Green Lantern Corps #19

(w) Peter J. Tomasi     (a) Fernando Pasarin


**SPOILERS BECAUSE IT'S HARD NOT TO WITH THIS ISSUE**


"Wrath of the First Lantern" has gone on too long. And that's after "Rise of the Third Army", the 'crossover' that went nowhere. Since last October, the Green Lantern team has been building toward this epic ending, but it's been diluted by time. There's no getting around that.

Green Lantern Corps #19 -- also known as Part Ten of this everlasting story -- is your standard going-through-the-motions issue that doesn't really know what it's doing while we wait for Green Lantern #20. The First Lantern, Volthoom, isn't around much, and John Stewart's minuscule C-story about reassembling Mogo suddenly becomes priority number one. The storytelling is erratic at best.

Mogo is a character that changes based on what's needed. First, he was simply a Green Lantern who happened to be a planet. Then, he became the place where GL rings are forged. Now, he happens to be able to encase large numbers of Green Lanterns within pieces of his planet crust to protect them from Volthoom's attack. How? Not explained.

Oh, and then there's the big old battle of the Green Lantern's Mogo saved against the Yellow, Black, and Red Lantern avatars of themselves...which turn out not to be Volthoom, but Mogo trying to teach everyone a lesson about being better than "what if?"s.

WHAT?!?

The entire "Wrath of the First Lantern" saga has been about attempting to stop Volthoom before he's able to absorb enough power to rewrite the universe. For some reason, Mogo is able to quarantine his fellow Green Lanterns and involve them in a emotionally charged war against ghosts of themselves without Volthoom noticing. No one seems to be worried that they're taking all this time to go through the motions while the First Lantern is gearing up to wipe existence clean.

Green Lantern Corps #19 is as much a filler issue as you can get. It involves contrived character development based on a continued 'deus ex machina' device. Nothing about the plot is really advanced at all. It's only worth it if you're a completionist.

GRADE

4/10

FEATURED REVIEW: GREEN LANTERN CORPS ANNUAL #1

(w) Peter J. Tomasi
(a) ChrisCross

"Rise of the Third Army" concludes this week with Green Lantern Corps Annual #1, a rather fantastic finish to a somewhat lackluster 'crossover' event that spanned all four Green Lantern Family titles from the 'New 52'. Things started out well enough last August with Green Lantern Annual #1, but the actual "Rise" of the Guardians' new army has been slow-burning, to put it lightly. In fact, the Third Army was rarely more than background noise that happened to pop into the main story every so often. Fortunately, Green Lantern Corps Annual #1 offers a bit of redemption for "Rise of the Third Army" with a satisfying conclusion that smoothly leads into the upcoming follow-up crossover, "Wrath of the First Lantern".

The Guardians of the Universe have been losing their marbles for quite a while. Geoff Johns provided the catalyst with the reveal that the Blue Ones had been hiding the fear entity Parallax within the Green Lantern central battery for eons. Besides giving explanation to the ineffectiveness of the Green Lantern rings against the color yellow, Johns' revelations in Green Lantern: Rebirth were the first of many that showed how billions of years of immortality have made the Guardians lose sight of their ethics.

In Green Lantern Corps Annual #1, Peter J. Tomasi picks up all the plot pieces -- from Green Lantern, Green Lantern Corps, Green Lantern: New Guardians, and Red Lanterns -- that have been piling up over the past four months. The Guardians' endgame is near, and part of that includes deceiving all Green Lanterns ignorant to the threat of the Third Army into returning to Oa for a mass genocide. Guy Gardner, new Lantern Simon Baz, and the squirrel-like B'dg concoct a plan to exploit the Guardians and inform the rest of the Corps as to what's happening by manipulating the Guardians' massive egos. John Stewart and Star Sapphire Fatality finally manage to see Mogo's reconstitution through. Kyle Rayner and his Rainbow Brigade show up near the end to add some seriously needed firepower. Finally, Atrocitus' reprogrammed Manhunters join the fray against the most powerful, most insane beings in the known universe.

