Green Lantern Annual #2 – Review

By: Robert Venditti (writer), Sean Chen (penciler), Jon Sibal with Walden Wong (inkers), Andrew Dalhouse with Will Quintana (colorists)

The Story: Proof that Hal Jordan is messing everything up for everybody.

The Review: Though “Lights Out” didn’t officially start until this month, it’s effectively been playing out in the pages of Green Lantern: New Guardians ever since this era of Lantern stories began. Ever since Relic emerged from his celestial cocoon, he’s been dreaming of this moment. And yet, now that it’s here, he seems oddly irrelevant. Relic plays an important role in the story, make no mistake, but, for better or worse, this issue doesn’t highlight him the way you might expect.

To be honest, I haven’t been the fondest of Relic. Though Justin Jordan found a good rhythm for the character and the situation around him was interesting enough, Relic never quite rose above it. It seems like Robert Venditti agrees on some level.

While Relic provides the point of the spear, the real danger for the Corps comes from their dwindling power levels. It’s a potentially divisive choice, but one that I applaud. Power drainage is a classic Lantern concern and subtle, basic fears like asphyxiation can do a lot where a giant yellow man fails. It provides the sense of a time limit, something that can be hard to do in the comics format.

Green Lantern: New Guardians #24 – Review

By: Justin Jordan (writer), Brad Walker (penciller), Drew Hennessy with Marc Deering & Ryan Winn (inkers), Wil Quintana (colors)

The Story: Remember when Kyle Rayner became Ion and had access to nearly god-like power? Well, if so you’ll appreciate the irony when he has to take on Ion and five of his business associates. Have fun there, fella…

The Review: You know what I’ve been aching to see in my Green Lantern comics? Heroes arguing reasonably. With five Lanterns representing one gender of one species of one continent of one planet, you’d think that there’d be more of an attempt to distinguish them from one another. Though Hal’s thick-headedness definitely outweighs his heroism in this issue, it’s really nice to see reasonable disagreement among the corps.

Justin Jordan does a fine job of writing a tense and exhilarating aftermath moment. Though it’s pretty much just a bunch of Lanterns and rocks floating in space, the first three pages of this issue feel suitably meaningful.

Green Lantern #24 – Review

By: Robert Venditti (writer), Billy Tan (penciller), Rob Hunter (inker), Alex Sinclair (colorist)

The Story: Ahh, after ten billion years, Relic is free. It’s time to conquer Oa!

The Review: It’s been four months since Geoff Johns and his compatriots left the cosmic scene for less green pastures and ever since the entire franchise has been leading up to this moment. Though the war really began in the tragic Green Lantern: New Guardians #23, with this attack on the universe’s most established corps of Lanterns, Relic has truly stepped onto the galactic stage.

This issue really does feel as though we’re in for a full-scale Green Lantern event and Robert Venditti does an excellent job of tying the events of the three Green Lantern books together. It may not have been so long ago that Johns and co. were barraging us with a slew of GL crossovers, but I’m ready to give them another chance. This is a shorter event than many of us are used to and, accordingly, Venditti doesn’t waste much time before things begin to crumble around old Highball Jordan. The stakes are high, and the threat is wisely conceived, playing on fears and symbols from Lantern lore as well as reality.

This is also a solid opening act for the Lights Out crossover. The players are established, their motives explained, and the seeds of the subsequent issues are planted. It isn’t completely friendly to new readers, assuming an understanding of the corps and at least a cursory knowledge of the emotional spectrum, but lapsed fans, mourners of GL:TAS, and those unfortunate enough to know the emerald warrior from his disastrous movie outing will all find it easy enough to get on board.