Green Lanterns #47 – Tim Seeley, Writer; V. Ken Marion, Penciller; Sandu Florea, Inker; Dinei Ribeiro, Colorist
Ratings:
Ray – 8/10
Corrina: Quiet Conclusion
WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW
Ray: The “Ghosts of the Past” arc concludes with a tense final showdown in Green Lanterns #47 that pits Simon Baz against a corrupted Jessica Cruz, paves the way for Jessica Cruz to take the next step in her life – and sets up another showdown with the Guardians. A flashback to better times shows how Simon and Jessica worked together in the past, with their rings still bonded to the battery, but in the present day, Jessica – wearing her classic Power Ring attire again – is stalking the duo of criminals who killed her friends, caught in her memories. Simon knows that bad things will happen if she finally uncovers their identities, so he scares them off and sets up a fight between him and his partner. In the real world, Singularity Jain breaks free of her captivity and takes on the entire Justice League. She continues to be one of the creepiest villains the Green Lanterns have faced in a while, trapping each of the League in their own personal nightmare (although WW’s seems a bit vague).
There’s a lot going on in this issue, and one of the most unlikely and entertaining dynamics is the team-up between John Constantine and Sara Cruz, as she tries to help the mage make contact with where her sister is trapped. Seeley, who also writes Constantine in his solo series, is always effective at giving the character a classic punk/grindhouse vibe. The ultimate fate of Singularity Jain is clever and creepy, although this final issue dealt a bit too much with mindscape concepts that were a bit unclear at times. What did shine though was just how good the two lead characters are. They’ve been at the core of this series from the start, keeping it from feeling like just another Green Lantern series. Seeing Jessica finally come to terms with her friends’ death and decide to make an effort to bring the culprits to justice was great, although I’m less enthusiastic about the final arc of Seeley’s run, where they’re going to try to take away Jessica’s ring AGAIN. She’s already on the cover of the next run. Let it go.
Corrina: That last page is a sure way to harsh the fine conclusion of this arc, with Jessica having finally faced her past instead of hiding it from herself. And now, of course, the Lanterns want to take her ring. This does not make me excited for the next issue at all. (I hate to give comics good jumping off points, especially since I like Simon and Jess so much but, if one was inclined, this would be a good jumping off point.)
I admit to being slightly disappointed at the quiet climax of Jessica facing down her friends’ murderers. I guess I expected a revelation or plot twist about their identity or maybe that one of her friends had been helping them. In retrospect, them being ordinary killers makes sense, as it was Jess’s own fears that kept her from seeing them clearly for so long. As Ray said, Jess and Simon’s teamwork is terrific and, for the first time, Sara Cruz is allowed a spotlight to help her sister. “I must help/save Sara!” has been used often in this series and it’s a great turnaround to see Sara help her sister instead. (Sara certainly handles Constantine well.) More of Jess’s family, please! (And less of Hal.)
Disclaimer: GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
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