Even though this is only the second outing for the relaunched ‘Reboot Nation’, I’m going to change things up a bit and look at something other than a number one. It’s zero versus zero!
While most first issues come with a standard set of expectations (introduce the characters, get the plot rolling), zeroth issues have a wider variety of purposes. If they’re published prior to the first issue, they may be an extended recap of events or an introduction to the main cast prior to the start of the plot. If they come during a run, they may reveal something about a character’s past, or shoe-horn in a retcon to make an upcoming storyline seem farther-reaching. Today’s selections were numbered zero as an event tie-in (1994) and to introduce a new character (2012).
“Green Lantern” #0 (1994) was a ‘Zero Hour’ tie-in, and took place immediately after the event’s final issue. Newly christened lantern Kyle and Parallax Jordan are on Oa, fighting over the corpses of the guardians. After establishing Jordan’s history as a crazy villain, Kyle is tricked in a three page conversation into giving Jordan his power ring. Why? Because it was important to Jordan, and it had negatively affected Kyle’s life. Two pages later, he realized this was a mistake, and spends the rest of the issue trying to get it back. He succeeds, and Hal Jordan is seemingly killed, probably forever. The issue closes with Rayner deciding to “try and be worthy” of the responsibility he has.
According to the letter page, this issue was meant to be a jumping on point, but gosh, writer Ron Marz had a doozy of a job to make that happen. For those unfamiliar, ‘Zero Hour’ was a convoluted event involving time travel and lots of DC history, centered around Hal Jordan right after he became Parallax and Kyle Rayner had just become the star of “Green Lantern.” Marz does his best to simplify the story in a quick, two-speech-bubble recap, but this issue is more of a conclusion to the ten month old ‘Emerald Twilight’ story than a beginning.
“Green Lantern” #0 (1994) was 22 pages long, and had 4.6 panels per page. Its conclusion, while satisfying, didn’t leave me wanting more.
Matt covered “Green Lantern” #0 (2012) in detail already, and I won’t add much to what he had to say. It was numbered zero by editorial mandate, and writer Geoff Johns used the issue to introduce a new Green Lantern. Like (1994), (2012) takes place during the series, so the number on the cover doesn’t mean much, and will only confuse readers who collect the back issues a few years from now. Unlike (1994), this issue does work as a beginning, even if it didn’t do so in an entertaining way. The story was 20 pages long, and averaged 5.1 panels per page. The ending proper is a hook to draw readers in next month, but the one-page epilogue would be more confusing to new readers than intriging, I think. (If this was the first “Green Lantern” you read, please let me know your thoughts in the comments or by email. I’m genuinly interested in what an uninformed party would make of that page.)
Despite what I expected when I started this, and in spite of the low score “Green Lantern” (2012) received in its review, I’m going to have to rate it a better zeroth issue. It was a beginning, did a better job of explaining itself, and had a more open ending.
Final Standoff: “Green Lantern” (2012) > “Green Lantern #0 (1994)
Check back in two weeks for “Flash” #0 (1994) vs “Flash” #0 (2012). In the meantime, please leave your thoughts on what a zero issue should be in the comments, and let me know if you’d like to see a particular rebooted title evaluated in this column.
