charles(Fiction State Of Mind) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Epic conclusion to the new green lantern series

[Matt Quann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Again, this is some really weird stuff. All the same, I’m along for the ride.

[Christopher Louderback · Rating 5 out of 5]

A continuation of his perfectly mind-bending and nostalgic-diving trip into the mythos of the Green Lantern and the multi-layered fabric of the DCU! Emerald Perfection!

[John Yelverton · Rating 1 out of 5]

Whereas the stories are a little bit better than the first book, the cliffhanger ending completely ruins it. This has been such a waste of a good character by separating him from everything that made him and the books worth reading.