Comic Book Review: Green Lantern #45

Written By Geoff Johns
Art by Doug Mahnke and Christian Alamy

Plot: So much is happening in the world of the Green Lantern Corps. This issue starts off with the inner monologue of Carol Ferris, a Star Sapphire who seems to have mastered the power of the ring beyond the expectations of her fellow Sapphires. Ferris is in the middle of a battle with the Sinestro Corps who are trying to free their leader, Sinestro, from their violet conversion chambers. Another battle on Ysmault, where a handful of Green Lanterns and Alpha Lantern Boodikka, fight the Red Lanterns in an attempt to retrieve their fallen comrade, former Green Lantern Laira. Elsewhere, Agent Orange is challenged by many recently risen Black Lanterns of whom no doubt he killed himself.


My Thoughts: So as much I like Geoff Johns as a writer, this issue was not very good. This issue was filled with more of the same stuff that we've been seeing in many of the related Green Lantern titles, the rise of dead heroes and villains. And as excited as I am about all the different characters rising from their graves, I'm starting to wonder when the plot surrounding the mystery of the Black Lantern corps is going to develop. There has not been much plot progression in the Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps titles. We continually get the same old angst driven storylines that are mainly concerned with showing off the risen heroes and villains.

The only bit of good story we get in this issue is when Carol Ferris confronts Sinestro to show that, even in his dark heart, there is the slightest illumination of love. Sinestro becomes quite angry with her and almost kills her in the process. Now as interesting and well written as this interaction is, it holds very little weight in the Blackest Night story arch, so it was in essence a bunch of page filling dialogue with no real purpose other than to show Sinestro does have a human side and to give Carol Ferris a bigger role in the story. I wonder if we will see her next month.

From what I've read in this issue, it seems it should have been used in the Green Lantern Corps title. We jump around from Oa, to Ysmault, to Agent Orange. Hal Jordan gets very little screen time as well as many of our mainline Green Lanterns.

I do not doubt the quality of the writing and the poetic language of Geoff Johns, but the plot development is practically non-existent in the pages of issue #45.

The art is what saves this issue. Mahnke is nowhere near my favorite comic book artist, but I still recognize the talent he has, and it's definitely displayed in this issue.

Overall, not my favorite Green Lantern issue. Geoff Johns and the team involved with this amazing story arch had better start getting on the ball with Blackest Night or it will fail miserably.

3 out of 5 stars.

Next Month: Green Lantern #46

BLACKEST NIGHT continues! For months, Mongul has wrested control of the Sinestro Corps. Now Sinestro wants a word with him. And Hal wants a word with Sinestro. But in the midst of BLACKEST NIGHT, they'll all become the hunted as the fallen Sinestro Corps members rise. What will happen? Here's a hint: Sinestro gets some serious payback.