Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Green Lantern Emerald Warriors #1Green Lantern Emerald Warriors #1
DC Comics
Tomasi, Pasarin & Smith

Guy Gardner begins his secret mission in this, the launch, of a third monthly Green Lantern title. While much of the plot remains a mystery the issue does a good job of entertaining as Guy takes a couple of turns in the initial stages of his quest. For the most part this is a slow start to what seems like an important arc, but a good start to a series devoted to Guy. I liked the issue but I'm not sure how this will all play out and I'm also not sure how vital this series is towards following one or both of the other Green Lantern titles.

The issue opens as essentially a quick introduction into the character Guy Gardner. This involves some witty dialogue and a good dust up. The action is great and the artwork is creative enough with the ring constructs to make the opening stand out amongst the many other Green Lantern stories. Once Guy has things under control with his task of apprehending some villains he goes for a chat with the Guardians.

Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle ReviewsThe conversation with the Guardians is interesting because Guy is a little more subdued here. Normally he seems a lot more brash and short tempered with the Guardians. In this sequence he seems to be exercising more patience, despite the fact that the Guardians essentially give him what he wants. I wasn't crazy about the characterization here but I guess a case could be made that the character has evolved from his gruff persona into something more even keeled. However, the annoying Guy personality is what makes him so unique in the first place.

The bulk of the remainder of the issue has Guy launch his crusade. The details are murky but from what we are shown in here Guy is working with Ganthet and Atrocitus.

The artwork was, at times, excellent. The opening pages of the comic book were about as good of a sequence as I've seen where there is just one Green Lantern taking on a random low level criminal. The coloring throughout captured the mood exceptionally. The only problem was with the Guy. Particularly his face and hair. Throughout the issue there were varying degrees of coloring to his hair and the location of his hairline as well as the shape of his head. I'm not saying any of this was bad. I'm merely pointing out the inconsistency. I looked back to see if multiple inkers or colorists worked on the book and there were not. Still, the art was perfect for a Green Lantern tale.

This issue has a lot going for it. Tomasi has excellent command of the cast and the character of Guy Gardner has been long overdue for an ongoing. The book is using major supporting characters from previous mega arcs. The comic seems to have a very good story to tell right off the bat. The only negatives are that the cover charge is $4 and that it seems like the book might be taking more of a slow burn approach which may seem to go against its lead character's norm. This was a decent start though and there is certainly a lot to like in here.

3 out of 5 Geek Goggles