Green Lantern, Volume 2: The Power of Ion

Green Lantern

by Judd Winick, Dale Eaglesham (Illustrator), Eric Battle (Illustrator)

Written by former MTV Real World roommate Judd Winick, this incredible odyssey documents Green Lantern's rise to near godhood and his resultant struggles with his new infinite powers. After defeating his arch nemesis Nero, Green Lantern gains the power of his enemy as well that of every Green Lantern who has ever worn a power ring. Wielding such ultimate power, Green Lantern christens himself Ion and begins to use his godlike abilities in morally questionable ways. Now as Superman, Wonder Woman, and the Flash begin to distrust their teammate, the former Green Lantern must come to terms with his new capabilities or risk losing everything he has.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Dc Comics, Graphic Novels Comics, Fiction, Superheroes

226 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2003

About the author

Judd Winick is an American cartoonist, comic book writer, screenwriter, and former reality television personality known for his diverse contributions to storytelling across multiple media. He first entered the public eye in 1994 as a cast member on The Real World: San Francisco, where he formed a close friendship with AIDS educator Pedro Zamora, an experience that deeply influenced his later work. Winick memorialized their bond in Pedro and Me, a critically acclaimed autobiographical graphic novel that earned several literary awards and became a staple in school curricula.

Winick's career in comics took off with The Adventures of Barry Ween, Boy Genius and continued with major runs at DC Comics, including Green Lantern, Green Arrow, and Batman. His stories often explored socially relevant themes, such as HIV, homophobia, and identity. He was recognized for introducing gay characters and tackling difficult subjects with empathy and clarity. His work on Batman notably included resurrecting the character Jason Todd as the Red Hood, a storyline later adapted into the animated film Batman: Under the Red Hood, for which Winick wrote the screenplay.

Beyond comics, he created The Life and Times of Juniper Lee for Cartoon Network and served as head writer for Hulu's The Awesomes. In 2015, he launched the Hilo series, an all-ages sci-fi adventure inspired by his own children. The bestselling series has been widely praised and is expected to reach its eleventh volume in 2025.

Winick lives in San Francisco with his wife, Pam Ling, also a Real World alum, and their two children. He continues to create heartfelt and imaginative stories for audiences of all ages.

Reviews

[James DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This just solidifies my love for Kyle and he is by far my favorite Green Lantern (Though Jessica is next up!)

So what is the power of Ion? Well, the story here starts simple enough. Kyle and his girlfriend doing daily superhero stuff. Even dealing with life situations like Kyle's assistant coming out to his parents about being gay. But then the story goes into a bigger scope. What if you had the power of a god? To control and protect people, or possibly hurt them? Kyle gains the power of Ion and is able to do pretty much anything. Being at different places at different times. But maybe too much power is not a good thing? How will Kyle react.

I personally enjoy a lot of Winick's writing. It's fast paced and fun. Kyle is a loving guy who always wants to do the right thing. I think I can relate to him in a lot of ways. I also enjoy the romance stuff, the social commentary stuff, pretty much it all. I think there's a little too much dialogue at points and John's story isn't particularity interesting but it works decent enough.

It's not amazing but very strong character development for a character I enjoyed. A 4 out of 5.

[Douglas Gibson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't realize this was a Kyle Rayner story when I picked it up at the library, and being a Hal Jordan purist, I almost returned it to the library unread. I am glad I didn't because I really enjoyed this story. This volume centers around Kyle trying dealing with this now unlimited and god-like powers, and this situation has him seeking advice from all the former Green Lanterns and receiving unsolicited advice from the JL. Ironically it's Superman who tells Kyle he needs to back off from his power and let humans solve some of their own problems (which is the exact opposite of what Superman does when he becomes god-like in the Injustice story).

[Colin Bruce Anthes · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good three. Mr. Winick does a solid job of making various lanterns work without creating a congested story.

[Walt Walkowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. Story was very well done, and for once it gives a positive example for how power should be wielded.

[Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

A slightly more unified comic than the others I've read in this series.

[Chuck Ventura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Epic. Fun. Amazing character moments that made me tear up, and an awesome continuation of Kyle's story. Fires on all cylinders. Winnick's best work with the character.

[Karl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This had a somewhat confusing start but it turned into a quite good Green Lantern story, with a nice play on the problem of power and the temptations of ultimate power.

[machado · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible storyline altogether and some background context from #137-141 really helps too.

[roberto ortiz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un buen destino para el poder Ión que fue descubriendo a través de los episodios. Un tanto rebuscado el origen del mismo pero elijo creer. No de lo mejor de Kyle pero se deja leer.

[Ithlilian]

Post Hal Jordan Green Lantern isn't that interesting I guess. These issues didn't feel that important and none of the stories stuck with me. The personal lives of the characters and their day to day issues...meh. I see some baby guardians and Kyle Rayner changing costumes a few times, I wasn't impressed by Jade in my first encounter here either. I'll probably stick with the new stuff.