When writer Peter Tomasi compared the new volume of Green Lantern Corps to Call of Duty he wasn’t kidding. This issue takes our team out of the frying pan and puts them squarely into the fire as all hell breaks loose and provides some jaw dropping moments as we begin to learn more about the antagonists to this story and what they are trying to achieve, beings that Tomasi recently referred to as “The Keepers”.

Our team of Green Lanterns is stunned by the attack on Nerros and the slaughter of the inhabitants of this peaceful water world.  As Guy, John, Sheriff, Isamot Kol, Hannu, Vandor and Brik notice the missing fingers from their fallen Corpsmen, they at first think that their rings had been stolen, but Salaak assures them that the rings are seeking successors.  As the seven Green Lanterns wonder about the rationale behind the attack and take care of their dead comrades, an identical disturbance to the one that devastated Nerros is detected on another planet in the sector.  Vowing justice for all of the fallen the team leave the dead world behind to find the attackers.

On an unnamed world our killer presents the severed digits to his leader as we learn that something is about to arrive.  Turning to face a barren world the skeletal mouth of the leader seems to smile as a portal opens up filling a void with the water that was taken from Nerros.  There are several lanterns which glow green, much like the emotionless, mechanical orbs that constitute the eyes of the mysterious figure, who orders his underling to address a problem on the planet Xabas.

On Xabas the the team of Green Lanterns have arrived in time to see the portal sucking in trees and the planet’s inhabitants.  As they try to save the people they connect the dots that whoever is behind this is trying to steal natural resources.  The power of the portal is too strong for their constructs and the matter is made much more complicated with the arrival of what looks like space ninjas brandishing swords which look like their are made from the energy of will.  

The legion of attackers have a distinct advantage over the seven Green Lanterns because they not only severely outnumber the team they also appear to be immune to the team’s rings and constructs.  Isamot Kol, forever the sacrificing warrior, goes to blow the portal up using John’s thought that an explosion was the only way to seal the vortex and instructs his ring to detonate the energy shield covering the portal when he makes contact.  

The Thanagarian’s gambit works and the portal shuts down just as two the attackers reach John and Guy and clamp their hands down on the Green Lantern’s ring hands, telling the two Humans that “Your will is our will, Lanterns.”  Not to be shut down, the two veteran ring slingers psych themselves up by reciting the oath and blow the two attackers threw the air before taking it to their foes once again as they realize that the key is to have more willpower so they can overcome their enemies.

Meanwhile we find that Isamot Kol did not die in the explosion, instead appearing in the worst place possible, on the other side of the portal and surrounded by darkness…but not alone.  On Xabas the Green Lantern’s have triumphed over their adversaries and their interrogation leads to the revelation that it wasn’t the forestation that was the target, but the people of Xabas that was the goal due to their ability to create a breathable atmosphere from the chemicals they exhale.  We also come to understand that Xabas was the final planet needed to complete their mission and that their is bad blood between them and the Green Lantern Corps, something that must go back to the mysterious past of the Corps which we continue to learn was far more than we’d been led to understand.

Just as the Corpsmen are about to transport their attackers to Oa, the portal reappears and Isamot Kol emerges, falling to the feet of his comrades.  The appearance of Kol, completely limbless, is a shock to everyone, us included, but the Thanagarian alerts them to the greater problem which ends the issue, the emergence of hundreds of new attackers intent on finishing their mission.

What more can I say other than Pete Tomasi once again delivers an action packed story that keeps the pages turning until you reach the end and lamenting the four week wait for the next issue?  This issue is a great page turner complete with enough revelations about our new enemies to keep us curious and enough plot and character progression to keep the pace moving.  And the shocking state of Isamot Kol was a jaw dropper for certain!  

We’ve seen Isamot in a similar situation after Blackest Night, Green Lantern Corps #47 specifically.  In that issue we saw the surface dweller of Thanagar donate his legs to his partner, Rannian Vath Sarn, after he lost his during a Black Lantern attack.  At the time Isamot Kol was unsure if he could regenerate his legs but we’ve not seen him try to recover from this dramatic of a turn, and the situation certainly looks dire for him considering how outnumbered his six comrades are going to be when the action picks up again with issue 3.

Tomasi has also done a great job in creating yet another new layer to the Green Lantern mythology for us old timers who’ve felt like we’ve seen it all and I really appreciate how the creative teams have gone to great lengths to add more to what we know about the Green Lantern universe without necessarily erasing anything important to the lore that we are so fond of.

The Art – 

I’ve been critical of Fernando Pasarin in the past, but I have to say that any qualms I’ve had with the quality of his work have been put to rest with these first two issues.  I only hope that my new found faith in his work isn’t the result of having a lot of lead time that will catch up with him down the road.  I also have to praise the rest of the art team, Inker Scott Hanna, Colorist Gabe Eltaeb and Letterer Pat Brosseau for doing a great job of helping to convey the sense of emotion and frantic energy that Pete Tomasi’s script demanded.

Green Lantern Corps continues to be a fantastic book with Pete Tomasi at the helm.  Like the main Green Lantern title I finish each issue wishing it were longer and dreading the wait until we get the next chapter.  In my mind both these titles are the cream of the crop of DC’s cosmic titles and my two favorite books overall, just above Batman, Batgirl and Aquaman.  Four out of five lanterns.

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