The biggest problem with the last five years of Green Lantern comics has been the ease by which the GLC gets out of the tightest situations. No matter what, if the multiple colors of the lanterns get together and really believe in themselves, it all works out okay. When Geoff Johns and his crew retired from the GL Universe, it looked as though we’d be heading down a new road. With Green Lantern New Guardians #22, I’m hoping the series doesn’t take two steps back.
Here’s the scoop. A creature has returned from an anomaly – a creature that was part of an older universe, one that stood before anything known before. As this creature, which looks a lot like a bizarre Brainiac, studies the new universe, the new Guardians and Kyle Rayner (currently the White Lantern), try to figure out who and what the creatures is. The creature decides to reform the matter of multiple ships into one ship to service his purpose. Naturally, the entity involved does not care that he’s going to kill innocents. It’s beneath him to care, much the same logical path that Galactus follows.
Kyle rushes into action only to be captured, since the creature is able to absorb all energy. He places Kyle in a dream world, while studying the power of the light. Meanwhile, the new Guardians bring Carol Ferris, in her Star Sapphire identity, to help save Kyle. They don’t really explain why it has to be Carol, but it is. She manages to get aboard the ship and convince Kyle the dream world is fake. Kyle escapes, and informs the new blue men in charge that the creature now hates the power of the light and is going to destroy all of it.
My problem with writer Justin Jordan’s concept is twofold. First, the idea that Kyle “wills” himself out of the dream world. Not because he uses willpower, that’s the whole idea of the power behind the rings, but more because it smacks too much of older storylines. “Just believe, Lanterns, use your will and all shall be okay.” It makes the Green Lanterns more like Tinkerbell than an elite fighting force. My second problem is the idea of the creature going after the power of the light. Again? Haven’t we danced this dance already? It feels like Jordan is setting us up for another combine-the-light-and-win story.
Brad Walker’s art is nicely executed. He has a good sense of panel arrangement and movement. He keeps the weightless feel of space in his pencils. I enjoyed the epic nature of every panel, the attention to detail and the use of color. Wil Quantana does a wonderful job of bringing out a varied palate for the story.
Green Lantern: New Guardians #22 is a solid issue, but it seems to be setting us up for a story the GLU has examined to death – the power of the ring. Instead lets focus on the minds of the people, the fall from grace of the Corps. Try making the GL titles human again, instead of just another gigantic space adventure.
(3 Story, 4 Art)
