Green Lantern Corps: Edge of Oblivion #3 - A Review

With four days left before the universe they are trapped in dies, things have never looked darker for The Green Lantern Corps. Now, as their scattered numbers fly through space seeking to join the rest of their lost brethren, one group will tunnel into the sentient city world of Perduron. Their Objective? Track down and subdue the sinister Marinel, who has already caused the death of three Corps members.


This mini-series is a wonderful bit of nostalgia for those of us who remember Ethan Van Sciver's previous work on Green Lantern. Whether it's drawing unusual aliens, depicting strange constructs or blocking an action sequence, Van Sciver still has it! And the colors of Jason Wright are applied with equal skill and care.


Despite the large ensemble cast, Tom Taylor still takes care to give as many members of the Corps as possible little moments to shine - no pun intended. The focus here is on the conflict between Guy Gardner and Kilowog, with The Corps' drill sergeant and the resident hot-head arguing for most of the issue. Yet there are still quieter moments, like the introductory flashback where we see how one person's childhood lessons in the proper behavior of a noble influences them even now as a hero.

Green Lantern Corps: Edge of Oblivion #2 - A Review

Trapped in the last days of a dying alternate universe, The Green Lantern Corps have still found unexpected allies in the place known as The Last City. But they have unexpected enemies as well, who seek to destroy what little remains untouched by the destruction of all that is. It will take all the willpower they can muster to overcome this, their greatest challenge!


When writing for an ensemble cast, a writer runs the risk of neglecting some characters in favor of others. Tom Taylor avoids this pitfall, but the action in this issue runs so fast that there is little chance to focus on any one character to the point of excluding others.  The story is a thrilling one but those not already familiar with the cast of the Green Lantern Corps may find themselves as lost as our heroes in keeping the names and faces straight.  Longtime fans, however, will find a gripping tale and a cliffhanger ending.


Ethan Van Scriver and Jason Wright are in fine form. There is a reason why Van Scriver is considered the definitive Green Lantern artist and each page of this issue stands as testament to his skill. The colors by Jason Wright provide the perfect finish to Van Scriver's pencils and inks.

Green Lantern Corps: Edge of Oblivion #1 - A Review

Trapped in the final days of the universe that existed before theirs was born, things have never looked bleaker for The Green Lantern Corps. But while Hope is the province of a different group of ring-bearers, none of the Corps members are the sort to give up in the face of astronomical odds. And a good thing too!  For while the universe is dying, not all of its inhabitants are dead yet.  And they do not seem to be pleased to have company...


I've been wanting to see Tom Taylor tackle the Green Lantern Corps ever since the excellent job he did with some of them in Injustice: Gods Among Us: Year Two. Ensemble titles such as this one tend to be tricky beasts and many writers have a hard time capturing a variety of voices and making sure everyone gets a little bit of time in the spotlight. Taylor manages this feat smoothly, though this book may be a bit inaccessible to everyone not already familiar with the Green Lantern Corps. Taylor portrays all the characters perfectly but he also jumps right into the action, with little time to introduce the cast before all heck breaks loose.


This emphasis on action suits artist Ethan Van Sciver perfectly.  Van Sciver is considered by many to be the definitive Green Lantern artist and every page of this book showcases why that is so. This is one of the best looking comics in recent memory and the colors of Jason Wright perfectly finish Van Sciver's pencils and inks.

Random thought on intergalctic age of consent laws...

Here’s a story idea I’ll toss out for anyone who wants to deal with this subject seriously.

This week's Brave and the Bold featured a gag about Supergirl crushing on Hal Jordan and Hal having to remind himself repeatedly that she is only 17. This is really funny to those of us who remember a Green Lantern named Arisa.

Arisa was a teenage girl - by the terms of her people - and she had a crush on Hal. She used her ring to accelerate her growth thinking that Hal would be interested and, sure enough, he was. You can read a good article on the whole sordid story here.

So there's already a precedent for Hal having a thing about barely legal blonde alien girls. He indulged it with Arisa once he got convinced it wasn't really an age issue. Kara, it's just as much about the "Clark would kill me" issues as much as the age issues. Still, there seems to be an awful lot of nervousness in Hal for what happened to Arisa to be an isolated incident...

So here's my idea; a story in which Hal Jordan is brought up on pederast charges anyway and he actually does play the “She’s legal in Mercurian years” defense, thus leading to the Guardians creating a standard intergalactic age of consent. Unfortunately, all of Earth goes on trial for violating the rules after the Guardians determine that the 200 standard intergalactic units (one unit being equal to one Earth year) is the age at which a sentient being finally becomes mature enough to appreciate all the issues that come with copulation.

And before anyone asks, yes I am joking. And yes, I'm well aware that the Arisa aging herself storyline has since then been retconned away Geoff Johns and that Arisa is now a spritely 280 years by the reckoning of her people so this is all a moot point.

What, we're not allowed to have fun discussing perversions in comics anymore? ;)