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Justice League of America #3
Green Lantern: Hero's Quest
Kyle Rayner never asked to be a hero. But a chance encounter with an extraterrestrial leaves him in possession of a powerful weapon in the form of a ring. With godlike abilities and a new name -- Green Lantern -- Kyle becomes a super hero and a member of the Justice League. But when he arrives at League headquarters to A3/4nd his teammates missing, his investigation into their disappearance leads him on a journey unlike any he, or anyone else, has ever experienced before. Traveling to the end of space itself, where the universe is in the process of coming into existence, Green Lantern must unravel a strange series of secrets before he and the Justice League are annihilated -- along with every living creature in the universe.
7 pages, Audio CD
First published March 29, 2005
3 people are currently reading
329 people want to read
About the author
Dennis O'Neil
1,758 books276 followers
Dennis "Denny" O'Neil
was a comic book writer and editor best known for his work for Marvel Comics and DC Comics from the 1960s through the 1990s, and Group Editor for the Batman family of titles until his retirement.
His best-known works include Green Lantern/Green Arrow and Batman with Neal Adams, The Shadow with Michael Kaluta and The Question with Denys Cowan. As an editor, he is principally known for editing the various Batman titles. From 2013 unti his death, he sat on the board of directors of the charity The Hero Initiative and served on its Disbursement Committee.
His best-known works include Green Lantern/Green Arrow and Batman with Neal Adams, The Shadow with Michael Kaluta and The Question with Denys Cowan. As an editor, he is principally known for editing the various Batman titles. From 2013 unti his death, he sat on the board of directors of the charity The Hero Initiative and served on its Disbursement Committee.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
September 4, 2020
Well, first off, Hal Jordan is my guy and this is a Kyle Raynor story, so I was disinclined to give it a fair shake. Raynor seems to be almost as much of a misogynistic jerk as Guy Gardner in this one, so... Anyway, I suspect O'Neil fleshed this one out by cashing in his notes and notions, because we get a lot of Lantern history and backstory mythology. I enjoyed it, but I suspect people who haven't been reading G.L. since the Alan Scott days would be bored. On the plus side, it's a far-ranging interstellar adventure and O'Neil doesn't shy from the cosmic canvas. It has less participation from other JLA members than the other books in the series. It's not a bad book, and O'Neil would definitely be the guy who the character better than anyone else, but I wouldn't call it his best... or G.L.'s best.
July 16, 2018
It's been a while since I've been this torn about a book. Hero's Quest has some great science in it, accurate stuff that's well explained for an all ages audience. The voice acting is great, as is the music and sound effects. But I just can't recommend it to anyone, because of the unrelenting misogyny.
I know, I know, saying you found misogyny in a Green Lantern book is like saying you found cheese on a pizza. But in this book it's staggering. Every female character, save one, is described by their beauty and lusted after by the main character, Kyle. The one woman who was spared was a mature aged woman who was, of course, kind and helpful (if you can't be fuckable at least be amenable to men's other needs).
In the second act of the story Kyle meets Di, who is basically a test human made by an alien race while they were designing humanity. Her 'test' status is demonstrated by the fact that she's clumsy... and has no innate personality. She has no opinions, no desires, and only speaks when spoken to.
Kyle falls madly, desperately in love with her. Within 24 hours. So much so that when the story ends, years later, he's still pining for Di despite the fact that he now has a girlfriend who is both fuckable AND kind and helpful. Lucky man.
When Kyle first kissed Di, she asked him if that was a kiss was and then stated that the kiss was nice. He kisses her again later. He considers visiting her uninvited during the night, but I'm still trying to work out if she's even with it enough to make her own decisions. Kyle's one true love is basically a Furby stuck inside a sex doll. Surely I'm not the only one who's offended by this?
I know, I know, saying you found misogyny in a Green Lantern book is like saying you found cheese on a pizza. But in this book it's staggering. Every female character, save one, is described by their beauty and lusted after by the main character, Kyle. The one woman who was spared was a mature aged woman who was, of course, kind and helpful (if you can't be fuckable at least be amenable to men's other needs).
In the second act of the story Kyle meets Di, who is basically a test human made by an alien race while they were designing humanity. Her 'test' status is demonstrated by the fact that she's clumsy... and has no innate personality. She has no opinions, no desires, and only speaks when spoken to.
Kyle falls madly, desperately in love with her. Within 24 hours. So much so that when the story ends, years later, he's still pining for Di despite the fact that he now has a girlfriend who is both fuckable AND kind and helpful. Lucky man.
When Kyle first kissed Di, she asked him if that was a kiss was and then stated that the kiss was nice. He kisses her again later. He considers visiting her uninvited during the night, but I'm still trying to work out if she's even with it enough to make her own decisions. Kyle's one true love is basically a Furby stuck inside a sex doll. Surely I'm not the only one who's offended by this?
January 10, 2020
This book surprised me. Written before Geoff Johns had his color spectrum run in the comics, this book brings Kyle Rayner center stage as the only human GL and I thought it fresh and unique, especially from the first person point of view in a non-comic story. I’m a Hal Jordan GL guy and GL is my second favorite superhero, so this book being Kyle’s story was new to me and he felt relatable and I liked it a lot. Awesome book definitely gonna try the others in this series.
February 4, 2020
DNF about 50%
OMFG. This has made me angry. I can't believe I lasted more than 50 percent of this.
Right, so I know that comic books aren't high fiction.
But good gods the misogyny in this book was revolting.
I gave up after the new love interest was introduced and he said "at least she won't bore me by being the chatty type"
Nope, I'm done. this was shittily written. The character is literally scum. Nope. Done.
OMFG. This has made me angry. I can't believe I lasted more than 50 percent of this.
Right, so I know that comic books aren't high fiction.
But good gods the misogyny in this book was revolting.
I gave up after the new love interest was introduced and he said "at least she won't bore me by being the chatty type"
Nope, I'm done. this was shittily written. The character is literally scum. Nope. Done.
December 11, 2025
Graphic audio’s production quality was amazing and the reader playing Kyle Rayner was excellent! The script and narrator really captured the spirit of the Kyle Rayner character. However, the plot and story itself was a letdown. Significant changes from the comic storylines, combined with an overall lackluster story made it hard to enjoy.
