Green Lantern Corps #17 – Morgan Hampton, Writer; Fernando Pasarin, Penciller; Oclair Albert, Inker; Arif Prianto, Colorist
Ray – 10/10
Ray: One thing that’s really been impressing me recently at DC is how much creators are willing to play with format to tell the best story possible – and in this issue, it works out to create one of the best Green Lantern issues since the heyday of Geoff Johns. Similar to how past issues have focused on John Stewart, this one pulls in tight on Guy Gardner, and Hamtpon and Pasarin manage to give our favorite palooka from Baltimore a double-sized spotlight in a standard sized issue. That’s because around 90% of this issue is read lengthwise, turning each single page into a double-sized spread. As the issue opens, Guy Gardner is decompressing from the disaster of the last issue, and trying to figure out his next move. This sets off many of his worst self-loathing issues, trending back to the abuse he suffered from his father as a boy. This issue actually contains a trigger warning for its depictions of child abuse.
It doesn’t feel gratuitous, though – it feels like it informs everything that happens, as Guy’s personal vision quest for the emotional spectrum entities leads him to a black hole where he faces off against the one enemy he can’t bluff his way out of a showdown with – himself. Specifically, a much older version of himself as the Allsight who has been trapped in this loop for eons, evolving into a slightly mad zen master. He’s determined to force Guy out of his comfort zone and teach him some lessons about how to master his new abilities – whether he wants them or not. But along with some incredibly powerful scenes that show Hampton has a better handle on Guy than any writer in decades, there are also some amazing surprises featuring a character that hasn’t been seen in a major role in years. Some huge status quo changes as well as a fantastic stand-alone story for the most misunderstood Green Lantern.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes
