Green Lantern Corps #2 – Jeremy Adams, Morgan Hampton, Writers; Fernando Pasarin, Penciller; Oclair Albert, Inker; Arif Prianto, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: It’s a testament to just how sweeping this book is that this second issue features an almost entirely new cast. Sinestro, who was the focus of the first issue along with John Stewart, is nowhere to be seen. Instead, John is teamed with Hawkwoman – who he shared an intense connection with in the Justice League animated series – and Razer, another animated transplant who is now a Green Lantern himself. They’re investigating the destruction of Thanagar in the recent battle with a possessed Mogo – and they’re not the only ones here. The Red Lanterns are there as well, although they’re not what they used to be – stripped of the red spectrum, they’re kept alive by metal harnesses and are out for both revenge and a way to harness the red again. This includes Dex-Starr, by the way, who looks adorable running around the imposing spaceship in his little Iron Cat outfit.
An investigation into what’s powering the ship reveals a disturbing twist, as we see what’s become of one of the other Red Lanterns, but there’s no chance to act on it, due to the arrival of Nathan, possessed by the Sorrow Spectrum and working on Starbreaker’s order to corrupt the other Lanterns. Razer is the first to fall victim, but when it comes time for Kilowog to face off against him, the massive Lantern is somehow unaffected. Between this and the Red Lanterns’ quest to get their abilities back, it’s clear that the rules of the emotional spectrum have changed massively. It’s not easy to balance a cast of this size, and there are plenty of other major characters who haven’t gotten their spotlight yet, but this is the first GL era in a long while that feels like it’s doing justice to all the huge concepts that Geoff Johns set up a decade-plus back. This and the main title are in the middle of a truly great run, it looks like.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