I’d give it 2 stars for story, but it gets an additional star for the production quality and capturing Kyle’s spirit.
I’d give it 2 stars for story, but it gets an additional star for the production quality and capturing Kyle’s spirit.
August 20, 2018
This was really long and kind of dragged at points. I was a fan of Kyle Rayner in the comics back in the 90's and 00's, but I didn't really like this characterization of him. It's hard to explain why; maybe it was the waffly philosophy he came to by the end. I also didn't think the voice of the narrator (which was Kyle) fit him. He sounded older, like maybe he should have been voicing Hal Jordan. Most of the other voices were good, though, especially Plastic Man.
Overall, this deviated too much from the comics for my tastes. When they talk about Hal Jordan, Kyle's predecessor, there's no Abin Sur in his origin, and no mental breakdown after the destruction of Coast City that leads him to become Parallax. Kyle's origin is a bit different, too. Ganthet isn't the last surviving Guardian, he's just on the run from the others. And Kyle doesn't have a girlfriend, so Major Force never appears (there is mention a "Major Destruction," but he never shows up).
In the backstory of the Guardians, they change Krona's name to Kronus for some reason. And I was not impressed with the philosophy stuff at the end of the whole thing.
I would not recommend this.
Overall, this deviated too much from the comics for my tastes. When they talk about Hal Jordan, Kyle's predecessor, there's no Abin Sur in his origin, and no mental breakdown after the destruction of Coast City that leads him to become Parallax. Kyle's origin is a bit different, too. Ganthet isn't the last surviving Guardian, he's just on the run from the others. And Kyle doesn't have a girlfriend, so Major Force never appears (there is mention a "Major Destruction," but he never shows up).
In the backstory of the Guardians, they change Krona's name to Kronus for some reason. And I was not impressed with the philosophy stuff at the end of the whole thing.
I would not recommend this.
August 18, 2008
DO NOT let the first page or two of this book turn you off. I almost did, and it would have prevented me from reading this very, very enjoyable book. It's written in the first-person, and the first couple pages are the first-person character telling a story and it just doesn't come off well at all. Luckily, the author doesn't revisit that style for the remaining 300+ pages.
This book, in essence, tells the story of the Green Lantern. I was not familiar with it before and I found it really, really interesting. Also, aside from the first couple pages, the author is a good writer and really kept me turning the pages. I'd recommend this book for any fan of comic books or (like me) super heroes and associated movies.
This book, in essence, tells the story of the Green Lantern. I was not familiar with it before and I found it really, really interesting. Also, aside from the first couple pages, the author is a good writer and really kept me turning the pages. I'd recommend this book for any fan of comic books or (like me) super heroes and associated movies.
May 4, 2012
The monologue just drew on & on with little to no action until the last part of the story. Very disappointed
August 14, 2014
This was an interesting book, in a not-quite boring sort of way. It sat on my shelf for several months before I finally picked it up to read it. It starts shortly after Kyle Rayner receives his ring in Green Lantern vol 3 #51. He stands the JLA up twice and has to decide if he really wants to be a part of an organization larger than himself as well as take on the responsibilities given to him. I think I enjoyed it more than the one about Superman but not necessarily as much as the one about the Flash [which is odd, because I've always liked GL more than the Flash]. But, as with each of the books in the series, I was glad when I finished it. It seemed like it could have been shortened thirty to forty pages [if not more] and still been just as good.
The Plot: Basically, it's about Green Lantern coming to terms with himself and the inherent responsibilities that come with the Green Lantern ring. He has been a slacker his whole life, never attempting to succeed and struggling with a self-deprecating self-image [I guess 'low esteem' would also have worked]. He discovers a Green Lantern had visited Earth three hundred some years ago and lost a battery; this battery was found and kept by the Order of St. Dumas. He has to acquire this battery from this Order, and his journey's to and from the Order's home [monastery?] [castle?] alert the JLA there is a new Green Lantern in town. Superman 'confronts' Kyle and asks him various questions before taking him to the orbiting JLA satellite. There, the JLA interrogates him to determine if he is going to use his powers for good or 'evil.' He is made a provisional member and given a 'key' that will alert him if the JLA need him for a mission. He ignores the first few summons because of how inadequate he feels and his general lack of knowledge about anything. He also learns that he must understand how something functions before he can create a construct that will work [like an automobile or an aircraft or even a computer]. After he acquires a level of knowledge to be able to use the ring intelligently, he is called up to the JLA satellite [which promptly disappears upon his arrival]. Ganthet then appears and proves rather stupid [maybe 'frustrating' is a better word, but Ganthet became beyond irritating for me over the course of the story] in how he goes about continuing to help Ranyor in this 'hero's quest.' Batman contacts Raynor to tell Raynor where to meet him in Gotham City; after meeting with Raynor and quizzing him, Batman tells him to get a move-on in discovering what happened to the Justice League. It was kind of interesting to see Batman not having an answer for everything; he had to admit he did not know what happened the JLA and that there was probably nothing he could do, which meant that Green Lantern was on his own to save the day. He journeys past Pluto to find a wormhole which will take him to OA. After Ganthet performs a time compression to allow Kyle to learn how to use his ring, he is captured and placed in 'Eden' where he meets Hal Jordan and a woman who reminds him of a clumsy Wonder Woman. Hal helps Kyle escape; Kyle meets up with another Lantern who helps him and Ganthet on their quest, and they travel back to the Big Bang [or thereabouts] to save the day. Yee-haw!
My thots:
It was interesting to see how Kyle's character developed over the course of the story. He went from being insecure, irresponsible, and having a low self-esteem to secure in who he was and confident in how to use his powers, responsible [for himself as well as the planet and membership with the JLA], and having a more positive outlook on life. One does not usually read about a super hero's journey of self-awareness and learning how to use their powers responsibly.
There is also a lot of talk about 'ring physics' as well as attempts to explain higher level physics that humans do not have words for yet and have not discovered processes for. It did not go above my head [like other books have], but these discussions did seem to bog the book down a bit. At the same time, they were informative and helped explain various processes that I did not know I needed explained to me. :) On the other hand, the conversations about this 'stuff' and how it was all above Raynor's head comprised nearly half the book and I think that it could have been dramatically shortened and still had the same effect.
