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.