Green Lantern #54 – Review

By: Geoff Johns (writer), Doug Mahnke (artist), Christian Alamy, Tom Nguyen, Keith Champagne, Doug Mahnke (inkers), Randy Mayor and Gabe Eltaeb (colorists)

The Story: The New Guardians, Chapter Two: Brightest Day creeps out of its shell. Atrocitus is on Earth, searching. Behind the scenes, an old force is assembling the entities for each color of the ring spectrum: Ion for will, Ophidian for Greed, and so on. In the process of acquiring Ion, the yellow Daxamite sun is turned back to red with disastrous consequences for Daxam (a lot of DCU suns are changing color in the last 30 days). And, working together, Hal Jordan, Sinestro and Carol Ferris peel open important information from the white power battery.

What’s Good: Brightest Day is really hitting its stride in Green Lantern. The pacing is quick and mysterious. The characters here really feel like they’re going to be the prime movers in the coming conflict (unlike the feeling that Captain Boomerang in the Brightest Day series gives me). And the menace is slowly cranking itself up. Johns hinted at the existence of an entity for each of the colors over in the last year, but now we see what they are shaping up to be. I’m absolutely loving the old Oan collecting the entities and admired the subtle character work that Johns did with Hal and Carol (the continuing innuendo, teasing and dodging of the hard questions), Sinestro (prancing around like a petulant dictator not getting his due and close to vomiting from observing the mating dance of Hal and Carol) and Atrocitus, who’s revealed to have a thing for Mera. On Atrocitus’s crush, this shows how far back Johns has been planning out his story, because now that I see this wrinkle, some events in Blackest Night take on an added meaning.

Weekly Comic Book Review’s Top Picks

DS’ Top Picks

Best From The Past Week: Legion of Super-Heroes – Levitz really came through on Legion of Superheroes #1. The book felt right and started with a bang that left me satisfied with the intro, but waiting for more. Best book for an starved Legion-fan. And in keeping with DC’s marketing, I want my flight ring!Morrison started us slowly in his 6-part saga, but the adventure, and the anticipation built up around it, were enough to propel this book into first place in my pull list.

Most Anticipated: Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #2 – Where and when the heck is Bruce? What’s happening to him and why will his return to the present destroy everyone?

Other Top Picks: Brave and the Bold #34, Green Lantern #54, Green Lantern Corps #58, Power Girl #12, The Thanos Imperative: Ignition #1, X-Force #27

Alex’s Top Picks

Best From The Past Week: Ex Machina #49 -Tough one, but despite a valiant effort by American Vampire #3, I have to give it to Ex Machina.  There was no more emotionally significant moment this week than seeing the Great Machine take the skies once again.  Seeing a comic geek like Mitchell Hundred being drawn, and responded to, like Superman is sure to be one of the many great moments this series has given us.  I’ll be sad when this book finally says its farewells in July.

Most Anticipated: Secret Avengers #1 – Ed Brubaker and Mike Deodato.  What’s not to love.  Pair that creative team with a clearly hand-picked line-up and comics gold is all but guaranteed.  The book isn’t even off the ground yet, and I’m already fairly certain that this will end up being the best Avengers book out there.

Other Picks:Batman: the Return of Bruce Wayne #2, Fantastic Four #579, Green Lantern #54, Madame Xanadu #23, Scalped #38, Secret Warriors #16, Thor #610, Unknown Soldier #20, Wolverine: Weapon X #13

Dean’s Top Picks

Best From The Past Week: American Vampire #3 – These aren’t your grandfather’s vampires.  While the more mainstream comics were bumbling around with “good, but not great” efforts last week, Scott Snyder, Stephen King and Rafael Albuquerque gave us a very strong comic with great story and glorious art.  There has been nothing to dislike about this series yet.

Most Anticipated: Thanos Imperative Ignition #1 – I feel like I haven’t gotten a Marvel Cosmic fix in months, so even in a week where Secret Avengers and a few other strong titles are coming out, I am really excited to kick off the next big Cosmic event.

Other picks: Amazing Spider-Man #632, Choker #3, Secret Avengers #1, Wolverine Weapon X #13, 7 Psychopaths #1