Back when Relic was unleashed in Green Lantern: New Guardians #21 writer Justin Jordan introduced a new character who served as the guardian of the anomaly that encased Relic.  Now in issue twenty-seven Jordan revisits Exeter as he returns to his home to find a new calling in life.  However upon his return he finds that his people have not only changed, but changed drastically while he was away.

Jordan’s tale is another foray in the science fiction aspect of the Green Lantern mythology and with this issue he delves into the idea of how technology can go awry when manipulated by people who only have their own best interests at heart.  In a world where people can bond with technology to enhance their own mental capacities it only takes one being with an agenda to misuse the technology to further their own agenda, and in this case an alien dubbed “Warmonger” infiltrates the society intent on using Exeter’s people to help him promote war.

Justin Jordan continues to put the science fiction back in the Green Lantern universe.

Issue twenty-seven is almost an anomaly in today’s multi-issue arc storytelling by finishing up the tale in a single issue, something that I found a nice departure from what we’ve become accustomed to.  While the story is enjoyable it does however become somewhat easy to pass by for anyone who is not fully entrenched in the Green Lantern family of books because one could skip this issue and not really miss anything.   It certainly doesn’t affect my overall rating for the issue but it’s worth noting for anyone who might be on fence about picking the issue up.  There’s no reference to the mysterious comments that the Guardians make at the end of issue twenty-six nor any apparent connection to the “they” on the other side of the Source Wall.

The Kyle/Carol thing finally surfaces, sort of.

This issue pushes the Kyle/Carol topic a little further along and we get the sense that if there is anyone who feels a romantic connection it’s not Kyle, or at least he’s not acknowledging one.  I’m still not sold on the idea for a number of reasons and I’m still hoping that this is nothing more than a strong friendship that people are putting amorous intentions on it that just aren’t there.  I’m not sure how I’ll view the title if indeed Jordan takes Kyle and Carol down that path but I can image that it will affect how much I enjoy the title.

While Brad Walker provides this issue’s cover, it’s Andrei Bressan who provide the interiors and for the most part the issue looks pretty darn good other than Carol’s hair taking on a life of its own.  All is all a good issue if unremarkable in the grand scheme of things.  Three out of five lanterns.

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