Alan Scott: The Green Lantern #3 – Tim Sheridan, Writer; Cian Tormey, Artist; Matt Herms, Colorist
Ray – 9.5/10
Ray: Last issue, which saw Alan Scott stuck in Arkham Asylum, was one of the most emotionally powerful DC comics I’ve read in a long time. It was going to be hard to equal that—but I think the creative team has come damn close with an issue that takes Alan deep into a murder mystery with an unexpected ally. A series of murders have been targeting the young gay men of the area, and while the police can always be counted upon to roust them and send them off to “treatment,” they can’t seem to be concerned with solving a murder. When a friend of Alan’s turns up dead, he takes the case on himself—and it’s clear from a conversation with Jay Garrick that he’s not in the best mental space and this has triggered a lot of his residual trauma from his time in Arkham. And while he’s the member of the JSA most invested in the case, he’s not the only one investigating—because Jim Corrigan is on the case.
This was a fascinating choice of a character to use here for a number of reasons. For one thing, the Spectre is a very different character in the Golden Age, and we haven’t seen this version in a very long time. While he still is Jim Corrigan and he’s the avatar of God’s wrath after he was murdered, this version seems a lot more human. He’s new to his power, and he still has the compassion and connection to humanity he often lacks once he becomes one with the power. And that puts him in a fascinating position to talk to Alan about what God truly thinks of people like him. There are some lines here that feel like they could be works of classic literature, but they’re in a comic that features a villain called Red Lantern. That’s the beauty of the best comics. But as for Red Lantern, he’s lurking around the fringes, plotting his next move—and while the eventual reveal isn’t a shocker, it is a compelling gut punch cliffhanger.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
