Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
Green Lantern #38
DC Comics
Johns, Reis & Albert
This issue wraps up the introduction of the red lanterns arc. It’s got some good action and some good character interaction between Hal, Sinestro, Atrocitus and the blue lanterns. The issue drags a little bit when it switches over to Carol Ferris. The comic has a back up that looks into the future of Blackest Night. For the most part it’s a good comic but its light on the page count for the core of the issue. You really only get ten pages of the rage of the red lanterns story arc which is a bit of a disappointment for a finale of an arc.
The issue opens with Carol Ferris missing Hal Jordan. Thankfully this only takes up two pages.
Then we shift to Ysmault and the battle for Hal Jordan. He’s got the red ring on and is about to execute Sinestro. His new master, Atrocitus, is cheering him on while the blue lanterns are trying to fight off the hordes of red lanterns. Just as things are getting very bleak for Hal and the blue lanterns, one of the blue lanterns manages to over-corrupt Hal with the power of blue.
The issue ends with Sinestro trying to figure out a way to keep his corps from defecting to Mongul while Carol falls under the spell of a colored ring (take a wild guess which color) while the seeds of the orange lanterns are hatching on some other planet.
It’s a very good issue when it keeps its focus on the happenings of Hal and the other colored rings. However, when it ventures into the world of the Blackest Night prophecy and the parts with Carol Ferris it loses a lot of momentum, especially for an issue that wraps up an arc.
The one element of this issue that has a double-edged sword is how easily Hal is turned. From what we know of Hal he has the strongest willpower and yet he was so easily taken over by the yellow parasite and he’s quickly turned over to the rage of the red lanterns and then by the hope of the blue lanterns. It’s almost like he’s the character with no real character. He’s just a drone that follows the crowd talking to him in that moment. On the flip side though it shows that each and every corps wants Hal to be in their group. Clearly he’s desirable but it comes at the cost of making him only seem strong with the willpower.
The art is great. Page after page the colors and action pop off the page. Even the duller parts of the comic have emotion and depth. This is a comic that doesn’t forget it’s a comic book.
This story helps to involve four of the major colors of rings. It’s important to see not only how they are constructed but also how they interact with one another and this issue does both very well. I’m sure the orange lanterns will be interesting in their own right but that arc will have a tough time topping this one and if Hal ends up joining the orange ranks we’ll know this series is turning Hal into a rainbow.
4 out of 5 geek goggles
