Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Green Lantern Corps #34
DC Comics
Tomasi, Gleason, Buchman & Alamy

Month in and month out this title gives you some bang for your buck. It has multiple plot threads running all over the place, it has some good action and it’s loaded with dialogue and character development through interaction. It’s not the kind of comic you read in three minutes like Hulk. This one, you sit down and go through to understand some of the symbolism and to study the art looking for clues. The only catch is that you have to be into the story. Luckily I am. For those who may want to jump on….well….that might be tough.

This issue is another one in the warm up to Blackest Night. However, unlike the Green Lantern title, this one doesn’t deal exclusively with the other colors, but instead focuses on the Corps and how they are missing the warning signs all around them of the coming war. It’s a great issue because it shows the reader the many subplots that are going on but no one character is really involved in all of them and as a result they aren’t seeing everything come together. Odd that Kyle is painting a mosaic with all the various colors. Symbolism? Also strange that the Guardians aren’t really “guiding” or, even “guarding”. Can you say: “Dropping the ball?”

The issue has three key areas that are fleshed out a little.

First, Sodam has some stern words for his mom. This part of the story really served as a means to remind the reader of how his family killed his alien friend and stuffed him, sticking him in a zoo exhibit, to show little children the horrors of aliens invading a planet. This was a recap for those that remember the issue of Sodam’s origin but it does still show that he is carrying plenty of baggage. Some might call it rage. This tied directly to the battle for the Sinestro Corps taking place on his planet between Mongul and Akrillo. See? Aliens invading.

Secondly, Kyle and Soranik continue their forbidden love. They talk about how they aren’t really putting anyone in harm and that their relationship is really separate from their duties. However, I’d say they were being rebels to the point of carelessness. It will be interesting to see how this ties into the coming war. Seeing as how Kyle’s girlfriends always die I’d say things don’t look so good.

Finally, at the science cells Guy and some of the other lanterns discuss some of the various colored rings and events that have been intersecting lately. They are too busy telling stories to see the major developments right under their noses.

It’s a jam-packed issue. There isn’t a boring sequence and there are many panels that have double-edged dialogue. It was a fun read.

The artwork shines during the battle between Mongul and Akrillo. It’s gruesome but it is just so cool. Was Akrillo eating people for fun, for fuel or did they just fall into his mouth during the fight? I also liked the scene that played out with the babies of Kryb. How creepy is that character?

This is one of those titles that you need to follow month to month to know what’s going on in it. You don’t get a recap box or a lot of dialogue that explains every action. So in that regard it is limiting its potential audience. However, it’s a great series and I would recommend you pick it up and just see if it sticks. It’s such a good “team” book with tons of characters off in different directions. Plus, you can always look things up on wikipedia.

4 out of 5 geek goggles