Green Lantern: New Guardians #29 – Review

By:  Justin Jordan (writer), Brad Walker (penciler), Andrew Hennessy with Brad Walker (inkers), Wil Quintana with Hi-Fi (colors)

The Story: They say you should never argue with people about religion or politics. Kyle Rayner argues both and does so exclusively with gorgeous superpowered women. Because Kyle Rayner.

The Review: In recent months Green Lantern: New Guardians has become the DC Universe’s answer to Star Trek, exploring strange new worlds, seeking out new characters and new civilizations, going where the New 52 has never gone before. Last month we were introduced to the Light and the Fire, a cult of interstellar evangelists preaching the gospel of a familiar deity.

Fans of Marv Wolfman’s New Teen Titans will be more than familiar with Starfire’s cries of “X’HAL!” and followers of the series will remember the character’s appearance in the title’s third year. While it might be fun to pit the Tamaranean goddess against the White Lantern, Justin Jordan has other plans for this meeting. When Kyle demands proof that X’Hal has Kalosa’s best interests at heart, the issue becomes a meditation on divinity and what it means.

The tricks that Jordan employs in endearing X’hal to the readers are not new ones, nor subtle ones, but they work pretty well, just the same. Her distant personality and down-to-earth perspective come together nicely and the issue avoids making her seem too good to be true without giving the sense that she and, by extension, her followers are ticking bombs.