Justice League: Rebirth #1 - A Review

They are the World's Finest heroes. But in the wake of Superman's death and the disappearance of Hal Jordan - the first Green Lantern of Earth - they are not what they once were. Still, there is another Superman and two rookie Green Lanterns - both of whom shall reveal themselves as The Justice League face their greatest challenge yet!


I can't fault David Finch entirely for this issue feeling like I walked into an action movie twenty minutes after it started. The recent events of the Superman and Green Lanterns books defy easy explanation and Finch does well enough trying to bring the pre-52 Superman, Simon Baz and Jessica Cruz into play. I can, however, fault Finch for the decision to tell this story out of sequence, with the original Justice League members discussing the new Superman joining the team before they meet him.

I can also fault Finch for the atrocious artwork in this issue. The poses are all forced and the facial expressions are hilariously awful. The inking by Scott Hanna and Daniel Henriques is unevenly applied. Alex Sinclair's colors aren't bad but there's only so much you can do to change a cowpie by painting it.

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.

Green Lantern #18 - A Review

Green Lantern #18 offers an interesting study in contrast between two very different artists depicting separate sections of the same story.  It also finally allows Geoff Johns the chance to answer a question that has been brewing for months - exactly what the heck happened to Hal Jordan and Sinestro during their confrontation with Black Hand?


Johns' explanation is a fair one and the drama here is well-played, as one would expect with a Geoff Johns story.  However, readers are more likely to be enraptured by the atmospheric artwork of Szymon Kurdanski and colorist Alex Sinclair.  Can one properly be called a colorist when working in a monochromatic scale?  That's a debate I'd rather not be a part of.  All I know is that the black-and-white imagery used to portray "The Dead Zone" is some of the most interesting I've seen in recent memory.


The artwork in the other sequence, where The Guardians fight Black Hand, is more problematic.  I've enjoyed Ardian Syaf's work on Batgirl before but his work here seems oddly off-model.  The panels seem to cramp the action rather than displaying it and these sequences suffer as a result.  It doesn't look bad.  It just looks tiny in a book where everything should be larger than life.

Green Lantern #18 is an enjoyable read but it's not a good first issue for those who haven't been reading the Green Lantern books already.  If you have yet to discover Geoff Johns' Green Lantern, I'd suggest tracking down a TP of Green Lantern: Rebirth and starting from there.

Green Lantern #17 - A Review

Green Lantern #17 is the first part of another four-month long, four-comic spanning mini-series.  So for those of you who were feeling burned out after Rise Of The Third Army, I'm afraid I have some bad news.  We're only halfway done.


The good news is that this first part of Wrath of The First Lantern is far faster in cutting to the chase than it's predecessor.  The bad news is that we don't get nearly enough exposition into who The First Lantern was and how he gained the power that even The Guardians seem to fear.  Thankfully, we do learn something of his motivations, how he first came into contact with The Guardians and why he's now working against them.  And the other plotline - involving newbie Green Lantern Simon Baz having his first encounter with the villain Black Hand - is interesting enough, though seemingly unconnected to the main storyline.


While the storyline may be drawn out, at least the artwork is as gorgeous as ever.  Doug Mahnke and his team of inkers deliver the same quality work we've come to expect on this title.  Guest artists Dan Jurgens and Phil Jimenez also deliver an exciting prologue, which evokes images from classic DC Comics as we see just how The First Lantern and The Guardians originally met.

I'd like to say this is a good entry point into the Green Lantern title.  Certainly, Geoff Johns has written it to be a beginning.  Sadly, there's too much leading into this story one must be broadly familiar with to fully appreciate it, so on those grounds I cannot recommend this issue save to those already reading Green Lantern.  

Justice League of America #1 - A Review

Expectations were high going into this book, written as it was by veteran writer Geoff Johns with art by popular artist David Finch.  Thankfully, those expectations were met.  And then they were exceeded. 