I do not know quite what else to say. It was an interesting book, but I am not sure how memorable it was for me. Nothing really jumps out at me as a memory to say 'that was hilarious!' or 'the author did a really good job at this part where ________________'. I liked how it explained Kyle's learning how to use the ring and how Ganthet compressed time so that a Green Lantern boot camp only took Kyle 43 minutes in real time to complete. That was crazy-cool.
Oh! I guess there was one other interesting part of the book! It gives background information to the Oans, how they 'evolved' over time and that now, after living for billennia [as opposed to millennia], they have grown tired of living a 'limited immortal' life and want to die. So they are going to alter the Big Bang such that only 9 life forms will exist in the entire universe. And they themselves will no longer exist. So Kyle has to save the universe as well as the JLA. Kyle has an interesting discussion with some Oans as he attempts to argue for the salvation of life itself. I also found it interesting that the Oans had no concept of artwork until after encountering humanity after rescuing the Green Lantern sans its Lantern from Earth during the 1600 - 1700s.
On the downside: there is very little 'action.' Most of the book is cerebral and/or conversations. It could have used more 'action.'
One moment of humor [to me]: Batman asking Kyle questions before admitting he [Batman] did not have all the answers followed by ordering Kyle to stop slacking around and save the day! [my paraphrase of what happened]
So there you have it. It was an enjoyable read, but not necessarily enough for me to read it again any time soon. As much experience as the author has in terms of writing comics and specifically writing about Green Lantern I would have thought it would have been 'better' as a novel. The author changes a lot of Kyle's back story AND ignores much of DC's continuity in this book. Also, while the meeting with Hal Jordan was blandly interesting, it was still out of character for Hal considering where Hal was at that point in his life. Maybe O'Neil did not like what was done to Hal Jordan in the comics and was trying to give Jordan an 'out' in terms of what he did [by becoming the villain Parallax]. I don't know what, exactly, he was thinking in terms of why he wrote this book the way he did, but I think it could have been SO much better than it was. Despite that, I will leave it at three stars as it did hold my interest until the very end [for the most part].
The Plot: Basically, it's about Green Lantern coming to terms with himself and the inherent responsibilities that come with the Green Lantern ring. He has been a slacker his whole life, never attempting to succeed and struggling with a self-deprecating self-image [I guess 'low esteem' would also have worked]. He discovers a Green Lantern had visited Earth three hundred some years ago and lost a battery; this battery was found and kept by the Order of St. Dumas. He has to acquire this battery from this Order, and his journey's to and from the Order's home [monastery?] [castle?] alert the JLA there is a new Green Lantern in town. Superman 'confronts' Kyle and asks him various questions before taking him to the orbiting JLA satellite. There, the JLA interrogates him to determine if he is going to use his powers for good or 'evil.' He is made a provisional member and given a 'key' that will alert him if the JLA need him for a mission. He ignores the first few summons because of how inadequate he feels and his general lack of knowledge about anything. He also learns that he must understand how something functions before he can create a construct that will work [like an automobile or an aircraft or even a computer]. After he acquires a level of knowledge to be able to use the ring intelligently, he is called up to the JLA satellite [which promptly disappears upon his arrival]. Ganthet then appears and proves rather stupid [maybe 'frustrating' is a better word, but Ganthet became beyond irritating for me over the course of the story] in how he goes about continuing to help Ranyor in this 'hero's quest.' Batman contacts Raynor to tell Raynor where to meet him in Gotham City; after meeting with Raynor and quizzing him, Batman tells him to get a move-on in discovering what happened to the Justice League. It was kind of interesting to see Batman not having an answer for everything; he had to admit he did not know what happened the JLA and that there was probably nothing he could do, which meant that Green Lantern was on his own to save the day. He journeys past Pluto to find a wormhole which will take him to OA. After Ganthet performs a time compression to allow Kyle to learn how to use his ring, he is captured and placed in 'Eden' where he meets Hal Jordan and a woman who reminds him of a clumsy Wonder Woman. Hal helps Kyle escape; Kyle meets up with another Lantern who helps him and Ganthet on their quest, and they travel back to the Big Bang [or thereabouts] to save the day. Yee-haw!
My thots:
It was interesting to see how Kyle's character developed over the course of the story. He went from being insecure, irresponsible, and having a low self-esteem to secure in who he was and confident in how to use his powers, responsible [for himself as well as the planet and membership with the JLA], and having a more positive outlook on life. One does not usually read about a super hero's journey of self-awareness and learning how to use their powers responsibly.
There is also a lot of talk about 'ring physics' as well as attempts to explain higher level physics that humans do not have words for yet and have not discovered processes for. It did not go above my head [like other books have], but these discussions did seem to bog the book down a bit. At the same time, they were informative and helped explain various processes that I did not know I needed explained to me. :) On the other hand, the conversations about this 'stuff' and how it was all above Raynor's head comprised nearly half the book and I think that it could have been dramatically shortened and still had the same effect.
I do not know quite what else to say. It was an interesting book, but I am not sure how memorable it was for me. Nothing really jumps out at me as a memory to say 'that was hilarious!' or 'the author did a really good job at this part where ________________'. I liked how it explained Kyle's learning how to use the ring and how Ganthet compressed time so that a Green Lantern boot camp only took Kyle 43 minutes in real time to complete. That was crazy-cool.
Oh! I guess there was one other interesting part of the book! It gives background information to the Oans, how they 'evolved' over time and that now, after living for billennia [as opposed to millennia], they have grown tired of living a 'limited immortal' life and want to die. So they are going to alter the Big Bang such that only 9 life forms will exist in the entire universe. And they themselves will no longer exist. So Kyle has to save the universe as well as the JLA. Kyle has an interesting discussion with some Oans as he attempts to argue for the salvation of life itself. I also found it interesting that the Oans had no concept of artwork until after encountering humanity after rescuing the Green Lantern sans its Lantern from Earth during the 1600 - 1700s.
On the downside: there is very little 'action.' Most of the book is cerebral and/or conversations. It could have used more 'action.'
