Green Lantern Corps has been the strongest of all the Blackest Night titles. Peter Tomasi has done a fantastic job delivering fast paced stories that are crammed full of action and adventure. This title is completely focused on the galactic war aspect of Blakcest Night which happens to be the part of Blackest Night that I find the most compelling and interesting. I fully expect Green Lantern Corps #44 to be another good read.
Creative Team
Writer: Peter J. Tomasi
Pencils: Patrick Gleason
Inks: Rebecca Buchman, Tom Nguyen. Keith Champagne and Patrick Gleason
Art Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
Story Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 8.5 Night Girls out of 10
Synopsis: This issue begins with Mogo appearing next to Oa. Kyle asks Salaak what Mogo is doing here. Salaak answers that Mogo must be responding to the call for all Green Lanterns to report to Oa. Kyle refers to Mogo as a “he” while Salaak corrects Kyle and says that Mogo is an “it.” Salaak says that he has no idea what Mogo is going to do next.
The Indigo Lantern then refocuses the Green Lanterns’ attention on the Green Lantern Central Battery that is still being attacked by the Black Lanterns. We see Red Lantern Guy ripping his way through Black Lanterns. Guy employs various constructs to kill Black Lanterns included axes and chainsaws.
We then see the base of the Central Battery crumble and the Central Battery then falls to the ground with a massive crash. The dust from the massive crash settles and the Green Lanterns see Red Lantern Guy still killing Black Lanterns left and right.
Kyle wants to go save Guy from the red power ring. Green Lantern Vath tells Kyle that he cannot take the red power ring from Guy just yet. Vath says that Guy is having much more success killing the Black Lanterns than the Violet Lantern and the Green Lanterns are having. Vath says that Guy is doing what Kyle originally wanted Red Lantern Vice to do which was to kill tons of Black Lanterns. That the combination of the red and green power rings is devastating the Black Lanterns.
Kyle says that he does not care what Vath says. Kyle responds that they do not know what type of damage wielding the red power ring might be doing to Guy. Kyle flies off and confronts Kyle. Guy is surprised to see Kyle alive. Kyle tells Guy that he came back to life thanks to the Star Sapphire. Kyle tells Guy to take off the red power ring.
Guy’s eyes turn green and he momentarily gains control and tells Kyle to quickly kill him before the red ring takes him over again. The red power ring then gains control again and Guy screams that Kyle is just a Black Lantern trying to confuse him. Guy attacks Kyle.
We cut to Mogo telling Salaak that the plan is to rid Oa of the Black plague by any means necessary. Mogo says that the preservation of Oa and the Central Battery is Mogo’s Primacy Directive by order of the Guardians. Salaak responds that he knows nothing about any Primacy Directive. Mogo replies that the Primacy Directive exists or else Mogo would not be here right now.
Mogo then says that the Primacy Directive compels Mogo to purge Oa. Suddenly, we see every single person on Oa, whether a Black Lantern or Green Lantern, getting sucked off the ground and into the sky toward Mogo. The Green Lantern rings cease to work. The green power rings cannot make any constructs. The Green Lantern energy auras are then activated in order to protect them as they leave the atmosphere and head toward Mogo.
We see all the Black Lanterns and Green Lanterns flying off of Oa, through space and then entering Mogo’s atmosphere. We see Green Lantern Iolande on Mogo sitting next to all the injured Green Lanterns who are recuperating. The Green Lanterns come to a sudden halt just before hitting Mogo’s surface. However, the Black Lanterns keep falling until they hit the ground.
Mogo then sucks the Black Lanterns into the grassy green ground. The Green Lanterns are then gently placed onto the ground. Mogo then says that the purge of Oa is complete.
Mogo then explains that Mogo adjusted his gravitational pull in order to pull everyone off of Oa and onto Mogo. Mogo says that he will now continue to pull the Black Lanterns through each stratum of his being. The Black Lanterns will be torn asunder, diffused and sifted into atoms. Then the Black Lanterns will be drawn to Mogo’s core where they will forever be superheated and prevented from reforming. That they will burn for all eternity.
We see Kilowog reporting to Kyle that all the Green Lanterns have been sent back to Oa pursuant to Salaak’s orders. Kyle says now that the Black Lanterns have been defeated that their only priority is to find Guy and remove the red power ring from him. Suddenly, Red Lantern Guy appears on the scene and says “Don’t worry. I’ve found you.” End of issue.
