Green Lantern: Civil Corps #1 – Jeremy Adams, Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Writers; Salvador Larocca, Artist; Luis Guerrero, Colorist
Ray – 9.5/10
Ray: Having one genuinely great book in a line is a treat – having two is something special. And that’s exactly what we got in the Green Lantern line, as Jeremy Adams and Phillip Kennedy Johnson both delivered unique and thrilling stories for Hal Jordan and John Stewart. One was a space-hopping Top Gun-inspired adventure, while the other was a haunting cosmic odyssey. Now they unite, as the threat of High Premiere Thaaros expands and the entire universe gets swept up. It starts with John Stewart and his sister/creation Ellie racing when John is suddenly attacked by a surprise enemy – Kilowog, now sporting a Yellow Lantern ring and ruthlessly beating him until he claims the Darkstar ring.
From there, the entire Lantern delegation on Earth unites, joined by new allies like Star Sapphire and Lantern Shepherd, as they pursue the threat to space. They attempt to warn the Thanagarian delegation about Thaaros’ treachery – but Thaaros is already there, and he’s set up a trap. This Durlan coup has been one of the most intriguing subplots in DC for a while, with a villain essentially winning without ever firing a shot. And he’s already largely taken most of the Lanterns off the table – from all the Corps, leading to the return of a fan-favorite character created by Geoff Johns, who might just be powerful and obsessed enough to turn the tide of battle against the UP.
Where this issue excels is in its fast pace. It manages to combine several main villains into one issue, switching seamlessly from one threat to another and letting both Hal and John shine, as well as giving Alan Scott a great subplot where he uses his unique abilities to go up against some cosmic threats. And then at the end, it drops a phenomenal last-page image that pretty much defines “Rule of Cool.” The entire gang is back together, and it looks like the main book is going to continue to be excellent as Johnson returns to it to tell John Stewart backups going forward.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
