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.

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!