This is Green Lantern storytelling at it's best: crackling interconnectedness that conveys the larger-than-life essence of science fiction storytelling. And unlike Geoff Johns' previous epic Green Lantern story arcs, the Guardians sit firmly at the center of this conflict, not through past mistakes or misinterpreted intentions, but by the will of their own machinations. Parallax, the Sinestro Corps, the Black Lanterns; all of them pale in comparison to the Guardians of the Universe in terms of raw power. Ganthet and his sorely misled brethren want peace in throughout the universe, no matter what the cost. In one sense, their endeavor is no different than in the past. Just like any other technology, advancements are made as time moves forward. For the Guardians, upgrading their technology means having a singular goal, a shared focus that allows for the best possible results. Under these guidelines, the Green Lantern Corps is like an old PC from the mid-90s: slow, outdated, and not worth the effort it would take to make it better.

Just like any nefarious villain bent on total control, the Guardians bite off more than they can chew, leading to the explosive -- if not foreseeable -- escape of the mysterious First Lantern, now named Volthoom. Without spoiling the circumstances of his escape or his intentions, the First Lantern's plans are a natural step forward from "Rise of the Third Army" that will give all the different Lanterns a lot to deal with in the coming months. Geoff Johns' Green Lantern plans have been coming to fruition for the past eight years, and it will be exciting to see how the Guardians' fall from grace will end. I word it like this because I can't see an outcome to "Wrath of the First Lantern" where the Guardians are still in power. Already in the 'New 52', the rules have changed for the Green Lantern franchise in significant ways, and introducing a First Lantern into the mix makes logical, if not yet evident, sense.

Green Lantern Corps Annual #1 does a great job finishing up one story arc and starting another. While the entire "Rise of the Third Army" event was less fast-paced as I had originally expected it to be, the conclusion makes it worth the build-up because we've been able to slowly integrate the idea of a hive-minded army of locust soldiers assimilating sentience into the basic setting of Green Lantern series. Instead of "Rise" being a one-month blitzkrieg (like, say, "Night of the Owls"), Johns and Company opted for pacing that made the threat of the Third Army all the more real and disturbing.

GRADE

9/10

REVIEW: GREEN LANTERN CORPS #14

(w) Peter J. Tomasi
(p) Fernando Pasarin

The Guardians are really, really sick and twisted. Seriously -- these little blue guys have, in the past, suppressed ancient omens about the Blackest Night, hidden the secret of Parallax in the Green Lantern central battery, basically massacred an entire sector with their Manhunter androids, created the terrifyingly omniscient Alpha Lanterns, and now, they've built themselves a new army to destroy the Green Lantern Corps and all other free will across the universe. These plot points are worth reiterating because of all four GL titles offered by DC's 'New 52', only Green Lantern Corps has been getting deep into "Rise of the Third Army". Over in the eponymous series, Simon Baz is still coming into his own as a Green Lantern, Kyle Rayner is off recruiting new New Guardians or some such, and Atrocitus is jump beginning to understand what these Third Army soliders can do. Green Lantern Corps #14 gets personal as the Guardians' scheming to de-power Guy Gardner come to a head.

John Stewart has been sent off to rebuild Mogo using a baseball-sized chunk of the former planet as a sort of diving rod to help in collecting more pieces of the planet-sized Green Lantern. Unfortunately, Star Sapphire Fatality shows up sporting some mysterious connection to the chunk of Mogo! Right now, John's side quest isn't very interesting, thus Peter J. Tomasi doesn't seem to be writing it as such. Sure, Fatality shows up, but that's where John's side of the story ends this month, so there's no sort of resolution or even explanation. Over in Guyland, the Guardians are pretty pissed at him for abandoning a peace delegation transport after learning one of his oldest and deadliest enemies was on the loose. But in reality, it was the Guardians themselves who freed the murdering enemy of Guy, and they were the ones who made him massacre the peace delegation to embarrass and discredit Guy. It's all very sinister, and obviously part of something bigger.

Guy and John have been going down their separate, yet intertwining paths for months now -- it would be nice to see them side by side to take on the Third Army, but the events at this issue's end have me worried for the future of the Corps. 

GRADE

8/10

DC NATION (SEP 29, 2012)

It's been a long summer, but 'DC Nation' is finally, finally airing new episodes of both Green Lantern: The Animated Series and Young Justice. I'm just going to go ahead and pick up where I left off and do reviews for both shows each week in this DC NATION column. Sound good?

Green Lantern: The Animated Series
Season 1, Episode 14
"The New Guy"

The first 13 episodes of GL:TAS are a mixed bag. Some of them are dynamite examples of how well the Green Lantern universe can be adapted to TV, and some are just lame excuses at character development by way of making them ringless. I hated the episodes where Hal and Kilowog's rings wouldn't function - the whole idea behind Green Lantern is the power ring, and when you take it away as many times as this series did, it starts to get really annoying. Fortunately, Bruce Timm and this production staff must have realized this quickly, as episodes 10-13 were generally the best of the series as they focused on the invasion of Oan space by the Red Lanterns.


Now, I'm really excited for the rest of this first season going forward. Especially after "The New Guy", which is a double entendre referring not only to Earth's newest Green Lantern, but also to that GL's name, Guy Gardner. Voiced by the masterful Diedrich Bader, Guy was chosen to the the new GL of Sector 2814 while Hal was stuck in the far reaches of the universe stopping Atrocitus and his rage-filled soliders. Guy is a favorite on Oa, loved by the Guardians and other Lanterns alike, which is a huge departure from the hard-nosed stubborn Guy from the comic books. And while this show often stumbles in it's attempts at humor, the constant reign of compliments on Guy after Hal gets chewed out time and time again is very, very amusing.

While Guy is the focus of this episode, the real revelation is that the Anitmonitor has come to destroy the universe! Comic book fans know the Antimonitor as the catalyst for the Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover in the 80s that streamlined DC continuity by merging different timelines and multiverse dimensions. In GL: TAS, the Antimonitor has sent a universe-wide signal to all of the Guardians' old Manhunter robots, reactivating them to slaughter any and all sentient life. It's a big, complex, and somewhat terrifying concept for a children's show, and I applaud DC, Warner Bros., and Cartoon Network for allowing such a bleak arc to be produced. It shows how much faith these companies all have in Bruce Timm's amazing ability to bring superheroes into animated form.

GRADE: A

Young Justice
Season 2, Episode 14
"Satisfaction"

While Green Lantern: The Animated Series keeps things more evenly balanced between the action and humor, Young Justice has been heavy on the story, trading in laughs for constant plot growth. Before the summer break, it was revealed that Aqualad had indeed not gone AWOL, but is instead working undercover to take down Black Manta's organization from the inside - as Manta's son, it made getting in all the easier. In tandem to Aqualad's position as a double agent, Artemis faked her own death so she could aid Aqualad in learning more about The Light, the still-unmasked big bad of the entire Young Justice series thus far. Oh, and Clone Roy finds Real Roy finally! Yes, "Satisfaction" has a lot of work to do.

Brooding is as brooding does.

Fortunately, the writers and producers are sticking to their guns and rolling out their story little by little each episode. For instance, Aqualad and Artemis are nowhere to be seen this week, Superboy gets to flirting while on a college campus, and the female members of the Team (as well as Black Canary) take on Captain Cold. But none of this comes even close to the main story, about a revived Roy Harper seeking answers about his missing arm, the other Roy Harper, and his life after being cryogenically frozen. Green Arrow tells Roy everything - from Lex Luthor's involvement, to the amount of time Roy's been frozen, as well as the fact that Ollie and the other Leaguers gave up looking after a relatively short amount of time. One-Armed Roy (which sounds like an awesome cowboy name) has a bit of a mental breakdown and sets off to take revenge against Lex Luthor.

Most of the episode is taken up by a fight between the handicapped Roy and Lex's bodyguard, the robotic Mercy, but near the end, the true meaning of this episode is revealed. Even though Luthor kidnapped Roy, cut off his arm for DNA supply purposes, kept Roy frozen for eight years, then tried to have him killed, Roy accepts the gifted offered by Luthor because at the end of the day, revenge is about making up for something lost. Usually, that something lost is totally irreplacable, meaning that taking revenge is the only option. In Roy's case, a bio-mechanical, weapons-infused arm is a new option that quickly becomes more favorable that killing one of the most powerful and influential people in the world.

GRADE: A

JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL ANNUAL #1

STORY: Geoff Johns and Dan Didio
ART: Jason Fabok

It really is the end for the Justice League International. After a year of amazing stories, a slowly-expanding roster, and a death in the family, the JLI all but disintegrates before our eyes as Geoff Johns and Dan Didio bid farewell to one of DC's quirkiest titles. It came as a bit of a surprise when DC announced it would cancel Justice League International after it's Annual issue, especially since it wasn't a low performer like other cancelled series such as Mister Fantastic, Men of War, or Resurrection Man. For months, fans and critics have been speculating as to reasons why; was it to set-up a bigger event? Was JLI going to be relaunched under a different name? Was DC planning on revising it's number of monthly titles? We didn't have a lot to go on, and the editorial executives were staying tight-lipped. And this week, DC announced that Geoff Johns and David Finch would be starting a new series, Justice League of America. After I read the initial press release concerning JLA, I immediately knew why JLI was cancelled. It makes sense, on a certain level, to want to expand the 'Justice League' franchise without diluting the name itself. Justice League and Justice League Dark both have clear-cut plot-centric premises, while JLI told more character-driven stories. It really is a shame to see the series go, but Justice League International Annual #1 goes the book justice and sends the team off in an appropriately dour - yet potentially promising - way.

Annual #1 picks up a few weeks after the events of JLI #12, wherein Batwing resigned, the team fought the late Lightweaver's delusional brother, and the future of these characters rested in Batman's capable hands. Bringing the series full-circle, Booster's primary concern is now increasing the team's visibility and public image by way of impressing the United Nations by taking on dangerous missions around the globe. We drop in with our lovable band of misfits in Central Africa, where Guy Gardner is leading a squad against a vicious warlord named Aki Mukassa. As Batwing flies the violent revolutionary away from the riot below, the warlord activates a bomb and kills himself mid-air. The entire situation is symbolic of the JLI's status quo as the team that gets it done, but not very well. While the rest of the team is satisfied with saving numerous innocent lives, Booster is upset that the JLI couldn't hand Mukassa over to the UN.

The breaking point comes later, when Booster informs the team that he's expanded the roster by recruiting Olympian and Blue Beetle. "Where are Superman and Wonder Woman?" asks Beetle, which sends Guy Gardner into a rage that results in his resignation from the JLI. With Rocket Red already dead, as well as Vixen, Fire, and Ice in the hospital, it's as though Booster takes one step forward for every two steps back. He sees that their numbers are dwindling, and he does whatever it takes (a la lying to Beetle about the JLI's roster) to make his team better.

And while the first half of the book is really all about Booster and his insecurities, the latter half focuses on O.M.A.C., who becomes possessed by Brother Eye, the sentient satellite and computer program designed and built by Batman to observe and analyze every metahuman on Earth in order to develop defenses against them if necessary. Since the 'New 52' relaunch, it's been interesting to see what has survived the editorial culling and now exists in the ner universe - the events of Infinite Crisis aren't mentioned anywhere else in the 'New 52' (that I know of), so it could stand to reason the whole thing never happened, but that Brother Eye was still created. And just like in Infinite Crisis, Brother Eye's been hijacked! With a new 'programmer' calling the shots, Brother Eye takes complete control of Kevin Kho's body and mind as it attempts to destroy the JLI and re-upload himself to the satellite orbiting Earth. During the confrontation, O.M.A.C. (apparently) kills Olympian, then uses his overwhelming technology to send Blue Beetle back to the Reach, the alien society where Jaime's scarab originated.

There's a lot of action going on during the finale, but in the end, Booster Gold is the only one who's able to stand up to the brutish, unstoppable O.M.A.C. Using 25th century anti-virus protection, (easter-eggedly called the 'Skeets Protocols') Booster is able to stop Brother Eye's uplink to the satellite and separate Kevin from the O.M.A.C. programming that was making his life a living hell. Of course, this victory is short-lived as Booster Gold from the future-future comes back to warn our Booster of horrible things to come before he simply disappears, as if he never existed. Then suddenly, the same thing happens to our Booster Gold!

By the time we reach the final pages, the team is technically down to just Godiva and a heavily-injured August General in Iron. Rocket Red and Olympian are dead, Batwing and Guy Gardner have resigned Blue Beetle is on the other side of the galaxy, and Booster is deleted from time and space. Justice League International Annual #1 is not only the JLI's most exciting issue, but it sets up the next chapter of the collective 'Justice League' story very well. At the very end, Batman has a chilling conversation with his creation, Brother Eye: "Eye am home and eye will be waiting for my new programmer's signal. He is coming, Batman. And you will join him or die." recites Brother Eye as if from a script. The emotionless, yet highly sophisticated, Brother Eye looks to be the focal point of things to come. Perhaps in the same vein as Infinite Crisis, Batman's presumptuousness concerning other heroes became paranoia, resulting in some of the darkest days in DCU history.

GRADE

A+

JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL #12

STORY: Dan Jurgens
ART: Aaron Lopresti and Matt Ryan

It's the beginning of the end for the JLI. Save for Justice League International Annual #1 - being released in this month's fifth week, along with a slew of other Annuals - Dan Jurgens' seminal series has come to a close with the "Funeral of Rocket Red". While the story title itself is a bit of a misnomer, this month's issue takes the team to Russia to visit Gavril Ivanovich's grave for a proper send-off by the teammates that stood by him in the end.

As the end of a series, Justice League International #12 has a lot of loose ends to tie up. Fortunately, Jurgens takes the time to bring proper conclusions to the plot points that matter. Last month, the late Lightweaver's twin brother, Malik, vowed to destroy the JLI, whom he believes was the responsible party in Lightweaver's death. If you read JLI #11, you saw that it was actually the government-ordered strike that killed Lightweaver. The fight between Malik and the JLI serves mostly to symbolize the team's position as the most accessible and relatable Justice League team. The League proper deals with situations that are so big, so dire that the end nearly always justifies their means, while the 'Justice League Dark' operates outside the public eye - their methods kept secret due to their controversial nature. The JLI sits in the middle of this spectrum as the Justice League that isn't quite perfect, yet are still accountable for their actions. In this sense, Malik's ambush works on both a technical and narrative level.

The group's trip to Russia to honor their fallen friend also points to their humanity. The death of a teammate is never taken lightly in the pages of DC's comic books, but rarely is it given the respect it deserves. Often, whole slews of characters will be killed off in major events, only to be noted in a mass-funeral or memorial wall in a later issue. Very often, death is taken lightly in comic books. Going against that trend, Dan Jurgens sees the importance of grieving and finding closure after the death of a friend and uses these emotions to weave a tale that brings the JLI full-circle and looks forward to the future and the potential it holds.

While Guy Gardner uses his GL ring to transmit a live feed from the hospital room of Ice and Vixen, Fire is inexplicably left in her induced coma, unable to even remotely attend the funeral. Jurgens doesn't give any reason for this story choice beyond the medical decision, which is a total cop-out. Knowing this would be the last issue, it would have been nice if Jurgens had brought everyone together. Perhaps I'll get my wish in JLI Annual #1 later this month.

Batwing resigns from the team for no other reason than he was barely on it to begin with; he cites "too many duties elsewhere", but he was never really all that interesting anyway. Batman's reasons for leaving are a bit more poignant. Bruce takes the time to explain that he's no longer needed, that Booster Gold is more than qualified to lead the team, and that their old headquarters and bankroll had been reinstated. Much in the vein of the JLI's history within the DCU, Batman sees the potential in this rag-tag group and gives them a chance - the chance no one else was willing to give them after a less-than-perfect inaugural outing.

GRADE

A

JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL #11

STORY: Dan Jurgens
ART: Aaron Lopresti and Matt Ryan

Dan Jurgens has done an excellent job with Justice League International in the 'New 52'; it's one of my favorite titles out right now. Each issue adds more character development that has taken a group of misfits that couldn't make it in the Justice League proper and turned them into a formidable team that sheds their original United Nations sanction to take care of themselves.

As a whole, Justice League International is a classic 'rags to riches' story for each member in their own way. Unlike the major Leaguers - who aren't depicted as having a need for adoration or praise - the members of the JLI are characters who are much more grounded, and thus more relatable. Booster Gold pretty much a joke in the superhero community, Godiva's a small-time street hero with no worldly experience, August General in Iron attempts to make a better name for himself and his country, Red Rocket wants to honor the legacy of his title, Batwing works to make himself a better hero for his home and for Batman, and O.M.A.C. just wants to be normal. It's this sense of making oneself better that makes JLI so enjoyable. Everyone has wanted or needed to prove themselves at some point in their lives, and these characters need to prove themselves to the superhero community and the world at large.


Guy Gardner narrates Justice League International #11 as the team has their final stand against Breakdown and his anti-superhero agenda.  The eponymous villain wants to see the end of superheroes because of in the inequality in both physical ability and social hierarchy. With the help of a few small-time villains and growing animosity from a civilian mob, Breakdown manages to put up a good fight against the JLI. It's not often than writers feel the need to delve into the personal lives of villains - unless that's the point of the story, in which case most tend to flub it up - Dan Jurgens uses minor criminal Lightweaver as the emotional core of the "Breakdown" arc. 

We've already seen interactions between Lightweaver and his younger brother debating the nature of good and evil, and this month, Breakdown's right-hand man is murdered during the final fight, only his younger brother at his side in his final minutes. Obviously, Lightweaver's brother acted as a physical conscious, encouraging him to end his current life of crime, but Lightweaver consistently ignored these warnings until it was too late. It's a sub-plot that deals in emotional ramifications, familial issues, and a desire to be something greater.


O.M.A.C. presents a similar situation, as Kevin - the boy stuck in the big, blue body - has to fight himself to take control of the overwhelming power and drive than comes with being a One Man Army Corps. The team must first incite O.M.A.C.'s rage to help free them from Lightweaver's energy prison, then later calm him down when he loses control and starts rampaging through the city, even though the fight is over. O.M.A.C. is such an interesting character, it's a shame DC cancelled not only his self-titled series, but has now doomed Justice League International to the chopping block. Here's hoping Boy Blue can make a third, successul comeback.


Dan Jurgens loves the JLI. He's nurtured this book since day one, and it's been a slowly evolving tale that just gets better and more cohesive with each issue. It really is a shame that such an excellent series is ending so soon.

GRADE

A

(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

(COMIC) JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL #8

STORY: Dan Jurgens
ARTWORK: Aaron Lopresti, Matt Ryan

This month heralds the arrival of Batwing as the newest member of the JLI. Though Batman's African counterpart is an obvious - and easy - choice for a team made of up of international heroes, Dan Jurgens seriously flubs this introduction. Justice League International #8 is the least cohesive and most scatterbrained issue of the series thus far. Jurgens tries to interweave too many plots and after a few pages, it becomes difficult to understand exactly what it happening. Also, Batman keeps changing his tune concerning the JLI; one month he wants them to disband, and now he's recruiting members.

The team is still reeling from the bombing at the end of issue six; Booster Gold is facing off against the new Lightweaver, Fire and Ice are still in the hospital, Red Rocket is still dead, and Jurgens another villain who somehow fits into the scheme of the story. Roland Norcutt is a new character (at least I think he is) whose ability lets him break anything down to it's basest of forms, then repurpose that raw matter into whatever he likes. Taking the name Breakdown, Roland escapes from his prison transport and convenes with Lightweaver and some other villains.

I understand that Jurgens is building towards something. It's obvious that this issue is a 'filler' issue meant to introduce some characters and little else. The story doesn't advance at all from last month, and the only real exciting part about this issue is the arrival of Batwing, which itself is pretty lackluster. I've been extremely happy with Justice League International every month, and one hiccup isn't enough to turn me off of a great, great book.

GRADE:

C+

(COMIC) GREEN LANTERN CORPS #7

Written by Peter J. Tomasi
Guest Artwork by Claude St. Aubin and Scott Hanna

Green Lantern Corps #7 deals with the aftermath of the conflict against the Lantern Keepers. Guy must answer to the Guardians for murdering two Sinestro Corps members to defeat the Keepers, while John fights his personal demons over being forced to murder his fellow Lantern, Kirrt. Tomasi has been pushing out great material in Green Lantern Corps and Batman and Robin, showing an adeptness with multi-character titles. Many writers have difficulty managing page time between multiple characters, while Tomasi seems to excel at it.

The confrontation between the Guardians and Guy goes just as any GL fan would expect - the Guardians pitch a fit and Guy uses hard-lined logic to justify his actions before flying off. To be fair, this time, Guy basically murdered two sentient beings in order to quell an insurrection. Guy's stance boils down to the ends justifying the means while the Guardians disagree. Murder is always a touchy subject, and Guy, unfortunately, comes off very conservatively in the debate.

John Stewart has been carrying around his guilt over Kirrt since the moment he did it, and this issue sees Kirrt's memorial service, prompting a need for his body to be returned to his family. Against his own better judgment and the opinions of others, John decides that he must transport Kirrt back to his home planet, a way to somewhat atone for his actions. Unable to give the man he murdered a bad name, John tells his family that Kirrt died a hero, giving his family some comfort in the face of their loved one's departure.

An excellent 'epilogue' issue if there ever was one, if a little light on the plot advancement.

GRADE:

B

(COMIC REVIEW) Justice League International #7

Written by Dan Jurgens
Artwork by Aaron Lopresti and Matt Ryan

Justice League International quickly became one of my favorite titles to read back around issue four. The team is solid, their relationship is existent, but not fully-formed, and Jurgens was allowed to keep Batman, if only for the first arc - which ended with an explosion that potentially killed them all. My only reservations about the JLI thus far have been about their status quo amongst the superhero world. Up until this issue, Booster's rag-tag team has been backed up by the United States government, giving them just a little bit of legitimacy in a world dominated by bureaucratic red tape and by-laws. This issue explores the aftermath of the explosion and how it has affected the team.

The narrative bombs starting falling when Fire and Ice are found, both with critical wounds due to the blast. As soon as they're taken care of, August General emerges from the flames with the corpse of Gavril Ivanovich, the Red Rocket. Though he was short lived, this iteration of Red Rocket was one of my favorites. Instead of drenching the character in Russian nationalism, Jurgens decided to give him a realistic, modern take on his home country and how it fits into the world. Kicked out of the actual Red Rockets, Ivanovich was as much a Russian as he was a JLI member, and it really was sad to see him go.

Andre Briggs and Emerson Esposito are the next to go. Searching through the wreckage, Booster finds their scorched bodies and weeps for them. In an issue that could have come off as really cheesy and forced after only six months of storytelling, Jurgens finds a groove and doesn't diverge. The emotion feels real and the subsequent anger and frustration are understandable and relatable. Even Batman's exit leaves you feeling less comfortable, as the team just keeps getting smaller.

The fight between Booster and Lightweaver was fun, but ultimately just the set up to introduce Batwing into series and onto the team in upcoming issues. It makes perfect sense, now that there's a Batman in Africa, but it still seems weird. I'm not a fan of Batwing, and I hope Jurgens keeps his panel time to a minimum in the tradition of the real Batman.

