Green Lantern #55
Written by Geoff Johns
Art by Doug Mahnke
The biggest issue I’ve had with Green Lantern this volume is the way the supporting cast rotates. It’s like, I get that Hal has journeys and adventures and six issue flashbacks that take up a lot of time, but because of it some characters go for extended periods of time without any sort of mention. Like Hal’s girlfriend, Cowgirl, who is once again not in an issue of GL, nor is she mentioned. I say this to start off because with Blackest Night over and the new status quo in effect, Hal’s supporting cast is made up only of people who wear rings, including his ex. So if there was ever a time to try and forget that Hal was nailing the hot blond pilot from Texas, it might as well be now. Because he hasn’t mentioned his live in girlfriend since before the Red Lantern’s started to Rage.
Now onto the issue itself! Big fight issue as Lobo comes to town looking to collect on Atrocitus, and it’s up to Hal, Carol, and Sinestro to stop him. Cut and dry for the most part, but it is an excuse for artist Doug Mahnke to illustrate four different Lantern’s, with different abilities and personalities, and what makes them stand out in a fight. As well as to draw an awesome, AWESOME Lobo. There is a lot of cool stuff going on in the fight, none of which I want to spoil for you here. Not to mention that other subplots are touched on, and we’re even given a backup story detailing the secret origin of Red Lantern Dex-Star (the kitty).
The trio of Hal, Sin, and Carol has been an interesting combination during their journeys together which began about halfway through Blackest Night, and it appears that Atrocitus being included will only help to make the dynamic that much more interesting.
I do with a little more time had been spent in this issue handling the entities, as the amount of page space the plot received left me wanting. That isn’t all bad though, as the main fight was pretty fun, and if there’s one thing I trust from Geoff Johns, it’s that he knows exactly what he’s doing with his page counts.
Despite the continued plots from Blackest Night, Green Lantern doesn’t feel as if it’s still living in the mindset as Green Lantern Corps has been struggling with, despite featuring much the same cast of various colored Lanterns. Johns is keeping the book fresh and transitioning nicely from the War of Light into the search for the various entities.
Overall?
8.5/10
