And so, Geoff Johns and his buddies are gone, leaving behind the Green Lantern franchise. In their place will be new writers to the series and a brand new title as well. The most important one of all though is the main title, which is being taken over by Robert Venditti. This is certainly going to feel different without old Johns around, but hey, let’s see what our newcomer and see if we can answer the question positively, is it good?
Green Lantern #21 (DC Comics)
Besides some very interesting things to come at the beginning, the issue is all mostly setup and establishing the new status quo. The new Guardians go off into space to learn more about how the universe has changed since they have been gone, putting Hal Jordan in charge during their leave. Meanwhile, Larfreeze attacks Oa since it is heavily understaffed and unprotected due to past events while Hal sends out the Lantern rings to go find some new recruits for the Corps. There’s some minor hints and nods at some things that’ll be playing big parts later on.
Dude, she’s playing you hard. She’s totally out of your league.
It’s all setup, but enjoyable setup nonetheless that really gets you interested in what the writer has up his sleeves for future storylines. Besides that, the rest of the writing is pretty good. Good dialogue exchanges, decent humor, moves at a good pace, lots of things are happening but nothing feels overwhelming or crammed in (very natural in a way), and a whole new set of characters introduced with some potential to them. My only problem is the stuff with Carol and Hal at the beginning that comes off like a retread from the stuff Johns was doing not that long ago. It feels like a set backwards instead a step forwards character wise, since the last issue left off with plenty of potential to expand on their relationship.
I swear we are going in circles here with this relationship.
Billy Tan is on art duties now and he’s not bad per se, since his action is good and he draws some decent looking landscapes and aliens. However, his people leave a lot to be desired with his facial work not being very good when it comes to expressing emotion; in particular, during the Carol and Hal scene where it looks like she always has the exact same emotion. Also, occasionally the faces seem to change shape and features, making people look different from panel to panel, and Billy seems to have trouble drawing the Lantern rings on people.
Also, how can Kyle see how out that mask?
8.5
- Very good writing and setup.
- Lots of potentially good plot threads are being built.
- The Hal and Carol scene at the beginning.
- The art on the humans is strange and off putting.
Is It Good?
Yes. Quite a bit of potential here and all of the little things that Robert has already started setting up has my attention already. When Johns left, there were big shoes to fill, but with the way things are going and if he can deliver on them, Robert will be able to fill those shoes quite well. Here’s hoping for the best.
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