Green Lantern #50 Review

This issue of Green Lantern #50 hit stands on last Wednesday, but due to legal issues, I was prevented from having the required money to purchase this issue until today. This issue is certifiably bad-ass, heralding the return of in my opinion, one of Green Lantern’s coolest villains, Parallax. Green Lantern #50 also weighs in at 40 pages and has a cover price of $3.99, a dollar more than the average 32 page issue of the series. Well, enough of this, let’s get on to reviewing already!

The issue is written by Geoff Johns, who, over the last 5-6 years has become DC’s leading creator, helping to bring Hal Jordan back into his Green Lantern role in “Green Lantern: Rebirth” in 2004, striking fear into the hearts of the DCU in “Sinestro Corps War” in 2007, and even raising the dead in the current “Blackest Night” storyline. Johns is known for taking legendary elements of the Green Lantern mythos and giving them the “Million Dollar Man” treatment, making them bigger and better than ever before. Johns obviously knows what he is doing as a writer, and has enough skill and imagination to bring an interesting, down-to-earth story that makes you think but is still incredibly fun to read. Johns has said that for the foreseeable future, he will be doing GL, and I trust him with the character enough to continue reading his run regardless of some of his more controversial decisions. This issue’s dialogue isn’t repetitive like some issues have been and continues to add dimensions to character’s that we didn’t even know they had.

The issue is drawn beautifully by Doug Mahnke, with inks by Christian Alamy, Rebecca Buchman, Tom Nguyen, Mark Irwin and Mahnke, and colors from Randy Mayor and Gabe Eltaeb. There is also a variant cover by Jim Lee, that can be seen below:

Doug Mahnke has been phenomenal as of late, and this 40 page dose of him just makes me want more. I love his interpretation of the characters, especially the Black Lantern Spectre, who showed some major beatdown skills in this issue. The issue has multiple different panel layouts making for an eye-catching experience that just won’t let go. The panels showing interactions between the New Guardians, as they have recently been called, and their newly recruited Lanterns are interesting, especially when you see Wonder Woman and Carol Ferris BOTH in Star Sapphire uniforms in the same panel. My pitiful fanboy mind just won’t stop.

Overall, a good story with amazing art. The highlights to me are the dynamic art and exceptional dialogue, while my biggest complaint is the fact that the solicitation for this issue state: “Plus, Atrocitus reveals a tie to a power that may make him the most unbeatable of all the Lanterns!” yet nothing in the issue comes remotely close to having any relation to that statement besides Atrocitus pointing out the rage that burns inside the Spectre. Here is how I rate the issue overall:

–moyermason@yahoo.com