Absolute Green Lantern #6 – Al Ewing, Writer; Jahnoy Lindsay, Artist
Ray – 10/10
Ray: While the entire Absolute line has been fantastic so far, this issue has been the one that’s kept us the most at arm’s length, with a wide-scale plot and less context for its main characters. That continues as this issue starts – but pulls things together in a remarkable way at the end. We kick off with our introduction to Cameron Chase, a tough-as-nails federal agent who is pissed at being forced off the Green Lantern case by Hector Hammond, refuses a transfer, insults her boss, and gets placed on leave. We then cut to a cosmic void, as a now God-like John Stewart explains what Abin Sur was doing here – and we find out that many of the characters we thought were dead actually aren’t, and they’ve all been selected for a unique purpose. This is a great example of how concepts that seem natural to aliens may seem like cosmic horror to us – but it doesn’t change the fact that Hal Jordan has a living shadow slowly consuming him and anything he touches.
I assumed Hal was being set up as the main villain of this series, but it no longer seems that way. Instead, he seems terrified by everything that’s happening, and Jo risks everything to cure him of his affliction. What that means for either of them going forward, I’m not sure, but it seems like Earth is just in the beginning of assembling an all-star team of new Lanterns – many of which reflect colors they’ve never held in the main continuity. Hector Hammond so far seems like a complex villain, purely antagonistic but highly pragmatic and in conflict with several of the other main villains from the Absolute line. As the battle moves to a new setting next issue, a setting that’s pretty iconic in Green Lantern lore, we get some huge reveals about the overarching villain of this story, including a terrifying visual – and a great final twist about two characters that I did not see coming. Another huge win for this line.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes
