Legacy: The Last Will and Testament of Hal Jordan (Green Lantern)

Rating:
Summary: Old-time fans: Don't WORRY! Hal has no illegitimate child!
Review: I don't want to give away much about the story for those who haven't read it, but just so people understand what the book is about, I have to let slip ONE THING just so old-time fans of Hal Jordan won't totally misunderstand and pass on this book thinking it's just another "Emerald Twilight" hatchet job:

THE "ILLEGITIMATE CHILD" is NOT REALLY HAL JORDAN'S SON!!!

I won't give away who the child really is because that would spoil the story, but don't WORRY! DC is NOT tearing down Hal's legacy here at all! The book does have a few tiny continuity errors, but it TOTALLY RESPECTS Hal and his history! Old time fans from the silver age will be very happy with it! This book does a very fine job of setting up things in a way that will more easily allow Hal to return to the DCU in the near future!

Rating:
Summary: A Well-Told, Touching Story, But Newer Readers Might Be Lost
Review: In Legacy: The Last Will and Testament of Hal Jordan, writer Joe Kelly and Artists Brent Anderson and Bill Sienkiewicz try to add a fitting coda to the career of Hal Jordan, the disgraced (and deceased) former Green Lantern. Prior to his death, Jordan went berserk with grief (The City he called home was destroyed by an insane alien baddie), slaughtered the entire Green Lantern Corps., and usurped their power in an attempt to undo the destruction of Coast City. He was eventually given a chance to redeem himself; He died saving the Earth, and has since been reborn as the newest incarnation of the wrath of God known as The Spectre. Whew!

The book centers around former Jordan sidekick/Green Lantern wannabe/offensive racial stereotype Tom "Pieface" Kalmaku. (Can you believe there was actually a time when it was OK to call an Eskimo "Pieface"? Jeez!) He is wallowing in self-pity over the loss of his friend Hal; He's a destitute alcoholic, he's just lost his job, his Wife, his Kids......and now, out of nowhere, he's handed a child that is allegedly Jordan's, and a note from Hal reading "Tom- Fix it. Hal" Who is this kid? What does the note mean? What can one man do in a world of super-powered God-like beings? Tom is about to find out....

The art is nice, the book is attractively designed, and the reappearance of my favorite ever Green Lantern (I won't spoil the surprise, poozer!) is much appreciated and very unexpected. Writer Joe Kelly even manages to end the book on a note of triumph, with a hint of a bright future for The Corps. My only problem is that if I weren't aware of the twisty Green Lantern continuity, I'd have been lost. The book just doesn't seem new-reader friendly. Who is The Spectre, and what does he have to do with Hal Jordan? Who is the big yellow guy that blew up Coast City? What did Hal hope to accomplish by killing off The Corps. and The Guardians? I knew the answers to these quetions, but a new reader wouldn't.

Longtime fans should be satisfied, though.

Rating:
Summary: Greatness is lost because of a small error
Review: Legacy is a very touching and well written book, but there are some continuity errors. this is supposed to happen after Final Night. but if i remember correctly, Hal healed John Stewart's paralysis, but in the book, it still has him in a wheelchair

Rating:
Summary: Good but not great, nor what I was expecting
Review: Okay, first of all, disregard that review below about Hal's illegitimate child. Clearly the writer didn't get past the first couple pages. Why write a review for something you didn't bother to read?

I enjoyed reading this as it answers the question about what is Hal Jordan's legacy, as viewed through the eyes of his old sidekick Tom "Pieface" Kalmaku. It skirts the issue of whether one's actions can be judged by mistakes or heroics. Tom is guided along a journey in which he visits many of the people and groups that Hal wronged. While on this journey, Tom and his companion are hounded by a mysterious entity that seeks to destroy them. So overall, I enjoyed reading this but it certainly wasn't what I was expecting. Brent Anderson's pencils deserve special mention, for at times they look like Neal Adams, and that's always a good thing.

Rating:
Summary: good but not great
Review: The art work was well done. The story line was starting out very well but got confusing. I really can't give a full review without giving away some of the plot.

Rating:
Summary: good but not great
Review: The art work was well done. The story line was starting out very well but got confusing. I really can't give a full review without giving away some of the plot.

Rating:
Summary: Folks....at least read the book before you write a review...
Review: The point of writing a review for a book is helping out other folks who might be potential readers of a particular book. The reviews help them decide if the book is worth their time or money. That said, an imperative criteria for writing a book is FULLY READING THE BOOK. It's astounding the number of reviewers of this book who didn't even take the time to finish reading the story, instead they went on to invest their time in writing a disparaging review.

The story picks up some time after Hal Jordan's death and is told from the POV of his ill-named sidekick "Pieface" aka Tom Kalmaku. Tom had been one of Hal's biggest supporters as well as one of his closest friends but the legacy that Hal left under his wake has destroyed Tom's faith and respect in Hal and has brought about self-loathing for even trusting Hal in the first place. He spends most of his days drunk and getting into fights at bars over insulting Green Lantern.

One day, a stranger shows up with a child (who bears a striking resemblance to hal Jordan) who had been entrusted to Tom. There are no explanations as to who the mother might be. There is only a note from Hal saying, "fix it". From then on Tom embarks on a journey with the young boy, from Carol's home all the way to the JLA Watchtower and to OA. On the way, we get brief glimpses into the past and an intimate look at the relationship between Hal and Tom. But following the child, is also a creature who was created from the spirits of the green lanterns that Hal had killed during his rampant as Parallax.

It's should be pretty obvious from the reviews that the boy is not Hal's son. I'll leave it at that and not spoil the story any further. The story, in my opinion is very well written and captures the dismal feeling that Hal's death has imparted on those who knew him best, some feel sorrow while others feel betrayed and fear. We see the JLA trying to forcefully remove the ring from the boy (even going head to head with him) and we also see the the other disenchanted surviving members of the Green Lantern Corps and the hate they bear for all things Hal Jordan. Contrary to some of the reviews, the writer, Joe Kelly does not pick apart the tradition and the legacy of the character. He obviously respects the character and respects the continuity enough to keep it intact. While doing that, he manages to add a whole new event to the green lantern mythos.

The art is provided by Brent Anderson and Bill Sienkiewicz, both very well known and respected for their work. The art here is simple and the linework is sometimes messy but it suits the story. It sort of resembles the work of Neal Adams. Some of the splas pages are very well done...check out the page where Hal goes on the rampage as Parallax and you'll see what I am saying. All in all, this is a very good read and is highly recommended.






Rating:
Summary: Who writes this junk?
Review: Yeah, right, I'm suposed to believe this. And Spiderman has been replaced by a clone for the last ten years. This is the problem with the "twisty" continuety of the alternate, so-called current DC Universe. It makes no sense. Talk about kicking a guy when he's down. Now they have GL fathering an illigetimate child. Well, if you like your heroes torn down, discredtied and Michael Jackson wierd this is for your. Otherwise, buy yourself one of those Green Lantern Archives and read about Hal Jordan's advventures before a host of second-rate artists and third-rate writers got to him.

Rating:
Summary: Who writes this junk?
Review: Yeah, right, I'm suposed to believe this. And Spiderman has been replaced by a clone for the last ten years. This is the problem with the "twisty" continuety of the alternate, so-called current DC Universe. It makes no sense. Talk about kicking a guy when he's down. Now they have GL fathering an illigetimate child. Well, if you like your heroes torn down, discredtied and Michael Jackson wierd this is for your. Otherwise, buy yourself one of those Green Lantern Archives and read about Hal Jordan's advventures before a host of second-rate artists and third-rate writers got to him.