Issue begins w/ Hal Jordan standing on a cliff thinking deep thoughts about his life since he got the power ring (15 years ago). The ring has cost him a lot in life, his GL friends are on different planets, his Earth friends dont like him anymore, & his hair is now noticeably grey. Because of all of this, Hal dives off the cliff, which surprises some campers below as he suddenly, just before hitting the ground, transforms into GL, flying upwards into the sky. The story is titled, "Down To Earth".
Hal arrives @ Justice League Headquarters where he meets w/ Batman & others. They are glad to see Hal, the "original" GL & are eager for him to rejoin the JL. However, Guy Gardner appears & has it out w/ Hal & the others. It is clear that Guy has caused tension & also been involved w/ the ladies of the JL. Hal pulls a switcheroo & readies to leave, expressing to Batman his desire to live more like a normal person & forget about super powers for a while. Hal no longer wants the ring to define him.
Next is a page showing John Stewart flipping through channels on a television, each channel a bad news story, Stewart having a bit of an identity crisis in regard to being a GL.
Again, we have Hal w/ his deep thoughts, now walking some train tracks. "I flew small planes, sold insurance, even sold toys. But I lived." Hal jumps a train, hobo style, but after daydreaming about his times as GL, he's thrown from the train. He hitches a ride to Hope Springs, a town that used to be called Desolation (error in the voice bubbles here - find it!). Hal rolls into town & searches for a woman he once knew named Rose. It turns out she lives on a farm w/ her son & is a widow, due to her husband dying in the mines. Hal asks for work, but is turned down, though eventually allowed to stay for food & a cot.
Back to John Stewart freaking out. Talk about having killed people, needing to know if he was still a GL. He then flies off as if headed to Oa.
Hal starts in on helping around the farm, shirtless. Rose gives him some pointers. @ night Hal enjoys the stars, & spends some time w/ Rose's son Toby. But Rose hears Hal speaking about the galaxy & ends it. She eventually comes back out & stargazes w/ Hal; he wants to tell her what he's thinking "[a green flash in the void, caroming from light to light]" but instead tries to show her the Big Dipper, which she's never heard of b/c she is so grounded.
Page of John Stewart arriving @ Oa & it's a wasteland. He searches for the Guardian that stayed, he enters a cave, & finds a dead being.
Hal's doin farm work w/ shovel when Guy appears & starts harrassing Hal. They get into a tangle & Rose & Toby appear. Rose confronts Hal about being a super hero & storms off w/ Toby. Then, w/ conflicting emotions around the board, Hal grabs his jacket & leaves the farm. Back to the road, realizing that his ring finger is the "conduit to infinity"... "I will always be something more, & something less, than a man."
Writer: Gerard Jones
Penciller: Pat Broderick
Inker: Bruce Patterson
Letterer: Albert De Guzman
Colorist: Anthony Tollin
Editor: Andy Helfer
Asst. Editor: Kevin Dooley
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