Review: Green Lantern: New Guardians #14

 

Surprises galore are available on a cosmic scale as writer Tony Bedard presents his best-ever issue of Green Lantern: New Guardians #14.

Finally living up to its name, this issue follows our hero Green Lantern Kyle Rayner in his quest to master all the other emotions of the spectrum that powers the various ring weapons of the DCU. From love and compassion to rage and, in this issue, a mastery of fear (“I’m as Green Lantern. Overcoming fear is what we do,” Rayner says, somewhat naively.), Rayner even helps out the last remaining Yellow Lantern from some “daddy issues” in his quest to free Ganthet from his “emotional lobotomy” at the hands of the Guardians of the Universe.

It is Indigo-1, I believe, who finally gets it through Kyle’s skull that Sapphire Carol Ferris is using him (to find Hal Jordan, and we are glad someone is concerned about him), but he acknowledges he has been using Carol, Atrocitus and other ring-bearers (including Indigo-1) similarly.

Meanwhile, we find out about a surprising alliance that may not bode well for Kyle, Carol or Hal Jordan, whenever and wherever he reappears in our universe. Shocking!

And also cosmic! In telling his tale, part of the “Rise of the Third Army” arc, Bedard takes us across the cosmic expanse of the New 52 DCU, from planet to planet, Space Section to Space Section, and its beauty as rendered by Andrei Bressan and Amilcar Pinna was simply breathless. Space was rich with detail, planets were diverse and characters sparkled and shined rather than colored in muted tones of, say, a Planet of the Apes variety as so many outer space sagas are. Kudos to Nei Ruffino on making this one of the more attractive books on the shelf this week.

I have read a lot of Green Lantern tales, before and after the relaunch of the New 52. As a single issue offering, take it from a longtime fan: this is one of the best!