Green Lantern: War Journal #8 – Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Writer; Montos, Artist; Adriano Lucas, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: The two main characters of this series have been split—in the most dramatic way possible, as they now exist in different dimensions. John Stewart has been plunged into the world of the Radiant Dead, finding a thriving civilization filled with refugees from countless dimensions all up against cosmic forces. While John has been taking a break from superheroes, he wastes no time slipping back into the role of a leader and takes on the monsters coming for them. But these don’t seem to be the Radiant Dead per se—so what are they? We get some clues through the issue, but the real highlight here is the stunning art by Montos. This guy sort of came out of nowhere with this book, but man can he draw the heck out of a cosmic battle. His characters are distinct, his abominations are terrifying, and it’s great to see some big-scale sci-fi Lantern action taking over this title for a bit.
But the strength of this series has always been in the quieter moments, and Johnson manages to make time for some fascinating subplots. The eerie tale of “Ellie” and John’s mother continues to evolve, with the living creation trying to preserve the illusion and protect her “mother” from an attack by one of the Radiant Dead lanterns. But the house itself seems to be haunted, with Shirley being haunted by a face from her past. And then there’s Lantern Shepherd, a visitor from another world, who is now trying to find where John has been taken. And that leads him to Guy Gardner—who is off-world right now but has left a voice-mail of sorts for people to find. It turns out that while Guy has been trying to avoid the prying eyes of the United Planets, he’s much more involved than he’s letting on, and the big cliffhanger indicates that some unwelcome visitors may be arriving soon.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
