Warning: contains spoilers for Green Lantern, Season Two #11!
While Green Lantern Corps, Hal takes a vacation, only to find Hector Hammond and an alliance of his old enemies waiting for him on a planet that limits the effectiveness of his ring even before he loses it to his opponents.
On the fantasy-themed world of Athmoora, an "intelligence engine" which keeps the planet running also limits the effectiveness of outside technology. Hal has visited many times before, enjoying being in touch with his own abilities and the added adrenaline-junkie risk of not being able to fully count on his power ring, but this time a surprise attack destroys his ring-construct shields and sends him hurtling to the ground. Thankfully, an ally is waiting with his replacement weapon.
Encountering ally Prince Vespero, Hal finds himself caught up in an epic war. Greeted as "Sir Hal of the Green Lamp," Hal is told that the Golden Race have invaded this world, turning its people against each other and seizing territory in a grand war which the forces of good are perilously close to losing. Unable to find his ring - which readers later see has been stolen by evil genius Hector Hammond - Hal is offered "the sword of the Champion in Jade, shattered in her war with the Wyrm of Woe; reforged by Cobol-Rok, mastersmith of the Dwerkin." In short, Hal just traded his sci-fi ring for something less versatile but way, way cooler.
At the end of the issue, Hammond confronts Hal Jordan, challenging him to best the assembled villains now that his former power ring is slaved to the will of one of his worst enemies. Grinning, Hal raises the sword and replies, "Challenge accepted..." While the premise of Hal Jordan taking on the worst of the worst with only a fantasy sword is itself fun for readers, Green Lantern, Season Two #11 continues Grant Morrison and artist Liam Sharp's quest to unite Hal's collected lore into a single, just about comprehensible mythos. Not only does this story gather together many elements of classic Green Lantern stories, but it also stays true to Hal's nature as a genuine thrill-seeker; someone whose ideal vacation destination is a place where things can go this badly wrong, and who can only smile in the face of his greatest challenge.
The issue is the penultimate in what's been an epic run, so it's appropriate that Hal is facing an incredible threat with a sword in one hand and a grin on his face. Fans have yet to see how well Hal wields the blade, but it's a weapon that calls back to the beloved Kingdom Come, a story set in an alternate timeline where Alan Scott has evolved into a towering, knightly Green Lantern with a huge construct sword. Green Lanterns are generally written as the cosmic equivalent of cops, but while Hal is the best of the best, this moment and many others in the series make it clear that he's truly a knight at heart - something he'll get a chance to prove as, true to form, he charges into hell without hesitation.
