Green Lantern #40

Over the past year, I have been hearing nothing but how great the Green Lantern series has been. IGN comics has been hyping the Blackest Night event for countless months, Attack of the Show named the Sinestro Corps War the best comic event a few years ago, and Geoff Johns is widely regarded as DC's best writer. So when I saw Reis's awesome cover to Green Lantern #39 last month, I decided to give it a try. Thank you all Green Lantern fanatics. I was blown away.

I came in with some basic knowledge of the series. All Lanterns are powered by rings which get their powers from the emotional spectrum consisting of the colors of the rainbow. And yes. I still have to say ROY G BIV to remember all the Lantern colors. I love how all this becomes an allegory on how emotions affect our actions and abilities. Red Lanterns are powered by Rage and are easily defeated by the Blue Lanterns of Hope, symbolizing that rage cannot exist if there is something to hope for. Hope accomplishes nothing without the willpower to make something happen, however, which is why Blue Lantern rings can't activate unless a Green Lantern's ring of Willpower is nearby. Deep stuff. All this symbolism was hammered home in only the first issue I read thanks to Geoff Johns stellar writing and thematic structure.

Naturally there was a bit of a letdown with the second issue. Not nearly as much of it is new to me so nothing really happened in this issue. Don't get me wrong though. Green Lantern #40 is still a very good read. We get to see how Larfleeze, the Orange Lantern (who debuted last issue and happens to be my favorite Lantern), assembles his army, perfectly symbolizing the Greed which powers him. The other major development is the debut of another Lantern. Indigo makes its debut and is powered by Love. This Corps will likely be instrumental in defeating Larfleeze, perhaps showing that love for others promotes sharing.

Philip Tan provides the series with some very effective artwork. His space-travel panels were a treat to look at. Larfleeze is also drawn effectively, always grasping his Lantern battery very close to him like a running back steamrolling through a defensive line. Some of the fight scenes weren't as neat. I couldn't really tell the Orange Lantern Corps were absorbing the Green Lanterns' lights.

Green Lantern has quickly become one of my favorites. The story has a very epic feel to it. This may be just one story arc, but the last one is still having consequences and you get the sense that all the arcs will add up perfectly to bring Blackest Night into fruition.