While having great moments of action, the climax to this Green Lanterns arc is lacking.
Simon Baz has messed up, and the Green Lanterns will suffer for it. Throughout the arc, a voice has been controlling the rings of the Corps. While most of the Green Lanterns went to face off against an alien group called the Ravagers, Simon is sent back to Earth. He goes to the Fortress of Solitude, where he unintentionally releases Cyborg Superman. The cyborg reveals that he has hacked into the central power battery and has been messing with the rings. He has also revealed that Simon has been in possession of the Phantom Ring, a ring that connects to the whole emotional spectrum. Cyborg Superman takes the Phantom Ring, leaving Baz beaten down. How will the Green Lanterns take on this already dangerous being now that he has the most powerful ring?
**Some Spoilers Below**
Story:
After getting the Phantom Ring, Cyborg Superman heads to meet with the Ravagers. The invaders bow to their new leader as he explains he has a plan. Meanwhile, the Green Lanterns reconvene on Mogo to figure out their plan. The Guardians reveal to their champions that it is Cyborg Superman leading the Ravagers and that he is in possession of the Phantom Ring. Before they can process this, however, the Ravagers attack Mogo. The Green Lanterns go to face the invaders, facing down Eon. Unbeknownst to them, Cyborg Superman has snuck past them to face the Guardians themselves.
This issue is supposed to be the climax of this story. Unfortunately, it’s the kind of climax that is around ninety percent action. It’s good action, but considering what happened last issue, I was hoping for more character. Last issue, we saw Baz regret his decision to listen to a ring over his instincts. He decides to pick up a gun as his back up weapon, something he hasn’t had in over 30 issues. This is a significant character development, but we don’t see Baz at all. This is a missed opportunity as this was the penultimate issue of this Green Lanterns arc. Hopefully next issue, we’ll get something more impactful, both action and character wise.
Art:
Just like the story, this issue’s art left me unsatisfied. The Green Lanterns fighting the Ravagers looks cool, but then we have the talking moments. We get close-ups on characters faces, and they are clearly off. Whether it be a strange expression or an off-centered face, the art really pulls readers out of the story. The biggest problem is that this style might work for a darker comic, like Batman. The weird expressions could give a sense of dread, which would be perfect for a Batman horror story. For Green Lanterns, however, it feels incredibly misplaced.
Conclusion:
Despite the cool action, there isn’t really much to this Green Lanterns comic. It lacks any real character development and the art for the characters feels off. We have one last issue, but truth be told, I’m not excited about it.
