“I’m ALL about delicate”
With two more members of the Green Lantern Corps dead the universe is about to collapse in around those who remain and it will take everything the ring slingers have to survive….if they have any chance at all. With this week’s Green Lantern Corps: Edge of Oblivion #3 the tension between Kilowog and Guy Gardner boils over as Gardner holds Kilowog responsible for the loss of their comrades and friends. Fortunately cooler heads prevail and by the end of the issue the Corps have formed a three pronged plan to look for a way out, protect the citizens of Perduron and take the battle to Marniel.
The issue starts out with flashback to Iolande’s youth where we see the young princess learn about leadership and the need to set an example for those who look up to you. We see the lesson played out as present day Iolande motivates her fellow lanterns to press on towards the light of Mogo as exhaustion plagues their journey. Meanwhile on Perduron John Stewart echoes the need to similarly put aside personal challenges for the greater good when Guy Gardner and Kilowog’s frustrations have brought them to blows. Through both sequences writer Tom Taylor makes this story personal for the Corps and effectively shows the Green Lanterns rising above to serve the greater good. If these are the final days of the Corps then they will not go down being anything less than the heroes they are.
Taylor continues to make sure that the spotlight never shines too long on one character and I appreciate his efforts at making this a true team book. Granted it seems that Guy Gardner might be getting a little more than his fair share of panel time but it doesn’t feel like he’s the “star” of the book at the expense of the rest of the Corps. Taylor continues to give time for the voices of many of the ensemble cast to be heard which is great for readers who’s favorites are often time little more than window dressing.
Through John Stewart we learn that there are literally only days left for the Green Lanterns to find a way to survive the death of the universe they find themselves in and if these are to be their final days they are going to spend them looking for a way out. With the Corps split Guy Gardner leads a team to find Marniel and bring her to justice. Of course things don’t go as planned and the issue ends with the tables being turned on the squad.
There’s something amiss with the Marniel situation that I haven’t been able to figure out yet. I have this gut feeling that Ausras and Dismas aren’t being completely honest with the Green Lanterns and this issue Ausras’ seems to lead Guy Gardner to the conclusion that he must destroy Marniel which set off little alarm bells in the back of my head. I feel as though Ausras set Guy up for defeat and that there is an agenda at play that has yet to be revealed.
I can’t talk about this issue without commenting on Ethan Van Sciver’s contributions and lamenting the fact that he is leaving the series with this issue. Van Sciver has been on a mission to show DC he can handle a monthly book and he’s succeeded in that endeavor. But unfortunately DC is pulling him off this book to focus squarely on DC’s Rebirth initiative and I know I’m not the only that hopes to hear his name connected with the Green Lantern universe when creative team announcements are made on March 25th. The art is a high point for this series and hopefully whoever picks up the art chores for the second half will live up to the expectations that Van Sciver has created on the book.
Green Lantern Corps: Edge of Oblivion #3 shifts into a higher gear as the Green Lantern Corps set about to what may be their final mission. With tempers flaring and the universe literally about the fall down around them the Green Lantern set out to find salvation for themselves and the inhabitants of Perduron. However the initial confrontation with the series antagonist doesn’t go as planned, leaving several members of the Corps in a very bad situation. Eight out of ten lanterns.
