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

EXTRA! EXTRA! (JAN 23-29, 2013)

Green Lantern Corps #16
(Tomasi, Pasarin)

Green Lantern Corps #0 back in September introduced Guy Gardner's family, a plot element that's continued throughout "Rise of the Third Army" as Guy's illustrious rank in the Corps is stripped and he's forced to go back to Earth, disgraced and powerless. Peter J. Tomasi has done a great job fleshing out Guy's downward spiral that comes to a head this month in Green Lantern Corps #16 as the Third Army goes after Guy. With guest stars B'dg and Simon Baz from the pages of Green Lantern, Tomasi is building up to next week's explosive finale of "Rise of the Third Army" that will lead into "Wrath of the First Lantern", an event that promises to change the cosmic landscape of the DCnU.

GRADE: 8/10

Red Hood and The Outlaws #16
(Lobdell, Green II, Faucher)

While definitely on the 'not terribly relevant' end of the spectrum for "Death of the Family" tie-ins, Red Hood and The Outlaws #16 does provide an interesting crossover between the title and the Teen Titans who join Arsenal and Starfire in searching for their respective Red-titled leaders. This issue is about setting up the future of Red Hood and The Outlaws by touching on Roy Harper's surprising past with Killer Croc, a look at the mysterious Dr. Hugo Strange, as well as an epilogue about Deathstroke pointing toward some re-envisioned classic Titans/Deathstroke action! Of all the titles he's writing for DC, Scott Lobdell's work on this series is the best: it's relatable and meaningful, it's not saturated with internal monologue, and the characters feel like real people instead of an idea of what people should sound like. Even though the Joker is hardly a focus of this chapter in "Death of the Family", the tie-in label is still valid because Joker's actions have caused a lot more consequences than even the Clown Prince of Crime could have anticipated.

GRADE: 8/10

Supergirl #16
(Johnson, Asrar)

While I was a big fan of Supergirl since it started, I've found myself liking it less and less every month, starting with the departure of series co-writer Michael Green II, then with the "H'el on Earth" tie-in issues that feel so forced I almost want to just stop reading the book until all this Kryptonian stuff is sorted out. Supergirl #16 continues the odd trend of reworking Kara's unique personality; instead of being the bold, independent thinker she'd been for 13 issues thus far, Kara's become a slack-jawed servant to the whims of H'el, a guy who couldn't look more evil and despicable if he tried. Homesickness can go a long way in influencing actions, but it's hard to balance Kara's total support of H'el's obviously insane machinations against her previous, well-adjusted self. I'm hoping we'll get the Kara we all know and love back after the conclusion of "H'el on Earth."

GRADE: 7/10

Uncanny X-Force #1
(Humphries, Garney, Miki)

With a title that requires this series to somewhat live up to the spectacle of it's predecessor, Sam Humphries and Ron Garney's Uncanny X-Force is about a new era for some of Marvel's leading ladies, as well as Puck, the mystical dwarf from Canada. But I digress because UXF (v2) is actually very fun and entertaining -- Storm and Psylocke are working together to find and stop classic X-Men villain Spiral from peddling her hive-mind hallucinogenics to club scene ravers. So far, there's not a lot to explain exactly why all these characters will eventually join forces (including Fantomex offshoot Cluster), but that's not the point of this first issue: it's to show how Betsy Braddock -- the only remaining member of the previous X-Force team unless you kind of count Cluster -- hasn't moved on from what happened with that team and how those lingering emotions are making her life unlivable. This volume of Uncanny X-Force has the potential to be one of the coolest 'Marvel NOW!' series going forward, but it's going to take a voice of it's own that's not drowned out by other female-centric books like the non-adjectived X-Men or even Fearless Defenders.

GRADE: 7.5/10

REVIEW: GREEN LANTERN #16

(w) Geoff Johns
(a) Doug Mahnke
(i) Christian Alamy, Keith Champagne, Tom Nguyen, and Mark Irwin

Since his first appearance in last September's Green Lantern #0, Simon Baz has polarized internet discussion boards for a variety of reasons. From readers who felt Baz was an unnecessary attempt at diversity, to those who felt his 'mistaken terrorist' storyline was too politically motivated, to others who simply disliked the fact that a Green Lantern was carrying a gun. Of course, for all the detractors, there were just as many fans who were vocal in their excitement for a superhero more representative of modern American culture. Green Lantern #16 offers a good helping of plot advancement thanks to the arrival of B'dg, a squirrel-like Green Lantern most recently featured in Robot Chicken's "DC Comics Special" in a segment highlighting some of the more ridiculous characters in DC's pantheon. It seems as though Geoff Johns took this slight to the might B'dg to heart. The adorably bad-ass B'dg becomes Baz's teacher/coach by default once he learns Hal Jordan is technically dead.

One of the best things about Simon Baz has been the way Johns has characterized him beyond the ring. Too many times in comic books, characters are introduced and made to accept their fate with little to no question for the sake of moving the story along quickly enough to keep readers interested. Johns, instead, has taken the time to flesh out Simon as a person. Simon's journey has two parallel narratives that play off one another and pay off in big ways throughout this issue. Simon's primary goal is clearing his name of terrorist actions. By focusing on a more human task, Johns is able to incorporate the Green Lantern element as the secondary narrative that's just now coming to a head. B'dg's arrival signals a turning point for Simon's career as a Green Lantern, from amateur with a ring to a member of the most powerful and revered peacekeeping force in the universe.

