(COMIC) GREEN LANTERN CORPS #10

STORY: Peter J. Tomasi
ART: Fernando Pasarin and Scott Hanna

I haven't been too impressed with Green Lantern Corps as of late. Peter J. Tomasi seems to be throwing all his energy towards Batman and Robin leaving GLC with a husk of a narrative to drive it forward. Part of this boring streak comes from the use of the Alpha Lanterns, a group of ridiculous Lantern police who have been a constant nuisance since they were first introduced years ago. I'm not a fan of the Alpha Lanterns - not from a story perspective, but from a narrative one. Alpha Lanterns are just buzzkills; they're not really "evil", and their storylines always focus on moral dilemmas. There's only so many times the Alphas can rise up - only to be talked back down using ethical logic - and brought back to the status quo before readers get bored. I'm already there.

Nonetheless, Green Lantern Corps #10 is easily the most enjoyable issue of the "Alpha War" so far. The first two entries into this arc were mired with legal jargon and judiciary proceedings - not things you want (or expect) from an action-based comic book. And while the best part of this month's issue is actually a debate over an issue of hypocrisy, the fights come out in spades.

Now that John Stewart has an expiration date, the Alphas and the Guardians discuss how it should be done. It's very, very interesting to see the direction Tomasi is taking this story now. The Alpha's immediately suggest that the Guardians be the one to execute Stewart; a way to "legitimize" the Alphas' decree. Without hesitation, the Guardians decline. Then the Alpha's suggest a group of Lanterns be chosen at random to do the deed, to which the Guardian's see (rightly so) as totally hypocritical. In a last ditch effort, the Alphas suggest an outside mercenary to act as executioner. Fed up with the Alphas' presumptuous attitudes, the Guardians decree that if the Alpha's want to execute John Stewart, they'll have to do it themselves. It's a harrowing part of the book and one that does not bode well for the future of the Alpha Lanterns. Eventually, Guy springs John from the Sciencells with dozens of Lanterns as backup. 


The worst part of this month's issue comes from John's confrontation with Kirrt's parents. By his own conscience, John asks to meet with them when they arrive to attend Kirrt's official funeral on Oa. It's a really stupid scene because John tries to explain that he's not looking for their forgiveness - he only wants a chance to apologize for his actions.

This isn't true at all!

If John really wanted to apologize with no ulterior motive, he would have written a letter or recorded a video for Kirrt's parents. And maybe they wouldn't read/watch it, but that's their choice. What Tomasi is actually giving John Stewart is one more chance to make things right with Kirrt's family. John wants a few more minutes to explain his side of the story and how it was the right thing to do. This is total bullshit. John's personality goes through such a violent shift in only a matter of pages that it's jut jarring to follow. One minute, he wants to atone for what he's done, the next, he's ready to die. Make up your mind, man! (I am, of course, speaking to Tomasi, who can't seem to decide if John should be a cold-hearted killer or a martyr. Either way, I feel like GL fans will lose. Putting John Stewart in this situation was unnecessary and mean. John's always been the GL that feels guilt more than any of them, and yet Tomasi decides John's the one to have to go through this totally painful and embarrassing trial.

GRADE

B-

(COMIC) GREEN LANTERN CORPS #9

STORY: Peter J. Tomasi
ART: Fernando Pasarin and Scott Hanna

This cover is a misdirect.

The firs six issues of Green Lantern Corps were action-packed and fun to read. The same cannot be said for "Alpha War", the current arc. Granted, I've said nice things about GLC the past few months mostly because I was hoping things would start moving a little quicker. Unfortunately, Green Lantern Corps #9 suffers from simply not being interesting.

"Alpha War" seems to be a misdirect, as there has been no 'war', so to speak. Yes, the Alpha Lanterns are getting all up in John Stewart's face, and yes, the Guardians are probably using the Alphas to bring about the coming of the mysterious "Third Army". The stakes just don't seem as high as they should be. I read an editorial piece recently that posited that the Guardians of the Universe have become long in the tooth; they've been so dastardly for so long now, it's not as shocking to see them scheming as it was back in, say, 2007. And the fact that - after years of storytelling - there are still deep, dark secrets in the Guardians' closet means that these blue beings have been corrupting the universe since it's inception, and that's a notion that throws the entire DC Universe into question. Apparently, no one at DC thought to look into this further.

Basically, Green Lantern #9 is one long trial. It's suuuuuuper boring. A lot of trial jargon and scenes of the entire Corps in attendance doesn't make up for a filler of an issue. The only good part comes when a few Lanterns raid the crypt and attempt to smash Kirrt's statue after hearing about the cowardice that led to his murder. Guy Gardner stops them and takes a few pages to lecture them about knowing how to use fear. It's a 'lesson' that's been taught every which way for years and it's lazy.

Peter J. Tomasi needs to step up his game. Green Lantern Corps was doing great, but mucking it up with legal drama is murdering it's reputation.

GRADE:
D+

(COMIC) GREEN LANTERN CORPS #8

STORY: Peter J. Tomasi
ART: Fernando Pasarin and Scott Hanna


Things are changing in the Green Lantern Corps. At the end of Peter J. Tomasi's "The Lantern Keepers" arc, John Stewart was forced to murder a fellow Corpsman to avoid releasing the access codes to Oa's security and defense systems. It was a bold move to make John a killer once again. Many writers spent many years leading the stoic Green Lantern through mental anguish and recovery over his inability to save the planet Xanshi from destruction. This time, however, John knows that what he did was for the greater good, no matter now bad it makes him feel.

The beginning of the issue shows a rather large showing of Lanterns moving the Sinestro Corps Central Battery onto Oa for safekeeping. John has dug a hole big enough for the yellow battery, but Guy constructs a giant hammer and knocks it in sideways instead of vertically, as John had planned for. While his actions came in a moment of anger, Guy explains that the symbol of the Sinestro Corps shouldn't be standing upright, especially not on Oa. And the Guardians agree! For the first time in Guy Gardner's career, the Guardians of the Universe agree with his opinion. The Guardians then offer Guy a sort-of 'general' position within the Corps, to stand above the rest and answer only to the Guardians themselves. Totally in character, Guy gleefully accepts, smugly adding, "What the hell took you so long to rub the blue glue outta your eyes and see I'm the one!"

The real point of this issue (outside Guy's promotion) is the final page; the Alpha Lanterns descend to arrest John for the murder of Green Lantern Kirrt, an action that will surely lead to this "Alpha War".

GRADE:

B