Green Lantern #14 – Jeremy Adams, Marc Guggenheim, Writers; Fernando Pasarin/Oclair Albert, Darick Robertson, Artists; Romulo Fajardo Jr, Diego Rodriguez, Colorists
Ray – 9.5/10
Ray: Green Lantern has found himself at the core of the Absolute Power event, as Amanda Waller’s deal with High Premiere Thaaros has cut off Earth from the rest of the cosmos. Captured and without his powers, Hal is alone in Waller’s base on Gamorra – but he’s far from unarmed. This issue shows Hal at his scrappy best, using the tech Waller collected from various B-list villains to fend off the goons and escape. But he’s not just up against rent-a-guards – he has to face off against Jadestone, the powerful Amazo who targeted the JSA and captured Alan Scott. But as we saw in that mini, there’s a wrinkle to all this – contact with the Starheart has given Jadestone a mind of its own, and maybe a conscience.
There are some great segments here that show how Jadestone is slowly changing, with the robot and Alan Scott playing chess as Alan slowly manipulates Jadestone to ask more questions. Those questions play into Jadestone’s pursuit of Hal as well. Meanwhile, Carol Ferris is hiding out at the Tower of Fate with the JSA – and heads out on a covert mission of her own, one that will continue to elevate her into a hero in her own right, one who will soon join the Justice League. So the heroes are holding their own – but so are the villains. This issue shows how Thaaros is slipping further and further into madness, and won’t be satisfied with the control he’s already gained – which nicely dovetails into the backup.
The story of the Shadow Lanterns, a one-off tale by Guggenheim and Robertson, follows the Lanterns who are loyal to Thaaros and are working as his secret agents. Famously, Jessica Cruz joined this group undercover, but most of the Shadow Lanterns are true loyalists. However, one has figured out that his role as a Lantern is a farce – and is willing to do anything to get free and get his ring to a better person if needed. This is a much darker story than I expected, and one that nicely shows just how deeply Thaaros has corrupted the Lanterns.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
