Blog

War of the Green Lanterns took a heavy toll on the already fragile psyche of the Green Lantern Corps and its Guardians. The embracing of emotions has always been a sore spot for the Corps, and when Krona decided to exploit this whole ideal and use it against them, the Guardians and Corps were taken by surprise and had little defense against the usage of emotion. In Aftermath, Tony Bedard and co. explore the fallout of the civil war, with some surprising results.

War of the Green Lanterns: Aftermath #2

Writer: Tony Bedard
Artists: Ransom Getty and Andy Smith
Colors: Rain Beredo
Cover: Tom Fleming
Publisher: DC Comics

While one of the best things about Green Lantern over the last couple of years has been its suspense, it is also one of the most frustrating. Johns, Bedard, and Tomasi have created some of the most memorable moments over the past few years, and have always kept readers waiting and hungry for more. Aftermath, while tying up some loose ends, has also set the stage for many questions. With DC’s new 52 relaunch, though, it is easy to see why Aftermath has left us like this. Four Green Lantern titles will be launched in September, and Aftermath has set the stage for them all.

During Aftermath, there were a few different story lines to follow. John Stewart, after having killed Mogo, is now the black sheep of the Corps. Many have questioned his reasoning for killing Mogo, but what really raises the ire of the Corps is the fact that he has no remorse for having done so. No one but Stewart understands that what he did was for the greater good of the Corps. With Lantern Stewart in the coming Green Lantern Corps title, it will be interesting to see how the future of Stewart plays out, and if the other Lanterns will ever forgive him. Stewart isn’t the only Lantern living in unrest, however. Rayner and Natu, who have tried to carry on a relationship, have also seen that fall apart. Kyle has been ordered by the Guardians to go back and protect Earth, and this will lead us into the new title, Green Lantern: New Guardians, which involves a representative from each of the colored Corps.

Sinestro has yet to be dealt with, because frankly, the Guardians just don’t know what to do with him. It is a mystery to all as to why he was given a ring, and the Guardians are at a loss as to how to deal with this. Sinestro now has a target on his back for the entire Green Lantern Corps, and his old buddies in the Sinestro Corps. This is a great lead in to the new Green Lantern title coming in September, which stars Sinestro. Ganthet and the Guardians have always had an awkward relationship. Ganthet embraces emotion while the other Guardians ignore it. The Guardians mean to deal with Ganthet, but how this plays out is a pretty big mystery to all. Another mystery is Hal, who was missing this entire issue, but we can be sure he will be popping up somewhere in the near future.

Ransom Getty and Andy Smith did a great job representing the various Lanterns throughout this entire issue. It is hard to imagine it would be easy to draw so many characters; include the fact that so many are aliens, and you have quite the task ahead of you. Getty and Smith get through it without missing a beat, showing a wide range of old Lanterns and new ones. They did a great job with the ring constructs, making them unique to each ring bearer. Rain Beredo, the colorist, also did a bang up job of making everything not so green, on a planet where green reigns supreme. It would also be remiss not to mention Tom Fleming’s gorgeous cover, which has a great cosmic background as well as a nice rendition of the Lantern.

Tony Bedard, who has only been put on GL duty fairly recently, has really taken to writing these characters. He knows exactly how to handle each character, for all of their various personalities. Even though these are all pretty detailed personalities with a lot of history, it is easy to write some of the characters that aren’t in focus pretty blandly. Bedard takes all the characters, from top to bottom, and handles them with ease. No character was dull, and many were used in the right roles. It was especially fun to read about Gardner and Kilowog, who for once were not in the thick of things, but were used well to make some side commentary that kept the story fun and moving well.

There is a pretty exciting future for GL fans on the horizon, and Aftermath does a great job of setting this up. Bedard, Getty, and Smith didn’t miss a beat by showing off their skills at displaying each individual GL well and with a lot of personality, which some teams in the past haven’t done as well. It is a pretty interesting time for DC Comics readers, but with Aftermath having set a great tone for each of the four titles coming in September, it is easy to have faith that “All Will Be Well” for the Green Lantern corner of things.

Mike Parente
mike@comicattack.net