Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Green Lantern #41

Green Lantern #41
DC Comics
Johns, Tan, Barrows, Glapion & Jose

This issue of Green Lantern tells us all we need to know about the Orange Lantern Corps. It’s basically an origin issue and there really isn’t anything all that interesting until the very end of the issue where someone gets their ring cut from their hand. I was unimpressed with the contents but I liked the execution and it provided me with some good information heading into the Blackest Night arc. I could see how this issue is not essential though.

The issue is fairly simple. Hal Jordan is captured by Larfleeze, the Orange Lantern. They fight a little bit, Larfleeze talks some trash and they basically come to a stalemate. At this point, Hal tries to outsmart Larfleeze. He actually asks for Larfleeze to tell him his story about how he got the power of orange. I can’t remember the last story I read where the protagonist actually asks the villain for his origin. This was made all the more strange because we have no idea why this information was important to Hal Jordan. Was he stalling for time? Was he just curious? Bored? I was a little surprised at how awkward this whole scene was.

The origin was basically a recap of what we’d pieced together from previous issues. Larfleeze meet the Guardians and made a pact to keep the power orange if the Guardians stayed out of his sector. Some new tidbits were added, like infusing Parallax, but for the most part it just decompressed what was told in previous issues. It wasn’t that great, but it wasn’t a complete waste either.

What works really well in this issue is the explanation of how the orange lanterns are a corps of one lantern but with constructs fighting his battles. Think about it. Larfleeze is hanging out below the surface, fighting Hal Jordan while his constructs fight the rest of the corps and Guardians who made the trip to stop him. The other item in this issue that is done well is exactly how and what Jordan possesses that Larfleeze wants.

There literally is a team of artists in this issue. In some ways it doesn’t matter because of the various places the issue takes place in, which allows the artists to sort of bind themselves to a specific setting and blend into it. However, some of the art does have so much going on in it you have to stare at to tell exactly what’s going on in the scene. It’s not a bad thing, it’s just a warning to watch the panels very closely or you might miss a nugget or two.

This issue is not essential reading but it does consolidate the orange lantern’s origin in one issue. This is clearly not the best effort for this series but it has moments of creativity when you find out exactly what Larfleeze is after. I liked the issue (as I tend to with all Green Lantern issues) but this one was one of the duller ones in the series. If you follow the series you know you are in anyway, but if you pick up the series sporadically then this one might be skip-able.

3 out of 5 geek goggles