Supergirl #30 – Review

By: Tony Bedard (writer), Emanuela Lupacchino with Yildiray Cinar & Diogenes Neves (pencils), Ray McCarthy & Marc Deering (inks), Hi-Fi (colors)

The Story: It’s time to put that anger to good use.

The Review: Tony Bedard continues to propel Supergirl onto the cosmic scene with the second true chapter of “Red Daughter of Krypton”. This issue pits Kara and her Red Lantern comrades against the Diasporans, a particularly awesome looking race of social Darwinists, out to cleanse the universe of weakness.

The Diasporans are not the most original adversaries but they’re a perfect threat for Supergirl. Bedard has previously set Kara up against the last Czarnian and an immigrant girl afraid of her own power, clearly he has a taste for pitting Supergirl against thematic foils and these hellish lizards are par for that course.

The addition of the Red Lanterns places Bedard well within his comfort zone, writing quirky cosmic teams, and it shows. The presence of Skallox and Zilius Zox instantly livens up this issue and allows Bedard’s knack for banter and interplay to come to the fore. Kara is feeling more complete, but she still lags behind the rest of the characters a bit. Her emotions are comparatively simplistic when they’re the center of attention, however there is some good thought behind them and she’s much stronger when engaging with her cohorts.

Green Lantern/Red Lanterns #28 – Review

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

The Story: Hal Jordan and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

The Review: Things are a little complicated in Lanternland right now. With Hal and John finally working side by side, each Lantern’s title is spilling over into the other’s. For Hal, that means a set of surly new deputies, left over from Green Lantern Corps Annual #2. As Hal is forced to accept some unsavory help, dissention within the ranks is growing. Even so, all that will have to wait, as Kanjar-Ro is hardly the biggest guest star in this issue.

The issue does a fine job of expressing the constant pressure that Hal is under, even without any visible contribution from the Durlan resistance. The Corps never really recovered from the Guardian’s betrayal and “Lights Out” only made matters worse. If Venditti was looking to keep the Corps on their back foot, he’s succeeded, however series like Game of Thrones thrive on establishing comfortable status quos to be upset. The Corps disintegration is happening so slowly and so consistently that it can get a little sad, in more ways than one.

Of course, that’s not entirely this issue’s fault. It’s undeniable that this issue is strained by the pressures that other series are placing on it. Balancing tie-ins to three ongoing series is clearly taking a toll on Venditti’s pacing. Though he does the best with what he’s given, it never truly feels as though he justifies why things are quiet enough that this can be the primary concern. Perhaps GLC Annual answered that question, but last time I saw the Corps they had become galactic enemy #1, that’s not the sort of thing that you can brush under the rug.

Supergirl’s intrusion into the series is lengthy and predictable. The first five pages are visually engaging, but they end abruptly and serve little function, as they are fully recapped later. Likewise, Hal’s realizations are believable, but ultimately uninteresting. The story follows the track it’s supposed to take and Venditti seems unable to wrest control from the story he’s been handed.

Thankfully, the latter part of the issue feels less suffocated and more like the Green Lantern we’ve known in recent months.

Perhaps in homage to the sadly departed Green Lantern: The Animated Series, Venditti has struck up a delightful friendship between Mogo and Saint Walker, similarly ringless. While it’s a fairly obvious, and highly questionable, storytelling device to wound Walker’s faith Venditti does an admirable job of presenting a depowered Walker without drowning in angst. If he can continue to treat Saint Walker’s spiritual crisis with the respect it deserves, it could prove an engaging side-plot.

Failing to find answers with the last Blue Lantern, Hal turns to the Reds, leading into their crossover. Hal and his Corpsmen’s dialogue is much higher quality than in the pre-Walker sections and Venditti conveys a great balance of determination and uncertainty in Hal. The whole mess leads to an incredible cliffhanger that’s so brilliant in its simplicity that one has to wonder why its like has never been attempted before. Better still, you don’t have to wait a month for some resolution!

Billy Tan, Rob Hunter, and Alex Sinclair bring their distinct look to the title once again this issue and we’re all better for it. Though much of the issue is standard for the team, that’s hardly a slight and it does contain a couple of standout panels. A couple of shots of Lantern Lok in the opening scene and a wry look between Hal and Kilowog stand out as particularly lovely work. On the other hand, some characters, like Vath Sarn, remain unpleasantly stiff and lifeless.

The whole team, Sinclair especially, has benefitted greatly from the Corps’ relocation to Mogo. The entire issue is awash in beautiful color and lush backgrounds. Though Tan can’t provide an unreasonable amount of detail, he clearly gives it his all, reaching a crescendo during Hal’s discussion with Saint Walker.

The unique look of the series is also continued in Tan’s page arrangements. As ever, clever use of circular panels, gutters, and empty space define the issue’s look. It’s also worth mentioning how effectively Tan uses momentum, especially in the opening battle.

The Conclusion: Though the art is the standard high quality work that GL’s art team has provided, Green Lantern #28 never escapes the shadow of its multiple crossovers. Scenes tend to linger, giving the impression that the issue is merely treading water until its primary plotline can resume. Though the later portion of the issue bears a greater resemblance to Venditti’s output in previous months, it’s not quite enough. An earnest but, ultimately, tepid beginning to “Red Alert”.

Grade: C+

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By: Charles Soule (writer), Alessandro Vitti (artist), Gabe Eltaeb (colorist)

The Story: Zilius Zox refuses to accept that it’s hip to be square.

