Green Lantern Corps Annual #1 – Review

By: Peter J. Tomasi (Writer), Chriscross, Scott Hanna, Marlo Alquiza (Artists), Wil Quintana (Colorist)

*Spoiler Alert*

The Story: Guy Gardner gets in gear to bring the fight to the guardians after being saved by Simon Baz and B’dg.

The Review: This is a big comic in nearly every aspect of the word. It is a long read, jam-packed full of action and intense development touted as the final chapter of Rise of the Third Army, bringing all the meticulous planning from all Green Lantern titles to a head. It is big, it is important, but is it any good?

From the very first page, one must not forget that it is a continuation of Green Lantern Corps, even though it incorporates many plot points from the other books. As such, most of the focus is on Guy Gardner, John Stewart and the other Lanterns. Considering the fact that it is a vital chapter, the final one in the storyline going on in the other books, does it make it kind of inaccessible to those who haven’t followed Green Lantern Corps?

Green Lantern Corps #16 – Review

By: Peter J. Tomasi (story), Fernando Pasarin (pencils), Scott Hanna (inks), Gabe Eltaeb (colors)

The Story: Can a jailbird, a felon on the run, and an alien marsupial save the day?

The Review: You know, with Hal Jordan out of commission and a new guy in his place over in Green Lantern, that leaves his usually second-banana pals to deal with the Guardians’ crazy plan on the living side of things.  My hope is that Tomasi and Tony Bedard use this opportunity to show that Lanterns like Guy, John, and Kyle are just as crucial to the mythos, that they’re not just the dudes clearing the way for Hal to steal all the thunder in the end.

At least the Guardians see Guy as a major threat nearly on par with Hal.  If their current shenanigans don’t make them seem malevolent enough, they underscore their malice even more by continuing to target Guy even after they succeeded in taking everything away from him.  “It seems his tribulations continue unabated,” one Guardian muses.  “Guy Gardner’s fall is complete.”  And then to seal the deal, they send the Third Army after him specifically.

Green Lantern #16 – Review

By: Geoff Johns (story), Doug Mahnke (art), Christian Alamy, Keith Champagne, Tom Nguyen, Mark Irwin (inks), Tony Avina & Alex Sinclair (colors)

The Story: It’s a rough day when you get talked down on by an overgrown chipmunk.

The Review: If there’s a reason to be skeptical about Simon Baz as the new Green Lantern, it’s the natural assumption that he’ll prove meaningless and redundant once Hal Jordan returns and retakes his ring.  Let’s be frank, here.  For decades, it looked as if Kyle Rayner and Wally West would be the default Green Lantern and Flash forever, and then over a few years, both got dethroned by their predecessors.  What makes us think Simon will fare any better?

Perhaps because the architect of Kyle and Wally’s dethroning is the same guy who created Simon.  And this issue makes it pretty clear that whatever happens when Hal inevitably returns, the hand of fate is on our rookie Lantern.  By allowing Simon to accomplish something neither Hal nor even Sinestro (and I do find it interesting that B’dg considers it more amazing Simon can one-up Sinestro rather than Hal), Johns encourages us to put our confidence in the new guy.

Green Lantern #15 – Review

By: Geoff Johns (story), Doug Mahnke (art), Keith Champagne, Christian Alamy, Mark Irwin, Tom Nguyen (inks), Alex Sinclair (colors)

The Story: Baz discovers one of a Green Lantern’s greatest weaknesses the hard way.

The Review: Lately, every time I read a Johns-penned issue, I think that he really missed his vocation.  The guy should be a door-to-door salesman; I can think of few other writers who have offered me goods that my voice of reason tells me shouldn’t work, and yet who manage to get me helplessly sold on them anyway.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone into a Johns comic doubting its premise, only to have my doubt eroded away until I’m caught in his sell.

Take this Rise of the Third Army thing.  Even though I know the concept has been done to death, even within Green Lantern, Johns does manage to convince me to let my hang-ups go and take the threat seriously.  As the spread of the Army accelerates, with whole planets overtaken at a time, you do start getting a little nervous about how far this can go before the sentient universe is altered beyond repair.  Even that little bit of nervousness is a victory for an old story like this.

Green Lantern Corps #13 – Review

By: Peter J. Tomasi (story), Cafu (pencils), Scott Hanna (inks), Gabe Eltaeb (colors)

The Story: Even in dead space you gotta watch your back.

The Review: A lot of people have already compared this Rise of the Third Army storyline as a thinly veiled rip-off of Blackest Night, and I can see why.  You are dealing with yet another series of dronish Lanterns who multiply by infecting others—and then you have the similarities to the Rot over in Animal Man and Swamp Thing, who are conceptually a hop, skip, and a jump away from Marvel Zombies, but for the nature themes.

So no, I won’t give much weight to Rise of the Third Army for originality.  Still, I’d be remiss in my duties if I don’t point out the slight, but important differences between these Third Army creatures and their counterparts elsewhere.  For one, it’s unclear if the assimilated people actually die in the process, notwithstanding the disposal of their hearts.  For another, the assimilation itself is a creepier, more traumatic experience for those involved.

Green Lantern #13 – Review

By: Geoff Johns (story), Doug Mahnke (pencils), Christian Alamy, Mark Irwin, Tom Nguyen, Keith Champagne, Marc Deering (inks), Alex Sinclair & Tony Avina (colors)

The Story: Caring for someone so much and wanting to kill them—classic sibling love.

The Review: This issue pops up with almost every legacy character, but anytime someone new takes up the cape or mantle or mask, you’ll have waves of protest and rejection across the comic book readership—just scores of folks saying they’ll never accept this interloper and ridiculing him to fringe status forever.  Inevitably, of course, all that goes away and the new guy/girl ends up a fact of comics life anyway.

Some of you may hate to hear this, but in my head I’ve already begun accepting Simon as Green Lantern.  Certainly I don’t consider him as the Green Lantern (obviously it’s Hal, but in my heart I’ll always hope Kyle Rayner makes a comeback), but I know that when all this—whatever “this” is—is over, I won’t have any problem with him keeping the ring.