WARNING! SPOILERS FOR GREEN LANTERN SEASON TWO #7 BY GRANT MORRISON AND LIAM SHARP, OUT NOW!
Succumbing to his wounds while fighting a member of the Anti-Matter Lantern Corps, Grant Morrison and Liam Sharp's Green Lantern Season Two #7 takes Green Lantern down a familiar road as he re-appears in the afterlife before the mysterious Young Guardians who have been expecting him. Hal Jordan appears sporting the green cape that was part of his appearance as the Spirit of Vengeance called the Spectre, proving that a space cop's work is never done, even in death as the Young Guardians seek to appoint him a new role for the upcoming Ultrawar.
During the 1990s, Hal Jordan's actions during the 'Emerald Twilight' story arc resulted in Hal attacking the Green Lantern Corps, absorbing the full power of the Central Power Battery, and becoming a villain called Parallax. After his attempts in 'Zero Hour' failed to rewrite history, Jordan redeemed himself in 1996's 'Final Night' when he sacrificed his life in order to defeat the Sun-Eater and reignite Earth's sun. In 1999's 'Day of Judgement', Jordan was revealed to be the latest host of the Spectre, the Spirit of Vengeance. Complete with the green hood and cape, Jordan slowly changed the Spectre to be a Spirit of Redemption as he sought atonement for the crimes committed as Parallax. Later this was changed in 2004's 'Green Lantern: Rebirth' that the Spectre sought to purge Parallax, the prehistoric sentient embodiment of fear, from Jordan's soul and eventually moved on to different hosts once Jordan had been brought back to life.
Remembering his time as the Spectre, the Young Guardians attempt to explain the circumstances and why they have chosen Jordan for this new role but the former Green Lantern remains fixed on helping the injured and dying he left behind. Hal tries to bargain with the Young Guardians but they refuse, appointing him with a separate Guardian who not only explains the group's mentality to previous events but also that they are intrigued by Jordan's random and often unpredictable reputation. Witnessing the downfall of the old Guardians, Jordan charges his Green Lantern ring but is faced with the physical embodiment of himself, a group of Hal Jordan's meant to represent his past mistakes.
Whether than explain himself until he himself turns blue, Jordan displays his trademark confidence and willpower by not only defeating these carbon copies but also showing that he has found peace regarding any mistakes he's made or regrets he previously had. Invoking the larger than life appearance he had as the Spectre, Hal declares that all the different roles and people he's been throughout the years do not make him weak but in fact, make him mighty as his own personal corps. Understanding that this was all a test for the Young Guardians to understand what it means to be a Green Lantern, they reveal their plans to restructure the Corps and want Jordan to be their Death Lantern which Hal naturally refuses.
Revealing that the nano-surgeons have been repairing his body the entire time, Hal prepares to cheat death again despite the Young Guardians warnings that he'll remember nothing of his time in the Underlife and to not engage the Anti-Verse. In true Hal Jordan style, he wakes up and uses his still re-powered ring to save everybody and swears revenge on the Reversoverse while the Young Guardians observe and prepare for the end. Grant Morrison and his collaborators continue their unique and blockbuster-like Green Lantern story while taking time to draw inspiration from the intergalactic ring wielder's rich history. Hopefully, Hal Jordan will keep from dying again for one can imagine the Young Guardians will not make the same offer twice.
NEXT: Green Lantern's Going to War With An Anti-Matter ARMY