Review: GREEN LANTERN CORPS VOL. 3: WILLPOWER

GREEN LANTERN CORPS VOL. 3: WILLPOWER
Written by Peter J. Tomasi, Geoff Johns
Art by Fernando Pasarin, Scott Hanna
Published by DC Comics
Release Date: December 4, 2013

STK622021The Peter J. Tomasi era of Green Lantern Corps comes to a close in this final volume, one that stands stronger than it’s Green Lantern counterpart as a complete & unified collection.

Geoff Johns may have been the architect of the modern day Green Lantern universe, but Peter J. Tomasi was his right hand man in crime for a very long time, keeping pace with Johns and making sure the Green Lantern Corps wasn’t just a Hal Jordan show. Over the years he developed many characters into fan favourites, and in this collection we see a strong focus on Guy and John, two of the brightest Lanterns and two characters Tomasi knows very well. His writing is, quite simply, very strong throughout this collection. The Green Lantern Corps issues during the Third Army arc are strong, and flow well considering they are part of a crossover. They are cohesive and tell a strong standalone story, which is no easy feat during a Lanterns crossover, but leads to a very easy on-the-mind collection, which is appreciated. The unity of the Third Army issues does highlight some of the confusion that exists during the First Lantern crossover, but aside from minor details the issues do flow into each other for an over-arching story that is readable. Tomasi does some excellent work analyzing what makes Guy Gardner tick in this collection, really building who the character is in the DCU, and revisiting his history for new readers who have jumped in with the New 52. Readers get an in-depth look at how he has become the man & Lantern he is, and just how stubborn, willful & dedicated he can be when the situation calls for it. We also get a deeper understanding of what John Stewart brings to the Corps, and how he is fundamentally different in many ways than Gardner, Jordan, etc. Tomasi builds a great foundation for these two characters and while he says goodbye to them in one sense in this collection, he also leaves a lot of room for Van Jensen to drive forward with these two iconic Lanterns.

This collection is action packed, with Tomasi & Pasarin bringing all kinds of chaos down upon the Corps as a whole. There are a ton of characters and a ton of epic space battles, as Tomasi has done so well during his time on the title. Fernando Pasarin is up to the challenge, delivering really strong art throughout the issues. He has a lot of Lanterns to pencil and he does an excellent job of conveying their unique personalities throughout the collection. Colourists Gabe Eltaeb & Will Quintana make Pasarin’s art leap from the page and give the collection a really dynamic feel, especially during the large battles where a lot of different spectrums are ring-slinging at once. The net result of the entire art team is a very visually solid collection.

The final issue of Green Lantern by Geoff Johns is included in this collection to provide the closure of the First Lantern event and of the era as a whole, which gives the epilogue a lot more weight than if that particular issue had been left out. It is provides the chance to look at some great Doug Mahnke artwork for (most likely) a second time for many readers, which is never a bad thing.

Green Lantern Corps Vol. 3: Willpower is a solid collection written by a veteran of the Corps and penciled by an artist who was up to the challenge of all the madness within. With two crossovers hitting in a single volume, it is very tight considering what it could be, and this is essential reading for anyone following the Green Lantern titles during the Johns era.

The Verdict: 8.0/10

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