The
past several issues have featured the GL Honor Guard – John Stewart, Hal
Jordan, Kyle Rayner and Guy Gardner – recruiting an odd assortment of soldiers
in their war against the Darkstars. FINALLY, we see them go into action.
Killowog leads the bulk of the GL Corps against the bulk of the Darkstars, led
by former Green Lantern Tomar Tu, while the four and their recruits infiltrate
the Darkstar base.
It’s all-out
action as the scenes bounce back and forth from one battle to another, with
seemingly equal amounts of gaining ground on one end while losing it on the
other, then back again. It’s satisfying to see the action cranked up a notch,
and to see the beginning of John Stewart’s plan come to fruition.
However,
very little happens. Lots of beat-downs on both sides, lots of witty dialogue
as the various foes posture and trash talk one another. But let’s be honest:
does one expect insightful and thought provoking writing when the scenario is
one big battle? One should not, and I am perfectly fine with that.
The chapter
is entitled, “Last Charge, Part One.” But in the overall Darkstar storyline,
it’s chapter seven. And I’m picking nits here, I admit, but I have a problem
with this thinking. No doubt the previous six chapters will form one trade
paperback, and this will be the first chapter in a follow-up. But what good is
re-publishing in TPB form if the ENTIRE story is still broken into multiple
volumes? I see nothing wrong with publishing an 8-chapter TPB, or a 10-chapter.
I wish comic
book publishers would stop crafting stories geared toward the six-chapter TPB
format. I would expect it to be creatively restricting, and hinders the writer
from telling a good story. For me as an end-user, I care less about the “ideal
packing to meet marketing needs” and more about being entertained by a
compelling narrative.
Rating:
4/10