When I first discovered super-hero comics as a kid, I loved the notion of an alien army of 3,600 Green Lanterns, and I got to know some of those character better in the late 1980s during the Steve Englehart/Joe Staton run on Green Lantern Corps. Eventually though, DC and its creators decided to leave the Corps behind, and subsequent stories that tried to revive the cosmic police force concept fell flat. That's why I'm puzzled as to why it's being tried again, using a similar premise and similar characters. The story's just far too familiar, and one subplot is particularly frustrating.
Kilowog, the Green Lantern who trained the best of the Corps, has been spirited awa to his decimated planet's realm of the dead by its demonic keepers, and Green Lantern Kyle Rayner -- with the assistance of Ganthet, Guardian of the Universe -- delves into that infernal dimension to bring his friend and the legendary hero back to the land of the living. Meanwhile, some reluctant GL recruits are approached by a dar, mysterious figure, and Jade adjusts to life on Earth without Kyle.
The cosmic, space-opera riff of this title just doesn't seem to be playing to Rick Burchett's strengths. His depiction of the dark world of the Batman and his allies was always sharp and engaging, but here, it seems rather conventional. The designs for some of the peripheral characters are irksome as well. The reluctant Corps recruits are rather uninspired. The males are big brutes and the females exotic beauties. One of the great things about the original GL Corps was the imagination that went into the character designs and concepts. Humanoid forms were not required, and neither were traditional definitions of life. Hell, there was a sentient mathematical equation that was a GL, remember?
The one element in the story that really caught my attention was a Green Lantern who hailed from Apokalips. Bringing the Silver Age Green Lantern concept to the late Jack Kirby's Fourth World was a great idea, and I wish there was more of him in this story.
The Jennie subplot was more than a little off-putting. In the past year or two, a great deal of effort went into building up the intense connection between the title character and Jennie. Their relationship was symbol of Kyle's greater sense of responsibility and confidence. The notion that Jennie would be so quick to eye other guys just doesn't wash.
Ultimately, the most disappointing aspect of this storyline is that I get the feeling I've seen it all before. Kyle is pretty much indistinguishable from Hal Jordan here, personality-wise. The Corps is building up again, Kilowog is back, exactly the same as he was before. Even the Guardians of the Universe are in the process of being restored. What's the point? Unlike archetypes like Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, Green Lantern is a character that DC can really play around with, and I'm at a loss as to why Raab and Schreck have opted to tell old stories rather than explore new ideas.
