By Odin's Raven! This was fabulous!
It ties right into the War of the Green Lanterns of course, which have ALSO been quit fabulous.
Zardor, Yat and Bleez are on their way to Oa, and Guy, Kilowog and Arisia are hot on their heels. Arisia is still giving Guy a bit of static about his whole pact with Ganthet, and exactly how he's planning on explaining the whole thing to the Guardians, but Guy's not TOO worried about it. She's also a bit snarky because Guy was prepared to kill Sodam if he had to, and she's concerned that he might feel that she or Kilowog are also...expendable. Guy blusters a little bit, but quite frankly, I don' think that Arisia has to worry. Guy cares quite a bit about the two of them, and frankly he hardly even KNOWS Sodam Yat.
But anyway, in the middle of their flight, they all get hit with a yellow glow, with Guy and Kilowog seeing a vision of Parallax. Arisia is immediately being controlled, and Guy and Kilowog are a bit surprised to find themselves relatively unscathed. Too bad that nobody else is, because there is one HUGE passel of Lanterns out to get them. Basically, Kilowog sacrifices himself to get Guy out of there, so that he can go and rustle up some UNpossessed Lanterns...telling Guy to get to the "Green House".
Guy's NOT happy about it, but he does have the smarts to realize that he can't go off half-cocked with this much at stake. I absolutely love the way that he skids to a halt mid-flight, with the green glow of his aura sparking around him. It's a rather cool visual effect. He calls for Salaak, Ganthet, then Kyle, then John and finally, completely frustrated he manages to raise Hal.
Considering his visions of he and Hal battling, Hal is probably the LAST person that he wants to see, but he really doesn't have any choice, so off to the Green House he goes. It's...not particularly green, and in typical Guy fashion he's grumbling about it. Hal does manage to show up, and the two of them begin to exchange information, not to mention some verbal jabs. Jabs that begin to escalate. Hal is pissed because he didn't know about Guy's mission or the mind-control or power drain, and Guy points out rather snippily that Hal isn't necessarily in the loop about EVERY GL mission. After all, Guy is an Honor Lantern, and Hal...isn't.
Then Guy spills the beans about his and Ganthet's pact with Atrocitus and Hal really hits the ceiling. Guy points out that Hal has been perfectly happy to hang out with not only Atrocitus, but Larfleeze and Sinestro, so he doesn't see where Hal has any moral high ground. Things start to go downhill from there, with the two of them getting angrier and angrier with each other.
Hal of course is the first one to throw a punch. And from then on, it is one heck of an emerald donnybrook! It's almost a continuation of their epic tussle back in Green Lantern #25, except that this time, Guy is a heck of a lot smarter, and he's giving every bit as good as he gets. Hal of course is busy telling Guy that he's irresponsible, and a troublemaker and has a problem with his temper, and he's not nearly as fabulous as Hal is. Guy points out that he never tried to destroy the universe, not to mention all of the Corps. He...has a point.
And there is a simply fabulous panel, where Guy says that being picked first doesn't necessarily mean being the best, and he hits Hal, with all of his past incarnations as a hero! There is Newbie Green Lantern Guy, Crazy JLI Guy, Yellow Ringed Guy and even Warrior Guy!
Heh.
It's wonderful. It is a bit reminiscent of the same trick that John pulled when HE was fighting with Hal back in Mosaic. Anyway, Guy's pretty much got Hal on the ropes, when Hal finally manages to realize that the two of them are being influenced by Parallax, and that they had better STOP fighting. Guy isn't so crazed that he doesn't also realize what is happening, and through Pure Willpower, they manage to disengage themselves mentally and physically from the Rings. Their costumes fade, just like what happened to John and Kyle, except that they still have their physical rings. It's rather amusing that even after they've shaken off the influence of the rings, they can't resist getting in a few more whacks at each other, before they finally call it off.
So...it's just the two of them, as powerless humans against Krona, Zardor, Yat and the entire Green Lantern Corps. Or, as Guy rather dryly points out..."Oh. Is that all?"
This is so good that I can hardly stand it. It's an interesting look at Guy and Hal's relationship, that's for sure. I guess that Guy actually DID have a few things that he wanted to get off of his chest about the way he feels about Hal. Not to worry though, when you're dealing with Hal, it's all water off a duck's back. There is a rather telling moment at the end, when they've both broken Krona and Parallax's influence and are in civies, trying to catch their breath, and Hal says that Krona can't play off their rivalry through the rings anymore. Guy gives a snicker and asks if THAT is what they have between them...he always just thought they had a difference of opinion.
Buy this book and READ IT! You won't be sorry.
