Green Lanterns #4 REVIEW - Jessica's Rage against Simon

After being disappointed in Jessica Cruz's misstep that allowed the rage to infect Bleez again in Green Lanterns Issue #3, I found myself rooting for her to fight the rage herself in Green Lanterns Issue #4.

At the end of Issue #3, Simon Baz detects that his partner in defending Sector 2814 is in fact rage-infected, and for a good chunk of this issue he must do all he can to re-inspire her confidence and help her fight the rage to become a true Green Lantern again. 

This issue isn't one for major plot development at all, and that's how these books have kind of gone so far to begin this series, which makes sense considering the new character dynamic that Sam Humphries is introducing to all of us with the two new Green Lanterns added to the list of humans that have protected Sector 2814 in sum total. 

I've mentioned before how important I feel this series is for the purposes of minority representation with both Jessica being Latin American and Simon being Lebanese-American, and one of the most important things that needs to be done in this series is the establishment of both character dynamics, not just together but also separately on their own. One of the biggest takeaways from these characters in this series is just how vulnerable and human they are throughout the chaos that they find themselves in. They are unsure of themselves at times and completely sure of themselves at other times. They make good moves and mistakes along the way. They show concern for their own families as well as their fellow man and these qualities make Simon and Jessica two of the most relatable superheroes one could ever read in DC Comics. 

At some point soon we will have to get back to the plot advancement majorly to see just Atrocitus and the Red Lanterns are up to as the entire planet is continuing to be infected with rage, but that's only half of the journey with this arc as the other half is about the heroes adjusting to their new roles together. It's a very stark contrast to the Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps series where that is very much centered around older characters and what once was and how it can be reclaimed, whereas this series is purely about the new characters and what they could become, not just here but also as part of the Justice League as they are in the new Rebirth series of that book as well. 

Green Lanterns is one of my favorites right now as well and is continuing the strong buddy cop dynamic that I hope never goes away with Jessica and Simon. It's hilarious, heartwarming, uplifting and flat out fun to read at times. 

5 out of 5 - DC UNIVERSE REBIRTH - Green Lanterns #4

This series runs twice a month, next issue due out August 17. 

Green Lanterns #3 REVIEW - Simon Baz is the hero America deserves AND needs

Reading Green Lantern #3, I couldn't help but notice the social commentary that was clearly printed on the pages of Sam Humphries' latest tale of the buddy cop protectors of Sector 2814. Here you have as diverse a pairing as you can get for superheroes in Lebanese-American Simon Baz from Dearborn, Michigan and female Jessica Cruz, tracking down Atrocitus and his group of Red Lanterns who are infecting humans across the globe with rage spouting from a Hell Tower that hopes to turn the entire planet into one big ball of anger. 

Yeah I know, sounds a little like I just read a news report, right? Well maybe not quite, but you can see where this is headed. Atrocitus sends one of his Red Lanterns, a woman named Bleez to St. Louis to take down Simon and Jessica and in the middle of the battle, she manages to briefly infect Simon with the rage virus and we peer into the depths of his anger, which is mostly centered around the improper treatment of his family, all Muslims, who are having a tough time in the United States. 

And that's where Green Lanterns #3 took a really serious turn into social commentary and spoke about a real issue facing our world today. The Islamophobia that is ever present in the United States because of the actions of extremists and public perception of Muslims is well-documented, but to see it presented in this light, in the mind of a Lebanese-American superhero who knows that pain and feels it for his family, especially his little nephew Farid, puts it in a different perspective, especially when Simon finds a way to bury that rage and find the goodness in his heart and willpower to overcome it at that moment. 

As someone that hasn't read any of the New 52 issues that introduced Simon Baz, this one struck me pretty poignantly as a morality tale. A planet Earth being overcome with rage by the thousands seemingly every minute, with absolute evil fueling it and hoping to turn every human being into the perfect fireball of extreme fury.......

......and the only hope for the planet lies with a Muslim superhero and his female counterpart. Poetic. 

It's even better that Simon and Jessica are rookies to the Green Lantern Corps and are constantly making mistakes, punishing themselves internally for not making the right call or yelling at each other for not making the right call. They are incredibly vulnerable heroes, placed in an unenviable position from the start and thrust into an alien situation they are seemingly unprepared for, but that their power rings have entrusted them to deal with. Watching them psyche themselves into being heroes despite their lack of self-confidence is just as entertaining as watching them actually deal with the Red Lantern rage crisis. 

Well to be fair, it's Jessica that has the self-confidence and anxiety issues. Simon is confident, but very much so to a fault and not as cautious going into dangerous situations. He's also someone that is more than prepared for the day that his ring either stops working or is taken away from him, an understandable situation from a minority male in the 21st Century that spent time in jail for a crime he didn't commit and worries everyday about how the world treats his family, especially Farid. 

Green Lanterns #3 might be one of the most important series in DC Rebirth right now for cultural and sociopolitical reasons, as it is truly pulling a "Star Trek" type move and telling a story about today's world in the framework of the comic book world. It's not necessarily the most original idea, but it's still a good one. 

5 out of 5 stars - DC UNIVERSE REBIRTH: Green Lanterns #3

This series is biweekly, next issue due out August 3rd. 

FROM THE PULL LIST: Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps Rebirth #1

The original protector of Sector 2814 returns......and it's glorious. 

One of this week's new DC Rebirth launches is Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps, which is set to tell the story of just what is going on with Hal Jordan in the wake of the Green Lantern Corps elimination. 

I will admit, since I didn't read any New 52 and have just now dove headfirst into DC Rebirth, I'm lost on anything that might have transpired from the old series into the new, but thankfully this book, just like Nightwing: Rebirth #1, does a great job of setting the stage anew from here on out. The stage is pretty clear: the Green Lanterns that Hal knew are all gone, or at least fractured. Jessica Cruz and Simon Baz now protect Sector 2814 and are part of the Justice League, as we saw in last week's Justice League: Rebirth #1. The Sinestro Corps, powered by Parallax, is flying around on a death planet with the power of fear. Everyone else seems to be going about their business, oblivious to the idea that Hal is out there trying to keep his wits about him in deep space. 

Just like all of the DC Rebirth one-shots, this one does a great job of setting up Hal's world and what's going on with him to set the stage for what is coming next in the series. It's a uniquely personal story that Hal pretty much narrates himself, and if you are a big fan of the character, it might get a little emotional especially toward the end of it. 

In many ways, this book echoes a bit of the emotional journey that Wally West took in DC Universe Rebirth, fighting his way back into a world that had forgotten him and moved on without him in the picture. You don't get the sense that everyone has forgotten Hal at all, but that they have certainly moved on, thinking him long gone from their realities. This one-shot beyond the shadow of a doubt sets the tone for Hal's emphatic return, touching on his own feelings and thoughts about his past and the universe around him in the process. 

This book isn't an action-packed thrill ride, it's an emotional table-setter that gives us the tone for what is to come from this series. In that respect, since there is not much action, the devil of the details in this story rely on the visuals themselves, which are spectacularly grand and spacious to say the least. There's nothing grounded about this book or about the world that it takes place it. It's literally every corner of the universe for 32 pages and at the climax of the story, everyone involved can feel the change in the wind, the disturbance in the force, the ripple in the pond. 

That ripple......is Hal Jordan, Green Lantern. 

5 out of 5 stars - DC UNIVERSE REBIRTH: Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps: Rebirth #1

This series will run twice a month. Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #1 is due out July 27.