Absolute Green Lantern #15 – Al Ewing, Writer; Sid Kotian, Artist; Pressy, Colorist
Ray – 10/10
Ray: The scope and scale of this series grows with every issue, and this one may top itself. The biggest threat facing Jo and her fellow Lanterns has emerged in the form of the Darkstars, a band of corrupted Lanterns dedicated to order and subjugation. They include famous faces like Soranik Natu, Salaak – and of course, Mogo, here a tyrant planet that is slowly making its way towards the battlefield. Along the way, Jo’s companions start to learn more about their new powers. John Stewart discovers that his seeming omniscience may come with a massive drawback, while Guy starts to draw on the Red Lantern power for the first time, and proves that he’s just as unstable as his main-universe counterpart with the effects that follow. Meanwhile, Jo is locked in battle with a wild card – Tomar-Re, the other Red Lantern, who wants to destroy the Darkstars by any means necessary.
This leads to one of the most inventive visual scenes of the entire series, as Tomar-Re attempts to break Jo down using his power. While Jo is incredibly powerful, she’s new to her abilities, while Tomar-Re has been able to hone his skills over years. He first attempts to trap her in a cage, and then turns that cage into a stunning array of neon red maze walls that are as dizzying for us as they are for Jo. But there’s a very clever twist to this issue that shows exactly how Jo is able to turn the tables and get the upper hand. However, by the end of this story, we’re left questioning if he’s actually the villain – or a lesser evil for the threat that’s coming. The last few pages give us our first clear look at a pair of threats that dial up the intensity in a big way. Green Lantern is always at its best when it’s a cosmic epic, and no creator on the title has thought this big since the heyday of Geoff Johns.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes
