Green Lantern Corps issue nineteen brings Mogo back into the fold, and while the planet sized member of the Corps isn’t usually one to socialize this time he’s invited the whole Corps over for party games.  Everyone that is except for the missing Salaak whom no one seems to notice is absent.  The issue isn’t much on dialogue, but what it lacks in narrative it more than makes up for with action and a rousing conclusion.

Having played around with John Stewart, Guy Gardner and Fatality it appears that Volthoom is about to starting meddling around with the rest of the Green Lantern Corps, but the recently reconstituted Mogo has other plans and makes a stand against the First Lantern.  Mogo wraps his fellow lanterns in pieces of his  willpower infused outer core, effectively cutting them off from Volthoom’s tampering before transporting them from Oa to a central location on his surface.

Volthoom is apparently none too pleased with Mogo’s act of defiance and he seemingly lands on Mogo’s surface before sending constructs of the lanterns in various incarnations of the differing Corps to destroy what little resistance remains.  Across the surface of Mogo the enormous battle rages until suddenly the constructs appear to freeze in place.  Mogo announces that the First Lantern’s arrival and attack was an exercise designed to improve morale and remind the Corps just what they are capable of.  The issues ends with a rousing image of the Green Lantern Corps citing the oath in unison.

While not much seems to be going on in this issue to move the overall story along this issue does what is necessary to position the Corps so they can be ready for an assault on the First Lantern in the title’s last issue of the story.  It also serves to put Mogo back into play in a very big way, allowing for him to play a greater role not only in what’s coming up next month but for the new creative team.  Tomasi makes a bold decision to keep the exposition light and allows Fernando Pasarin to instead bring the script to life through his pencils.  

Pasarin takes the ball that Peter Tomasi handed him and really runs with it.  There’s a great attention to detail and I’m glad to see him show many members of the Green Lantern Corps that have been out of action for a while and remind us that they are still here.  Arisia and Soranik Natu in particular are characters who I don’t think we’ve seen since before Flashpoint and I’m really happy to see them in action.  

Pasarin does an excellent job showcasing the frantic pace of the battle and the lack of dialogue during the massive fight underscores that the pace of the fight is too great for words to be exchanged, yet the Corps functions as a complete unit needing only to focus their wills as one.  

Green Lantern Corps #19 reads pretty fast due to the decision to let the action do the talking, something that many have complained as the missing element for the Wrath of the First Lantern story.  Fernando Pasarin carries the weight of an issue which prepares the Green Lantern Corps for the final act in Peter Tomasi’s run.  Four out of five lanterns.

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