Comic Book Review: Green Lantern Corps #42

Fresh off the grill, this week's comics were numerous. Every single Bat title I pick up came out, and Blackest Night rages on with its tie ins, which I pick up to satisfy my compulsion to read the entirety of the space zombie saga (as well as picking up those juicy rings). What I didn't expect, however, was one of the latter's titles, Green Lantern Corps, to hit me like a BIG SLAP on the face. Writer Peter J. Tomasi just wrote one of the most gut wrenching and tragic stories I've seen in recent years, and what it is exactly will be told if you continue on with this review. I'm giving fair SPOILER WARNING now, so be warned, once you hear or see it, there's no turning back.

Green Lantern Corps #42
Written By: Peter J. Tomasi
Illustrated By: Patrick Gleason

In the midst of the Black Lantern invasion and chaos happening in OA, the Green Lantern Corps find much needed assistance with the timely arrival of the Indigo Lantern "Munk". His arrival is a welcomed sight to Green Lantern Vath and his fellow corps members, but the follower of the purple light can only do so much to quell the growing numbers of the Black Lantern Corps. Elsewhere, Kilowog, Guy Gardner, Soranik Natu, and Kyle Rayner do their best to keep their attackers at bay, only to witness all the Black Lanterns disengage and move towards a new target - the Oan Central Power Battery. Now realizing a greater loss is at stake, the GL Corps move in to defend their power source and salvation against the undead... even if it means life or death in the end.

Ok, brace yourselves for the one thing that made this issue so MIND BLOWING. There's no other way to describe how I felt after turning to that last page of this issue, and by revealing it now to you all reading this, it's considered a BIG SPOILER, especially to GREEN LANTERN FANS.This is your last BIG WARNING, so read at your own risk folks!










SPOILER WARNING!!!

At the end of this issue, a noble and honarable member of the Green Lantern Corps sacrifices his life to save the power battery and buy time for his teammates. That man is none other than the "Torch Bearer" himself, Kyle Rayner.

That's right folks... the one who carried the Green Lantern name when no one else could is gone and dead.T_T

All right... now that I got that big burden of a climax off my chest, I can talk about this issue alone. It's pretty much a solid, action packed, and drama story that's full of hope, tragedy, and despair that any space cowboy reading the GL books would love. Peter J. Tomasi is fresh in his element here, and he delivers the kind of shocker at the end of this issue that will get fans talking for months to come. I happen to be one of those guys, and believe me, it will leave you ruminating about what kind of fate will befall every individual affected one way or the other by this Blackest Night that has spread to the far reaches of the DC Comic community. Unlike the other Blackest Night books and tie ins, GLC has dealt more with the corps as a whole. Since Hal has his solo title, this book has free reign to explore what's happening with Kyle, Guy, Kilowog, and the rest of the green team, and now that they're facing space zombies, there's no telling what kind of shit they'll have to go through to put an end to the evil spreading in the cosmos. I've collected the rest of the issues before this, but this one in particular brings the biggest bang that could possibly happen yet in the Blackest Night that affects the GL Corp directly. Oh, and we learn more about how effective the Indigo Tribe is in handling the black abominations, so it's all good with Peter J. T. at the writing helm.

In the art department, we get some of the most action packed art seen in a GL Title, courtesy of artist Patrick Gleason. His style is befitting of the scale GL Corps draws with the sheer number of things happening all at the same time. It's the kind of art that doesn't feel sketchy or rushed, and just blends in well with the dialogue and emotion running high with this kind of event. In fact, he illustrates the characters well enough to give they dimension and importance in the scope of things. Even in delivering the ending, it's a one pager that will be embedded in the hearts and minds of readers to come.

With all that said, Green Lantern Corps is a must read for those following Blackest Night and everyone else involved in it. Anyone looking for Hal Jordan won't find a speck of him here since he's got his own solo title, but for those worried and curious about what's happening to Guy and the rest of the green team, you'd better pay attention to this book. Like I said, something BIG happens here, and by next issue and the tie ins to come, the ramifications will be BIGGER. It's A class writing and art delivered by the fine team of Tomasi and Gleason. These two have literally made a mark on the industry with this issue... and those who grew up liking certain characters will never forget it.

Score - 10/10