Johns' script does a grand job of explaining the status quo of the DCU at the moment and giving the reader a rundown of all the players, for those of you who might not have been reading Justice League or any of the other titles whose characters this issue involves.  No previous experience with Stormfront, Hawkman, Catwoman, Green Arrow or Birds of Prey is needed.  It may help you appreciate some of the past events that are referred to but you don't have to have been reading six or seven different books to understand this one.


Here's the story so far.  Iit's been five years since the Justice League was formed.  In the wake of several disasters, The United States government has grown nervous about the League's independence and what might happen should they begin to actively work against the USA's interests.  To that end, they've fired Steve Trevor from his position as the government's liaison to the Justice League, having decided that maybe having Wonder Woman's ex-boyfriend acting as their go-between might be diplomatically questionable. 

In his place is Suicide Squad director Amanda Waller, who is tasked with putting together a team that can match the Justice League 1 to 1 should it be necessary.  Her first recruit?  Steve Trevor, who has proven himself a capable field commander and the one man who knows the Justice League better than anyone.    The rest of her picks are selected based purely on their potential to match the other team in terms of power - a motley assortment of mysterious vigilantes, wanted criminals and promising newcomers.


It is the newcomers - Vibe and Stargirl - who Johns spends the most time developing. There's no surprise there as, being new characters, they require the most development.  There's also the little matter of Johns being the writer on Vibe's new solo-title and Stargirl being Johns' original creation, dating back to the classic Stars and STRIPE series.  Yet this version of Courtey Whitmore is greatly changed from Johns' original concept, apparently suffering from night terrors regarding the death of the hero who wielded her Cosmic Staff before.  And Johns' take on Vibe, in just two pages, receives far more respect and development than the original character ever did. 


I've found that you either hate David Finch's art or you love it.  Personally?  I love it.  His famous eye for detail is as strong as ever but I think he's lightened up his usual shadowy inks somewhat.  There's still a hint of darkness in every corner, fitting considering the conspiracy-minded tone of the book so far.  Yet all of the high-action superhero moments are big and bright, with the inks enhancing the pencils rather than obscuring them.

Rejoice, comics fans!  This is the Justice League book we've been waiting for.

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 #16 - A Review

With Green Lantern #16, the Rise of the Third Army storyline is finally starting to move somewhere.  Despite the larger plot dominating the story, Geoff Johns still manages to infuse this issue with the wonder that lies at the heart of the Green Lantern concept.  He also adds several of the the quiet character moments that are his trademark.


Case in point: B'dg - an alien who looks something like a cartoon squirrel, has the ability to communicate with squirrels if not other wildlife.  It's a small point and it's been raised before in other Green Lantern stories but I just love the idea that there are Green Lanterns that have superpowers apart from those they gain from their rings.  I also love how they might not even consider what they can do a superpower because everyone on their planet can do what they can do.. 

A similar scene later centers around newbie Green Lantern Simon Baz attempting to use his ring to heal his best friend, who is in a coma.  A Green Lantern ring is supposed to do whatever the wielder wills - why not heal the incurable?  Johns has been pushing this idea since the New 52 revamp but never quite so effectively as he does here.


The artwork by Doug Mahnke and a team of five inkers is as wonderful as the script.  I've praised this book before as having one of the finest art teams in the comic world and I stand by that statement now.  Colorists Tony Avina and Alex Sinclair also deserve praise for giving this book an amazing visual glow.

If you haven't been reading Green Lantern, this is actually a good issue to jump on with.  Much of the on-going storyline is explained here and while there may be some points of confusion it's not enough to derail the main action of the story.  Highly recommended. 

Green Lantern #15 - A Review

The biggest problem I've had with the Rise Of The Third Army crossover has been how the titular Third Army seemed like afterthought at times.  We've caught glimpses of the Third Army in action.  We've seen The Guardians discussing how quickly the Third Army has advanced.  But apart from one scene in Green Lantern Corps, where Guy Gardner was among a group of Lanterns being decimated by the Third Army, there's been little sense of urgency regarding the threat.  The Third Army became one subplot among many, confined to a few pages summary while the writers got on with whatever stories they were writing before the crossover started.  


 Even Geoff Johns has been guilty of this but I can hardly fault him for it.  Johns has always been at his best writing stories about people who have superpowers rather than ordinary high-action superhero stories.  Johns' ability to write and create interesting characters has always been his greatest strength and his best works have always been those that told smaller stories about relationships rather than the grand, epic space operas we usually associate with Green Lantern.  Given that, I haven't really minded that the past few issues focused more on car-thief turned Green Lantern Simon Baz and his coping with his new powers as well as his sudden status as a suspected terrorist.  Strictly speaking, Simon's story is far more interesting than watching more groups of random aliens being converted by The Third Army.

Thankfully, Johns brings the crossover down to Earth in this issue - literally and figuratively.  The various plot threads Johns has been spinning for the past few months have finally start to come together as another Green Lantern shows up to see what's going on in Sector 2814.  We also start to get some answers about just what happened to the recently disappeared Sinestro and Hal Jordan.


All of this is ably illustrated by Doug Mahnke and a team of inkers.  Mahnke's utilizes perspective to interesting effect on several panels, creating an effect I can only refer to as "reverse-Kirbyism".  Mahnke takes the style pioneered by Jack Kirby where items in the foreground seem to reach out toward the reader and flips it, putting fixed objects in the foreground and focusing the art on background objects as they move away from the reader.  It's a striking effect, adding increased visual interest to certain scenes - the dynamics being different when we see a shot man falling away from us rather than falling towards us.

Green Lantern continues to be a solid read, with excellent scripting, wonderful artwork and a unique, interesting new hero in the character of Simon Baz.  The series greatest flaw, as it has been for several years now, is accessibility.  Johns has revitalized and expanded on the Green Lantern mythology but new readers who just came onto this title with Simon Baz's first appearance will miss out on a lot of the background.  Good as this is, I'd recommend tracking down a copy of Green Lantern: Rebirth and starting from there rather than trying to jump into the current series.

Green Lantern #14 - A Review

The biggest problem with Green Lantern #14 is one of focus.  As the author of the flagship title of the Green Lantern line of books and DC Comics' head honcho when it comes to creative output, Geoff Johns has a lot of material to cover in this issue regarding his Rise Of The Third Army crossover.  Sadly, the cosmic side of the story is not as interesting or involved as the more mundane events set on Earth.




What really confounds me about this issue is that for all the information we are given, we learn so very little.  We learn something of the past of the being now known as The First Lantern, whom The Guardians are using to empower their "Third Army" but we still know nothing about the character!  We see Black Hand interacting with a group of Guardians locked away to guard The First Lantern but learn little about what role they have to play in things.  Even the fate of Hal Jordan and Sinestro - the main characters of the book two months ago - is only briefly teased.


Thankfully, the bulk of the book deals with its' best storyline and proves that Johns is at his best when he's letting his characters speak as real people.  The scenes in which The Justice League confront newly appointed Green Lantern and accused terrorist Simon Baz are Johns at his best, as he fights the cliche of  the superhero slugfest that inevitably occurs when at least two heroes meet for the first time and one is convinced the other is a villain.  Baz refuses to fight, pointing out he'd be nuts to try and immediately accepting the Justice League's efforts to test his sincerity using Wonder Woman's Lasso of Truth.  Given how frequently this is overlooked as a problem-solving tool in Justice League stories, it's gratifying to see it used properly here just as it is nice to see a newbie hero trying to be logical and reasonable... for all the good it does him in the end.

At least Doug Mankhe's artwork is as strong as ever, though it does appear a bit odd at times.  I blame the fact that this book was worked upon by four separate inkers whose styles are not entirely compatible.  Still, whatever oddities there are in the artwork are not serious flaws and this book looks good more often than not.  Would that the plot was as consistent in terms of quality.  Still, nothing to be done until The Third Army falls.

Green Lantern #13 - A Review

Despite the cover noting that this is the first part of the Rise Of The Third Army crossover event, Green Lantern #13 barely touches upon The Third Army and their slow spread across the Earth.  Most of this issue is focused upon Simon Baz - a troubled young man who turned to thievery to support his family and had the misfortune to steal a car with a bomb in it that the police were watching.  Baz is now a suspected terrorist and - thanks to his sudden rescue by a Green Lantern ring - a noteworthy enough of a threat to be brought to the attention of The President.

