Green Lantern #5 – Review

By: Geoff Johns (writer), Doug Mahnke (penciller), Mark Irwin, Keith Champagne, Christian Alamy, Tom Nguyen (inkers), Alex Sinclair & Tony Avina (colorists)

The Story: Instead of power rings, maybe it’s best the mob goes back to pitchforks and torches.

The Review: It’s a funny thing about people.  We spend a great lot of our time figuring them out, usually to no success, and then we end up pinning semi-arbitrary labels on them anyway.  We hold onto those labels far longer than reasonable, even with all the evidence to the contrary, and then at the drop of a dime, we switch out those labels for new ones, sticking to those just as fervently and with just as little support.

That’s pretty much what’s happening between the people of Korugar and Sinestro in this issue.  In a few blinks of the eye, they go from readying themselves to waste him to shouting hoorahs in his name.  In their defense, Sinestro does accomplish exactly what he set out to do, which is to free his homeworld from the corps he created, and it’s mostly the impressionable children who look at him adoringly, while the adults seem to have no idea what to make of him now.

But that’s completely understandable.  As this series has gone on, it’s gotten harder and harder to remember that Sinestro is considered a villain in the grand scheme of things.  He’s just so darn competent that objectively, you can’t help admiring the guy to some degree.  In fact, as you watch him coolly whip out back-up plan after back-up plan, executing each one with perfect precision, you get vibes of Batman, master of prep-time himself, and you understand why Hal seems to rub against both men the wrong way.

I suppose it’d be poor form to talk about an issue of Green Lantern without mentioning Hal at some point.  Really, though, he’s been so overshadowed by his “partner” these issues that he’s become a sidekick in his own title.  In a way, he deserves that status.  The first issue saw him down on his luck, with no job, no house, no mode of transportation, mooching dinner off his girlfriend, who he can’t bring himself to commit to, all of which makes him seem like the boy who won’t grow up and throw down some roots.

WCBR’s Top Picks

Dean’s Top Picks

Best From The Past Week: Rachel Rising #4 – This was kinda a “blah” week for comics with Marvel shoveling up a big, fat pile of “okay” and that gives an opportunitiy for some interesting choices like Rachel Rising #4.  Nothing that remarkable happened inside the pages of RR; we didn’t begin a new plotline and there were no “startling revelations”.  But, Terry Moore did start to tie some separate pieces together in this issue and give us glimpses of what his story will be about.  And of course, this creepy story of a girl who rises from the dead is beautifully illustrated.  Not many artists could pull off the intricate and delicate linework that Moore gives us every month.  Trust me: Pick up Rachel Rising now because the next thing you know, it’ll be issue #15 and you’ll feel you’re too far behind.  Runner-up: Vescell #5

Most Anticipated: Scarlet Spider #1 –  You know who is really good at comics?  Ryan Stegman.  The guy is super-talented and improving all the time, yet for some reason Marvel has been putting him on miniseries and things that are doomed to be cancelled early.  This is really annoying considering some of the mediocre art that comes out of some parts of Marvel (ahem….X-office).  FINALLY, he gets a shot at an ongoing that should have some legs.  We got teases of what he could do on a Spidey-themed book in Amazing Spiderman early last summer and he nailed it.  And, it’s being written by Chris Yost who rarely does a bad story.  Personally, I’m not a big fan of all the clone crap in in my Spidey stories, but with these creators Marvel makes it impossible to say “no”.  Check it out.

Other Picks: Batwoman #5, Scalped #55, Unwritten #33, The Activity #2, Severed #6, Amazing Spider-Man #677, Secret Avengers #21, Wolverine and the X-Men #4

Alex’s Top Picks

Best From The Past Week: Swamp Thing #5 – Yanick Paquette may have only left for one issue, but man did I miss him!  A gorgeous book with great storytelling from both creators, great monsters, and great character moments.  Oh, and Alec Holland finally kicks some ass.  A great book.  Not just that, but Swamp Thing and Animal Man are really showing the right way to build up to a crossover.

Most Anticipated: PunisherMAX #21 – The penultimate issue of Jason Aaron’s run is here and finally, Frank and Fisk are going to throw down for real and, if the solicitation is right, someone’s going to die.  Readers of PunisherMAX know that this fight has been a LONG time coming.  The build-up has been amazing and it’s gone beyond personal; it’s been brutally inevitable since issue 1 and now, it comes down to this.

Other Picks: Batwoman #5, Demon Knights #5, Frankenstein #5, Green Lantern #5, Wolverine & the X-Men #4, Wolverine #300, Incredible Hulk #4, Journey into Mystery #633, New Avengers #20, Captain America #7, Amazing Spider-Man #677