From Earth to the Phantom Zone to Earth to Qward to Earth

 

cover art by Gil Kane

With Green Lantern #123 (Dec. 1979), Green Arrow disappears from the book after getting a few panels in which G.L. tells him that its too dangerous for him to go to Qward. Green Lantern must go alone. After nine years and 47 issues, writer Denny O'Neil breaks up the team. 

But why is Hal going off to Qward? Well, he's actually very well travelled in this issue, as O'Neil and artist Joe Staton begin the action on Earth, but soon have Hal using the Phantom Zone Projector to try to rescue Guy Gardner from the Zone Criminals. 

There's a brief Lantern vs. Lantern battle--not as epic as last issue but it only lasts a few panels before G.L. shows that he came prepared. He's brought a lead box with him, inside of which is anti-kryptonite. This particular brand of kryptonite only affects Kryptonians with no superpowers, which apparently includes the Criminals while in their ghostly form. This gives Hal a chance to save Guy, but a yellow power beam zaps Guy away.

Hal gathers up the anti-kryptonite to keep from killing the Criminals, then heads back to Earth. But he knows where he needs to go next--a yellow beam means Sinestro and that means a trip to the anti-universe of Qward.

This is where he breaks the "you can't come" news to Ollie and thus regains a solo title. He then finds an entry way into Qward (the Guardians have several pinpointed throughout space) and enters that weird dimension.

He is soon ambushed by Guy, who is now being controlled by Sinestro. Poor man can't catch a break.

As did Don Heck in the previous issue, Joe Staton provides us with some fun images as the various opponents in the ensuing fight summon up various types of contructs. Sinestro finally just threatens to kill Guy outright if Hal doesn't surrender.

Hal, though, belatedly realizes that in Qward, there is air in space. So he smashes some asteroids and summons up a cloud of dust to blind Sinestro. He then starts beating the snot out of the villain.

It looks like a clear win for Hal until he notices that Guy has floated between some rocks and is about to be crushed. While he's saving Guy, Sinestro escapes.

So its back to Earth again, this time with a catatonic Guy Gardner in tow. Guy remains in a coma until GL #190, when the Crisis of Infinite Earths spoiled the DC Universe forever. But in 1979, Hal still has stuff to do. He vows to find Sinestro.

As with the previous issue, I like this one a lot, based mostly on the imaginative depictions of Hal, Guy and Sinestro using their rings. The overall plot, with Hal hopping from one dimension to another, drips with entertaining Comic Book Science. It was a fun time to be reading Green Lantern comics.

And we'll keep reading them. In two weeks, we'll begin a look at Hal's quest to find Sinestro. In the meantime, next week will see Ben Grimm and Doc Savage mixed up in some time travel shenanigans.