The final pages of Green Lantern #16 prove that Simon Baz is no temporary replacement; for a while, I was worried that Baz was more of an experiment that could be ended as quickly as it was started. Of course, that could still be the case, but Simon's inclusion in the upcoming Justice League of America coupled with the fact that the Green Lantern Corps really hasn't ever had a problem with there being an inordinate number of Lanterns from Earth points to his being around for a while. With "Rise of the Third Army" coming to a close next week, and "Wrath of the First Lantern" coming next month, I'm sure the Corps will be needing all the firepower it can get.

GRADE

8.5/10

REVIEW: GREEN LANTERN #15

(w) Geoff Johns
(a) Doug Mahnke
(i) Keith Champagne, Christian Alamy, Mark Irwin, Tom Nguyen

For the first time in three months and eleven issues (including this week's Green Lantern: New Guardians #15), "Rise of the Third Army" feels really grave. So far, the new army created by the Guardians of the Universe has been more theoretical in it's horror and scope, mostly growing in the background and scattered panels throughout Green Lantern Family titles. In Green Lantern #15, Geoff Johns brings the Third Army to a horrifying forefront, as well as continuing Simon Baz's journey as the most grounded and believable superhero in a long time.

Even before this issue, Simon Baz rebuffed most superhero cliches. Sure, he's a nobody from some city in Michigan, but Kyle Rayner was also a nobody in an alley. No, Baz stands apart because his journey didn't start with a power ring. Most any other hero you can think of (besides characters like Wonder Woman) begins their story with a mask, with the desire to do good in a world gone bad. Baz is simply trying to clear his name of terrorism charges for something he didn't do. Geoff Johns recognized how normalized the process of character introduction had become in the mainstream superhero world, and how the community at-large had just come to accept it. Sure, there's a whole world of independent comics that explore alternative origin concepts, but applying less conventional character development to a hero as popular as Green Lantern is admirable. (For the record, I love independent comics and the previous statement is in no way meant to undermine the quality or caliber of independent comics or publishers.)

The Third Army is so f*cking scary. I couldn't say that before reading Green Lantern #15. Geoff Johns managed, in two sequences, to achieve what Green Lantern Corps, Green Lantern: New Guardians, and Red Lanterns have failed to convey, and that's the pure breadth of this parasitic legion spreading across the universe. Maybe it was an editorial decision, but it seems like Johns simply had to punch things up a bit in order to get a little momentum with "Rise of the Third Army" going. And while the 'crossover' event has been enjoyable, it mirrors Scott Snyder and Jeff Lemire's "Rotworld" crossover in that they both seem to be floundering a bit, offering stories with little advancement or affect on the greater tale. Either way, seeing a planet-sized swarm of grey monsters made my stomach drop.

Green Lantern #15 is simply exceptional. Geoff Johns is literally building Simon Baz's character--his moral, his ethics, his personality--from the ground up as he deals with his personal issues while simultaneously trying to learn why he's received a Green Lantern ring and is being approached by a talking squirrel (for those who watched Robot Chicken: DC Comics Special, B'dg's inclusion in this storyline is just awesome.) "Rise of the Third Army" finally feels real, like something ominous and terrible is getting ready to devastate the entire universe.

GRADE

9/10

EXTRA! EXTRA! (DEC 12-18, 2012)

Batgirl #15
(Simone, Benes)

While Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's main "Death of the Family" storyline is a vehicle for a much scarier and focused Joker, the model of car seems to be different depending on the title you're reading--last week's Batman and Robin #15 was incredible, but while this week's Batgirl #15 adequately conveys the story, it falls flat more than once. It feels like Gail Simone really doesn't know what to do with Barbara and the Joker together besides dredge up Barbara's feelings of anger and rage, which wouldn't be out of the question normally, but this is supposed to be the sort-of king of all Joker stories (in recent history, at least), and I supposed I just expected more from Simone after a poignant and suspenseful 14th issue. Also, a lot of what was set-up last month in Batgirl #14 doesn't really move forward so much as stays stagnant while the Joker waxes poetic about the hardships of life; not the most interesting use of panel space, but not totally boring. If you ignore the flashback scenes (which I'm sure will be important down the road, but show no indications of being so here), Batgirl #15 is a passable issue that builds upon the greater "DotF" narrative, but only a little bit.

GRADE: 7/10

Fantastic Four #2
(Fraction, Bagley)

After a fun and energetic first issue, Matt Fraction effectively hits the breaks this month and gives readers yet another full issue of build-up to the Fantastic Four's voyage into multidimensional space that's just kind of boring. As well as Fraction writes, it's a bit off-putting to see such utilitarian use of dialogue and narrative--Ben Grimm screaming at Yancy Street seems over the top, Reed and Scott Lang's scientific discussion has no emotional core, and the origin of Darla Deering as a member of the Fantastic Four is very, very weak. Obviously, things pick up next issue, as Reed launches his family into a portal at the end of Fantastic Four #2, but it's just annoying to have to wait yet another month to see Marvel's First Family on their ridiculously awesome adventure. A 'slow burn' story isn't bad, but this issue just feels like filler.

