Comics / Comic Reviews / DC Comics

Green Lantern #17

By Geoff Hoppe
March 22, 2007 - 17:30

 

James Carville gloats over the fallen body of Senator Frist.

Green Lantern hearkens back to the halcyon days of comic books, before storylines were jerry-rigged so they’d fit neatly in a trade paperback. This was back when a hearty team of underpaid creators would crank out blissfully unrelated monthly yarns featuring the hero. They may not always have been high quality, but there’s something deliciously unique about comic book issues that move about, independently of one another, with those little boxes that read “SEE ISS #432!” as the lone references linking issue to issue. And you know what? The storylines still fit together. Big events still happened, even without the secrecy and the micro-management.

 

Nowadays, of course, comics are a far slicker medium. “Fan favorite” (God I hate that phrase) writers and pencilers get booked far in advance, like corporate schedules, or arranged marriages. Thank goodness DC’s Green Lantern breaks the mold and refers back to the good ol’ days.

 

In Green Lantern #17, Amon Sur unearths his father’s grave and gets an unexpected surprise, courtesy of the Sinestro Corps…

 

Geoff Johns, who I secretly suspect is a DC-designed clone of Brian Michael Bendis, is second to none in his love of the DC universe. He understands the characters remarkably well (save Batman), and there’s no hero he’s more in touch with than Hal Jordan. Issue 17 gives Johns the chance to tie up one plotline, lead into another, and provide the same satisfying dose of action he usually does.

 

Ivan Reis is a perfect fit to interpret the mythos of the Green Lanterns. His realistic, technique-before-style approach conveys the hopeful, heroic tone that a GL title should have, particularly one with Hal Jordan.

 

Worth the money? Yes, especially if you’ve been following the current arc.

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12