8/20/2011
The final issue of Green Lantern Corps before the big relaunch in September found its way to store shelves this week. While most of the Green Lantern titles this month have not exactly been the best efforts we've seen from the Green Lantern creative team, I'm hoping that at least this issue and issue thirteen of Emerald Warriors coming out next week will allow one of DC's best selling franchises to end on a high note. So without any further delay let's examine Green Lantern Corps #63.
The Story -
On Oa everyone is still recovering from the aftereffects of the "War of the Green Lanterns" and no one is more affected by recent events that Boodikka. The once proud warrior from Bellatrix has always had issues with balancing her heritage with the ideals of the Corps, but her oath to the Green Lanterns won out and she submitted herself to the rigors of being transformed into an Alpha Lantern at the request of the Guardians.
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| Boodikka faces an uncertain future |
Since then her sacrifices have led her to further compromise, having been compromised by the Cyborg Superman in recent months and now her recent defeat during the war has brought her to a new low. She lashes out in anger over how far she's fallen and our narrator, Counsellor Meadlux, wonders what Boodikka will do moving forward.
Meanwhile Salaak discovers that G'Hu and Voz are not at their stations monitoring the prisoners being held in the Sciencells. The two AWOL lanterns are on their way to visit Ry"jll, fed up with the notion that Sinestro whom they once guarded is now one of their equals. Ry'jll, a being for whom violence is as alien to her as her appearance is to us, is having difficulty accepting her actions during the war while under the control of Krona and Parallax. The images haunt Ry'jll and the visit by G'Hu and Voz only serve to push Ry'jll over the edge.
Salaak finds the two and admonishes them for leaving their post despite their disapproval of the Guardian's, reminding them that their duty and oath has little to do with liking the Guardians and more with their role in defending those who cannot protect themselves.
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| Ry'jll's torment |
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| Tomar nearly gets a broken beak as a reward for his civility |
Kyle Rayner is having his own issues being liked by his fellow Corpsmen as Turytt confronts him in the cafeteria and stirs up the anti-human feelings that have been brewing under the surface since the Corps reformed after Green Lantern: Rebirth. A fight breaks out and only Tomar-Tu comes to the human's defense, calling the Alpha Lanterns to the mess hall to deal with the growing uprising. Tomar gets Kyle transported out of the situation and is about to get pummeled for his chivalry when the Guardians speak to the entire Corps.
A planet is in dire need of help and all the lanterns are called to duty to provide assistance, a crisis that conveniently creates the opportunity to disrupt the situation in the mess hall, give Boodikka the chance to prove herself, and G'Hu and Voz the moment to show that they do indeed believe in the bigger goals of the Corps. The issue closes with all the Green Lanterns leaving Oa, illustrating why the Corps represents the ideal of serving the greater good despite differences of opinion and losses that this service brings with it.
A planet is in dire need of help and all the lanterns are called to duty to provide assistance, a crisis that conveniently creates the opportunity to disrupt the situation in the mess hall, give Boodikka the chance to prove herself, and G'Hu and Voz the moment to show that they do indeed believe in the bigger goals of the Corps. The issue closes with all the Green Lanterns leaving Oa, illustrating why the Corps represents the ideal of serving the greater good despite differences of opinion and losses that this service brings with it.
The Writing -
Scott Kolins wrote this issue and on the surface it's a fitting end to the title for its run in the "old" DC Universe even though there's some points that seem far too convenient - like a planetary crisis that comes at just the opportune moment and the notion that it would take every Green Lantern on Oa to deal with a planetary situation that normally a handful of Corpsmen would handle. But Kolins does a good job with each character, getting their voice right for the situation they are in.
Perhaps the one thing I have the most issue with is trying to rectify this with War of the Green Lanterns: Aftermath #2 that came out two weeks agao and how that issue dealt with the some of these very same issues, moving everyone but the Alphas and the Honor Guard off Oa and Kyle back to Earth. Issue 62 let us know that it came before the conclusion of the Aftermath mini, but there's no such notation here, so as a reader I'm left puzzled as to how this issue fits into recent events.
The Art -
This issue has a number of art teams in it, with each chapter assigned to someone different. Joe Prado, Scott Kolins, Freddie Williams III, Daniel Hda each get a handful of pages. The differing art styles are a bit of a distraction in my opinion and I also wonder why the decision was made to have four artists each tackle four or five pages of a normal sized issue let alone include chapter headers that make a point of driving home the notion that we have so many artists.
What Do I Think?
If you can't tell my most of the reviews I've had for this last month before the relaunch, I'm of the opinion that the Green Lantern family of titles has not had a very good month. This issue has good moments but despite my enthusiasm for everything Green Lantern I can't overlook my feeling that so much effort is being put into the relaunch and the series that are truly ending that DC has taken their eyes off of one of their most successful franchises. This issue reinforces my opinion that the Aftermath miniseries should have been played out in greater detail in the regular Green Lantern titles for this month rather than separating it and putting out several issues like those we've seen of late that appear to be filler or don't seamlessly dovetail with each other. Three out five lanterns.