The Review: At the same time Guy Gardner is dealing with a situation on Earth while attempting to patch things up with Ice. I admit that I didn’t pick up Justice League of America #7.3 or The Savage Hawkman, but it is positively refreshing to see a Hawkman villain showing up in a Lantern title, especially considering that her archnemesis’ title has been canceled.

The Shadow Thief is more than a little shallow in characterization, but her over-the-top hatred and vitriol provides an amusing counterpoint as Guy, Zilius, and Skallox try to keep themselves under control.

Once again, Soule proves that humor may be the key to making this series work. The mindless fury of the original Red Lanterns soon proved insufficient to support an ongoing series, but it seems that a quiet anger, sometimes a passive-aggression, may be what it takes to elevate the series up to meet its Lantern brethren. Particularly as rendered by Alessandro Vitti, every blow thrown, every hit taken, and every retort fired contain a spark of anger.

There’s something cathartic about seeing anger unleashed, but Soule does a great job of reminding us that rage is scariest not when it’s constant, but when the threat of it is. In that, Guy’s dalliance on Earth becomes an impressive look at what it means for him to be a Red Lantern, rather than just a superhero romp around Paris.

While this could easily have sustained a full issue, Soule still has a crossover to handle and handle it he does. In half the pages, Soule delivers an equivalent experience to Venditti’s story and, in honesty, it proves quite a bit more gripping. Now that Green Lantern has set the stage Red Lanterns takes a moment to play with the toys it’s been given, and I assure you that getting Hal and Guy together is the equivalent of Christmas.

Their interactions actually remind quite a bit of Jason Aaron’s most recent Wolverine and the X-Men arc, and I mean that in the best possible way. Both Lanterns are given respect and consideration by the writer, each flawed and each fragile, and the attention paid to their complicated friendship is the core of what fans love about the Corps.

Meanwhile Atrocitus is none too pleased about that being killed and deposed business. Especially in Vitti’s toothy depiction, Atrocitus has returned to the terrifying threat that he started as. His new priestly persona can read a little forced, but his ever looming presence and ominous calm combine to create a legitimately intimidating character.

Vitti utilizes weaker inks and scratchier lines for the scenes on Groy, which contribute to a sense of immediacy and realism. It feels less like a style for the spandex-set and brings out the cosmic horror in characters like Bleez, Atrocitus, and Klarn

A much more sturdy style follows Guy and his troop around. As if representing the shift in leadership within the Red Lanterns, the scenes on Earth and Ysmault have the cartoon bounciness of a classic Superhero yarn. Vitti has a tendency to draw panels that resemble each other just a bit too much, but it’s a small price to pay for exciting and expressive compositions. I also have to say that he seems to have a thing for bangs and, seeing it, so do I. That said, his take on Guy’s mustache is either amazing or horrifying depending upon your position.

The Conclusion: This may not be the book that Charles Soule will make his name on, but this issue certainly proves how solid he can be in his delivery. While the initial slew of Red Lanterns stories were wordy musings on what it means to be angry, Soule presents a deeper, more familiar look while Alessandro Vitti provides forceful artwork that fleshes the ragtag corps out.

Despite a crossover reminiscent of a child’s toy box, Red Lanterns #28 feels like just another issue of the series, for better or worse. It’s a fine jumping-on point, if not one that feels like a must read.  Regardless, fewer responsibilities and a greater focus on character work make Red Lanterns #28 the superior brother in this strange but wonderful DC experiment.

Grade: B-

Some Thoughts:

• Charles Soule seems to come naturally to the kind of simple, brilliant world-building that I love. Little details like Klarn’s reaction to “the blood ritual” or Guy’s explanation of the Shadow Thief are absolute gold, wrapped up in a single word bubble.
• Much as I loved the way the team handled Tora in this issue, one particular panel of Bleez and Rankorr distressed me. The panel in question put the two of them looking deeply into each other’s eyes, inches apart. There’s nothing explicitly sexual or romantic about it, but it definitely recalls such scenarios. Given Bleez’ backstory, I’m oddly uncomfortable with the prospect of pairing her up with Rankorr. Obviously it’s not the most unsettling element of the character, but it doesn’t sit right with me. Did anybody else feel similarly?

– Noah Sharma

Red Lanterns #26 – Review

By: Charles Soule (writer), J. Calafiore (artist), Gabe Eltaeb (colors)

Who could have known that a book about DC’s least interesting band of ring-slingers would still be going strong months after established properties like Static Shock or cult hits like Dial H were axed? Not I. Nevertheless Red Lanterns plugs on, now under the guardianship of Charles Soule.

This issue finds a team of classic Reds at odds with the dictator of a backwater planet looking to make a name for itself. The plot is straightforward and generally doesn’t deviate too much from expectation, but Soule takes this as an opportunity to add some color to the story, and thankfully not more red.

Field Marshall Gensui has been preparing for a scrap with the Red Lanterns and reveals a wonderfully direct countermeasure for such a situation. Apparently the Field Marshall keeps his civilian workforce in line with a pacification weapon that prevents the expression of strong emotion. It’s the kind of sci-fi contrivance that we often shrug off and accept without a second glance at this stage, but implement it in a story about a group whose power comes from their anger and you’ve got quite an appropriate plot device. It’s really quite amazing no one’s thought of this before, at least not to my knowledge.