GRADE: 7/10

Green Lantern Corps #15
(Tomasi, Gleason)

"Rise of the Third Army" is becoming more and more of a misnomer because none of the GL titles are actually dealing with the rise of this Third Army, and Green Lantern Corps is a prime example--instead of focusing on the Corps fighting this monstrous parasitic force, Tomasi is focusing on Guy and John exclusively, giving them more personal stories when they should be at the front lines of this incursion. Yes, I know, the Guardians are sneaky and all that, but we're talking about GUY GARDNER, who normally doesn't take crap from anyone, and JOHN STEWART, who's got years of military experience telling him something is wrong. Yet, I like Green Lantern Corps #15, and the story of Guy and his family is told extremely well, it just feels superflous and unnecessary--why do I need to know so much about Guy's father (he's been in three issues so far)? The Third Army seems less like a universe-threatening force and more of an annoyance off in the corner of the of narrative, and if that's how it's supposed to be unfolding, then it's doing so in a clunky and unbecoming manner.

GRADE: 6/10

Iron Man #4
(Gillen, Land)

Things are looking better for Iron Man (not literally, as Greg Land's artwork is pretty underwhelming), as Kieron Gillen puts Tony in his 'Heavy' armor this week for a trip to France to find yet another illegal Extremis virus. Deep in the catacombs of Paris, Tony must fend off a legion of Extremis-infected women who've been stripped of their personality and humanity, effectively making them mindless killing machines. Tony's ethical dilemma over killing people who are effectively dead already is a testament to Gillen's ideals, but the concept struggles to come across smoothly, and the entire issue suffers from a lack of emotional depth. I'm a big fan of Kieron Gillen, but Iron Man has been fairly disappointing since it's fantastic first issue.

GRADE: 6.5/10 

Superboy #15
(DeFalco, Silva)

"H'el on Earth" hasn't been too understandable, so far--H'el himself doesn't have much of a backstory beyond claiming he was Jor-El's assistant, the narrative has been somewhat choppy and fragmented, and the three members of the Super family seem to have weirdly different personalities depending on the title you read. Fortunately, Superboy #15 hits all the right marks by focusing on Superman and Superboy while leaving H'el out of the picture until the very end. The main point of this issue is to show Superboy effectively inheriting Superman's Kryptonian armor, as it's the only thing that can possibly save Superboy's life after H'el's fatal beating. While I still despise Tom DeFalco's inner monologue for Superboy, the narrative is a lot stronger this issue than in Superman or Supergirl, and that's saying a lot for a series that's struggled to find it's footing since day one.

GRADE: 7/10

REVIEW: GREEN LANTERN - NEW GUARDIANS #14

(w) Tony Bedard
(p) Aaron Kuder

What a waste of an issue.

Tony Bedard's plans for Green Lantern: New Guardians in this "Rise of the Third Army" crossover have, thus far, left this critic sorely disappointed. Kyle Rayner is on a quest to master all the colors of the emotional spectrum. It's been a short voyage, one in which Bedard has been heavily compressing into one color per issue, and the result is a deeply fractured and undefined arc that doesn't really force Kyle to grow as a character even though that's what he's doing month to month.

Green Lantern: New Guardians #14 features Arkillo as the last representative of the Sinestro Corps, the last being with a yellow power ring in all the universe. And he can't get it to work. I know Arkillo's inner demons have been a focus of Bedard's story for quite some time now, but it's beginning to be a drag on the overall narrative process -- it's pretty annoying when Bedard forces a sequence about Arkillo just to show how pathetic the Yellow Lantern has become.

This issue, as well as all the issues dealing with Kyle's journey, have felt extremely rushed. Kyle mastered compassion seemingly before we even meet back up with him at the beginning of the issue, and finding his fear felt like it took no time at all, with absolutely no help from Arkillo. No, it is Kyle's ring that tells him he's got to give in and just accept the less desirable emotions as part of the spectrum and part of his journey, no matter what. Then, he's a Yellow Lantern! What? What's Kyle scared of? Sure, he gives some examples, but he's always been concerned and afraid of these things, so they can't really count if Bedard is talking about feeling more fear in order to break past Kyle's natural GL training and turn him into a Yellow Lantern.

Tony Bedard is losing his grip on Green Lantern: New Guardians issue by issue. Maybe he's putting more effort into his other series, but Kyle Rayner and his Rainbow Brigade have suffered for it exponentially. Each month now, I feel like the series is getting worse, and that's upsetting. Kyle Rayner has always been my favorite Green Lantern. I've come to accept that fans and editors alike don't seem to want Kyle in the spotlight, but to reduce him to some confused epic hero who's journey isn't all that hard is just depressing.

