Green Lantern: Edge of Oblivion #6 - A Review

The Universe is ending! The Green Lantern Corps is all the stands between two reality-devouring horrors and the last city in existence. And as Simon Baz desperately searches for a way out of this reality, Guy Gardner broadcasts a desperate last message, hoping that someone will hear it and know that whatever happened in the end that The Green Lantern Corps died fighting.


If this were going to be the last Green Lantern story ever, Tom Taylor would have crafted them a worthy final tale. Of course we know that the fate of The Corps will be determined in a future story and that Simon Baz survived whatever happened to him in this issue's climax but that doesn't spoil this story at all. Taken for what it is, this is a fine piece of space opera that features a lot of great character moments, from Guy Gardner's desperate pleas that he and his friends not be forgotten to drill-sergeant Killwog 's rallying of the troops.



Unfortunately, the artwork takes a serious dip in quality in this final issue. Jack Herbert is a competent artist but his work here - based on the layouts of Scott McDaniel - is incredibly cluttered. You can barely see the backgrounds on those pages where there are backgrounds!  The color art by Hi-Fi, however, remains top-notch.

Green Lantern Corps: Edge of Oblivion #5 - A Review

Discovering they've been duped into aiding a group of world-devouring parasites, several of the surviving Green Lanterns are feeling pretty foolish. And nobody feels more foolish than Guy Gardner. Unfortunately for the parasites in question, there's few things Guy Gardner hates more than feeling foolish and one of them is anyone who leads him to feel foolish.


I loved the way Tom Taylor wrote Guy Gardner back in Injustice: Year Two, showing a true understanding of the character unseen in the monthly Green Lantern books for some time. There's a flashback sequence here that summarizes Guy's character better than anything I've ever seen. Taylor's script beautifully ties this into Guy's current conflict, while displaying the perfect balance of action and humor that has made Taylor so beloved as a writer.


Unfortunately, the artwork is all over the place this month.  This is primarily due to Scott McDaniel, who apparently did all of the layouts but none of the finishes. McDaniel can be a great artist, but it just seems strange to have the likes of Ardian Syaf and Cliff Richards (both good artists) trying to draw their work according to a McDaniel design. Three individual inkers only serve to confound the visual continuity further.

Green Lantern Corps: Edge of Oblivion #4 - A Review

Trapped on a sentient planet in a dying universe, half of what remains of The Green Lantern Corps has been captured by Marniel - a terrorist threatening the lives of all those who dwell within The Last City. But could things really be that cut and dry? Is it possible The GLC has been on the wrong side this whole time and that their allies - the giants Dismas and Ausras - are not the benevolent forces they believe them to be?


Strange allies turning out to be the real enemy is an old cliche in space opera. Yet Tom Taylor's script manages a novel twist with this revelation. As this chapter ends, Guy Gardner remains unconvinced as to Marniel's innocence and - given the power Marniel shows - it's not hard to see how she might be manipulating the rest of the captured Corps members to her side, even if she's telling the truth about the giants being monsters.


Adrian Syaf proves a most capable replacement for Ethan Van Sciver, with Aaron Kuder providing the layouts for this issue. Jonathan Glapion and Jaime Mendoza provide a seamless continuity between their respectively inked pages. And Jason Wright does his usual amazing job on the colors.

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.

Why I'm Dropping Green Lantern - A Review of Green Lantern Annual #2

WARNING: This review will get spoilerly and rantish after the first paragraph.  Stop reading after that if you care about spoilers.

Ever since Geoff Johns and Peter Tomasi left their respective books, I feared this moment might come.  And now it is here - the moment I can no longer justify supporting the Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps titles.  Understand this - the books by Robert Venditti and Van Jansen have been well-written and engaging.  This annual, too, has a good story and good artwork.  But after reading Green Lantern Annual #2, three things have become apparent to me.

1. You HAVE to read all the Green Lantern family of books now.

Despite being an annual for the Green Lantern book itself, this issue is really meant to cover all of the titles in the Green Lantern "family", including Red Lanterns and New Guardians.  This has become an increasing problem in many New 52 DC Comics titles.  Indeed, it's the reason I dropped Supergirl, which has become increasingly interdependent on a bunch of Superman books I have no interest in reading. 

