Green Lanterns #36 – Tim Seeley, Writer; Ronan Cliquet, Artist; Hi-Fi, Colorist
Ratings:
Ray – 9/10
Corrina: Chilling Villain
Ray: Tim Seeley’s run on Green Lanterns, while not quite as character-focused as Humphries, has quickly shown it has a solid grasp on its two leads and is now introducing one of the most intriguing new villains in the Lanternverse in years. The issue opens with Jessica and Simon recapping the events of the Bolphunga affair to an Honor Guard inquiry – namely, how things got completely out of control with the arrival of Bolphunga’s “lawyer”, Singularity Jain. It’s clear from the start that things aren’t going to go well when she casually eats an entire ship. With Bolphunga and his father isolated in a Lantern cell, the Lanterns do their best to fight off the mysterious cosmic lawyer, but she displays powers that are unlike anything the heroes have ever seen. Not just energy and cosmic powers, but things that can only be described as supernatural.
If I had one ongoing complaint about this run, it’s that Simon continuously seems to get short shift, unlike the Humphries run. There’s nothing wrong with his character, but he’s basically there to play supportive badass as Jessica undergoes the big dramatic moments in the story. And that sort of makes sense – Jessica seems like she’s going to be the breakout star from this title, making her way to multimedia. This issue, she gets the big showpiece scene as she discovers exactly what Singularity Jain can do, and has to confront the darkest moment of her life in vivid color. It’s this scene that solidifies Singularity Jain as a major new addition to the Lanterns’ rogues gallery, and calls into question exactly what she is – I got vibes of a supernatural being far more powerful than anything they’ve encountered before. The ending of Bolphunga’s story is dark, and yet somewhat inevitable.
This remains the best Green Lantern book we’ve had since Johns.
Corrina: Creating a new villain who’s both powerful and unique is a difficult thing, especially in a DC Universe where it seems it’s all been done before. But not only does Singularity Jain have a cool name but she has a fascinating power and Simon and Jess don’t so much defeat her as fight her to a standstill. Her motives are a bit murky but it’s clear she lives on the despair of others and uses it to her advantage. (Which is a good metaphor for some lawyers.)
As to our leads, so far, I agree with Ray that Jessica has had more of a spotlight than Simon but we did see some of Simon’s personal life, even if I thought it was out-of-character. I hope to see more of it soon and, hopefully, it doesn’t make him out to be a sponge off his in-laws or a man interested in only one-night stands. Those character traits can be interesting but nothing in Simon’s background suggests he’s that kind of person. But given how talented this creative team is, I’m willing to give the benefit of the doubt.
Disclaimer: GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
