Green Lantern: War Journal #11 – Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Writer; Montos, Artist; Adriano Lucas, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: As we hit the penultimate issue of this epic space adventure, John Stewart’s quest has taken him to the edge of the universe and beyond, as he finally discovers the secret of the Radiant Dead. And it turns out this horrific world of space zombies wasn’t born out of evil, but out of love – and of a tragedy from a world long before us. In the age of the Old Gods, there was a kind king and his beloved daughter – and a shocking betrayal that led the king to fall into grief and madness. What emerged was a perversion of the princess and her world, one that threatens to spill into our world. John’s approach to this is one of compassion but determination, as he strips away all the corruption and begins to build something new. But of course, we all know too well that John isn’t perfect in this regard – when it comes to holding onto the past and trying to undo tragedies, he’s all too guilty.
The story involving Shirley Stewart and her “Daughter” Ellie has been the most powerful part of this series, but also the most troubling. After all, through John’s attempt to undo his family’s greatest tragedy, he’s also gaslighting a woman with dementia even with the best of intentions. I always wondered how Johnson would square all this before the end, and this issue has a beautiful segment where Shirley and the being known as Ellie talk, and Shirley reveals she knows more than she’s been letting on before the two of them make one last stand against the thing keeping them trapped. It’s very hard to do a story that fuses both cosmic adventure and personal drama so seamlessly, but Johnson has done an amazing job. It’s been a while since John got a great spotlight story that really delves into what makes him unique, and this story will thankfully be continuing in backups after it wraps next issue.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