I can't keep reading two good books if I also have to read two books I really don't care about to know what is going on in the books I enjoy.  I have no interest in The Red Lanterns as a group.  I hate that Guy Gardner - my favorite Lantern in the post-52 books under Tomasi's pen - is now attached to them.  And I really hate that Kyle Rayner has been turned into a Space Jesus messiah figure that has nothing in common with the character I loved 15 years ago.  On that note...


2.  There's No Point To Kyle Rayner Existing Except As Nostalgia Fodder.

And I say that as someone who got into comics BECAUSE of Kyle Rayner.

If you needed any proof that certain aspects of The New 52 universe were not planned at all, one need only look at The New Guardians title.  For the first year, it told the story of an attempt to build a team with one member of each of the various Lantern Corps.  It also showed a slightly different version of Kyle Rayner's original background, with Ganthet giving Kyle some basic instruction into how his ring worked in the wake of Emerald Twilight. 

Then suddenly the word came from on high - Emerald Twilight never happened and Hal Jordan never went crazy and destroyed the Green Lantern Corps.  So why was Kyle Rayner necessary?  Now the story was that he was chosen by Ganthet as part of an experiment to see if one being could harness the power of multiple spectrum energies at the same time. For some reason, this retcon also required them to establish that Kyle's girlfriend Alex did exist in the new reality and that she was stuffed in a fridge... even though Major Force - the villain who originally did the deed - didn't exist in the new reality! And then Kyle was assigned the task of looking after... The New Guardians - a group of the blue-skinned aliens who founded the Green Lantern Corps who had been in stasis while their brothers set about screwing up the universe. 

This issue seemed to give Kyle a heroic death and a point to the sudden 180 that The New Guardians title took.  That lasts a scant few pages before it reveals that - Psych! - Kyle Rayner is alive and an even greater destiny awaits him that The New Guardians have known of all this time, despite knowing very little of the universe and how things have changed until this point.

Kyle should have stayed dead.  And he'd be better off in limbo with Wally West, Donna Troy, Jenny-Lynn Hayden and most of the other heroes of his generation.  Literally none of his background and everything that made him interesting as a character remains.  Now he's just another generic cosmic hero with a destiny.
 


3.  The Wasting Of Relic and The Absolution of The Green Lantern Corps.

I liked the idea of Relic, the scientist from a previous universe who believed that his universe had been destroyed by "the lightsmiths" - his term for the Lantern Corps of his universe - slowly leaching away the energy that held the cosmos together.  It was a brilliant conceit and one that gave the various Corps a common enemy to unite against in the wake of the death of The Guardians.  More, there was the frightening idea - what if Relic was right?  What if it turned our our favorite heroes, good intentioned as they are, were truly causing the universe to become sick even as they were trying to save it?

It's the sort of idea Alan Moore might have spent years playing with, touching on issues of conservation and environmental responsibility vs. the belief in manifest destiny and the idea that such energy would not be there if it were not meant to be used.  Alas, Relic is now dead and his concerns have been rendered largely mute by the sacrifice of Kyle Rayner and the emotional entities.  The only real loss is that a number of the alien Green Lanterns who weren't getting any screen-time anyway have quit the Corps in disgust rather than contribute to the eventual destruction of all reality... which is no loss at all since we still have Hal Jordan calling the shots and he never really believed Relic in the first place.  So really, nothing has changed at all save the Green Lanterns are now based on Mogo instead of Oa and there's no Blue Lanterns anymore. 

The loss of the Blue Lanterns seems an apt metaphor for the Green Lantern books as a whole now  It is a universe without hope.  And that's a universe I want no part of. 

Green Lantern Corps #24 - A Review

Picking up right where Green Lantern #24 ended, Green Lantern Corps #24 sees John Stewart taking the fight to the energy-draining villain Relic.  At the same time, the rest of the Corps attempt to evacuate their home base on Oa, fighting a running battle against Relic's technology and the incarcerated villains eager to flee the collapsing planet's prison.   