Comments
The Good: Green Lantern #44 was a blast to read. Was this issue deep with complex plotlines and eloquent dialogue? No. This issue was all about action and adventure. Green Lantern #44 was an adrenaline pumping war story. Not all comic books need to be artistic or intelligent. There is something to be said with just giving the reader some straightforward action with larger than life battle scenes. Action fans will be more than happy with what Tomasi gives us in this issue.
Green Lantern #44 was a well paced and plotted issue. Tomasi kicks this issue off with a fast start and this roller coaster ride does not let up until the very end. We get a fair amount of plot progression as Oa weathers the attack of the Black Lanterns and the villains are finally defeated. The ending nicely transitions from the threat of the Black Lanterns to the threat of Red Lantern Guy Gardner.
I enjoyed the brisk pacing of this issue. Tomasi moves the story forward quickly and with a purpose, but it never felt rushed or hurried. This issue had a wonderful flow as the scenes nicely transitioned into the next one. The reader is quickly pulled into this issue and their interest is held until the final page.
Tomasi dials up some solid dialogue. To be sure, Green Lantern #44 is not a character heavy issue. Still, the various characters act true to their personalities. Each Green Lantern displays their unique personalities during the battle.
I did think that Kyle looked pretty dippy about wanting to stop Guy despite Guy, at that moment, being the Green Lanterns’ most effective weapon against the Black Lanterns. It was that old “the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few” philosophy that Vath was employing when urging Kyle to let Guy continue to fill the role that Kyle wanted Vice to fill. It is moments like this why Kyle’s character has always had a limited appeal to me. Still, it was nice for Tomasi to show the different outlook on life that Kyle has compared to the other more militaristic Green Lanterns.
Of course, the true heart of Green Lantern #44 was the fantastic action and entertainment that it provides to the reader. This issue was crackling full of excellent action scenes. This was certainly an incredibly entertaining issue.
Red Lantern Guy Gardner was fantastic. What was not to like about seeing Guy whip up constructs ranging from battle-axes to blazing chainsaws in his unyielding and brutal attack on the Black Lanterns. Tomasi does a great job showing how Guy Gardner’s anger issues certainly serve him well as a Red Lantern.
I know that Guy will return to being a Green Lantern by the end of Blackest Night, if not by next the next issue of Green Lantern Corps. However, I would not mind seeing Guy stay a Red Lantern for a little while after Blackest Night has concluded. It would make for some interesting stories.
I loved Tomasi’s use of Mogo in this issue. This was such a neat and creative way for Tomasi to have the Green Lanterns defeat the seemingly unstoppable tidal wave of Black Lanterns. Yes, I understand that Mogo plays the role of a deus ex machina as this living planet almost effortlessly disposes of the horde of Black Lanterns that our heroes have been struggling to stop. But, the use of Mogo was consistent with his character and was at least limited to an action that was not such a stretch or too convenient that it entirely ruined the story. A living planet should be a serious force to reckon with and it is believable that at some point Mogo would have to play a more active role in this cosmic battle.
Tomasi ended Green Lantern #44 with a good hook ending. I am certainly looking forward to Kyle and the rest of the Green Lanterns having to lock horns with Red Lantern Guy Gardner. If nothing else, we should be in store for plenty of wicked good action scenes.
The artwork in Green Lantern #44 was flat out amazing. The inkers in this issue deserve so much credit for the wonderful look of this issue. Normally, inks by committee leads to a disjointed looking issue. That was not the case with this issue. The four different inkers did a wonderful job blending their styles so this issue had a nice consistent and uniform look from start to finish.
Patrick Gleason did an incredible job with the pencils. I have become more and more impressed with Gleason’s artwork with each issue of Green Lantern Corps. Gleason is able to effortlessly handle a large roster of characters. Gleason is able to deliver incredibly dynamic battle scenes that never look confused or cluttered.
Gleason makes Green Lantern Corps dramatic looking with the various cinematic shots in this issue. The double page shot of the Central Batter was phenomenal. It had quite an impact on the reader. The use of the various one page and double page splash shots did a good job conveying the massive scale of this cosmic conflict. Of course, that does not mean that Green Lantern Corps #44 was just a series of pin-up shots. Gleason knows how to properly lay out an issue and effectively tell a story.
The Bad: I have no complaints with this issue.
Overall: Green Lantern Corps #44 was another fun read. This title continues to give me more entertainment value than either Blackest Night or Green Lantern. I would strongly recommend Green Lanterns Corps #44 to Science Fiction fans and to action adventure fans. Tomasi certainly has demonstrated the ability to write incredibly large-scale cosmic battles. Green Lantern Corps #44 is not necessary at all for readers who are only following Blackest Night itself. However, this title does help make Blackest Night more of a cosmic war than just a small Earthbound DCU event.