Far Sector #7 – N.K. Jesimin, Writer; Jamal Campbell, Artist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: This experimental Green Lantern title is the last remnant of the Young Animal line, but it doesn’t really match up with the tone of that line. Instead, it’s the most sci-fi driven take we’ve ever gotten on the Green Lantern franchise, but grounded in a very genuine and human perspective. It’s been a while since we caught up with Jo Mullein, but she’s still caught in a highly thorny situation on the divided planet she patrols. When we last left off, she was up against a powerful enemy, and Jamal Campbell’s art brings the vivid colors and constructions of the Green Lantern ring to life like few other artists can. His art is the perfect fit for Jesimin’s dense script – I really couldn’t see anyone else telling this story. And there’s a gut punch of a reveal towards the end of the first half that shows just how far Jo’s enemies are willing to go to maintain their hold on the planet.
Jo is working with a ring unlike any other we’ve ever seen, and this issue delves a little more into the strengths and weaknesses of this unique weapon. It’s also doing some great work with AI and the question of what makes a life, as Jo continues to argue with her AI partner over the best way forward in her investigation. That leads to an excellent back half of the issue as we see the AI world through Jo’s eyes for the first time – and learn that no one is safe there, especially not an organic. This book is so dense that it can be a little hard to keep up sometimes, but I have a feeling it’s going to read amazingly well when it’s collected in a single volume. It’s doing what a franchise like Green Lantern should always be striving for – showing us unique alien civilizations and broadening the far frontiers of the DCU to bring us new and interesting stories along with a compelling central mystery.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
