Absolute Green Lantern #16 – Al Ewing, Writer; Sid Kotian, Artist; Pressy, Colorist
Ray – 10/10
Ray: Al Ewing continues to take us deeper and deeper into cosmic horror as the war for the spectrum builds, both on Earth and deep into space. One of the things I love about the Absolute Universe is that no one is safe, and things can happen fast. As this issue opens, Agents Cameron Chase and Simon Baz are on the trail of a traitor in the DEO who has been secretly working with Hector Hammond, and things go very wrong for someone. It happened so abruptly that I was almost left staring for a bit, and this showdown doesn’t end cleanly or with answers. And deep in space, Jo Mullein is still locked in battle with Tomar-Re, who she’s captured, but that doesn’t resolve the bigger problem – an army of Darkstars, dismantling her allies piece by piece, and they’re just the prelude to a much bigger threat. Because Mogo is coming, the ultimate Blackstar, and he stops for no one.
Things have evolved a lot since Jo first got the power of the Green Lantern, with each of her friends – including some we thought were dead – getting a color that reflects them in some unexpected way. Some are quickly adapting to their powers, while others are almost paralyzed by the implications. And all the while, the Darkstars keep coming – and one segment shows that if one falters, something far more powerful and ruthless is waiting for them. In all of that, I was glad Ewing took time to do a segment of everyone back in Evergreen, making sure to keep these cosmic heroes grounded in some real-world stories as well. But at the end of the issue, he throws me for a loop again, as we get our first appearance of one of the major GL characters who hasn’t appeared yet. It almost seems like a ray of hope – and then the story upends everything in one last cliffhanger that drives home just why this book is so good.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes
