Green Lantern Corps #60 Review
- Details
- Published on Friday, 27 May 2011 03:22
- Written by Kevin
This past week’s Green Lantern #66 turned in another average issue. I did enjoy the Sinestro scenes but, outside of that, it was nothing different from the previous three issues. With how strong War of the Green Lanterns started out I still hold out hope that things can turn around now that there are only three issues left in this crossover event. Hopefully, Tony Bedard can right the ship with Green Lantern Corps #60 as we head closer to the end. Let’s find out.
Creative Team
Writer: Tony Bedard
Artist: Tyler Kirkham
Inker: Batt
Colorists: Rod Reis and Nei Ruffino
Story Rating: 7 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 7.5 Night Girls out of 10
Synopsis: Using the Indigo ring, John and Kyle make it to Mogo, who is continuously producing more Green Lantern rings. The two of them make it inside Mogo and head towards its core. Mogo tries to distract John with an image of Katma Tui but he does not fall for it.
Suddenly, both John and Kyle are attacked by other Green Lantern Corps members. Knowing they cannot defeat all the of the GLC by themselves, Kyle uses his Blue Lantern ring to create a distraction and they speed off to Mogo’s core.
Once they reach his core they begin their attack but none of their attacks work. Mogo feeling what is going releases the Black Lanterns it absorbed during Blackest Night to attack John and Kyle. Outnumbered John decides to use his Indigo Lantern ring to absorb all of the Black Lanterns into his body.
By absorbing all of the Black Lanterns John transforms into a Black Lantern/Indigo Lantern hybrid. John uses all of the power he has gained to transport himself and Kyle out of Mogo. He then channels all of the power into one big shot through a sniper gun construct and fires it directly into Mogo’s core and blowing up the sentient planet in the process. End of issue.
Commentary
The Good: Now this is what I am talking about. Green Lantern Corps #60 did take some time to get going but once the issue reached the halfway point it just kept moving like a freight train that wouldn’t stop. Tony Berdard nailed the urgency that had been missing from this storyline with the mission John and Kyle were on.
One thing that caused me to drop this title after the first story arc was the lack of chemistry between the two leads, John and Kyle. One of the big reasons why Green Lantern Corps became the best Green Lantern title post-Sinestro Corps War was the great chemistry that Peter Tomasi was able to build with Guy and Kyle. For all their differences, as reader you understood why those guys would work together.
I did not get that from John and Kyle. Their interactions up to this point have been rather bland up till this issue. It made Kyle’s decision to follow John in previous issues feel as though the writers were forcing the characters to work together instead of it being because it was Kyle’s choice.
But in this issue, Bedard finally gave the characters some chemistry as they battled their way towards Mogo’s core. The interaction between the two was the first time we saw how the rings were affecting them as the Indigo and Blue Lantern rings tweaked their personalities. Bedard smartly used the different effects the rings have on the wearer as a way to firmly display each characters personality and how they actually balance one another out.
Speaking of personality, this was the first time that John actually showed some. With his character's stoic personality, I have always found him to be the least interesting of the four Green Lanterns. Bedard did a great job showing the reader what sets John apart from his fellow Earth Green Lanterns is that he will do whatever it takes to get the job done. No matter how heavily the decision may weigh on him in the future John will be the one who would take the killing shot. He will not hesitate in what he has to do in the present.
By having the character not waver in his decision to kill Mogo, it gave Bedard the opportunity to give John some badass scenes. Seeing the character’s ability to absorb all of the Black Lanterns in order to become a Black Lantern/Indigo Lantern hybrid was a fantastic visual. The way Bedard wrote John throughout the issue reminded me of how John was portrayed in the Justice League cartoon.
Mogo’s death also delivers a great way to kill off a big character that is not one of the main Green Lanterns that the reader follows. Mogo has been a lynch pin of the Green Lantern Corps but only makes rare appearances. With Mogo’s death it presents all the Green Lantern writers a lot of potential for future issues beyond War of the Green Lanterns to explore the large hole Mogo leaves the Corps.
Tyler Kirkham continues to provide some great artwork. What makes Kirkham’s art style a much better fit for this title than his predecessor is that he has a more anime influenced art style. The artwork throughout the issue is very dynamic and pops out of the pages, reminding me of some animes I watch. I especially loved his character design for the Black Lantern/Indigo Lantern John became towards the end of the issue. It was just a badass visual.
The Bad: The continuing problem that I have had with the War of the Green Lanterns continues to persist in this issue. As great as the middle and end of the issue are the beginning highlights the problem with the whole story: lack of scope.
Bedard relies on telling the reader how bad things are for the universe with the mind controlled Green Lanterns instead of showing the affects of this war. With how long this story arc being ten issues long it would have been a massive help to show the universe reaching effect of what Krona is doing is having.
Overall: Green Lantern Corps #60 was a solid issue that brought War of the Green Lanterns back to the promising story it started out as. Tony Bedard and Tyler Kirkham combine to deliver an issue that added urgency to the situation John and Kyle were in. There is a lot of potential to John’s decision to kill Mogo at the end of the issue. The fallout of this decision provides all the Green Lantern books an interesting sub-plot to pick up once War of the Green Lanterns is over.
If you have been following the War of the Green Lanterns you will not be disappointed by this issue. With how GLC #60 turned out am again excited to see how this storyline ends and the aftermath that will follow it.
Green Lantern