One moment of humor [to me]: Batman asking Kyle questions before admitting he [Batman] did not have all the answers followed by ordering Kyle to stop slacking around and save the day! [my paraphrase of what happened]
So there you have it. It was an enjoyable read, but not necessarily enough for me to read it again any time soon. As much experience as the author has in terms of writing comics and specifically writing about Green Lantern I would have thought it would have been 'better' as a novel. The author changes a lot of Kyle's back story AND ignores much of DC's continuity in this book. Also, while the meeting with Hal Jordan was blandly interesting, it was still out of character for Hal considering where Hal was at that point in his life. Maybe O'Neil did not like what was done to Hal Jordan in the comics and was trying to give Jordan an 'out' in terms of what he did [by becoming the villain Parallax]. I don't know what, exactly, he was thinking in terms of why he wrote this book the way he did, but I think it could have been SO much better than it was. Despite that, I will leave it at three stars as it did hold my interest until the very end [for the most part].
April 23, 2018
I don't know much about Green Lantern, and what I know is about Hal Jordan. This book is about Kyle Rayner. The first half of the book talks about how he got the ring, and went about discovering his powers, and his introduction to the Justice League.
I loved the first half. 5 stars for me. It was filled with humour typical of Green Lantern. The music for this book was really good as well. Made me love the book even more. I think I will have a re-listen to this first half in the future. I loved it that much.
The second half was where the 'story' began. There isn't much action in this book. This part was about Oa and the Oans, the creators of the Green Lantern Corps. I was bored out of my mind. 2 stars from me for the second half. I simply wasn't interested in what was going on.
I loved the first half. 5 stars for me. It was filled with humour typical of Green Lantern. The music for this book was really good as well. Made me love the book even more. I think I will have a re-listen to this first half in the future. I loved it that much.
The second half was where the 'story' began. There isn't much action in this book. This part was about Oa and the Oans, the creators of the Green Lantern Corps. I was bored out of my mind. 2 stars from me for the second half. I simply wasn't interested in what was going on.
July 2, 2018
I'm not really sure how valid my rating is for this book. It was our first audiobook in ages, and we listened to most of it on a road trip, where I was also driving. It was as much a test of finding out if we had room for audiobook listening (and whether we would enjoy it) as it was anything else. It was a fun listen, and maybe I would have given it another star if I had been able to listen to it with 100% of my attention (but the other drivers and my car insurance company are all glad that I paid attention to the road, too!)
July 17, 2020
I heard the GraphicAudio version of the story. It was a really good listen. The story was relatable in an alien kind of way.
July 29, 2021
I heard the GraphicAudio version of the story. It was a really good listen. The story was relatable in an alien kind of way.
December 28, 2018
Love hearing this cast in the Graphic Audio production after they defined the characters for me in Priest's Green Lantern trilogy. It definitely goes in some very strange directions, but I think it was fun.
October 21, 2019
This is actually the best out of the four Green Lantern stories I’ve listened to. Loved the sarcastic tone of the narration, as well as the really cerebral stuff. And I liked how it delved into Kyle Rayner's drawing habits. Of course he would like comics!
August 24, 2020
A different origin for the Kyle Rayner Green Lantern. The book tries to get deeply into the science of the Green Lantern. It tries to develop the characters also. It just did not seen to have as authentic a feel as the Kyle Rayner in the comic books.
August 20, 2018
Lot's of fun and really difficult to stop reading. The story is non-stop.
May 26, 2018
Okay, most of the novels aren't set in the mainline DC. But at first this one seems more than a little off. The story is supposed to be early in Kyle's tenure as Green Lantern but there aren't many of the traits of the Kyle we've come to know. And it's only when you get to almost the end of the book that this is really explained but when you get to that point, it's worth it.
And I get it... an accurate Kyle origin would be a little much for the average reader. And what works in the comics might not work in a novel.
Which is a shame because over all the story is good. It's just that it feels like they wasted an opportunity here. While using Kyle might have drawn readers in back in 2004-2005, the story itself might have been better served with an entirely new Green Lantern. Which of course DC wasn't quite ready to do at the time. And if they were going to do it the wouldn't waste a novel doing it. In fact, dollars to donuts says the licensing deal says they couldn't.
Anyway, if you like Green Lantern and especially the Dennis O'Neil run than I say go for it. If Green Lantern isn't your absolute favorite than skip it.
And I get it... an accurate Kyle origin would be a little much for the average reader. And what works in the comics might not work in a novel.
Which is a shame because over all the story is good. It's just that it feels like they wasted an opportunity here. While using Kyle might have drawn readers in back in 2004-2005, the story itself might have been better served with an entirely new Green Lantern. Which of course DC wasn't quite ready to do at the time. And if they were going to do it the wouldn't waste a novel doing it. In fact, dollars to donuts says the licensing deal says they couldn't.
Anyway, if you like Green Lantern and especially the Dennis O'Neil run than I say go for it. If Green Lantern isn't your absolute favorite than skip it.
June 18, 2011
With the new Green Lantern movie hitting theaters I figured it would be topical to review one of the few prose novels available for the character.
'Hero's Quest' was actually my introduction to the Green Lantern. Throughout my superhero loving childhood he just happened to be one of those few characters that I never crossed paths with.
Before I get into the review I should inform you that there have been several Green Lanterns and this novel focuses on Kyle Rayner who is not the same guy portrayed in the current movie by Ryan Reynolds. The first Green Lantern was named Alan Scott and he was followed by Hal Jordan (the Ryan Reynolds character), Guy Gardner, John Stewart, Kyle Rayner and Jade.
Kyle Rayner's chance encounter with an extraterrestrial leaves him in possession of a ring that can be used as a powerful weapon. This weapon takes the form of green energy and can form anything his imagination can conjure with the only drawback being that it needs to be charged by insertion into a special lantern. That's a lantern as in an object and not as in another Lantern. That would make for a very weird charging system would it not? So, the novel begins and it's not long before Kyle is experiencing his first action by willing the energy into a giant boxing glove to punch a would be thief. The whole episode is played for comedy but it is a tad bit silly and that kind of sums up this novel in relation to the ring. Not that this was actually bad just a tad bit left of the middle as the problem with the ring being the focal point is that all situations are solved through a manifestation of energy. As that energy has to take a form we're disposed to an array of objects up to and including a giant umbrella which at times just becomes a tad too absurd and childish. Yeah, I know it's odd to mention it's childish when I read superhero novels but even I have my limits to what I can take and what crosses the line.
As the story progresses, and it's written in the first person all the way through as if we're being told the story over a cup of tea by Kyle himself, the Justice League of America disappear and Kyle has to investigate why which leads him to a bigger problem in that the universe itself faces annihilation.
