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Green Lantern #52

Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Geoff Johns
Artist(s): Doug Mahnke and Christian Alamy
Cover: Doug Mahnke, Christian Alamy, and Randy Mayor

*****SPOILERS AHEAD******SPOILERS AHEAD******

With the release of Blackest Night #8 next week, you can be sure that Green Lantern #52 is going to be full of surprises and action. I must say, that this issue delivered everything and then some.

For a quick re-cap for those crazy enough to not be reading this, there are a few points we are following. First, we have John Stewart leading a group of different colored Corpsmen attempting to stop the planet Xanshi and a horde of Black Lanterns coming toward Earth. Then, we have Hal Jordan, Atrocitus, Saint-Walker, Indigo-1, Carol Ferris, and Larfleeze (who isn’t shown this issue) battling Nekron with very little success. Lastly, we have Sin— well, we will get to that in a sec.

John’s group is tasked with stopping Xanshi and the insane horde heading for Earth. Throughout the issue, John and Hal are in constant communication, letting each other know what is going on. John also has some interesting interactions with Fatality, letting the readers know that he has come to terms with the deaths of the Xanshians, and only intends on stopping it from tearing Earth apart.

Hal seems slightly defeated in his battle against Nekron. None of his plans have worked, even though he is fighting alongside some of the strongest members of the other corps. This may be in part to his constant defeats, or the fact that…. SINESTRO IS THE WHITE LANTERN!!!!

Once readers come to terms with this, and actually absorb this fact, you can truly enjoy the rest of the issue. Sinestro reveals the origins of Life, Willpower, Hope, Avarice, Fear, Love, Rage, and Compassion, all culminating in a beautiful splash page revealing what all of the avatars of emotions look like. Nekron strikes first, splitting Sinestro in two, but this seems to be a futile attack, as Sinestro reforms a few pages later.

The interesting part about this book is that I think not everyone fully trusts Sinestro the White Lantern. The Guardians had to have hid the power of Life on Earth for a reason, and even though the battle is turning in favor of the good side, not everyone is reacting with as much joy as you would think. There is a little hesitation behind the revelation of the White Light, and Sinestro being its bearer.

Geoff Johns not only knows how to craft a beautiful event, but consistently adds teasers and spoils along the way. Readers are constantly engaged, and there can be very few complaints about this story. I know that I certainly cannot think of any. I really appreciated the teamwork of Hal and John, and am constantly amazed at how the willpower of the Green Lanterns manages to keep all warriors of the emotional spectrum on the same side.

On top of the amazing storytelling, Doug Mahnke’s pencils only add to the amazing experience. The details of the characters in the foreground were amazing. The only minor complaint I have (and this is me being picky) is that some of the characters in the background looked really bland. I especially enjoyed the coloring, courtesy of Randy Mayor, Gabe Eltaeb, and Carrie Strachan, which really made some scenes “pop.”

Green Lantern is constantly on the top of my reading list, and it is because of issues like this. The whole team involved in this book really works well together to produce a top-notch read. The whole landscape of the Green Lantern history has been shaped into one of the most enjoyable reads around. If any of you have not read this yet, I definitely suggest getting to your LCS and picking this up.

Rating: 4.8/5

Mike Parente
mike@comicattack.net