Review: Green Lantern #23.1: Relic

Take a look at Green Lantern on the cover of this issue, and that about sums up my thoughts completely. It’s an epic disaster taking total advantage of the comic book consumer through a gimmick cover meant only to bring in a few more dollars to DC’s war chest.

The issue has absolutely no value for me as a reader whatsoever as it’s essentially a whole bunch of nothing. It’s a short read about Relic’s past, which easily could have been incorporated into any other issue in a panel here and a panel there. For an entire issue to completely focus on what equates to a backstory for a questionable character with a questionable storyline – at best – is unconscionable. 

Venditti basically gives us a Galactus-like origin story for Relic told through narration with a twist on the light source being an actual physical resource and one that can be depleted. As this is “Green” Lantern, I suppose we are getting the “green” comic book version of events that may or may not be going on in our everyday life with the argument humans are using Earth’s resources, and rather selfishly at that; however, here, it applies to all the Lantern corps.

Similar to Forever Evil #1, Green Lantern #23.1 doesn’t excite me for what is to come. As DC seems to be riding on Marvel’s coattails with the “.1” issues (DC didn’t get the memo those weren’t big sellers or popular for Marvel?), these seem to be just filler and can be completely avoided, just like Marvel’s own. These issues should have been filled with a big wow moment – a hook ending – to entice the reader as well as the fan that just bought the issue for the gimmick. Sadly though, Green Lantern #23.1 falls short. There was nothing in the issue to make me really care about Relic: He didn‘t destroy the previous universe, and he doesn’t even have powers. He is a scientist with a theory thats shows up in the Green Lantern universe. I was left saying: So what?

The art was average at best; A) I’m not a big fan of the Relic character design, and B) Morales really didn’t go out of his way to give us some cool looking aliens, which is what I expect in any cosmic book. Colors were great, but overall it just wasn’t that impressive.

Green Lantern #23.1 reads as if it DC Editorial mandated the creative team go out of their way because it’s the month of “September,” and it completely shows. This is just unacceptable.