GRADE:

A

(REVIEW) Green Lantern Corps #6

Written by Peter J. Tomasi
Artwork by Fernando Pasarin and Scott Hanna

As DC's 'New 52' hits it's sixth month, many plot lines started back in September are coming to a close - or at least getting damn close. With Green Lantern Corps, Peter J. Tomasi has brought us to the end of his first arc. This month's issue was one of the most interesting and fun issues of the series since September. While it's not difficult to 'over-do' a character in a title like Green Lantern Corps, it's surprisingly been done a number of times in the past. The fight against the Urakians comes to a head this month, showcasing not only Tomasi's strength at writing ensemble work, but also for Fernando Pasarin's beautiful art. Drawing tons of Lanterns fighting together, each projecting a different construct, is a difficult undertaking and one Pasarin steps up to with grace and fluid pencilling. Scott Hanna's inking isn't intrusive or loud, and his shading is exquisite.

With a crap-ton (the scientific measurement) of guns and a 'fear bomb' rigged to go off at the center of the Urakian operations, Guy Gardner's secret team goes in head first, relying on the element of surprise, bullets and a whole lot of willpower. Poignantly, Gardner observes, "...they sure as hell ain't immune to lead!" The fight scenes are exquisite and the Urakian's power-conversion system is a classic - if not cliched - human battery concept; the Urak leaders are keeping their people connected to a stargate so they can transport the Central Battery from Oa to Urak, displacing the Guardians' home as the center of the universe.

The big GASP moment came when John Stewart is forced to murder a fellow Green Lantern - Kirrt - before he gives up the codes for Oa's defense systems. And while it seemed (for a moment) that Kirrt may have been concocting a plan, Stewart realized his brother in arms had fallen. With the fate of the entire Corps in the balance, Stewart does what he believes must be done. Of course, we'll see the fallout of his actions in next month's epilogue issue.

As I mentioned earlier, it's been great learning about Green Lanterns other than Guy Gardner, John Stewart and Kilowog. Bringing in the 'Mean Machine' and including some of the better characters from past series - such as Sheriff Mardin, Hannu, and Brik - has been Green Lantern Corps' saving grace. I'm excited to see where Tomasi takes the series after next month's issue.

GRADE:

A-

Review: Green Lantern Corps #5

Review




Green Lantern Corps #5
Peter J. Tomasi - Writer
Fernando Pasarin - Pencils

Back in 2005 - after Hal Jordan's resurrection in Rebirth - DC brought back Green Lantern's sister series from the days before the original Parallax saga starting with a mini-series entitled Green Lantern Corps: Recharge. While the series saw it's ups and downs, mostly stemming from it's fragmented storytelling and too-often reliance on knowledge of events in GL-proper to understand events in Corps., it was a solid book that focused on Guy Gardner, Kyle Rayner, John Stewart, Kilowog, and a cast of nearly six other Lanterns from various sectors.

While it's previous incarnation was good, the 'new 52' Green Lantern Corps feels like it's own book that can stand on it's own stories. Keeping a focus on Guy, John and Kilowog was the right choice for the Corps series of the GL-centric books. Kyle has never been comfortable amongst the Corps (and was thusly given his own series to star in), and the letting lesser known Lanterns pop in and out gives them character context without becoming overbearing or drawn out.

This fifth issue gives quite a bit of back story to the first arc's villains, the Keepers, courtesy of the telepathy powers of newly cynical J'onn J'onzz, the Martian Manhunter. It really was a 'BURN!' moment when he called out the Corps for their failures with Krypton and Mars. Tomasi is skillfully employing the Guardians' terrible track record as of late in telling his tale of a planet charged with protecting Green Lantern batteries when they are being stored in the 'pocket dimension' described by GL's for decades. In fact, the batteries temporally travel to the planet inhabited by the Keepers. When the Guardians mysteriously remove all the batteries, the Keepers' world begins to die and they began to lash out for resources anywhere they could find.

In one stroke, Tomasi has not only given the Green Lanterns a formidable foe without resorting to a crisis-level villain, but also provided another great piece of the Guardian's history of fucking everything up. I've read (and thought myself) that blaming the Guardians for everything has become a crutch for writers over the past five years. To many, it seems as if the Guardians apparently acted more like the CIA, killing, cheating and lying to claw they way to the top, rather that behave like the benevolent beings presented over nearly seven decades of comic continuity. But that's the beauty of a race that's as old as time itself; they've had a lot of time to screw things up, and a lot of universe in which to do it.

Grade: B