Red Son Green Lantern

In Mark Millar's Superman: Red Son, baby Kal-L's rocket landed in the Ukraine rather than Kansas, so his power was put to work for the betterment of the Soviet Union. In this world, the arms race wasn't nuclear, but super human. America's greatest weapon in this cold war was the Green Lantern Marine Corps. A military hero, Col. Hal Jordan and his group of marines are the United States' secret weapon against the Communist superpower Superman has created. In this reality, extraterrestrial Green Lantern Abin Sur still crashed on Earth, but he didn't have time to search for a suitable replacement. His body and ship were recovered and taken to Roswell Army Air Field, where scientists started trying to unlock the secrets of the magical power battery. Since he lives in America, rather than Russia, Hal Jordan doesn't get a nifty new Russianized name. He does, however, get a new, more military-appropriate uniform. He's wearing real, lace-up boots, baggy flight suit with leather patches on the thighs, a big belt and a fur collar, as well as a '60s-style aviator's cap. You can tell at a glance that this is a military man, not a standard superhero. And since he's going to be flying under his own power (and theoretically fighting in Russia), the fact that he's dressed warmly makes a lot of sense. The sculpt is really detailed and impressive. There's a lot of fine texture on the uniform, and the big wrinkles give you clues as to the posing. The face is kind of weird - it's based on Killian Plunkett's artwork, but for some reason, Jordan looks like he's got his upper lip curled back to reveal his top teeth. Like he's threatening to eat your liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti. You can pry off the goggles, with some work, but it doesn't really make the face any better. Green Lantern doesn't have the flashiest paint apps in the world, but what he does have is applied well. The browns and greens are muted, but the fur trim on his jacket has a dry-brushing of light tan to make it stand out, and the patches on his chest are crisp. Articulation is above-average for a DCD figure: boots, knees, hips, wrists, elbows, balljonted shoulders and a balljointed neck. All that, plus a waist! Yay! That puts Hal in a very select group. And we're not just talking about superhero pedophiles. Hal only has one accessory, but it's the right one: his lantern. Selling a GL without a lantern would be like selling a Batman without a batarang - insanity! The lantern has a nice, streamlined design and a metal handle that the figure can gingerly hold. He's also got the Elseworlds logo base, which can come in handy, given his extreme stance. Half the fun of any Elseworlds story is seeing how peripheral characters get re-designed for the new world, and turning the Green Lantern Corps into a military special ops unit is particularly inspired. The design itself isn't particularly revolutionary, but the concept is, and the figure is nice. You don't have to be a fan of Hal Jordan to find this a worthy buy. What's your favorite Elseworlds version of Green Lantern? Tell us on our message board, The Loafing Lounge.

Tweet