GRADE

5/10

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

REVIEW: GREEN LANTERN #14

(w) Geoff Johns
(p) Doug Mahnke

This week, "Rise of the Third Army" continues in Green Lantern #14 as Simon Baz comes face to face with the Justice League. He's been deemed a suspected terrorist already, and now that he's got a Green Lantern ring on his finger, he's just a super-powered suspected terrorist. The first thing you're thinking is, "They get into a fight, right? Superman or Batman misinterprets something, and a construct gets thrown out, then it's just a big brawl, right?" Wrong. Simon knows he can't take on the entirety of the Justice League, and he doesn't plan to. Simon's self-awareness points to Geoff Johns' increasing efforts to make the newest Green Lantern a bit more relatable and realistic. Johns understands how cliched superhero meetings have become in recent years, so this first confrontation between Simon and JL is less about a show of force and more about a show of wits.

Simon attempts to remove his ring and give it to the Justice League when the spectral energies of Sinestro and Hal Jordan burst forth in an explosion of green energy to protest. This is where Johns could have gone the easy route and made all these heroes gang up on Simon Baz. Instead, Simon subconsciously uses the ring to build himself a getaway car, then twenty getaway cars to throw the League off his trail. Sure, the Flash and Superman are probably fast enough to have found Baz in the chaos of everything, but that's not what this story is about -- it's about Simon thinking outside the box and how that type of thinking has been absent from mainstream superhero comics for quite some time.

Johns also takes some time to build mythology through sequences featuring the Guardians conversing with the still-mysterious First Lantern, Black Hand's imprisonment in the Chamber of Shadows, and the Third Army ravaging the universe in the name of peace and order. I'm enjoying Simon Baz's personal voyage as he comes to terms with being a Green Lantern and what that means in the greater scheme of his life. And while there hasn't been a lot of crossover with the Third Army proper, Johns is obviously building to something that will test Simon as a GL and as a person.

GRADE

8.5/10

REVIEW: RED LANTERNS #13

(w) Peter Milligan
(p) Gabriel Sepulveda

Red Lanterns hasn't been the best book of the 'New 52', but neither is it the worst, or even close really. Giving Atrocitus and the Red Lantern Corps their own series was a risky move, but one that has paid off in terms of the world-building - the greater good, if you will. While they are indeed fueled by pure rage, and their methods absolutely include torture and murder, the Red Lanterns are still good guys, technically, out to right the wrongs in the universe. Actually, Atrocitus has been one of the more multi-faceted characters throughout the entire 'New 52'. Without any sort of focused mission or crisis to follow, the Red Lantern leader has had to deal with his personal demons throughout the series, and that's not something a lot of comic book writers get to try. Even though the results have been mixed, the fact that Peter Milligan is ready and willing to delve into the psyche of the universe's angriest living thing is impressive in it's own right.

Red Lanterns #13 brings Atrocitus and his crimson cronies into "Rise of the Third Army" in style with the best tie-in this month. It's crazy that of all the Green Lantern Family titles, it's Red Lanterns that gives readers the most information and the best story leading into the event. The issue focuses on a young inhabitant of planet Arhtky named Taya. Taya's parents are murdered by a vicious warlord named Cord who has apparently been laying waste to the planet town by town. Taya and her sister are taken prisoner, and Taya is forced to be a dancer for Cord and his men. Milligan does a fantastic job conveying Taya's growing rage through these pages, and he hits an issue high when Taya's sister is murdered simply for offering herself in exchange for Taya's innocence. These pages are simply brutal, and honestly hard to read at some points. This is all to Milligan's credit, who's been struggling to find the right niche when it comes to the essence of rage. 

Soon, the story integrates Atrocitus, Bleez, Rankorr, and new Red Lantern Skorch as they descend upon Arhtky to lay judgement upon Cord and his men. Taya is mortally wounded in the chaos, and Atrocitus explains that the Red Lantern central battery isn't yet at full enough capacity to create new rings. When the Red Lanterns 'feel' Taya's rage half a universe away, they understand that since she won't receive a ring, it's up to them to seek vengeance on her behalf. Up until this issue, Milligan was again having difficulty justifying the Red Lanterns' actions against their supposed morality. The fact that Atrocitus comes to Taya's aid is a solid example of how the Red Lanterns act as a force of justice, however ruthless it may be.

The Guardian Soldiers also happen to be on Arhtky, and Atrocitus soon learns that the eyes are the weakness. I won't go into this part of the issue any more because it's the first real introduction to the Third Army, and it's worth reading. 

If you can't tell, I was seriously and pleasantly surprised by Red Lanterns #13. The main reason I've kept up with the series is because Green Lantern is my favorite character franchise, and I just wanted to collect all the GL Family titles. Simple as that. Now, I'm truly invested in Red Lanterns.

GRADE

9/10

GREEN LANTERN: NEW GUARDIANS #13

(w) Tony Bedard
(p) Andrei Bressan and Amilcar Pinna

What a game changer! Seriously, I was on the brink of letting Green Lanterns: New Guardians go after the overall low quality of the past few months. Even though Kyle Rayner is my favorite Green Lantern and always will be, Ton Bedard was struggling to find his footing with a team of multi-colored lanterns on a mysterious quest. It was far too chaotic for too long. Now, Kyle's quest to master all colors of the emotional spectrum has given Bedard some direction of his own, and Green Lantern: New Guardians #13 is the prime example of a how a little focus can reap amazing rewards.

Kyle Rayner's been an anomaly since the moment he was given the last Green Lantern ring by Ganthet as Hal Jordan, possessed by Parallax, literally decimated the Green Lantern Corps. In the years since that fateful night, Kyle kept the green light aflame when no one else could, helped rebuild Oa, siphoned the power of a god as Ion, traveled across the universe when Earth disappointed him too much, helped resurrect Hal Jordan, became Parallax himself for a time, and at the onset of the 'New 52', he was somehow able to wield one of every colored ring in the spectrum. It comes as no surprise that he's destined to master all six emotions and ascend into something greater to stave off the "Rise of the Third Army". Much like Green Lantern #13, the Guardian Soldiers only show up for a few panels near the end to make sure we remember that's going on elsewhere.

This month, Kyle is training with Atrocitus to master rage. It's odd how a character driven by absolute rage finds clemency enough to bother with beings he deigns to be lesser than. But, this is the 'New 52', so it's all about change. Hard as he might, Atrocitus cannot seem to drive Kyle to a rage-filled fury, even going so far as to throw Alex DeWitt's grave in Kyle's face as proof of his prior weakness. The revelation that Alex DeWitt still exists in the 'New 52' is a big deal, seeing as the compression of time could have cut that part of Kyle's life out completely. I'm glad Bedard is keeping Ron Marz's legacy alive. Eventually, Kyle is driven literally mad when he's made to watch - but not interfere with - a brutal execution while Atrocitus holds him back.

I have to say, Kyle's Red Lantern getup is probably the coolest costume he's worn in his many years wielding a green ring - it's that helmet that really dredges up thoughts of horror movies, y'know? Tony Bedard, in one single issue, has managed to reel me back in and take Green Lantern: New Guardians seriously again. I'm a bit miffed that Carol Ferris is taking Fatality's place as the team's Star Sapphire, but it makes sense in terms of GL family cohesion. Other than that, I really don't have a lot bad to say about this issue. Bedard knocks it out of the park, Andrei Bressan and Amilcar Pinna have a refreshing art style, and the new, clear direction for the book makes me want to continue reading it even more.

GRADE

7.8/10

GREEN LANTERN #0

STORY: Geoff Johns
ART: Doug Mahnke and Christian Alamy

I've been critical of Green Lantern as of late. Since DC's relaunch, my favorite franchise has been swimming around, unable to focus on a path for Hal Jordan or Sinestro, the two main characters who should have a clear-cut direction more than any of the other Lanterns out there. And I still stand by my convictions; Geoff Johns has obviously been building toward "Rise of the Third Army" for a while, and in that set-up, he focused so much on the forest that he forgot to take care of the individual trees. Last week's Green Lantern Annual #1 and this week's Green Lantern #0 are a return to form for Johns on this series, as he employs the invigorating, character-driven storytelling that's so ample over in Aquaman month after month. Green Lantern #0 focuses entirely on Simon Baz, the newest member of the Green Lantern Corps - or is he? In truth, the exact basis of his enlistment isn't exactly clear, but that's not really what this issue is about. Indeed, Johns takes his time this 'Issue Zero' to flesh out his newest Emerald Warrior before he ever receives the ring.

Baz is an Arab-American who grew up in Dearborn, Michigan, has two siblings, and whose life was turned upside down after the events of September 11, 2001. Fast-forward to the present, and we jump in with Baz in hot pursuit by the police after stealing a van, which he realizes has a massive bomb set to go off in less than a minute. He survives the bomb, but gets detained by the Department of Homeland Security. It's a lengthy process - the suspected terrorist situation - that Johns mirrors by the amount of time he spends with Baz's interrogation. Johns obviously has some opinions about the federal government's treatment of only suspected terrorists, and it's refreshing to see this expressed in a way that doesn't necessarily demonize the government as much as it questions the way our Defense Department operates. During his questioning, it's revealed that Baz worked at the decommissioned car factory that blew up when he drove the stolen van into the loading dock. At first, the significance of the location isn't even hinted at. Baz is asked why he decided to blow up his old place of work. He's asked if he has a vendetta against the United States. He's asked who instructed him to blow up a car factory. The entire scene is poignant and cuts deep to the heart of the discrimination and fear that overwhelms out country and by proxy, our government.

It's only when he's about to be literally tortured that the ring finds it's newest keeper. Baz breaks free of his captors grip and nearly escapes before having a gun pointed at his face. "Simon Baz of Earth," the ring explains, "You have the -- ERROR -- ability to overcome great fear." One simple word changes the nature of Baz and his identity as a Green Lantern forever. The ring's simple error - that originated when Hal and Sinestro were literally murdered in Annual #1, and Hal's construct ring remerged with Sinestro's ring - could have one of a hundred meanings. It could be that Baz isn't connected to the Green Lantern Central battery; it could mean the Guardian's don't know he exists; Baz could be the most powerful Green Lantern there is. It's been quite a long time since Green Lantern was this engaging and visceral.

Already, Johns has established Simon Baz as one of the coolest new characters to hit DC's 'New 52' since it began. Some might say that the newest Green Lantern hasn't had enough page time to warrant a decision on his fate. But seriously, he's freaking awesome.