Van Jensen does a fantastic job with the script.  The characters are all made distinct through the dialogue and all the Corps regulars are given some time on-camera.  Even the newer rookie Lanterns get their moments to shine - no pun intended!  The only weak spot is some Air Force/Marine rivalry added into the dialogue between Hal and John.  While I welcome anything to give the characters more personality, this seems uncharacteristically antagonistic and detrimental given the mission at hand.


Bernard Chang is easily the best artist currently working on the Green Lantern family of books.  His talents in depicting the various unusual aliens consistently is unparalleled.  He's also a brilliant fight choreographer and no slouch when it comes to creating imaginative ring projections. 

Green Lantern Corps #23 - A Review

While the creative team for Green Lantern Corps may have changed recently, one thing remains the same.  GLC remains the strongest of the books in the Green Lantern family of titles, despite an increased association with the plots of the other books in the line.  Hopefully writer Van Jensen will be given a freer hand to focus on his own scripts once the new status quo is more firmly established. 


As it stands, the interaction between the characters remains the strong point of this series.  There are many subplots for Jensen to balance, assisted by co-plotter Robert Venditti, but we never feel that any one regular character is getting preferential treatment over the others.  Indeed, this issue sees the return of some long-neglected characters from Peter Tomasi's run on the book!


Bernard Chang's artwork is excellent as always.  With a keen creative mind and a vivid eye for detail, this is a book Chang was born to draw.  I've sore missed Chang's work in the waning days of Demon Knights and am relieved to see him working on what remains one of my favorite books.

Green Lantern Corps #22 - A Review

Two issues in to Van Jensen's run on Green Lantern Corps and I'm still satisfied that my favorite book in the Green Lantern family of titles is in good hands.  My main concern remains the same as it was last month - that a tight connection to the other Green Lantern books would limit Jensen's ability to focus on his own characters and storylines as more and more pages are given over to crossovers.  This seems a legitimate concern given that the plot thread involving the rings of the various Lantern Corps failing (first seen in Green Lantern) continues throughout this issue and the final page of the issue seems to hint at events in New Guardians.


Thankfully, these moments are few and far between and the best parts of the book involve John Stewart taking a group of newbie Lanterns under his wing.  He we see a side of John Stewart that hasn't been seen in a while - John the Leader and John The Teacher..  Given that my first exposure to the character came back in the days with John was leading The Darkstars and acting as a mentor to Kyle Rayner, it was like old times to see John put in this role again.  I'm also gratified that Van Jensen has given Fatality her own storyline to pursue, giving us the first chance in a long while to see her as a warrior and not a love-sick young woman.


Bernard Chang's artwork is as wonderful as ever.  I've sorely missed Chang's work on Demon Knights of late and his detailed smiled proved a perfect match for the aesthetic that a Green Lantern book demands.  The only complaint I have about the art lies with colorist Marcelo Maiolo, who has given Fatality a far lighter skin tone than she should have.

Green Lantern Corps #21 - A Review

I must confess to being somewhat more anxious about the new creative team for Green Lantern Corps than I was for the main Green Lantern title.  Though I've always been a big Geoff Johns fan, I found Peter Tomasi's take on the many characters in the GLC to be a more reliably enjoyable read.  I was somewhat reassured when I heard Bernard Chang (whose recent work on Demon Knights I'd enjoyed greatly) would be taking over the art duties and that the plotting would be done by Demon Knights writer/new Green Lantern writer Robert Venditti with the actual scripts being written by Van Jensen of the excellent Pinocchio, Vampire Slayer series. 

So did the book measure up to my hopes?  Yes, but it was nothing like what I'd expected and I'm quite relieved by that.



The events of this issue take place concurrently with Green Lantern #21 but it appears this issue starts at a slightly earlier point.  The primary focus of the issue is John Stewart and Yrra of Xanshi (a.k.a. the former villain formerly known as Fatality) as the two work to save an endangered planet while discussing their relationship... or lack thereof.  The rest of the issue shows us the new status quo for The Corps command structure, as Salaak retires from his post as The Guardians' majordomo.  Four new characters are forcibly recruited into the Corps, seemingly arriving in time for Larlfleeze's attack on Oa in Green Lantern #21.     