The story itself is actually a good one and I did enjoy it. I also liked the voice of Kyle as his character is very quick witted and a bit of a smart ass. He also has a more human element that a lot of superheroes. For instance, there's a part in the book where he's relating an incident with Wonder Woman,
"The Amazon Princess...smiled in a fashion that combined maternity with a hint of flirtatiousness.
I guess I should apologize for that last line, but I won't because when I'm around Wonder Woman I half want to ask for home-baked pie and half want to ask what she's doing Friday night (and Saturday, and Sunday...)."
I like Kyle. I can relate to him.
Near the beginning of this post I mentioned that this was my first encounter with the Green Lantern and I think that's important because I had no preconceived notion of who he was and how he should act in certain situations. As such, being introduced to him from scratch and learning who he is through this novel was entertaining. However, if you are already a Green Lantern fan then this novel probably won't cut it for you as it has been changed from the original comic book scenario of how Kyle Rayner came to be the Green Lantern.
Overall I enjoyed this book. It's not amazing by any stretch of the imagination but I found it to be one of those reads that passed the time nicely and left me in a good mood.
'Hero's Quest' was actually my introduction to the Green Lantern. Throughout my superhero loving childhood he just happened to be one of those few characters that I never crossed paths with.
Before I get into the review I should inform you that there have been several Green Lanterns and this novel focuses on Kyle Rayner who is not the same guy portrayed in the current movie by Ryan Reynolds. The first Green Lantern was named Alan Scott and he was followed by Hal Jordan (the Ryan Reynolds character), Guy Gardner, John Stewart, Kyle Rayner and Jade.
Kyle Rayner's chance encounter with an extraterrestrial leaves him in possession of a ring that can be used as a powerful weapon. This weapon takes the form of green energy and can form anything his imagination can conjure with the only drawback being that it needs to be charged by insertion into a special lantern. That's a lantern as in an object and not as in another Lantern. That would make for a very weird charging system would it not? So, the novel begins and it's not long before Kyle is experiencing his first action by willing the energy into a giant boxing glove to punch a would be thief. The whole episode is played for comedy but it is a tad bit silly and that kind of sums up this novel in relation to the ring. Not that this was actually bad just a tad bit left of the middle as the problem with the ring being the focal point is that all situations are solved through a manifestation of energy. As that energy has to take a form we're disposed to an array of objects up to and including a giant umbrella which at times just becomes a tad too absurd and childish. Yeah, I know it's odd to mention it's childish when I read superhero novels but even I have my limits to what I can take and what crosses the line.
As the story progresses, and it's written in the first person all the way through as if we're being told the story over a cup of tea by Kyle himself, the Justice League of America disappear and Kyle has to investigate why which leads him to a bigger problem in that the universe itself faces annihilation.
The story itself is actually a good one and I did enjoy it. I also liked the voice of Kyle as his character is very quick witted and a bit of a smart ass. He also has a more human element that a lot of superheroes. For instance, there's a part in the book where he's relating an incident with Wonder Woman,
"The Amazon Princess...smiled in a fashion that combined maternity with a hint of flirtatiousness.
I guess I should apologize for that last line, but I won't because when I'm around Wonder Woman I half want to ask for home-baked pie and half want to ask what she's doing Friday night (and Saturday, and Sunday...)."
I like Kyle. I can relate to him.
Near the beginning of this post I mentioned that this was my first encounter with the Green Lantern and I think that's important because I had no preconceived notion of who he was and how he should act in certain situations. As such, being introduced to him from scratch and learning who he is through this novel was entertaining. However, if you are already a Green Lantern fan then this novel probably won't cut it for you as it has been changed from the original comic book scenario of how Kyle Rayner came to be the Green Lantern.
Overall I enjoyed this book. It's not amazing by any stretch of the imagination but I found it to be one of those reads that passed the time nicely and left me in a good mood.
November 10, 2011
Original Review Feb 2007:
Overall 3/5
Story 3/5
Re-Readability 3/5
Characters 3/5
This is yet another in a series of DC Comics JLA novels. Like many of the others, this one is written by an old, experienced hand at the comics biz, Denny O’Neil. Like many of the others, it’s a mixed bag. It was finished in 2003, interestingly, but never made it to print until 2005.
Story: First off, this is a Kyle Raynor GL tale. That should be okay, unless you are a huge Hal Jordan fan. O’Neil was part of the group that brainstormed Kyle, so it should work, right? Except … it’s not really a Kyle Raynor tale, but a sort of parallel world Kyle Raynor tale. It goes over his origin at GL, his early challenges, his saving the universe (literally), and becoming, in his own mind, a hero. But some of the particulars are different — not just a few trivial continuity-boy particulars, but major chunks of Kyle’s backstory, his experiences, the whole basis of the Green Lantern Corps, Hal Jordan’s fate, the origins of the JLA — I mean, profoundly different “This couldn’t be done in the DC Universe” sort of stuff.
And it’s not necessarily better. I mean, yeah, we can avoid some of the clutter of DCU continuity, but what comes back is kind of dry and sterile. There’s a brief, taunting nod to that original continuity — the refrigerator scene, in particular — but then it’s gone and rejected.
Weird.
That said, the story, in and of itself, isn’t bad. We see Kyle progressing from a slacker to a hero, facing tremendous challenges, and coming out triumphant. The best parts of the book are in the first third or so, as Kyle tries to learn how to use the ring. How do you find your way home from orbit, for example. For that matter, how do you keep from suffocating in space? That early discovery period is where the book shines.
But from there, it goes downhill, with more dialog than action, and more Cosmic Stuff than “real” experiences. The cosmic stuff gets more than a bit much — and since that’s two-thirds of the book, that’s a problem. We really don’t need to have Kyle talk about how he can’t quite grasp the weird stuff happening, words fail him, etc., all the time, or over and over.
But all that said, the story hung together pretty decently, had a few twists, a few deus ex machina and Bobby Ewing in the Shower moments, but overall … not bad.
Characters: Kyle’s character (within the bounds described above) is done okay, even pretty well. Problem is, everyone else is a cardboard cut-out. We get only sketchy involvement with the rest of the JLA (who Mysteriously Vanish early on), Ganthet the Oan is a cipher in a red nightshirt, the other aliens are utterly inscruitable, Hal Jordan is both out of character and not all that interesting, and we don’t learn enough of Hal’s companion to build an opinion.
