Green Lantern: War Journal #4 – Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Writer; Montos, Artist; Adriano Lucas, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: While Jeremy Adams is giving us a fast-paced Hal Jordan title that brings him back to his roots as a high-flying hero, Phillip Kennedy Johnson is putting John Stewart through a much more stressful time. Infected with the Radiant Dead and partnered with a new Lantern from an alternate timeline, John is just barely holding on. But that isn’t keeping him from trying to fill the mentor role—there’s a great segment where John and Shepherd are dueling, with Shepherd relying heavily on the ring’s raw power and John viewing it more as a tool that enhances his natural skills. John was always a great mentor to some of the younger Lanterns, and it’s great to see him in that role again. But while he’s holding on to his sanity, the effects of the Radiant Dead infection are getting harder to hold at bay—and soon he’s losing control of himself and threatening to infect everyone around him.
And then there’s the villains. Varron, the despicable Green Lantern who attempted to arrest John in the first issue, has been lost to the Radiant Dead—but his father is still out there, and so is the ruthless government official who gave him the ring in the first place. These sinister bureaucrats are a different kind of villainous, but they’re probably the most despicable characters in the series. And while Varron seems to have been lost, he’s far from gone—and the Radiant Dead infection has combined with his natural hatred to turn him into something far more dangerous than the cruel jock he was at the start. This issue doesn’t have some of the best parts of the series, like John’s mother (who was knocked unconscious in an attack last issue), but it does continue to build up Johnson’s vision of the character. Johnson’s been hinting he’s got something big coming, and I’m hoping it involves both John and Superman. JLA relaunch time?
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