Already Jensen has proven himself capable of handling this diverse cast of characters.  Indeed, he's given John Stewart and Yrra more character development and analysis in this one issue than they received during the entirety of the Wrath of The First Lantern saga, pointing out how incredibly screwed up Yrra's become in recent years as he recalls her history for new readers.  Star Sapphire brain-washing aside, it makes little sense for her to be head-over-heels in love with the man who was directly responsible for her homeworld blowing up - an incident which inspired her to become a slayer of Green Lanterns and eventually a Sinestro Corps member.  Ah, but when does love ever make sense?  And no sooner do I start to question why the love-empowered Yarra simply can't use her ring to detect the love in John Stewart's heart instead of asking him repeatedly if he loves her, we get a simple, logical explanation why she doesn't. 

Another welcome touch is the return of Soranik Natu.  One of the best Green Lanterns created over the past decade, Soranik had a lot of baggage that caused her to disappear from the series as The New 52 began - presumably because it was easier to ignore Sinestro's daughter/Kyle Rayner's ex-girlfriend than to try and fit her into the new timeline.  Thankfully, Jensen ignores these issues and focuses instead on presenting Soranik as the awesome character that she is.



Bernard Chang's artwork proves as skillful as usual.  Chang's excellent eye for detail displays itself in every panel of this issue.  It bodes well for the series - so dependent on diverse and physically distinct characters - that Chang is signed on for the long-haul.

Apart from my continued concerns that this book may soon become too heavily interlocked with the other series in the Green Lantern family of books to stand on its' own, I have no complaints about the new Green Lantern Corps.  The scripts are solid.  The artwork is grand.  And despite being heavily dependent upon the continuity of the series so far, Jensen does a fine job of explaining it all and making this book accessible to new readers.  If you haven't read a Green Lantern book in a while or are just a fan of good science-fiction, this is the book to get!

Green Lantern Corps #20 - A Review

I delayed my review of Green Lantern Corps #20 for two weeks, since this issue was meant to be an epilogue to this week's Green Lantern #20.  I wanted to read that issue before I commented upon this one, which is to be Peter Tomasi's last.  Surprisingly, given the fanfare over Johns' departure, there has been no similar outcry for Tomasi's leaving this series.  To my mind, this is a shame since Tomasi had an important role in developing the Green Lantern books over the last few years as well.  If Geoff Johns can be called the architect behind the revival of Green Lantern over the last decade, I think Peter Tomasi should be considered the engineer.  Johns made the plans but Tomasi frequently put the pieces together and made things work.


Sadly, Tomasi's conclusion is a mixed-bag of sorts.  Most of the non-Earthling Green Lanterns this series focused upon are absent, with drill sergeant Kilowog and major domo Salaak showing up just long enough to confirm that they're alive.  Even John Stewart - forced into an afterthought of a storyline trying to revive Mogo for most of the last year - is treated like a footnote, as he and long-time enemy Fatality have a sudden whirlwind romance that comes out of nowhere.  Thankfully, the majority of the issue - focused upon Guy Gardner's efforts to save his family from an alien killer with a grudge - is more enjoyable.  


I'll miss the artwork of Scott Hanna and Fernando Pasarin on this title as much as I'll miss Tomasi's writing.  I've long been of the opinion that Pasarin is one of the most underrated artists working at DC Comics today and this issue showcases Parasin's unique talent for drawing constructs as well as unique-looking aliens.  Hanna's inks perfectly walk the line between definition and shading, looking picture perfect in every panel. 

Green Lantern Corps #18 - A Review

Green Lantern Corps #18 mirrors the previous issue in many respects, for good and ill.  Like last month's issue, the plot focuses upon The First Lantern tormenting captive Lanterns by showing them visions of how their life could have changed if things had been a little different.  This time, the focus is upon Green Lantern John Stewart.  The good news is this issue gives John Stewart a definitive origin.  The bad news is this new background discards much of what made John Stewart such a memorable and unique character.