Re-readability: I could imagine rereading this, someday. It’s not written badly, and the story doesn’t depend on solving the puzzle or finding the McGuffin. I just don’t know that I ever will.
Overall: I’m not sure why O’Neil wrote something so unnecessarily non-canon, without even taking a few obvious outs to make it so. He has long experience with GL (both modern versions) and with the DCU, so it wouldn’t be beyond him. He just … doesn’t. And, honestly, the book is less interesting and less rich for all that. Not bad — just disappointingly not good.
Overall 3/5
Story 3/5
Re-Readability 3/5
Characters 3/5
This is yet another in a series of DC Comics JLA novels. Like many of the others, this one is written by an old, experienced hand at the comics biz, Denny O’Neil. Like many of the others, it’s a mixed bag. It was finished in 2003, interestingly, but never made it to print until 2005.
Story: First off, this is a Kyle Raynor GL tale. That should be okay, unless you are a huge Hal Jordan fan. O’Neil was part of the group that brainstormed Kyle, so it should work, right? Except … it’s not really a Kyle Raynor tale, but a sort of parallel world Kyle Raynor tale. It goes over his origin at GL, his early challenges, his saving the universe (literally), and becoming, in his own mind, a hero. But some of the particulars are different — not just a few trivial continuity-boy particulars, but major chunks of Kyle’s backstory, his experiences, the whole basis of the Green Lantern Corps, Hal Jordan’s fate, the origins of the JLA — I mean, profoundly different “This couldn’t be done in the DC Universe” sort of stuff.
And it’s not necessarily better. I mean, yeah, we can avoid some of the clutter of DCU continuity, but what comes back is kind of dry and sterile. There’s a brief, taunting nod to that original continuity — the refrigerator scene, in particular — but then it’s gone and rejected.
Weird.
That said, the story, in and of itself, isn’t bad. We see Kyle progressing from a slacker to a hero, facing tremendous challenges, and coming out triumphant. The best parts of the book are in the first third or so, as Kyle tries to learn how to use the ring. How do you find your way home from orbit, for example. For that matter, how do you keep from suffocating in space? That early discovery period is where the book shines.
But from there, it goes downhill, with more dialog than action, and more Cosmic Stuff than “real” experiences. The cosmic stuff gets more than a bit much — and since that’s two-thirds of the book, that’s a problem. We really don’t need to have Kyle talk about how he can’t quite grasp the weird stuff happening, words fail him, etc., all the time, or over and over.
But all that said, the story hung together pretty decently, had a few twists, a few deus ex machina and Bobby Ewing in the Shower moments, but overall … not bad.
Characters: Kyle’s character (within the bounds described above) is done okay, even pretty well. Problem is, everyone else is a cardboard cut-out. We get only sketchy involvement with the rest of the JLA (who Mysteriously Vanish early on), Ganthet the Oan is a cipher in a red nightshirt, the other aliens are utterly inscruitable, Hal Jordan is both out of character and not all that interesting, and we don’t learn enough of Hal’s companion to build an opinion.
Re-readability: I could imagine rereading this, someday. It’s not written badly, and the story doesn’t depend on solving the puzzle or finding the McGuffin. I just don’t know that I ever will.
Overall: I’m not sure why O’Neil wrote something so unnecessarily non-canon, without even taking a few obvious outs to make it so. He has long experience with GL (both modern versions) and with the DCU, so it wouldn’t be beyond him. He just … doesn’t. And, honestly, the book is less interesting and less rich for all that. Not bad — just disappointingly not good.
September 17, 2018
I really don't know a lot about the DC universe. I know Batman and Superman and mostly in broad strokes and mostly from animation, not comics. Thanks to the Graphic Audio DC Humble Bundle I got to try this one out.
In which I learned that the DC universe's cosmic level stuff is at least as bizarre as Marvel's.
Taking it in from a Lantern's, Kyle Rayner in this case, perspective gives me little echoes of the recent deadpool movies, with a lot of fourth wall breaking and questioning the narrator even if I enjoy the ride. He's obviously not quite as sassy but he has some interesting dialogue.
One thing I do like about this that I haven't gotten a lot out of DC before is how very human this seems to make the league and it's members. I mean GL is up there for one of the most powerful single humans in the DC universe with just the sheer potential of his abilities and Kyle Rayner is just trying to make rent. The responsibilities of being a superhero seem to be too much right away. For a while he considers ditching it and has a few fairly compeling reasons to do so. The rest of the league seems to encourage him to try and figure out being a hero but at the same time doesn't know much about him. They can't really tell him to stop being a hero but even if they could it doesn't seem like they'd want to. With great power coming great responsibility, essentially.
One of the most amusing things about this dramatic audiobook is an encounter with Batman. He really is DC's boogieman. For an unmodified human he presents himself as almost a force of nature. His first encounter with Kyle Rayner is so spooky, by the time Rayner realizes he's there Batman already has complete control of the situation.
I will say this book has some issues. There's a lot of meandering, but part of that comes with the perspective the story is told from. Kyle Rayner isn't some printed out superhero, his day job is basically being a struggling, usually broke comic book artist who enjoys the ladies. He's kind of awkward and nerdy and lazy and irresponsible. While it does make his moral quandries all the more interesting it can lead to a lot of slack in the story.
Another big concern is how much of the book later on is devoted to Lantern's little alien friend-ish. The DC cosmic universe is very interesting but things before a certain point just seem like they're random. Toward the end where things start falling into place the earlier stuff is congruous in very broad strokes but I feel like some things weren't very good demonstrations of what they do and why they do it.
Overall, this was fun. It was a lot more fun than I expected for having only a passing familiarity with DC as a franchise. One thing this book and the others in aformentioned bundle do demonstrate very well is the DC universe has some decent potential for interesting narratives, even without going the dark gritty movie route.
In which I learned that the DC universe's cosmic level stuff is at least as bizarre as Marvel's.
Taking it in from a Lantern's, Kyle Rayner in this case, perspective gives me little echoes of the recent deadpool movies, with a lot of fourth wall breaking and questioning the narrator even if I enjoy the ride. He's obviously not quite as sassy but he has some interesting dialogue.
