Adam Graham's Blog: Christians and Superheroes - Posts Tagged "green-lanterns"

Green Lanterns, Volume 1: Rage Planet by Sam Humphries

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is a very different sort of Superhero book. Ostensibly it's about a Red Lantern invasion of Earth with Earth's Fifth and Sixth Green Lanterns Simon Baz and Jessica Cruz having to defend Earth. Yet, our heroes have a problem.

Simon has a chip on his shoulder from being sent to Guantanamo though he was innocent. Even though he's relatively new to being a Green Lantern, he's really sure that he doesn't need Jessica. Jessica suffers from anxiety and has spent the past three years living in her own apartment, can't use her ring to make a construct, and isn't sure she's up to the job.

Admittedly, this book isn't for everyone. It's about the heroes fighting their own demons as much as it is fighting the Red Lantern core. Yet, I think writer Sam Humphries manages to balance the personal journeys of the characters with the action plot most of the time and the pay off in the final chapter of the story was worth the read to me. I liked how he worked in several nice little sub-plots that are resolved in this volume while leaving some larger questions for later exploration.

The emotional stuff can get a bit heavy, but I found myself liking and cheering for these characters, so even though it's not a typical comic book story, I really enjoyed it.



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Hal Jordan & the Green Lantern Corps, Volume 1: Sinestro's Law by Robert Venditti

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The Green Lantern books have been some of DC's best-sellers and I've been curious about them, but to someone who hasn't read them they can be a bit impenetrable. There have been so many events and so many different books with so many different Green Lanterns, it's hard to know where to start. It's as close to the X-Men as any DC book gets.

This book is actually a great jumping on point. It doesn't toss away all that's come before, but it doesn't hit you over the head with a bunch of needless continuity. It gives you enough to understand what's going on and the current state of play, which has been marked by the apparent disappearance of the Green Lantern corps and the emergence of Sinestro's Yellow Lanterns as the chief enforcers of order in the Galaxy, but unbeknownst to Sinestro Hal Jordan survived as did a small percentage of Lantern (though an amazingly high percentage of those who are familiar from other media.)

The story is a great space opera with plenty of action. Hal Jordan is an awesome man of action who has a superb story arc and a brilliant conclusion. Guy Gardener has some good moments as well. This is just an incredibly fun entry story into the Green Lantern universe. Highly recommended.



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Green Lanterns, Volume 2: The Phantom Lantern by Sam Humphries

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This book collects Green Lanterns #7-14 with Simon Baz and Jessica Cruz. This time, we get two inter-related story arcs. The Exiled Guardian that arrived in Issue 6 is present for Baz's family Halloween but also is kidnapped by hostile aliens who want what he possesses which turns out to be the phantom ring which sets up the titular Phantom Lantern Arc.

The series really does focus on these two characters and their own personal struggles. Yet, it doesn't depend on retreading the same ground, going back to the same well over and over again. The two are definitely comfortable with another as a team. Jessica shows more of a sense of humor and friendliness. She has insecurities and fears that come through the story particularly that she may not really fit as a Green Lantern due to the power of the Phantom Ring's ability to bring out whichever energy is the strongest. I like the resolution to that arc a whole lot. Simon is not sure he's strong enough. They literally have to face their fears in the course of the story.

At the same time, the Phantom Lantern is a great character: a man who was saved by Hal Jordan and who became obsessed with becoming a Green Lantern. He gets the phantom ring and we find he may be the worst person in the world to wield it due to his emotional instability and his tendency to drift across the emotional perspective. He's dangerous and unstable, but he's not a monster. It's interesting to see how this plays out.

The long-exiled first lantern was the key to helping him achieve his goal, but what that figure is playing at remains a mystery until the end and even then, it appears only acquired a means to an end.

Overall, this book exceeded the first and I like Simon and Jessica more than I did after the first volume. This is probably the biggest surprise I've had in reading DC Rebirth. Highly recommended.



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Green Lanterns Vol. 4: The First Ring by Sam Humphries

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Jessica and Simon are recalled to Mogo for training, meanwhile, Volthoom, the first wielder of a Power Ring is back controlling of the guardian Rami for his own ends.

Simon and Jessica's training dominates the first three issues and these are interesting bits. It's great to see them interact with the rest of the Green Lantern Universe and the characters who are traditionally associated with the Green Lanterns.

Volthoom's story continues in the background in the first two issues and then comes to the foreground in penultimate issue. This is an epic story that goes back to the founding of the Lanterns. Writer Sam Humphries has done a great job slowly teasing this out and there are some key revelations in this issue that set up Humphries' final collection.

The art is great as well. I particularly appreciate the versatility of the artist as they are not only able to beautifully render known characters but also species we haven't seen before.

Overall, this is another great installment of a superb Green Lantern series.



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Green Lanterns Vol. 5: Out of Time by Sam Humphries

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Sam Humphries great run on Green Lanterns wraps up with this volume that collects Issues 27-32 of Green Lanterns.

The five-issue story Out of Time is a great finale for Humphries. It manages to deal with a lot of big ongoing plot threads that have been in the book since its second volume. It also serves as a nice capstone to the character arcs for both Simon Baz and Jessica Cruz.

The single story House Party is a simple story but a lot of fun. It addresses Simon's issue with his estranged best friend while serving as yet another good character piece for these two great Lanterns.

Overall, this is a very good conclusion to Sam Humphries time as the writer of Green Lanterns. Both the characterization and art remained consistently good throughout the series. I'd never heard of these two before reading Humphries run and he's given these characters a great life and made them relatatable to readers. Here's hoping the new writer can build on that strong start.



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Green Lanterns, Vol. 6: A World of Our Own by Tim Seeley

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


The first volume after Sam Humphries' great run on this series and it's not good.

It starts off okay in the first story with the Green Lanterns rescuing a piece of underground dwelling aliens, bur this is balanced against the plot of Jessica and Simon each seeking out crummy jobs and offering full disclosure in the interview about gaps in their resume in the least flattering way possible. Jessica explains that she and Simon have a hard time because they're brown people with bad resumes even though they're heroes in space, a line that felt totally out of place.

The second story is about a bounty hunter coming to Earth fleeing a contract by a mysterious space woman who is actually somewhat intriguing though never really explored.

The final story finds Jessica and Simon returning to help the aliens they rescued in the first story because they are on a world that doesn't want or trust them. It's essentially, a ham-fisted political analogy about refugees and immigration with several non-sensical plot twists.

Overall, new writer Tim Seeley doesn't get these characters and fails to tell a compelling narrative, transforming the two Green Lanterns odd couple buddy cups into flying tropes that aren't near as compelling as the characters Sam Humphries made so good.



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Crisis on Infinite Earths Companion Deluxe Edition Vol. 1 by Marv Wolfman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


More than 500 pages of comics tying in to Crisis on Infinite Earth plus introductions to the state of each major series. This is the first of three volumes.

DC Comics Presents #78: Yes, this is the second part of a two-parter and there's only a brief cameo from the Monitor and Harbinger. However, I give this one a pass because not only hasn't this been reprinted, but it's got a ton: of rare gold and silver age characters. It's a blast.

All-Star Squadron #50-#60: Given that Crisis was a celebration of the entire DCU, the All-Star Squadron is a great tie-in because it features so many characters from the gold and silver ages of a wide variety of comic companies. We get to see a reprint/revision of a JSA Adventure, multiple direct conflicts that intersect with Crisis as well as some additional conflicts including a battle with Mister Mind with his first version of the Monster Society of evil, appearances by Captain Marvel (Shazam.) There are so many great moments. It's a shame that most of this series hasn't been reprinted, but it's treat to read these and Roy Thomas' obvious love for these characters.

Fury of Firestorm #41 and #42: In #41, Harbinger and the Pyscho Pirate arrive to recruit Ronnie Raymond and Professor Stein just as they're getting settled in a new collected. In #42, Firestorm's gone, so we actually get a book with Wonder Girl and Firehawk and they get thrown back in time to the Revolutionary War. It's good fun.

Green Lantern #194-199: This is an interesting period for the Green Lantern corps. Hal Jordan had resigned his as a lantern with John Stewart now being the Green Lantern. However in #194, he's called away to fight in the Crisis, leaving fellow Green Lantern (and love interest) Katma Tui to guard Earth, but while he's away, the Guardians are making a variety of moves that end up with Guy Gardener with a ring and leading a plan to stop the Crisis. Sinestro and Hal Jordan get done before it's all said and done. Overall, this is really fun story. I will say that unlike other stories in this book, this has been reprinted elsewhere.

In addition to the comics, you get an introduction to the book itself by Crisis Writer Marv Wolfman, and intros to the three series featured by Roy Thomas and Robert Greenbrier, there's some great background stuff here.

Overall, a really solid collection. Look forward to the next volume.



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