Comics / Comic Reviews / DC Comics

Review: Green Lanterns #19

By Philip Schweier
March 15, 2017 - 07:34

It’s a brand new story arc, as the Lanterns go up against long-time super-villain Doctor Polaris. Like Marvel’s Magneto, he is the master of magnetism in the DCU, but without the usual costume. He has one, he just hasn’t worn it in a while. So it’s no wonder that ARGUS has had a problem tracking him down. And when their arrest goes tragically wrong, that’s when they call in the Green Lanterns.

This issue serves to introduce newer readers to Doctor Polaris, providing some sense of his backstory, which is akin to that of Victor Fries. It also lays some groundwork in the personal life of GL Simon Baz, planting a seed that will most likely bear fruit in a future issue.

Speaking of fruit, a tried and true chestnut is that you can’t just a book by its cover. And in this case, that’s a good thing, because were I to find Leo Manco’s cover on my local newsstand, I would bypass it entirely. It has an over-airbrushed quality I haven’t seen since the 1970s, when my older brother was in high school and many of his classmates drove vans with such illustrations on the side.

But the inside is a different matter, as Ronan Cliquet is a master of his craft. I often lament how comic books used to be, citing such names as Gil Kane, Dick Giordano and Jose Luis Garcia Lopez. Cliquet has clearly drunk from the same artistic waters, delivering extraordinary illustrations that any artist would be proud of, and most artists are envious.

And Blond deserves equal credit, for his work on a franchise dependent on digital coloring and elevating it to digital painting. If you don’t believe me, check out the last page.

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12