One thing I do like about this that I haven't gotten a lot out of DC before is how very human this seems to make the league and it's members. I mean GL is up there for one of the most powerful single humans in the DC universe with just the sheer potential of his abilities and Kyle Rayner is just trying to make rent. The responsibilities of being a superhero seem to be too much right away. For a while he considers ditching it and has a few fairly compeling reasons to do so. The rest of the league seems to encourage him to try and figure out being a hero but at the same time doesn't know much about him. They can't really tell him to stop being a hero but even if they could it doesn't seem like they'd want to. With great power coming great responsibility, essentially.
One of the most amusing things about this dramatic audiobook is an encounter with Batman. He really is DC's boogieman. For an unmodified human he presents himself as almost a force of nature. His first encounter with Kyle Rayner is so spooky, by the time Rayner realizes he's there Batman already has complete control of the situation.
I will say this book has some issues. There's a lot of meandering, but part of that comes with the perspective the story is told from. Kyle Rayner isn't some printed out superhero, his day job is basically being a struggling, usually broke comic book artist who enjoys the ladies. He's kind of awkward and nerdy and lazy and irresponsible. While it does make his moral quandries all the more interesting it can lead to a lot of slack in the story.
Another big concern is how much of the book later on is devoted to Lantern's little alien friend-ish. The DC cosmic universe is very interesting but things before a certain point just seem like they're random. Toward the end where things start falling into place the earlier stuff is congruous in very broad strokes but I feel like some things weren't very good demonstrations of what they do and why they do it.
Overall, this was fun. It was a lot more fun than I expected for having only a passing familiarity with DC as a franchise. One thing this book and the others in aformentioned bundle do demonstrate very well is the DC universe has some decent potential for interesting narratives, even without going the dark gritty movie route.
January 25, 2017
Well. What can I say? I almost don't want to say something too negative given that its a book written by Dennis O'Neil who is a major player in the history of comicdom. Almost.
Green Lantern: Hero's Quest is the story of the new Green Lantern Kyle Rayner. That by itself made me not want to rush to read it. I'm old school and Hal Jordan will always be THE Green Lantern to me (and you can throw Alan Scott in there as well). The Johnny-Come_Latelys like Guy Gardner and Kyle were simply not my cup of tea.
But I didn't want to be unreasonably biased so I sat down and began reading. Now, I'm not a fan of first person narratives except in maybe spy novels but I've read a couple that were pretty good. I know it can be done well and I'm familiar with O'Neil's writing so I pressed.
The story begins pretty good. O'Neil nails the young, twenty-something age group. On top of that, it's humorous. He had me chuckling more than a few times.
I was really enjoying the book until about halfway through when I began to hear this whistling noise. At first I thought something was wrong with my hearing but as I read on I realized where it was coming from: it was the book taking a nosedive.
The second half of the book is filled with scientific theoreticals and philosophical nuances one after another. Sometimes the same thing is repeated over and over. There is one weird scene where Hal shows up and Rayer joins him in this Oan paradise (not sure what an Oan is? Read the book). It just really didn't need to be in the book whatsoever. It was a scene that could have disappeared and the book would have been the better for it.
From there the whine just got louder as the book crash landed in a stew of nothingness that really didn't make a whole lot of sense. Oddly enough, before the reading spiraled out of control into a purely onerous work, what saved it was the first person narrative which made it at least readable if not enjoyable.
The ending was pretty, “Eh” and made you come away feeling as if your brain has just finished a smorgasbord of indifference. Rayner's Hero's Quest seems to end up as nothing mattering except Kyle Rayner, which isn't a very heroic conclusion to come to as people are reduced to not really meaningful in the end.
The book has its moments, even in the river of attrition which is the second half of the book. Two stars means that the book was O.K. and overall, that's a fair assessment in my eyes.
Green Lantern: Hero's Quest is the story of the new Green Lantern Kyle Rayner. That by itself made me not want to rush to read it. I'm old school and Hal Jordan will always be THE Green Lantern to me (and you can throw Alan Scott in there as well). The Johnny-Come_Latelys like Guy Gardner and Kyle were simply not my cup of tea.
But I didn't want to be unreasonably biased so I sat down and began reading. Now, I'm not a fan of first person narratives except in maybe spy novels but I've read a couple that were pretty good. I know it can be done well and I'm familiar with O'Neil's writing so I pressed.
The story begins pretty good. O'Neil nails the young, twenty-something age group. On top of that, it's humorous. He had me chuckling more than a few times.
I was really enjoying the book until about halfway through when I began to hear this whistling noise. At first I thought something was wrong with my hearing but as I read on I realized where it was coming from: it was the book taking a nosedive.
The second half of the book is filled with scientific theoreticals and philosophical nuances one after another. Sometimes the same thing is repeated over and over. There is one weird scene where Hal shows up and Rayer joins him in this Oan paradise (not sure what an Oan is? Read the book). It just really didn't need to be in the book whatsoever. It was a scene that could have disappeared and the book would have been the better for it.
From there the whine just got louder as the book crash landed in a stew of nothingness that really didn't make a whole lot of sense. Oddly enough, before the reading spiraled out of control into a purely onerous work, what saved it was the first person narrative which made it at least readable if not enjoyable.
The ending was pretty, “Eh” and made you come away feeling as if your brain has just finished a smorgasbord of indifference. Rayner's Hero's Quest seems to end up as nothing mattering except Kyle Rayner, which isn't a very heroic conclusion to come to as people are reduced to not really meaningful in the end.
The book has its moments, even in the river of attrition which is the second half of the book. Two stars means that the book was O.K. and overall, that's a fair assessment in my eyes.
July 20, 2013
I have not cared much for the Green Lantern but I picked this one up on impulse
6 CDs
7 hours
Voiced by 20 actors
When I was a kid I never cared much for Green Lantern. I liked Superman and Batman and in Marvel I liked Spiderman and the Hulk but the Green Lantern never did it for me. Maybe it was the giant green baseball mitts, pincers and boxing gloves coming out of the ring. Just seemed hoaky, I guess.
Which is all the stranger that I liked the audiobook for Green Lantern: Hero's Quest (Justice League of America) . The book features Kyle Rayner, a new Green Lantern whose real life job is that of an artist and his specialty as a Green Lantern seems to be creating artistic even cutesie things with his ring, such as baseball mitts and giant boxing gloves.
