Green Lantern Corps is quickly approaching the point where it falls victim to The Revolution’s dreaded axe. This title continues to be nothing more than a remarkably ordinary read. Green Lantern Corps #23 has to deliver something more than being filler for what is going on between issues over on Green Lantern. Let’s go ahead and hit this review.
Creative Team
Writer: Peter J. Tomasi
Pencils: Patrick Gleason
Inks: Prentis Rollins
Art Rating: 6 Night Girls out of 10
Story Rating: 6 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 6 Night Girls out of 10
Synopsis: We begin with Mongul picking some mystical flowers called the Mercy that have the ability to renew the spirit and fill up a being with hope and give them a clear mind and sense of purpose. Mongul fills a huge bag of the flowers and says that he is going to give these flowers to those that he deems are worthy of his considerations. Mongul then orders his ring to search for the nearest Sinestro Corps member and to take him there.
We shift to Sector 1417 where Iolande is addressing the Royal Assembly. Suddenly, her ring powers up and transforms her into her Green Lantern outfit. The ring informs her that her presence is required on Oa. The ring then jerks Iolande in the air and through the roof of the Assembly Hall and on the way to Oa.
We cut to Rann, where Green Lantern Vath Sarn is helping Adam Strange dispatch some bad guys. Suddenly, Vath Sarn’s ring tells him that his presence is required on Oa. The ring then jerks Sarn into the air and carries him off to Oa.
We slide over to Korugar where Soranik Natu is enjoying a swim. Suddenly, her ring powers up and tells her that her presence is required on Oa. The ring then transforms her into her Green Lantern outfit and carries her off to Oa.
We zip to just outside Planet Grenda where Green Lantern Stel is busy trying to reform part of his robotic body. Stel’s power ring then informs him that his presence is required on Oa. The ring then carries him off to Oa before Stel can finish reforming his lower body.
We hop over to Thanagar where a downsider with a power ring being jerked up into the air by his power ring and zipping past several Hawkmen and on his way to Oa.
We cut to the sun in Sector 2814 where Sodam Yat is bathing in the solar energy and restoring his powers from his brutal fight with Superman-Prime. Suddenly, Yat’s power ring informs him that his presence is required on Oa. Yat immediately streaks off for Oa.
We shift to Oa where a passed out Guy Gardner is snoozing away. Guy’s power ring suddenly says that Guy’s presence is required at the Citadel. Guy’s power ring then carries a sleeping Guy through the air on the way to the Citadel.
We slide over to a prison for the criminally insane on the planet Sedas. We see a two headed psycho named Duel Eckenham. One head is a rational and clinical killer while the other head is a brutal random killer. A yellow power ring appears and tells Duel that he has been selected to join the Sinestro Corps. The ring then slides onto Duel’s finger.
Mongul then arrives on the scene and flashes the ten yellow power rings on his fingers. Mongul tells Duel that he can either agree to follow Mongul and keep his power ring and live or he can refuse and die like the others.
We cut back to Oa where all the summoned Green Lanterns have arrived at the Citadel. The Guardians reveal that these Lanterns were all chosen for this new mission based on their exemplary efforts during the Sinestro War.
The Guardians announce that their mission will be to go to the uncharted blackness of the Vega system and recover the yellow power rings that entered that space sector. That as the Lanterns get farther into the Vega system that their power rings will be unable to track the Sinestro rings and that the Lanterns will have to use their own skills to find the rings’ final destinations.
We zip to the Lantern just outside of the Vega system. They agree to split up and go searching for the rings. They agree to maintain constant contact and to have mandatory position and mission updates every five hours. No exceptions. That they will then reconvene at their rendezvous point in ninety-six hours.
We cut to Guy Gardner and Kyle running across a particularly vile reptilian Sinestro Corps member. Then we shift to Yat and Arisia streaking around and seeing a green sphere with the reptilian Sinestro Corps member that crossed paths with Guy and Kyle inside of it. The green sphere is streaking toward Oa.
Yat tells Arisia that he knows that she was asked to evaluate him in case this Ion situation didn’t’ work out. Yat asks Arisia if she would give him an honest appraisal of his work so far and where she thinks he can improve. Arisia responds that they will have to have this discussion over a drink or two when they get back to Oa.
