Of course we don’t get to see if Supes’ would actually make good on that as Green Lantern smashes into him with giant chains, which catches Superman off-guard. One thing I found unusual about this scene is how Supes spits blood. But I chalk it up to him still developing his powers (consistent with his depiction in “Action Comics”) and is not at the current level of Invulnerability that he displays in his own book “Superman” which is set in the present. GL then follows up with wrapping Big Blue in said chains. Still, all it does is annoy Superman and we get a 2-page spread of a classic Superman breaking out of green chains scene. A nice homage to the past and is one of Jim Lee’s strongest pieces in this issue.

This elicits a shocked response from Jordan who has (again, as of this timeline) never experienced a force overcoming his Oan powered constructs. Batman tries to convince Jordan that they have to try to talk to the Big Blue Boy Scout because he’s too strong and fast to fight. Instead, Hal chooses to call on “someone faster”. Apparently, Jordan has already encountered and worked with Barry Allen as of this juncture in the DCNu history. This is, once more, unusual. In previous DC continuity, the first superhero “team-up” was between Batman and Superman, but in this new era, it appears that honor is bestowed on Flash and GL. We are also given a hint as to the dynamic of the two through Barry’s dialogue:

Barry: “What’d you do?”

Hal: “I didn’t do anything.”

Barry: “You always do something.”

This indicates Hal often gets into trouble through his actions. Not surprising, given his penchant for hard-charging into something before thinking it through. As Hal continues his request for assistance, more information is revealed about the first meeting between them, fighting a “talking gorilla” (likely Grodd) but also causing trouble for Barry in his home turf. As Barry learns Hal is with Batman (“Batman’s real?”) and they’re fighting Superman (“Superman? Are you crazy?”), the worry in Hal’s voice that the Metropolis Marvel is going to kill them (unlikely, but Hal doesn’t know that) he finally convinces him to come to GL’s aid.