Review: GREEN LANTERNS #7

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GREEN LANTERNS #7
Written by Sam Humphries
Art by Ronan Cliquet, Blond
Published by DC Comics
Release Date: September 21, 2016

After facing down the Red Lanterns, Jessica Cruz faces an even more terrifying challenge: Dinner with Simon Baz and his family

In the wake of the battle with the Red Lanterns that took place in the first six issues, Green Lanterns takes a welcome break for a calm, domestic interlude. The result is a funny and heart-warming issue that adds depth and insight to the characterization of both Simon Baz and Jessica Cruz.

There are no monsters to fight in this issue, though both Lanterns’ rings do get used, in sometimes surprising and humorous ways. Simon’s mom is visiting to celebrate Halloween and Simon is placed in charge of cooking ma’amoul, a Lebanese sweet. Simon invites Jessica and she helps him both with the baking and with facing the issues he has with his mother.

There are a lot of nice moments in this comic. We get a lot of backstory on Simon and a look into his feelings toward his mother. We see both Lanterns, in turn, running away out of anxiety before the other chases them down and talks them back into the kitchen. We get to see Jessica being brave, even if it’s at a thing we might not ordinarily think of as brave, and demonstrate an introvert’s insight into human behavior. It all adds up to a pleasant break from superhero action.

An issue like this lives or dies on the quality of the dialogue, and Humphries performs admirably. There wasn’t a single page that I didn’t at least crack a smile at. While the jokes occasionally went a bit too “writerly,” with characters saying things it didn’t really make sense for them to say in-universe, the quality of the humor papers over whatever sins there may be.

Cliquet’s art suits the issue well. Given the nature of the issue, there are a lot of close-ups of faces for dialogue. Cliquet shines in this area, drawing expressive faces that show a wide variety of emotional nuance. And on those occasions when the action veers away from dialogue, as when the Lanterns fly away or when Simon’s nephew Farid runs off to spy on the Guardian-in-residence Rami, Cliquet has a chance to show a more elaborate, dynamic style. Blond’s colors are, as usual, excellent. The coloring is bright, as it should be in a Green Lantern title, but fades to sepia when depicting flashbacks to Simon’s youth with his mother.

Green Lanterns #7 is a fun character study and a welcome breather amidst all the galactic action. The pace is brisk and the dialogue snappy. It comes highly recommended for fans of Jessica or Simon.

The Verdict: 8.5/10

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