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Review: Green Lanterns #2

Jessica Cruz has finally left her apartment after three years of absolute anxiety spilling into full agoraphobia. Well, now she has to be a Green Lantern without training (or someone who can), her partner Simon Baz is a ring-sling first and ask questions later kind of person, and she has no other choice but to work with him since they share a power battery. Caught up? On top of all of that there is a giant tower of Rage sprawled out of nowhere and it’s calling the most metal Lantern Corps in the galaxy. Atrocitus and his lanterns of Rage are coming.

This issue opens on Ysmault, with an Atrocitus who has promised a new beginning to a following filled with the dejected, forgotten, left behind, and angry. Atrocitus delivers through fire and blood, he will bring the Red Dawn. in the meantime there is a newly inducted Green Lantern trying to save her sister from Rage-filled people at a grocery store. Simon Baz meanwhile is making an GLS_Cv2_dsattempt to figure out what the cause of this situation is.

The writing is very strong here. There are several things happening at once on every page. While Atrocitus speaks, he internalizes his intentions and the doom that’s coming to Earth, Jessica and Simon have two clashing voices and different ways of thinking, both feeling relatable. I sympathized with Jessica's strong desire to save her sister no matter what, and also with Simon's logical way of looking at the situation. It was nice to get a glimpse about the life she lives now outside of Power Ring and learning about her new Oan ring. Big props to Dave Sharpe who manages to maintain a cohesive line of thought from each character throughout the issue. The gripe with this issue is that although strong in storyline, it still feels transitional at its core. Everything that happens is setting up for something that will be paid off on issue #3 or even further down the line. There were no big moments that could make this issue stand up on its own.

Art was strongly okay for the most part. I loved every page spent on Ysmault. The colors spiking in and out of the page. Moments like those, where the rings are being used and Blond is letting their energy spill on every panel are pretty great. There is a moment Jessica Cruz spent with her sister, learning about the ring and its power, the art felt flat and disproportional on the facial expressions, to having some very detailed inking and some other rougher ones, it ends up with inconsistencies that are hard to ignore. The art is going to be something that could make or break this comic for GL fans and readers.

Green Lantern two is twisting that odd space cop pairing and giving so much action in its pages that are definitely worth the price.

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Green Lanterns #2
Writer: Sam Humphries
Artist: Robson Rocha
Inker: Jay Leisten
Colorist: Blond
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $2.99
Format: Ongoing; Print/Digital

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