Fanboys Anonymous

Rob Vinditti had big shoes to fill following Geoff Johns’ historic run on Green Lantern. It’s understandable that making his mark on the Lantern Universe would require him to take the character in a new direction. This was, after all, the very attitude that built the rich universe established during Johns' tenure.  Following the finale to the Lights Out event, Green Lantern 25 strongly establishes the new direction the story will be taking. Unfortunately, the colorful world of the Green Lantern Corps is quickly steering towards shades of gray.



The issue kicks off almost immediately after the last panel of Green Lantern Annual #2 as the corps debates the validity of continuing to use the emotional spectrum now that they've learned its finite. Venditti does a nice job accounting for plot holes and quickly explains that the spectrum is being drained much more quickly because of the record number of corps. He also hints at a power struggle looming now that the Blue Lanterns, the only ones friendly to the GLC, are gone. I think a lantern cold war could have been fun, but with the blues already out of the picture it seems the odds are already stacked heavily against the Green Lanterns. This leads Hal Jordan to make a directive that seems to be the shaping factor of the issues to come, he names the GLC a lantern police state.

Police state can be a strong phrase, especially a political climate that’s riddled with news concerning privacy, but I believe the comparison is reasonable. Hal declares that he and the GLC will now be overseeing the use of all light usage, admitting the hypocrisy of using light to stop light from being. I respect the move as its reminiscent of early Johns’ Gl in which the lack of trust the corps had in the shady work of the Guardians greatly mirrored public dissatisfaction with the government. This one, however, just seems to be an excuse to continue the tension between the various corpses. Worse yet, this is all done with almost no mention of Kyle. The only White Lantern, who harnessed the power of life itself, is dead. No memorial, no statue, no thought really paid whatsoever. Just because we know he's alive doesn't mean his "death" shouldn't rock the corps.

The story then moves past the complicated GL home world and jumps back to Green Lantern’s roots with some good ol' universe policing. The end result, however, is Hal, rather callously, tricking Kilowag, who is immune to the Star Sapphires since his entire family is dead, into helping him take down Star Sapphire Nol-Anj. While the policing bit was nice, this ultimately felt like territory that's been treaded. Once again, the various lanterns will fight over a disagreement on how to be lanterns.

This issue took a bold step in declaring a clear direction for the Green Lantern Corps, although it seemed to undo much of the progress this universe has seen along the way. Some characters even implied they may simply police their sector without their rings aka the thing that makes them distinctive characters and pertinent to the mythos. As with any changes to an enjoyed mythos, I believe the short comings may best be described as growing pains while the book searches for a comfortable statue quo. What do you think of the new direction? Let us know in the comments section below.