Before the Justice League animated series became popular, John Stewart had always been an architect by trade.  A retcon around the time of Infinite Crisis altered his background to be more in line with the  better-known version of the character from the cartoon who was an ex-Marine.  It was assumed that the military service came before John's eventual employment as an architect, particularly since John's architect training was said to have influenced how he made his constructs.

This retelling suggests that John has never been an architect and that he has always been a career soldier.  While this does better fit the personality John Stewart has developed in recent years, it still saddens me to see that aspect of the character - that he was the logical thinker and the builder among the Green Lanterns of Earth - be sacrificed for no apparent reason.  Worse, there's no mention of John's marriage to Katma Tui - the alien Green Lantern who had replaced Sinestro and one of the most prominent female Lanterns of all time! 


There's a similar problem with the portrayal of Yrra of Xanshi a.k.a. Fatality.  Her background is similarly troubled in the wake of The New 52.  Created back in the days when Kyle Rayner was the last Green Lantern, she was the sole survivor of a world which John Stewart failed to save due to his arrogance.  She swore revenge on all Green Lanterns and killed a number of them before setting her sights on Kyle and John. 

In the time afterward, she lost both her arms in battle, had them replaced with stronger cybernetic limbs, was given a Yellow power ring on two separate occasions and finally became a Star Sapphire.  She's had her own arms back for a while now but although we see her being tormented alongside John Stewart, the sum total of her contribution to this issue is appearing in an alternate timeline where she and John Stewart killed each other.  It seems a waste of one of the richest characters this series has.

The artwork by Chriscross seems conflicted in comparison to his work on Green Lantern Corps Annual #1.  There are many panels where the character's mouths are stuck open and their eyes bugging out in a manner that suggests that Marty Feldman acted as the artist's model for the scene.  Thankfully, this problem is limited to the close-ups on individual characters.  The action-scenes making up most of the issue are well illustrated and I have no complaints about those moments. 

Green Lantern Corps Annual #1 - A Review

Green Lantern Corps Annual #1 is an oddity.  Labeled as the conclusion to the Rise of the Third Army event, it brings several storylines to a conclusion while simultaneously failing to resolve anything.  Indeed, it seems that this three-month long crossover between all the Lantern Corps books ultimately served no purpose but setting up the next big crossover, Wrath Of The First Lantern.


Despite this seemingly pointlessness, there is much to recommend this issue.  Peter Tomasi's scripting is as strong as ever and with this issue Guy Gardner has become my favorite Green Lantern.  Forget that "one punch" nonsense with Batman.  That was a different universe and besides that Guy is dead.

This Guy Gardner storms the battlements of Oa with no ring, no weapons, no plan and no chance of victory.  There's one other thing Guy hasn't got - anything left to lose.  And a man without hope is... well, Matt Murdock may be The Man Without Fear but after this issue I'd put money down on Guy if they wrestled for the title.

And this is but one fine moment of many.  Another occurs as John Stewart and The Star Sapphire Formerly Known As Fatality restore the planet Mogo.  And SPOILER ALERT, kids.  It turns out Mogo is a her!


The artwork by guest artist ChrisCross is a fine substitute for Green Lantern Corps' usual penciler, Fernando Pasarin.  Regular inker Scott Hanna is on-hand as is inker Wil Quintana.  Together, they create some amazing visuals, though there are some minor hick-ups such as Fatality's unfortunately exaggerated figure in the panel above or Fatality's skin-tone being far lighter than usual.  Thankfully, it's not enough to sink the book and long-time Green Lantern fans should be pleased with this issue.

Green Lantern Corps #16 - A Review

By chance I happened to converse with someone today who - in the middle of a discussion regarding what comic writers should be fired for gross incompetence- said that they needed to fire whoever "gave Guy Gardner his family back and fluffybunnified his dark and painful backstory."  Clearly they have not been reading Green Lantern Corps lately!  Given Guy's current status, I find it hard to compare Guy's lot in life to anything fluffy!
 
He was recently drummed out of the GLC after being set-up by The Guardians.  He was arrested on vigilante charges by the same dirty cop who got him kicked out of the regular police force.  And, oh yes, his abusive father STILL hates his guts.  Personally, I think the whole thing reeks of melodrama and I long for the days when Guy had worked past his family issues and became the man who did what was right without giving a damn what others thought.  At least Guy is still tough as nails and proving he doesn't need a ring to fight the good fight.


The Rise of The Third Army storyline continues to move apace, with more of our players beginning to team up with one another.  Simon Baz shows up in this issue and proves to be of a similar mind to Guy Gardner when the fighting starts.  We also see John Stewart piecing together that The Guardians are up to something on his own, as he works with the Star Sapphire Formerly Known As Fatality to restore the remains of Mogo - The (Ex) Living Planet.  Peter Tomasi balances all these storylines with his usual able ability to balance action, humor and drama in equal amounts. 


To my mind Fernando Pasarin is easily the most underrated artist working in comics today.  Look at the pages above and marvel at how much complexity Pasarin can work into a single panel.  Marvelous stuff, well-backed by Scott Hanna's amazing inks.  This is one of the best-looking books on the market today and it's easily the best of the Green Lantern titles.

Green Lantern Corps #15 - A Review

Green Lantern Corps #15 offers readers several great dramatic moments.  Unfortunately, these moments are dressing on a centerpiece that quickly descends into the realm of melodrama and never quite manages to escape it.  I speak of the on-going fall of Guy Gardner - drummed out of the Corps in the last issue and, as of this issue, stuck on Earth and desperate to prove that he can still be a hero to the father to whom he can do no right.



The other subplots in Peter Tomasi's script are treated with equal weight but not equal coverage and I wish one of them had been the focus of the issue rather than another episode of "Everybody Hates Guy".  As a long-time Green Lantern reader who has been around since the Ron Marz days, I'm far more interested in reading about  John Stewart being forced into an unlikely alliance with Fatality - ex-Green Lantern villain, ex-Sinestro Corps member, current member of the Star Sapphire Corps and, oh yes, the only surviving member of the ruling family of a planet that John Stewart failed to save.  There's also the scene in which Salaak uncovers the treachery of The Guardians - easily the high-point of the issue, for what my money is worth.


Though the script may be weaker than usual this time around, the art team is as strong as ever.  Fernando Pasarin and Scott Hanna are easily one of the top five greatest art teams working today.  Between Fernando's amazing alien designs and gift for depicting facial expressions coupled with Hanna's talent for knowing when to merely add definition and when to drape the pencils with blackness, every panel of this book is poster worthy.   

While this isn't a good issue to enter into reading this book, I still recommend it to all fans of science fiction comics and series with strong ensemble casts.  While the story is weaker than usual this time around, a weak Peter Tomasi story is still better than three-quarters of the books on the market and this is still easily the best of the Green Lantern family of books.

Green Lantern Corps #13 - A Review

Despite being a crossover kick-off issue that had most of it's surprises spoiled by the previews in another book, Green Lantern Corps #13 still manages to entertain.  Readers who have been playing along since the beginning already know that The Guardians of the Universe are plotting against their own Green Lantern Corps and that they have particular plans worked out for our main protagonists.  In the case of John Stewart, the Guardians decide to play upon his guilt, sending him off on a mission of mercy to restore Mogo - the living planet which Stewart destroyed in order to save the universe during the War Of The Green Lanterns.


For Guy Gardner, The Guardians hand Guy the rope he needs to hang himself.  As the issue opens, Guy is appointed to a special supervisory role in the Corps and given an important mission to run.  Naturally, Guy receives a message that a criminal with a grudge against him has escaped and is heading toward Earth and his loved ones.  If you believe this is an unfortunate coincidence, I have a pleasure planet in the Vega system I'd like to sell you.

Peter Tomasi tackles all this with his usual skill.  As always, the best thing about Tomasi's scripts is the character moments.  Tomasi does a great job making Guy, John and the other Lanterns interesting characters the reader can relate to.  Though the depth of this story makes this a poor issue for new readers to jump on with, Tomasi cannot be accused of making the characters difficult to understand if one has never read a Green Lantern comic before.

 

Guest artitst Cafu does an excellent job of emulating the art of the regular art team.  In fact, if I hadn't checked the credits on this issue, I might not have believed it!  Perhaps Scott Hanna's inks had a hand in keeping the look consistent?  Either way, this is a good looking book and a great read.

Green Lantern Corps #11 - A Review

Every month for the past few months, I've said good things about Green Lantern Corps. How wonderful Peter Tomasi's writing is. How great the artwork by Fernando Pasarin, Scott Hanna and Gabe Eltaeb is. How this is, to my mind, the best of all the Green Lantern books DC Comics is publishing right now.

I don't have a lot to add to that having read Green Lantern Corps #11. Except this. Salaak is pure, unadulterated awesome.



The jail-break action from last issue continues. As their comrades cover their escape, Earthmen Green Lanterns John Stewart and Guy Gardner - rather than fleeing the planet - instead flee deeper inside the Guardian home world of Oa. Their goal? A hidden bunker, discovered during the War Of The Green Lanterns storyline where the Guardians store their earliest experiments in creating a peace-keeping force for the universe.




As you might have guessed from the previous summary, there's a rather involved storyline leading into this issue. This is a great comic but this is a bad issue to start reading it, if you aren't already. I highly suggest you newcomers pick up Green Lantern Corps: Recharge and start from there.

Green Lantern Corps #10 - A Review

 More than any other writer working with the Green Lantern stable of characters in the past year, Peter Tomasi has shown a talent for getting inside the heads of his characters and balancing a diverse ensemble of fascinating personalities.  Green Lantern Corps #10 marks another fine character-study issue for Tomasi, as the saga of John Stewart: Convicted Killer continues.
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Convicted of murdering a fellow Corps member, with the fact that he did so to prevent said Corps member from cracking under torture and revealing secret information to an enemy readily ignored at his trial, John Stewart has resigned himself to death.  However, most of his fellow Lanterns are unhappy with the idea of a death sentence in his case.  And even those who would gladly see Stewart die for his crime are unwilling to play the role of his executioner. 

Indeed, one of the most powerful scenes in this issue has the usually emotionless Guardians breaking their facade for a moment to tell the Alpha Lanterns - the cyborg Internal Affairs department of the GLC - that it will be their duty to deliver the sentence they demanded, rather than passing the duty on to a random firing squad of Green Lanterns or The Guardians themselves.  The drama here is worthy of an episode of Law and Order.  But don't worry action fans - there's plenty of superheroics as a group of Lanterns who REALLY isn't happy with the decision (including Guy Gardner) decide to break ranks and break John out of Death Row.



Tomasi's wonderful scripts are backed by an equally wonderful art team.  Penciler Fernando Pasarin not only meets the standard requirementof all Green Lantern artists to be skilled in designing unusual aliens and amazing constructs - he exceeds it.  Inker Scott Hanna does an excellent job of defining the pencils and knowing when to (no pun intended) lighten up on his shadows.  And colorist Gabe Eltaeb makes everything on the page come to life, the lights of the rings truly seeming to glow.

If you only read one Green Lantern book a month, make it this one.

Green Lantern Corps #7-9: A Review

When it comes to books with large ensemble casts, I am hard pressed to think of any author who has been so consistently excellent as Peter Tomasi.  If Geoff Johns can be said to be the brains behind the resurgence of Green Lanterns in the DCU, then surely Peter Tomasi is the heart.  For when you pick up a copy of Green Lantern Corps, you can safely bet that whoever the issue focuses on, you will get a fascinating character study that is second to none.

Issue #7 exemplifies this principle, being primarily focused on John Stewart.   In the opening arc of the series, Stewart and several other Lanterns were taken prisoner and Stewart was forced to kill Kirrt - one of his fellow Lanterns.  Kirrt had broken under torture and was close to  revealing classified information to the enemy before Stewart snapped his neck.  Afterward, Stewart lied about the circumstances of Kirrt's death, not wanting his final moments to cloud an otherwise exemplary record..  This issue focuses upon Stewart as he takes on the responsibility of cleaning out Kirrt's quarters and delivering his body to his family, all while coping with his own growing unease..