Incidentally, the President in the New 52 DC Universe is apparently Barack Obama, though he isn't mentioned by name.  Just a little note there for you trivia fans who keep track of this sort of thing.


Writer Geoff Johns seems less interested in the big event than he is exploring this new character and the reality of Green Lanterns in the New 52 universe.  Surprisingly, this info-dump between The President and Amanda Waller early in the issue proves to be effective expositon.  One of the biggest problems with the New 52 so far is that many writers haven't taken the time to truly explore the new universe and explain things that could be taken as holy writ before.  In this case, we learn several factoids like the US Government is aware of Hal Jordan's secret identity but they have no idea who Kyle Rayner is.

Despite the opening scenes explaining a lot, the strongest parts of the issue are the scenes where Simon learns how to use his new powers and tries to find a direction for himself.  We learn a lot more about Simon's family life in this issue and confirm what was suggested in Green Lantern #0 - he's a basically good man who made some bad choices.  To his credit, Baz seems determined to fix those mistakes or, at the very least, shield his family from the consequences of his actions.


Doug Mahnke's continues to be one of the best artists in the business.  We don't get to see much of the prowess he's displayed in the past this time around, as there's very little action in this issue and Baz has yet to start forming constructs.  Still, Mahnke provides each scene with a subtle dynamic flow and the few action scenes we have move along nicely.  And despite apparently having five inkers work on this issue, the shading proves consistent throughout.

If you haven't started reading Green Lantern yet, this would be a fine issue to start with.  The character concept and reality explain themselves pretty well and the art looks amazing, even though there's not much action in this issue. 

Green Lantern #0 - A Review

Green Lantern #0 exemplifies the kind of comic I'd hoped to see more of with The New 52. Too many of the titles DC Comics introduced and reintroduced in the last year have done little more than rehash that which has been done before and done to death. Even Geoff Johns, whose work I generally enjoy has been guilty of this to a degree. His Green Lantern title did present us with the novel oddity of Sinestro being forced to wield a Green Lantern ring but the actual story, like Blackest Night and Brightest Day before it, featured Hal Jordan and Sinestro being forced to work together to face a mutual enemy. It was enjoyable but there was little sense that we were truly seeing something new. And whatever else may be said about Green Lantern #0, it presents something new.



The action of the issue centers upon Simon Baz - an Arab-American who lives in Detroit, Michigan. A recently laid-off auto-worker, Simon has turned to car theft to make ends meet. Despite this, Simon is portrayed as a sympathetic figure and even a heroic one. His thefts are implied to be taking care of his family and when he discovers that his most recent catch has a bomb in it, he risks his life to try and dispose of it in a way that will ensure nobody else gets hurt.

Still, no good deed goes unpnished and Simon's spur-of-the-moment plan leads to his arrest. The fact that the abandoned building he chose to drive the bomb into was his former place of employment coupled with the sheer unlikelihood of him stealing a vehicle that already had a bomb in it makes things look very bad for Simon. Throw in the fact that he's a Muslim and an Arab and the narrative is already written in the minds of the police and the feds. Luckily, fate has other things in mind for Simon Baz and salvation arrives in a sudden flash of green light.



This is one of the best scripts we've seen from Geoff Johns in quiet some time. We can tell that Johns - himself an Arab-American from Detroit - drew off of his own personal experiences into the scenes depicting Simon's early life and it makes Simon seem all the stronger as a character for that development. This issue reminds me of Johns' earlier work on JSA, where he frequently introduced new characters with similar panache.

Doug Mahnke continues to impress with his pencils. We see none of the Green Lantern standards with this issue - no big-headed alien beasties or elaborate constructs of solid light. Still, the action of Johns' script is well depicted and Mahnke is one of the best visual storytellers in the business, adding intensity even to the panels depicting people sitting down and talking.

If you haven't been reading Green Lantern before, now is the prefect time to start!