One of the single most awesome character moments from all of Convergence happens in this issue. Unfortunately, that moment also contributes to this installment’s biggest blunder.
*If you’re wanting to remain spoiler free, turn away now. I’m talking openly about this issue.*
Hal Jordan completely obliterates Deimos as easily as you or I would switch off a light! And to be honest, rightly so. In my last review, I commented offhandedly that the Parallax version of Hal Jordan wouldn’t need help taking out Deimos. This was my way of pointing out a fact that I was sure would be overlooked in exchange for a long drawn out battle that didn’t need to occur. Low and behold, what I thought should have happened (but was almost sure wouldn’t) actually came to pass. I was in shock, and giddy as a school girl! This was exactly the kind of display of power we needed to put this nobody in his place and get things back to normal. Hal’s inclusion in this story easily elevated it from mindless action romp to memorable and poignant.
Of course he dares, He’s Hal Jordan!
I’d like to think that off panel, after receiving that blast from Deimos, Hal casually stood up and dusted himself off while the rest of the heroes hopelessly threw themselves at Deimos. After having brushed his hair aside and readjusted his costume, this happened…
The next panel is Deimos exploding in a ball of blue flame.
For those of you not familiar with the 1994 Green Lantern, allow me to elaborate, so you can take in just how cool this moment was. Back in the early 90s, it was a dark time. A time when all our heroes were falling in one form or another. 92 saw the “death” of Superman, 93 saw Batman being injured by Bane, and then in 94 we saw Hal completely lose it. It actually started in 93 on the tail end of Reign of the Superman. Mongul had completely destroyed Coast City along with the help of Cyborg Superman. (To put this into perspective, it would be like some super villain demolishing Metropolis or Gotham City.) Hal Jordan lost his hometown, and a great number of individuals he cared about in a single moment. He essentially broke down, mentally speaking, and decided to use his powers to attempt bringing back his city and his loved ones. Well, this “abuse” of power was against the rules of the Lantern Corp but Hal decided that despite their objections, he was going to recreate all that he had lost. He traveled to OA, defeating all the Green Lanterns that stood in his path and eventually entered the main battery and took all its power for himself, becoming Parallax. Knowing the depths Hal sunk to in order to bring back his world, it puts extra poignancy behind his words when he mocks Deimos for squandering such power.
Having touted so much love on Hal, it’s now time to look at this from another angle. The angle that makes us realize just how redundant all the efforts of all the other heroes and all the lead up to this confrontation essentially was. We have invested quite some time in Telos as a character: seeing Grayson turn him to the light side, wondering about his past, and now finally getting to see him take his place as a hero. But his hero’s moment gets robbed from him by Parallax, not to mention the fact that it makes one wonder why it was so important for the heroes to sway him when he turns out to be not that important in the deciding moment. (I feel like they have been inconsistent where Telos’ power levels are concerned. In on of the first issues we saw him destroy the entire injustice city, along with Superman, without batting an eye. But now we see him having trouble with Deimos?!? Doesn’t quite add up.)
The moment with Hal also calls into question the redundancy of every other hero present for this final confrontation. Time was spent gathering them in order to have a final stand against Deimos. Several of them fell in battle. It turns out that their gathering and their sacrifice was in vain. All they needed to do was find Parallax and have him deal with the situation. There was no need for beloved heroes from our past to needlessly sacrifice themselves when Parallax so effortlessly handled the situation. Indeed, the fact that Parallax so effortlessly defeats Deimos, nullifies any of the accomplishments that the rest of our heroing party contributed up to this point.
Aaron Lopresti handles art duties for this issue and without much in the way of a compelling story to keep one entertained, it falls to the artist to once again bare the weight of Convergence. Thankfully, Lopresti proves up to the challenge and delivers some rather beautiful work. I especially enjoyed this two page spread that could quite easily be turned into a poster. 
And this equally cool one showing various renditions of our heroes throughout DC history.
There are several pages in the book in which characters encompass the entire page from top to bottom. As opposed to being broken up into smaller panels, this increases the size of the image you are viewing and in turn allows for a higher level of detail to be presented for our viewing pleasure.
Recommended if…
- You’re a long time fan of Hal Jordan.
- All you’re looking for is cover to cover calamity.
- You want to play another round of Who’s Who in the DC Universe.
Overall:
This issue easily highlights the single coolest and yet most equally redundant moment of the entire Convergence story line. However, if all you’re really interested in is fighting, then you’ve come to the right place. This issue features non stop action, albeit, without a lot of reasoning behind it. It’s also a treat for the eye, featuring several images worthy of poster treatment.
SCORE: 7 / 10
