Double-Sized Issue Comic Blog!

*This article contains spoilers for Knight Terrors: Green Lantern #2 (2023)*

The knight terror is finally over! After a month of comics written by authors who were not penning the main Dawn of DC story arcs, the main writers are resurfacing! But before we move forward with Dawn of DC, we’re wrapping up Knight Terrors: Green Lantern (2023)!

Green Lantern was among the strongest stories in the summer event—probably because Jeremy Adams (the main Dawn of DC: Green Lantern writer) was furthering his story arc and characterizing his Hal Jordan.

This comic did exceedingly well in demonstrating the mental strength, stamina, and willpower of Hal Jordan. Of course, Hal once again faced off against Parallax, but this time he got to give a little speech about what fear actually is. FEAR = False Evidence Appearing Real. 

The FEAR anagram is a strong take-home message for a generation of readers who struggle with regulating their fear and anxiety. To them, and me, Green Lanterns are a light to follow—a source of strength. Once again, Hal reminds us why he is a hero to look to for these matters—in the same way a person may look toward a patron saint. Whether awake or not, this hero has the capacity to push past fear and face demons. 

This issue also did well in demonstrating the version of Hal Jordan that Jeremy Adams has created—a hero who has plowed through his trauma, his heartache, his crap which has held him back. This is a fully powered Hal Jordan. Free of all the bindings which restricted him. This will play a part in the rest of Hal’s Dawn of DC series. 

Conversely, this story does what every Green Lantern writer has done since Geoff Johns wrote Green Lantern: Rebirth (2004). Hal Jordan faces off against Parallax. While this can be interesting and intriguing at times, this has truly been played to death. It worked in this story because Hal did not even flinch at the sight of Parallax, proving his place in life, a hero no longer haunted by the past. But that does not mean future writers will avoid the Parallax pitfall. On the contrary, unless pointed out, DC editors will keep approving this already resolved issue. This is something that needs to be brought to the attention of DC editors. We need to move beyond the Parallax age and move into something even more significant. 

The other pitfall was how fast the story read. Once Hal got into his stride, the story quickly picked up pace. Hal beat everything in seconds without any drama along the way. It felt like Jeremy Adams was trying to elicit a smile from the reader, but it might not have been the most appropriate time—almost making a mockery of the entire Knight Terrors storyline when other writers were keeping it serious. Either way, it did feel out of place. 

Overall, this story was a good one—especially for a Knight Terrors story. While Knight Terrors will do little to the main titles, I believe this story was worth the read for any Green lantern or Hal Jordan fan. The art was nice and the book was at a fair price. 

3 out of 5 stars

Recommended reading: Green Lantern (Dawn of DC) 2023. This is a tie in to that series, which is a great starting point for new and old readers.