Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Green Lantern #40

Green Lantern #40
DC Comics
Johns, Tan, Glapion & Albuquerque

At first pass through this comic I was not only under whelmed, but I was also a little annoyed that the issue seemed so boring and forgettable. I took another read through it and I found that I was completely wrong about this issue. It may only seemed to simply move some characters around, but in reality it cements the orange lanterns as a major player even if it doesn’t quite define them. This issue is very good solely for that reason.


Hal, John, the Guardians and another green lantern named Gretti are headed to Okaara where the orange lanterns seem to be based. While this starts to unfold, the Guardians conveniently enact the new law that the Vega system (where Okaara is located) is now no longer a safe haven for fugitives. I’m not sure this is a new law in as much as a repeal of one, but it sends the inhabitants into a panic.

Once everyone arrives on Okaara they seem to understand that the power of the orange lantern has swallowed up quite a few beings. The issue ends with a backup story about one of the orange lanterns.

It really doesn’t sound like a whole lot happened in this issue. In fact, some of what does occur isn’t all that interesting. For example, the conversation between Stewart and Hal about Hal returning to Earth to check in with his brother and girlfriend sounded ridiculous. Hal has a blue hand! He’s supposed to go to Earth to take his girl out to TGIFriday’s? Also, the conversion of Fatality isn’t nearly as shocked because so many characters have now switched teams with all the new power rings, like Hal, Ganthet, Lara, etc. It almost seems like every issue has someone picking up a new power ring. Though the conversion was in a previous issue we get more of Fatality’s insight in this issue.

However, the interaction with Larfleeze, the chief of the orange lanterns, is such a subtle but important nugget in this issue it’s easy to read over it. Larfleeze speaks to various characters throughout the entire issue as a voice in the background. He warns those approaching of what’s about to happen. He doesn’t really come out of the shadows as he seems to make constructs of those that he’s previously consumed. The character is powerful and is built up beautifully in this issue. It’s not entirely clear the source of his power or what all the orange rings are really for if he is just an army of one. Perhaps they, themselves, are constructs. This is worth watching more closely as the story unfolds. This character introduction and design was brilliant.

The artwork is good but is not great. Some of the frames are very difficult to make out. It seems that the entire planet of Okaara isn’t all that it seems but it takes some studying of the art to make things out clearly. The art does shine very well when Hal seems to turn over into a blue lantern.

This is a good issue, but not because it has a tight plot or a ton of action. It’s a good issue because it introduces and builds a character in a concise and unique way. Larfleeze now seems to be as interesting and as dangerous a character as any of the other green lantern rogues.

4 out of 5 geek goggles