We see Yat and Arisia arriving at the prison for the criminally insane that Duel was a prisoner at. All the inmates have been slaughtered. Some by a hand that was very messy and the other that suggest a more precise mind. Suddenly, Yat and Arisia are attacked from behind and everything goes black.
We hop over to Lanterns Natu and Iolande. They are contacted and asked if they have had any contact with Arisia and Yat. They answer that they have not. Arisia and Yat have not reported an update. Suddenly, Vath and Isomat’s green sphere with a severed arm of a Sinestro Corps member with the ring still on the hand flies by on its way to Oa. The last coordinates are uploaded to Natu and Iolande’s rings. They are instructed to go investigate the scene.
We shift to the prison for the mentally insane where Yat and Arisia were last tracked. All the Lanterns have arrived at the prison. There is no sign of Yat or Arisia. Kyle contacts Salaak and informs him that the Lanterns are going to temporarily suspend their mission to collect the yellow power rings until they can find Arisia and Yat. Salaak states that they are to remain dedicated to the Guardian’s original mission. Kyle snaps that he and Guy are in charge of this mission and that they are not going to leave anyone behind.
Suddenly, Guy’s ring states that it has picked up extreme energy signals from multiple yellow power rings in the same area. The Lanterns streak off to that location. We cut to that same location, Space Sector 2261 and see Mongul and Duel with Yat and Arisia unconscious and held captive.
Mongul powers up and begins blasting into the ground of the planet. Mongul thinks that he said he would return and that he always keeps his promises. That changes need to be made. And to effect this change that he will need to go deep to the root. To the core of this world and beyond to turn hope into fear. End of issue.
Comments
The Good: Green Lantern Corps #23 was a slightly above average issue. The pacing on this issue was a rather slow and lumbering in the beginning. However, Tomasi certainly cranks up the pacing as the story builds up momentum once all the Lanterns are on Oa and are assigned their mission.
Tomasi constructs a solid foundation for this story arc with a team of Lanterns on a mission in the ever mysterious and dangerous Vega system along with Mongul wielding two fistfuls of yellow power rings. Duel is a sufficiently disturbing and vile Sinestro Corps member and it a nice addition to their ranks. Despite the fact that Green Lantern Corps #23 was not that riveting of a read, it certainly does its job as the set up issue for a story arc that has the potential to be wildly entertaining.
Tomasi delivers a yeoman’s effort with the dialogue in this issue. It isn’t anything great, but it gets the job done. Tomasi does manage to create some nice tension and excitement in the reader despite never actually showing us any of the action scenes. We only get to see the before and after of all the action scenes, but they still carry a nice impact. Especially seeing the sliced off arm of a Sinestro Corps member go flying by a couple of Lanterns on its way to Oa.
I liked all the scenes with Mongul. Tomasi dials up a strong villain for this story arc. Mongul is a worthy adversary on his own. Add to his general nastiness the fact that he now wields to fistfuls of yellow power rings and you have a monster villain that is going to prove difficult to best by our team of Green Lanterns. I also dig that writers are playing off of Johns’ gimmick of the various colored Lantern Corps and taking existing characters and matching them up with the particular colored Corps that they best match.
Gleason and Rollins provide for a slightly better than average looking issue. The best part of the art isn’t necessarily what it is rather than what it is not. And that is artwork by committee. For the first time in forever, Green Lantern Corps sports only one penciler and one inker giving this issue a nicely uniformed look.
The Bad: Green Lantern Corps #23 was a weakly plotted issue. Tomasi gives us a story that is boringly repetitious at the beginning as we have to see all the Lanterns being involuntarily called back to Oa. This makes the first half of this issue a dull read.
Green Lantern Corps #23 is also lacking in action scenes. While I appreciate the approach of “less is more” when it comes to violence with Tomasi using a Hitchcock style of hinting at violent scenes rather than showing them, the fact is that Green Lantern Corps is an action themed title. Readers buy this title because the Lanterns are an interstellar paramilitary organization that kicks butt.
Tomasi needs to show more action to make this issue a truly satisfying read. A little less of the repetitious and uninteresting scenes of recalling the various Lanterns and a bit more on the action in the Vega system would have been a smart idea.
Overall: Green Lantern Corps #23 is a serviceable read, but nothing that I would urge you to run out and purchase. While I think that this title is improving, it still has more to show me before I recommend it to your average comic book reader. I certainly do have faith that things are going to get better from this point on.