A soldier in the US Marines before being recruited for the Green Lanterns, Stewart is not unused to death and is no stranger to making hard choices.  He is also not unused to having to kill in the name of a greater good but that doesn't make the choices any easier to cope with.  Stripped of the science-fiction setting and the alien characters, this story could just as easily be portrayed in a modern military thriller.  Such is the magic of Tomasi's writing, that he so easily tells stories about characters that, though frequently alien to us, are all too human.

Tomasi's script is well rendered in this issue by guest penciler Claude St. Aubin.  Indeed, until looking at the credits while preparing this review, I was unaware there had be a guest penciler!  I don't know if St. Aubin was intentionally aping the style of regular GLC artist Fernando Pasarin or if their styles are just naturally sympathetic.  Either way, the artwork is well sketched and well emphasized by inker Scott Hanna.  

Issue #8 opens with a re-introduction to The Alpha Lanterns - the Internal Affairs department of the Green Lantern Corps.  Once wholly organic beings, The Alpha Lanterns were created by merging living Green Lanterns volunteers with the robotics technology used to create the Manhunters; a group of robotic police men who marked The Guardians of the Universe's first attempt at creating an intergalactic police force. 

To make a very long story short, The Manhunters started taking their directive to keep order too literally, having concluded that life, by nature, was chaotic and so the obvious solution to maintaining order was to start killing everything.  So if you're starting to think that bonding this technology to a sentient being and charging them to watch the watchmen is an incredibly bad idea, congratulations - you are smarter than The Guardians of the Universe!





Issue #8 delivers another sign that The Gods (or Guardians) Must Be Crazy, as they create a special command position for Guy Gardner - another Green Lantern of Earth, whose reputation for even-handedness and respect for others is non-existent.  Most would consider it charitable to say that Guy thinks with his heart.  Actually, most would consider it charitable to say that Guy thinks.



Surprisingly, given his hot-headed nature and general disrespect for authority, Guy seems to take The Guardian's request to mellow out to heart and later stops a potential bar brawl without brawling.  And in one of the best character-building scenes I've read in anything ever, John and Guy bond in the bar Guy runs in his off-duty time while John builds a small building out of toothpicks.  Even before Guy calls him out on it, this is a subtle sign as to John's true nature - that for all his warrior training, he is still, at heart, a creative spirit who would rather build than destroy.  And Guy, for all his blustering and bravado, is a far more empathic man than he lets on.

Things come to ahead in Issue #9, as the Alpha Lanterns - armed with footage obtained through a secret spy-cam in the deceased Kirrt's ring - arrest John Stewart on charges of murder.  Naturally, the literally-minded Alpha Lanterns care little for the circumstances behind the killing.  The letter of the law says killing a Green Lantern is wrong, even if he was about to betray The Corps and everything it stands for.





Most of the rest of the issue details Stewart's trial and the efforts undertaken by his fellow Lanterns, Guy chief along them, to defend their colleague's actions.  There are also some scenes which focus on Guy Gardner, as he butts heads with a group of Lanterns out to destroy Kirrt'smemorial statue in the Hall of Honor once word gets out about what he'd nearly done in a moment of weakness.  Anyone who doubts that there is more to Guy Gardner than a buzz cut and an attitude would do well to read this issue, as he defends both Kirrt's honor and John Stewart's decisions with intelligence and compassion along with the threat of a good ass-kicking.

   

Regular penciler Fernando Pasarin returns for Issues #8 and #9 and further cements his reputation as one of the best Green Latnern artists in years.  Pasarin's ability to draw unique looking aliens and detailed constructs is second to none but he proves equally capable, in these issues, of rendering even more mundane stories with a certain unique energy.  Again, Scott Hannah's inks and Gabe Eltaeb's colors help complete these images that seem to glow on the page.

I enjoy all the Green Lantern books published by DC Comics right now.  But if I were hard pressed to pick a favorite, I dare say Green Lantern Corps would be it.  The writing is consistently excellent, featuring some truly heart-felt tales and classical drama besides the amazing action.  The artwork is always eye-catching and memorable.  Really, I can't recommend this book enough.