Green Lantern #66 – Review

By: Geoff Johns (writer), Doug Mahnke (penciller), Keith Champagne, Christian Alamy, Mark Irwin, Tom Nguyen (inkers), Randy Mayor (colorist)

The Story: Little blue midgets have never seemed so frightening.  No, not the Smurfs.

The Review: The Guardians of the Universe have had a large role in the Green Lantern mythos since the Silver Age, and plenty of the great stories of the series involved them in some way or another.  And yet, despite all the past history about them that has come to light in recent years, they remain rather enigmatic, their motivations unclear.  Perhaps it’s their disavowal of emotion (other than utter condescension, that is), but their goals always seem a bit obscure or suspect.

If nothing else, War of the Green Lanterns, by having Krona as a lead character, has cleared up some of the whys and wherefores of the Guardians became hobbit-sized, emotionless men and women.  Certainly, the unbalanced behavior of the possessed Guardians in this issue give weight to the idea that maybe it’s not such a good idea to have our universe’s watchers be too emotional (they definitely don’t know how to flirt: “Come closer.  Let me care for you.”).

But in a way, their inscrutable natures are precisely what make Krona a compelling villain for this storyline.  Once you look past his seemingly ruthless actions, his intentions have even a kind of pureness to them.  You don’t usually expect the typical villain to tell someone, “You will is strong…your heart is not.”  Actually, his philosophy of melding emotion with willpower makes him much more relatable than the Guardians he overthrows, and you can’t call him a dictator out for power when he’s so willing to share universal power with our very own heroes.

You also get some interesting revelations from Sinestro’s sojourn in the Book of the Black, where in his attempts to escape he encounters a crazed, semi-hysterical Indigo.  But then, Indigo isn’t really her name, and considering the major alteration in her previously evenhanded attitude, this seems to indicate she may have had a shadier past before being forced into the Indigo Tribe the way she did to William Hand, just as Hal suspected before.  It’s also notable that all the other trapped Lanterns are accounted for except Carol, implying she has a part left to play in this arc.

But mostly this issue gives you a brawl-fest pitting Yellow Lantern Hal and Red Lantern Guy versus the emotional entity-driven Guardians, which is pretty fun.  One thing Johns always does well, no matter what you may say about his overall storytelling, is deliver gripping action.  He never allows a moment for the characters to take a breather; they no sooner escape one scrape before another overtakes them.

Weekly Comic Book Review’s Top Picks

Dean’s Top Picks

Best From The Past Week: Rocketeer Adventures #1 – And…I’m not even a Rocketeer fan.  But, I do love seeing three anthology stories with art by John Cassaday, Mike Allred and Michael Kaluta.  That’s some hot art, right there.  The stories are fine, but with art like this the stories really don’t matter.  Dave Stevens, the creator of the Rocketeer has been dead for ~3 years and it’s nice to see that top-notch creators still have a passion for his character.  I’m not in favor of seeing Rocketeer be launched as an ongoing series with some C-list talent, but if IDW can keep bringing this level of creator to the table, they can publish Rocketeer stories for as long as they want.  Runner-up: Li’l Depressed Boy #4

Most Anticipated: Strange Adventures #1 – I’m a complete sucker for anthology series because you always have the possibility of catching lightning in a bottle.  Featuring work by Scott Snyder, Brian Azzarello, Eduardo Risso, Jeff Lemire and others this should be pretty hot.  It is also really nice to see Vertigo launching something new as they haven’t put out a new piece of intellectual property since I Zombie last summer.

Other Picks: American Vampire #15, Detective Comics #877, Butcher Baker the Righteous Maker #3, The Walking Dead #85, Hack/Slash #4

Alex’s Top Picks

Best From The Past Week: DMZ #65 – It was a bit of a breather last week as far as the number of books went, but that doesn’t mean there was a lack in quality.  DMZ #65 took it this week, for me, showcasing everything that has made the series such a success for Vertigo. Everything you’ve ever liked about Wood’s DMZ was right here.  Good stuff.

Most Anticipated: Strange Adventures – I don’t think I can remember the last time I had such a huge stack with one book so clearly ahead of the rest of the pack as my most anticipated.  The concept for Strange Adventures excites me so much.  A big anthology of retro sci-fi, with creators like Paul Cornell, Jeff Lemire, and Peter Milligan?  The first chapter of the new comic by Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso?  The first comics work of science fiction author, Lauren Beukes (whose two novels, Zoo City and Moxyland, you should really check out)?   There’s even a cool Paul Pope cover.  What more could you ask for?If there was ever a comic I really want to succeed, it’s this one.  $7.99 is a high price, but a bargain for an unbelievable package like this.

Other Picks: Action Comics #901, Detective Comics #877, Green Lantern Corps #60, Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors #10, Green Lantern #66, American Vampire #15, Amazing Spider-Man #662, Captain America #618, FF #4, Iron Man 2.0 #5, Mighty Thor #2, Secret Avengers #13, Secret Warriors #27, Venom #3, Wolverine #9