Since Rebirth kicked off last June, I think most fans can agree that the Green Lantern family of titles have received a much needed shot in the arm. While Green Lanterns consistently charts new territory making full use of rookie ringslingers Simon Baz and Jessica Cruz, Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps has been bedazzling readers as it incorporates characters and concepts we all know and love and takes them in exciting new directions.
Think about it: Robert Venditti has placed not only Hal, but fan favorites such as John Stewart, Guy Gardner and Kilowog front and center; he’s turned the entire Sinestro Corps concept on its head; the Blue Lanterns are making a more than welcome return; and Kyle Rayner is set to rejoin his buddies this February in issue #14!
As with any book dealing with such a grand scale, art is a vital component. In addition to having the mighty Ethan Van Sciver contributing – who is possibly the best Green Lantern artist of this century, might we add – Rafa Sandoval has been no slouch either. Having such a big name in the industry as your colleague definitely forces you to step up your game, something Sandoval himself spoke of recently while sitting down with Newsarama:
“Working with Ethan is great, we have a very fluid relationship and constantly talk to make sure character designs and things like that remain consistent. The truth is I had worked with other pencillers but never from the beginning of a book. But it’s fun, I’m really having a good time.”
When detailing the specifics of the book moments ago, you probably surmised that drawing such a diverse cast can be quite the challenge. Thankfully, Sandoval is up to it:
“In the beginning I had a bit of a hard time trying to convey Hal’s personality but it didn’t take long for me to figure that out. Right now, some characters in the Green Lantern Corps give me a hard time every now and then, their shapes and body structures are hard to figure out. I’m slowly getting used to them, though.”
Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #11 is now available in comic shops everywhere.