Graphic Audio creates yet another adaptation that delivers "A Movie In Your Mind" as promised. I readily admit that I pick these up as less of a comics fan and more of an entertainment fan and I do find their DC Comics adaptations to be quite entertaining. Voiced by 20 actors, this audiobook reminds me of those old-fashioned radio shows that, if you're lucky, you can hear from time to time even nowadays.
Kyle Rayner is a struggling graphic artist who lives in a junky basement apartment and lives a life that really isn't going anywhere. A slacker might be the best term for him.
In the end, I was reminded of other stories more than I was the Green Lantern I remember (and disliked) from my childhood. Kyle is handed a Green Lantern ring by an alien and given precious little instruction, which reminded me of the TV show The Greatest American Hero as Kyle Rayner bumbles around and tries to figure out his powers.
As the story progresses we see a lot of themes discussed in...
Read more at: http://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2010/...
6 CDs
7 hours
Voiced by 20 actors
When I was a kid I never cared much for Green Lantern. I liked Superman and Batman and in Marvel I liked Spiderman and the Hulk but the Green Lantern never did it for me. Maybe it was the giant green baseball mitts, pincers and boxing gloves coming out of the ring. Just seemed hoaky, I guess.
Which is all the stranger that I liked the audiobook for Green Lantern: Hero's Quest (Justice League of America) . The book features Kyle Rayner, a new Green Lantern whose real life job is that of an artist and his specialty as a Green Lantern seems to be creating artistic even cutesie things with his ring, such as baseball mitts and giant boxing gloves.
Graphic Audio creates yet another adaptation that delivers "A Movie In Your Mind" as promised. I readily admit that I pick these up as less of a comics fan and more of an entertainment fan and I do find their DC Comics adaptations to be quite entertaining. Voiced by 20 actors, this audiobook reminds me of those old-fashioned radio shows that, if you're lucky, you can hear from time to time even nowadays.
Kyle Rayner is a struggling graphic artist who lives in a junky basement apartment and lives a life that really isn't going anywhere. A slacker might be the best term for him.
In the end, I was reminded of other stories more than I was the Green Lantern I remember (and disliked) from my childhood. Kyle is handed a Green Lantern ring by an alien and given precious little instruction, which reminded me of the TV show The Greatest American Hero as Kyle Rayner bumbles around and tries to figure out his powers.
As the story progresses we see a lot of themes discussed in...
Read more at: http://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2010/...
August 13, 2024
It's been about 12 years since I first read this book, and any nostalgia I had from it is gone. Since that time, I've become much more well versed in Kyle Rayner, Hal Jordan, and good Green Lantern stories, and this is not one of them.
Kyle Rayner is presented as a loner, a slacker, a bum, a massive misogynist, and somehow the chosen one when it comes to being a Green Lantern. The only character development present is Kyle deciding he wants to be a hero because he doesn't want his lobotomized imaginary girlfriend (blank clone of Wonder Woman) to die. He lacks any selfless motivations, he somehow defeats several Green Lanterns without any training because all of the other tens of thousands of Green Lanterns in this version cant make anything more than a beam of light, which is absurd.
To add to the characterization killing, half of Hal Jordan's downfall is omitted from this story. Yes they explain that Coast City is destroyed, but they fail to mention that he's in exile because he killed multiple Green Lanterns, destroyed the central battery, became Parallax, and tried to destroy earth. But now he's chillin in a perfect world with a blank slate Wonder Woman and still has access to his ring?
The only redeeming part of this book is Ganthet and the other Guardians and their story.
Kyle Rayner is presented as a loner, a slacker, a bum, a massive misogynist, and somehow the chosen one when it comes to being a Green Lantern. The only character development present is Kyle deciding he wants to be a hero because he doesn't want his lobotomized imaginary girlfriend (blank clone of Wonder Woman) to die. He lacks any selfless motivations, he somehow defeats several Green Lanterns without any training because all of the other tens of thousands of Green Lanterns in this version cant make anything more than a beam of light, which is absurd.
To add to the characterization killing, half of Hal Jordan's downfall is omitted from this story. Yes they explain that Coast City is destroyed, but they fail to mention that he's in exile because he killed multiple Green Lanterns, destroyed the central battery, became Parallax, and tried to destroy earth. But now he's chillin in a perfect world with a blank slate Wonder Woman and still has access to his ring?
The only redeeming part of this book is Ganthet and the other Guardians and their story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 6, 2011
This book proves my theory that there are no good comic book novels. There is much to recommend it: a terrific narrative voice, a good central character, and a complexity of plot and ideas that come thick and fast yet are deftly told. The basic premise is also good: a slacker finds what he needs within himself to become a hero. The best thing O'Neil does is write a novel, observing what works as prose instead of trying to create something comic bookish with words alone. Much of what is good about this book would be lost if adapted for comics. The main problem is that the book is too long. I’m sure O’Neil wrote to a contractual word count, but that great-at-first narrative voice eventually cloys. The book could have easily shed 150 pages, and maybe more, of story that goes nowhere, including the otherwise unacknowledged homage to Ray Bradbury. The book also has three endings, and only needs one. After 100 pages I wondered if this might finally be a good comic book novel and wondered if I’d give it 3 or 4 stars. It gets 2.
December 26, 2016
We "review" donated audiobooks at work to see if they're in good condition. I selected this book because I loved the GraphicAudio recordings to the Lightbringer Saga and it's also Green Lantern. Win win, right? Nope. Even my supervisor who listened along with me (as I decided long ago my earbuds suck in quality) was surprised on how boring it was. Even the interesting parts fell flat. Maybe it's a better read than a listen, who knows? But this is one book that I won't be recommending any time soon. Even if it's in our collection.
February 27, 2009
Hey, it's a Kyle Rayner/Green Lantern novel! Since my memories of GL history was pretty fuzzy, I was glad for the pretty detailled backgrounds given in this book. It was a fun read, told from the viewpoint of Kyle...about an event that would destroy the universe. All in an day's work for any of Earth's superheroes, right?
November 15, 2014
Great history and finally different from Hall Jordan's beginning. The beginning of the book was kind of annoying, since the protagonist (Green Lantern) details everything he does, but as he starts to improve on his writing the book starts to get better too.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews