While my respect for Geoff Johns and the collaborative team that kept the Green Lantern Universe going for so many years is quite high, I have to say the new team is doing a bang up job. “Lights Out” could be one of the better GL story arcs since War of the Green Lanterns. Unlike before, the threat seems real, and the writers aren’t giving us easy outs for the Green Lantern Corps or the other colors of the spectrum. Relic, the recent big bad, is an ass kicker, and the Corps seem lost as to how to defeat him.
“Lights Out” continues in Green Lantern: New Guardians #24, and things are incredibly bleak. Oa is gone. Destroyed. Another bit of collateral damage stemming from Relic’s decision to rid the universe of the entire color spectrum. Witnessing the destruction of a planet that was supposed to stand for all eternity is Hal Jordan, the new blue Guardians, Carol Ferris, Kilowog and GL: New Guardians focus Kyle Rayner. The reaction to Oa’s fall is visceral. Jordan, the new leader of the Corps, wants justice, or at least vengeance.
Kyle is the voice of reason, as are the new Guardians. They can’t fight Relic, they can barely stand up to him. Writer Justin Jordan does a great job of setting up this opening scene. There’s a real sense of urgency and, even with the tough talk, it’s obvious the entire Corps feel helpless. Hal Jordan, always the man with plan, is out of ideas. The group is lost, spinning around trying to figure out their next move. It’s right about this time that things go from bad to worse.
The entities representing the various lights of the spectrum are no longer held within the lanterns. They’re sick, dying, and with them the very power source of all the Lanterns. Without warning, Hope, Compassion, Will, Greed, and Love rush into Kyle Rayner. Now the White Lantern is something different, an entity controlled by five of the seven colors. Only Parallax and Rage have yet to join their light brothers in Kyle Rayner’s mind. New Guardians #24 splits for a moment to deal with John Stewart, but the core of the issue is Kyle’s battle to regain control of his mind and lock up the entities within himself. Once he does, he reveals something, a decision that could spell disaster for all the colors of the spectrum.
Jordan has a real knack for setting up tension and drama. So match happens within the pages of GL: New Guardians #24, but it never gets convoluted. Jordan is great with switching focus without losing the story. The issue starts on Jordan, shifts to Kyle, then to the guardians, John Stewart and back to Rayner. While not the core title, Jordan is juggling multiple personalities and doing a great job. For the first time in a couple of years, the GL Universe is presenting a compelling story.
Brad Walker. His pencils are insane. He uses every single inch of every single panel. He clutters the pages without allowing the page to feel cluttered. His line work is strong, as are his faces and forms, but his detail work is the real gut punch. Walker uses the panels and their placement very cinematically. The book sweeps with motion and excitement. It’s a seriously visceral slice of comic book art. Walker is to be commended.
(4 Story, 4.5 Art)
