Heh.
Not to fear however, it all unfolds MUCH less...expoitively...(is that a word?) in the actual pages of the book. And what a book it is! I enjoyed just the hell out of this issue.
We begin, with Hal and Larfleeze confronting a newly Hammondized Ophidian...and boy howdy is HE pissed! Apparently Larfleeze has kept him imprisoned in the lantern all this time, because he couldn't be tempted...he wants EVERYthing. Ophidian/Hammond is not happy about this and he plans to make Larfleeze suffer.
The flying pink flamingo just cracks me up. I'm glad that they didn't forget that minor but amusing plot point from the previous issue. But seriously, Hal and Larfleeze loose in Las Vegas? Only mayhem, and large amounts of it...can ensue.
And ensue it does.
Meanwhile, Carol Ferris is also in Las Vegas, on a quest for the Predator. The Star Sapphires are having trouble with their power battery. Queen Aga'po has sacrificed her beauty and life essence supposedly, in order to help things along, but the Zamarons are convinced that they need the crystal-encased corpses of Khufu and Chay-Ara in order to get the battery working again. Aga'po (and Carol) aren't so sure.
So there is Carol, out strolling the strip looking for the Predator. She runs into plenty of human jackasses, but not the particular one that she is searching for. And may I just take a moment here, to applaud Doug Mahnkeon his depiction of Carol. She's wearing pants, a simple long-sleeved shirt and sensible shoes. She's not tarted up in some mini-skirt with slits or a low-cut bodice. It...it's so REFRESHING! She does eventually change into Star Sapphire of course, but it makes sense when she does.
The Predator has taken over the body of a young man who has been mooning over a pretty waitress in a casino for quite some time. He's demonstraing borderline stalkerish tendancies, since he has a lot of pictures of her up on his wall. The Predator, looking for love, decides to move in.
And...so does Larfleeze.
Poor Carol. Having to deal with Hal, Larfleeze AND the Predator in Vegas must be like trying to control a herd of toddlers hyped up on sugar. The Predator seems glad to see Carol, but he's not particularly interested in coming quietly, and indeed seems to feel that she should be supporting him...not trying to stop him. Hal jumps in, ready to save the day, but Carol doesn't really need his help, she's doing pretty damned good on her own. Hal seems sure that the entity is evil, like Parallax or Ophidian, but she's not so sure.
The Predator does chain them up in crystal, so there is that much justification for the cover, but Carol starts to reason with it, and kisses him...much to Hal's dismay. And that's enough to break the "spell" as it where, so they all go traipsing off to Zamaron, where the other Sapphires are all set to imprison Predator in the Battery. Carol however stops them and starts to explain that it would be wrong, HE didn't corrupt the host...the host corruped HIM! Hal and the Sapphires don't understand, but Queen Aga'po does, and with her final breath, she gives the rest of her essence to the Lantern, along with the realization that the Guardians were right...they just need faith to power the battery. She also declares Carol to be the new Queen of Zamaron.
Carol is just flabberghasted, Hal is confused, the Predator seems ready to be her pet, and Larfleeze of course wants to be Queen too.
This was fabulous! It raises all kinds of new ideas and justifications, and...and things!
Great stuff.
Oh, and lest I forget.
Here is a simply spectacular shot of Hal's behind. He isn't shirtless or anything, but still...the sheer magnificence of his buttocks is mesmerizing. No wonder Carol keeps coming back!
