The Green Lantern #6 – Grant Morrison, Writer; Liam Sharp, Artist; Steve Oliff, Colorist
Ratings:
Ray – 9.5/10
Corrina: Bizaree Undercover Space Cop Epic Continues
Ray: I have not always been the biggest fan of Grant Morrison on mainstream books, finding his X-Men and Batman books too clever by half and self-sabotaging in the last act. But Morrison seems determined to make me eat my words on The Green Lantern, a perfect mix of property, writing, and artist. Every issue, he pulls the rug out from under the reader with some major twists and sends the story careening in a new direction. Last issue, Hal survived a test in a beautifully rendered haunted city to be officially initiated into the Blackstars. In The Green Lantern #6, he faces one more test of loyalty – as the Controllers expand their empire into Rann, they intend to make their newest recruit execute Rann’s protector Adam Strange. These scenes where Hal discovers the morbid task ahead of him are great, as he tries to bluff his way out and convince the Blackstars to force Adam into a duel rather than an execution. Hal’s deep cover plot has caused him no shortage of moral conflicts, but he’s never been forced into killing an innocent before.
This issue introduces the leader of the Darkstars, Controller Mu, who is one of the best villains introduced into the Green Lantern mythos in a while. Morrison takes the concept of the evil conquering alien dictator and boils him down to something vaguely resembling a corporate vulture. He views planetary conquest as just another acquisition, and he threatens genocidal punishments with all the passion of a stock fluctuation. He’s chilling for just how normal he is. And just when you think you know where this story is going, Morrison throws us for a loop with a massive threat to all life, a heroic sacrifice, and a wide sideways turn into a completely new status quo. I could have easily read another year of Hal undercover, but of course, it’s not going to be that simple with Morrison. Whatever bizarre cosmic walkabout he’s planning for Hal on those final pages, this is easily the most invested I’ve been in a Green Lantern run since Geoff Johns’ days.
Corrina: This is your basic rogue cop gone undercover story, complete with temptations, divided loyalties, and a mastermind who craves to control a criminal underworld.
Except the criminal boss wants to control whole planets, the boss’ minions are all manner of odd and terrifying creatures, and everything about the setting is weird, twisted, and alien.
Meaning, it’s a perfect fit for Morrison, with Sharp’s art emphasizing the darker nature of the noir tale while also handling the weird.
My own personal pet peeve: if only it didn’t star the worst Green Lantern.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
Disclaimer: GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
