Green Lantern Corps #18 – Morgan Hampton, Writer; Fernando Pasarin, Juan Jose Ryp, Will Conrad, Ig Guara, Oclair Albert, Jason Paz, Artists; Matt Herms, Lee Loughridge, Colorists
Ray – 9/10
Ray: This has been one of the most action-packed titles at DC in recent years, but there’s also been a fascinating undercurrent of character work along the way. Both Guy Gardner and John Stewart got brilliant spotlight issues that helped to establish where they’re coming from in this large-scale conflict against the Manhunters. But one character who hasn’t gotten that same spotlight is Jessica Cruz, now stepping into the role of Corps leader. It seems like an unlikely position for her, given that she’s probably the youngest of the seven main Earth Lanterns, and she seems to be letting the role harden her. As the issue opens, she wants to capture the emotional spectrum entities Guy has rounded up, hoping to use them to fend off the Manhunters. When Guy refuses, the two begin a tense stand-off – that Guy attempts to fend off by pulling her into his mind using the power of the All-Sight.
While everyone waits to see exactly what will come of this cosmic confab, Aya does her best to stop the attack from…herself. She’s been uploaded into the Corps computer mainframe, having no physical body but control over the entire system. Meanwhile, her body is being used by the Manhunters to create a giant army of Robots marching on Oa. The Corps, while back to full power, are still highly divided due to old conflicts and having trouble working together, but Jo Mullein comes up with a new tactic to help them unite – along with some amazing anime callbacks. That’s what’s made this series work so well so far – it finds a way not just to give everyone something to do, but to also give everyone strong character moments. I wasn’t sure about Jessica’s role in this series, but after this issue, I can see where Hampton is taking her for the future of the title.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes
