Review: GREEN LANTERN #27

GREEN LANTERN #27
Written by Robert Venditti
Art by Dale Eaglesham
Published by DC Comics
Release Date: January 8, 2014

GL_Cv27_dsDurlans be creepin’, y’all. Their ugly shape-shifting butts have been spotted across the line of Green Lantern books, and now we know why. Those jerks are out to undermine the entire Corps! This issue drops a big giant bomb in the laps of the Green Lantern Corps, and as it turns out, they might actually deserve it? Saint Walker needs hugs, Soranik Natu would like you to take your giant guns out of her med bay, and Hal Jordan is the most hated face in the universe!

First things first: can everybody please stop messing with Saint Walker? He’s been through enough. I’m still not over Blue Lantern Giraffe. Saint Walker crying is easily the emotional low point of the last 10 years of Green Lantern history. Nothing is sadder. Nothing.

The basic plot here (SPOILERS): the Durlans meet the Braidmen on Mogo, help bust them out, and one of them impersonates Hal Jordan long enough to make a broadcast to the entire universe. Durlan!Hal spills the beans about the light reservoir, what happens when you drain it, and the GLC’s intentions not only to continue using their rings, but to take down anyone using a ring who isn’t a GL. Then he shows the footage of the throw down on Dekann to prove they mean business. All over the place, sector houses start being attacked by angry, frightened people. It’s open season on the entire Corps.

Best part? The Durlan was telling the truth. This is Hal Jordan’s Watergate moment. Hal and his allies in the Corps did decide to keep using their rings, even though it drains the light reservoir, which leads to the end of the universe. Hal did decide that they should police the other light-wielders. And without any real authority, he’s been hustling people who don’t agree. Before all hell broke loose in this issue, rather than focus on getting the Corps’ house in order, he wanted to go chasing Sinestro and his former friends. This is a story about the differences between power and authority – what you can do, and what you have the right to do. What right does Hal have to say he and his buddies get to use the light, but no one else can? The Corps is certainly better off without the previous Guardians, but without any supervision they aren’t thriving. Hal isn’t a very big-picture guy. His strength is not in the grand plan or the long game. He’s brave, and strong, and one of the greatest Green Lanterns that ever lived; but he is not the guy you put in charge.

Billy Tan’s cover for this issue is one of my favorite covers of this entire run. I was initially very nervous when I saw that Dale Eaglesham was filling in for the interiors. I am a fan of his older work – Villains United is a long-time favorite of mine – but I was very disappointed in the Sinestro villain’s month book. I was very happy to see that this book was a marked improvement over that one. It still has a few issues – Kilowog is very inconsistent panel to panel, some of the angles are odd and some of the characters are rendered a little too bulky or severely – but there is some dynamite work as well. The opening scene with Saint Walker was an emotional tour de force, and Durlan! Hal’s bitchy “You have been warned” face was spot-on perfect. Today DC announced that Eaglesham will be staying in the Lantern universe for a while, so I’m optimistic that as he gets more familiar and comfortable with this characters, things will get more consistent and he’ll fit right in with the rest of the Lantern crew.

Venditti excels at this sort of social/economic/political parable style of storytelling. This tale of sources of power and rights of government is shaping up to be every bit as sharp and fascinating as Lights Out. What next? I do have an idea, one that is bolstered by a very recent announcement about a new DC ongoing title in the Lantern line. Who do we know who loves the Green Lantern Corps so much, that he was willing to damn himself to save it and also has a talent for bringing rebellions to heel with the power of Fear? I’m just saying is all, guys. As for Saint Walker: they better not leave him like that.

The Verdict: 8.5/10

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