GRADE
A

GREEN LANTERN ANNUAL #1

STORY: Geoff Johns
ART: Ethan Van Sciver

There's a lot going on in Green Lantern Annual #1. There's so much happening, in fact, that the amount of information is almost too much. This over-sized issue has two goals: to finish up "The Revenge of Black Hand" as well as preluding "Rise of the Third Army", the Green Lantern Family-wide crossover starting in October that will see the Guardians of the Universe's new legion of soldiers attempt to eradicate the Green Lantern Corps as well as the rest of the multicolored Corps littered throughout the universe. While Geoff Johns has been slowly dragging the Guardians into madness over the past few years, this singular issue really drives the point home, showing just how ruthless these little blue guys can be.

Johns does an apt job flowing from one focus to the next. The beginning of the issue is all about Hal Jordan, Sinestro, and Black Hand. Slowly, scenes of the Guardians start to trickle in before their crazy crusade against emotion takes center stage. It's an interesting way to segue from one plot point to the next, and Johns knows these characters so well, he can interweave the stories without actually having them connect. Amid major revelations every few pages, Johns manages to keep things light and well-paced throughout the issue, taking time to make emotional jabs when can, and relying on readers' visceral connection to the story to keep the momentum going.

As a whole, Green Lantern Annual #1 is really all about the Guardians and their descent into madness. After millennia of attempting and failing to squelch chaos across the universe, the Guardians have obviously started to show the cracks in their armor. Starting back in Green Lantern: Rebirth when it was revealed that the Blue Ones had imprisoned a 'fear entity' within the Green Lantern Central Battery, causing the yellow impurity that had plagued the rings for eons. The list of their grievances goes on and on, but now, with a universe more chaotic than ever, the Guardians have reached the end of their rope. Plagued by insubordination within their ranks and throughout the cosmos, the Guardians turn to their last hope (if you can call it 'hope'), the First Lantern. While there is virtually still nothing known about the individual encased within a shimmering crystal lantern, it stands to reason that he/she is the origin of the emotional entities that power the seven differently colored lanterns (not counting the Black Lanterns because death isn't an emotion).

One of the best parts of the issue is the meeting between the Guardians and the Hidden Guardians. Billions of years prior, the Guardians decided to leave half of their people behind in the Chamber of Shadows to guard the First Lantern from any who would attempt to steal his power, while the other half would venture out into the universe to create peace in place of the chaos. The Hidden Ones immediately question the Guardians' motives when they demand the First Lantern and his awesome power. The fight that ensues is not only cool for the simple comic-bookiness of it (little blue aliens fighting each other with sci-fi energy ball beams!), but also because it really gives a visual interpretation of the Guardian's insanity as Ganthet kills the Hidden Ones' leader with a knife to the throat. It's chilling, watching a Guardians murder in cold blood. It's the kind of thing Geoff Johns is known for: emotional backhanding that takes you by surprise through shock and awe.

After the Guardians defeat the Hidden Ones and take the First Lantern, the crap really hits the fan. Ganthet uses the First Lantern's power to step through time and space into the cemetery where Hal and Sinestro are facing Black Hand. With his fellow brain-addled Guardians, Ganthet soaks Black Hand in energy, charging up the lone Black Lantern to become their tool against Hal, Sinestro, and the rest of the Green Lantern Corps. After the dust settles, the Guardians throw Hand into the Chamber of Shadows with the surviving Hidden Ones before locking them all up for future use. It's small, but sick detail that reinforces the Guardians' cruelty.

And then there's the Third Army. The Guardians - in their infinite madness - use their own genetic material to create a new creature. I hesitate to call it a 'life'-form because the Guardians make sure it doesn't have a heart or soul, just a direct connection to the Guardians' hive mind. Basically, the little blue guys are waging a war on free will, a frightening endgame if there ever was one.

Next month's Green Lantern #0 focuses on new GL, Baz. Up until now, I'd been confused as to how DC was going to shoehorn a new Green Lantern into the mythos, but after reader Green Lantern Annual #1, things are starting to make a lot more sense. Already, some have criticized this issue - and Johns' direction with the GLU in general - for being a rehash of previously tread ground. To that, I say what isn't? This year's amazing "Court of Owls" is based on any secret society trope, but that doesn't mean it can't be interesting and fresh. "Rise of the Third Army" promises to be a huge (if not long) event that will change the landscape of the Green Lantern books and the DCU at-large for a long time to come.

GRADE

A

GREEN LANTERN #12

STORY: Geoff Johns
ART: Renato Guedes and Jim Calafiore

With a workload as big as Geoff Johns', it's not surprising that some of his work would fall behind the others, even if it's just a little bit. In the initial months of the 'New 52', many agreed that Justice League took the title of the 'less good' Geoff Johns series. Green Lantern is beginning to show signs that Johns has turned his focus elsewhere, which is unfortunate as he really brought the Emerald Warriors back into the limelight with Green Lantern: Rebirth, which reintroduced Hal Jordan back into the world of the living and altered the stats quo for GL forever. Then he took his initial ideas even further, spurring a war between the Green Lanterns and Sinestro's fear-mongering yellow Corps, the revelation of the existence seven colored Corps, the great war against the Black Lanterns, and the subsequent fallout that resulted in the first White Lantern. Really, Geoff Johns has plotted Green Lantern's trajectory for the past eight years. It's this fact that makes the 'New 52' Green Lantern just so disappointing.

Because GL history wasn't rebooted - allowing the past five reals years of comic books to still matter - the three arcs of Green Lantern since last September have all been direct continuations of the events preceding the relaunch. But while Johns' pre-'New 52' arcs seemed filled with action, adventure, and mystery, these new arcs feel bogged down under their own weight. Too often in the past year, I've found myself wondering why so much time is being given to so little plot or characterization. Sure, the Indigo Tribe was a thorn in everybody's side, but their story probably shouldn't have been condensed to a four-issue arc that basically mirrored Hal's earlier encounter with Larfleeze.

And now, "The Revenge of Black Hand"; yet another dredging-up of an old story element that has me (and I'm guessing a bunch of other readers) saying "This again?" Green Lantern #12 is a typical filler issue. Hot off the end of "Indigo", William Hand escaped and killed himself, thereby producing a brand spanking new Black Lantern and ring. Last month's cliffhanger led me to believe a showdown was coming this month between Hal and Will, something that actually could have been interesting. Instead, we're treated to an issue of rhetoric, more of the Guardian's being Guardians, and generally no plot advancement at all.

GL #12 starts off with Black Hand's confusion over the Book of Black - an ancient tome containing Black Lantern prophecies - and it's newly cast claim that "Hal Jordan is NOT your enemy." Before anything is allowed to develop, Hal uses his ring to "fried every synapse in his brain", a torturous technique that's apparently acceptable when the man you're fighting isn't technically alive. Hand is out for the rest of the issue, leaving Hal and Sinestro to talk amongst themselves - a back-and-forth that is becoming increasingly less witty and special when it happens every other issue - and the Guardians to wax poetic about how much they've screwed up and how everybody else is going to pay for it.

Oh, and there are zombies. Because we don't have enough zombies in every inch of media these days.

Then, seven pages are dedicated to a short fight ended by a four-year-old battle tactic against a five-year-old enemy. Hal and Sinestro need a second colored Lantern to make their green constructs lethal to Black Lantern connections. We've known this for years. A bunch of fighting happens, and then Sinestro grabs his Yellow Lantern from a pocket dimension and they destroy it, thereby unleashing the yellow energy and severing Black Hand's connection to his zombie army. And it only succeeded in slowing down the Black Lantern, not destroying him. With a plot so full of cliches from so many sources, it's a wonder anyone is taking Green Lantern seriously right now. Black Hand is back? Boring. Zombies? Just like everywhere else. Multi-colored assault? You mean like the entirety of Blackest Night and Brightest Day??? It's all so mundane at this point that it's hard to even like Hal Jordan anymore. While he's pretty egotistical and vain in Justice League, at least he has personality, unlike the wooden plank he's become in Green Lantern.

The big reveal at the end of the issue leads up to the new Green Lantern, the Islamic one we've been seeing in promo shots and that appeared on the final page spread of The New 52 #1 this year for 'Free Comic Book Day'. A few months ago, nobody understood how this new GL fit into things, but as we get closer to October's "Rise of the Third Army", everything is starting to become clearer. Hopefully, this crossover can inject some life into this series, which has slowly been on the decline since last September.

GRADE

C+

GREEN LANTERN #11

STORY: Geoff Johns
ART: Doug Mahnke, Christian Alamy, Keith Champagne, and Tom Nguyen

With Geoff Johns and Green Lantern, there's never really a down moment. That's not to say 'there's never a dull moment', because frankly, there are from time to time."Secret of the Indigo Tribe" was one such instance where Johns' perspective as GL-series team leader led him to overestimate how interesting the narrative was as it's own arc. Fortunately, this month kicks off "The Revenge of Black Hand" that was teased last month when William Hand committed suicide to escape the imprisoning nature of the Indigo Tribe, only to be resurrected by a brand new Black Lantern ring.


Black Hand gets a good reintroduction in these pages as one of the DC universe's most twisted, sadistic, evil villains. As depicted back at the beginning of the Blackest Night event in 2009, William Hand's family life was less than perfect, leading William to murder his entire family which put him on the path to be the avatar for the Black Lanterns. His power now restored, Hand travels back to Earth and resurrects his entire family as the beginning of his personal army of the dead. Even without the Blackest Night connection, this scene is super, super creepy; Hand has a conversation with the corpses of his family members while they all sit around a dinner table watching William eat. BN was really the last time Johns got to cut loose with the 'misery and death' talk, yet he comes back to it with a passion - Hand pledges, "I'm going to kill as many people as I can in as many ways as I can. And then I'm going to raise them from the ground and they're going to do the same thing." In two speech bubbles, Johns successfully gets the major focal point of the story arc across to readers as well as making any reader squirm in their seat just a little bit. Some villains take an entire six-issue run to get to their point, and more often than not, these characters still feel underwhelming. Black Hand under Johns' guidance has always been frightening, but now he's downright sickening (and not in the drag queen sense).


Hal & Sinestro's side of things is a bit more boring until they get their hands of the Book of Black once again. The duo heads to Korugar to fetch the Book of Black, giving Johns yet another chance to remind readers just how hated Sinestro is on his home planet. Normally, this kind of redundant fact inclusion grates on me, but Johns has used it sparingly since the "Sinestro" arc, and for new readers, it can be helpful to remember that Sinestro was once one of the most hated criminals in the universe. The real meat of their journey to Korugar this issue comes when they open the Book of Black to see what else they can learn about the Guardians' plan to eradicate the Green Lantern Corps, a conspiracy that's been building across the four Green Lantern titles for some time now and will come to a front his October in "Rise of the Third Army".


Here's what Hal and Sinestro's vision tells us:
--> There's a new Green Lantern coming (the Arab GL that's been in teasers and appears on the cover of Green Lantern #0).
--> The Guardians will get their hands on John Stewart to torture and/or kill him.
--> Kyle Rayner is destined to become a Red Lantern (*snore*...DC already did this with Guy Gardner).
--> Guy Gardner is in jail.
--> Atrocitus has command of the Manhunter robots.


Couples with what Sinestro saw in his original vision back in Green Lantern #6:
--> The Guardians will murder the entire Green Lantern Corps (to make way for the Third Army)
--> Sinestro will be taken as a member of the Indigo Tribe (done and done)
--> The Guardians will somehow use the White Lantern rings to execute their plans.


There seems to be a lot (like, a lot) of prophecy and premonitions floating around with not a whole lot of story advancement to back it up. Sure, these revelations are pretty cool (save for Kyle going Red, which is just a silly retread), but one page of awesome images from future events isn't enough to save Hal and Sinestro's lacking narrative. Even their banter feels hollow and flat this issue.


One of Geoff Johns' strongest points as a writer is his ability to create huge, cosmic events that change the landscape of the world he molds. Unfortunately, DC seems to be shying away from imprint-wide events, sticking to family series crossovers (like Batman's "Night of the Owls", or Young Justice's "The Culling") in order to make each part of DC's line stronger on it's own before deconstructing it down the road, which we all know is a question of 'when?' rather than 'if'. The teaser promo for "Rise of the Third Army" doesn't include Hal or Sinestro anywhere in the image, a startling fact seeing as both Hal Jordan and Thaal Sinestro are two of the franchise's most recognizable characters. I'm sure Black Hand will fit into the scheme of things somehow, which will Bring Hal and Sinestro into the fight as well.

GRADE

B-

NEWS: GREEN LANTERN'S "THIRD ARMY" TO RISE IN OCTOBER

On Tuesday morning, DC broke the news that Green Lantern is getting a "Night of the Owls" crossover treatment with "Rise of the Third Army", an event that will take over every GL-centric title for the month of October. For quite some time, Geoff Johns - the architect of the current GL-world status quo - has been hinting at a dark turn for the Guardians of the Universe, a group so powerful, that their corruption has become all-encompassing.


The Guardians have it coming.


For years, these little blue aliens have been consistently revealed as some of the most cold-hearted and monstrous beings in the entire universe. While many readers can see how being immortal caretakers of the entire known universe might get under one's skin after a while, Johns and the team of writers penning this saga are hoping this move to replace the Green Lantern Corps will be enough to surprise even the most skeptical of fans.

Along with the announcement came the image of four interlocking covers from each of the involved titles - Green Lantern, Green Lantern Corps, Green Lantern: New Guardians, and Red Lanterns - yet none of them feature Hal Jordan or Sinestro, two characters who have been front-and-center with Green Lantern crossovers for the last eight years. It's interesting to note that DC has placed the mysterious new Islamic GL right smack dab next to John Stewart and Guy Gardner, with Kyler Rayner and Atrocitus rounding out the edges of the widescreen image. This month starts "Revenge of the Black Hand" in Green Lantern, so it could stand to reason that Hal and Sinestro have their hands full with William Hand. That being said, it would be awkward to have a Green Lantern crossover event that only barely featured the franchise's leading man.


"Rise of the Third Army" already shows a lot of symbolism, from imperialist tyrants and their dogmatic beliefs, to the nature of authority and how we act when that hierarchy becomes corrupt. Our planet is in a very dark time and Geoff Johns seeks to mirror this failure of governments to protect and provide for their people. The Guardian's made tough decisions in the past, decisions that have come back to haunt them. But up until recently, the little blue guys always seemed somewhat regretful of their choices. Now, they're obviously clear-minded and ready to destroy the intergalactic organization they spent millennia building.


Interestingly enough, the four Green Lantern titles have spent the better part of the past year telling their own, separate stories (save for a few minor crossovers due to team-ups) as opposed to constantly being interlocked in convoluted events, such as the pattern had been up until the 'New 52' reboot. Now, Johns and his peers are set to bring all the books together in a big way: the Lanterns must fight for their very right to exist. This might sound just like any other conflict, but having the right to exist is a whole different story than some enemy just wanting to kill them. This time, the Guardians believe that the job these Lanterns have dedicated their lives to now has no meaning. It's an interesting choice of narrative direction, for sure, but if anyone can pull it off, it's Geoff Johns.