The Green Lantern Corps may never have faced more dire odds than this–they’re saving lives in a soon to be dead universe. The climactic issue is here, but is it good?
Green Lantern Corps: Edge of Oblivion #6 (DC Comics)
The official DC synopsis reads:
Out of options, the Green Lantern Corps watch helplessly as the universe begins to die and decompose around them. Will the emerald heroes find their way back from the edge of oblivion?
Why does this book matter?
The number of Green Lanterns in the DCU has been severely reduced and this is the book to answer the question as to why. The ramifications of what happens here are most assuredly going to mean something in the coming months as some of the biggest Lanterns–Guy and Kilowog to name just two–are fighting for their lives in this issue. Plus, it’s the big finale; you have to want to see how things explode here right?!
Fine, you have my attention. What’s good about it?
Writer Tom Taylor should be commended for making the lives (and untimely deaths) in this issue matter. There are certainly a lot of Green Lanterns and I for one don’t know the name of many, but when a few die here it feels very sad and very important. For all I know Taylor made them up to be killed here, but it’s still powerful in how Taylor writes some deeply meaningful captions. Like a narrator speaking over war footage, the captions do well to capture the fact that these lives lost are heavy losses for the Corps. Along with these captions come character interactions in the battlefield that together ramp up the “war is hell” emotions in the issue.
Chomp, chomp, chomp!
Which is important because it’s still early yet as to whether the events in this issue matter. The fact is we may not see these characters for a few months–though, who knows, we may see them next week–but either way you’ll finish this issue feeling as if something very paramount just occurred. The odds are most definitely against the characters and it’s exciting to see how (or is it if?) these characters make it out in the end.
Artist Jack Herbert draws some detailed pictures to ramp up the reality levels too. These characters are almost shockingly relastic considering how many are on the page–it might be due to Scott McDaniel’s breakdowns on this one one, which makes the whole book feel like an event level comic. The Green Lantern powers look great too, in part due to Hi-Fi’s nice colors. And as in the best Green Lantern comics, the heroes get inventive with how they take on their foes. The letters by Dave Sharpe are great too, especially when they come in bold Green Lantern letters to convey that the heroes really mean business.
It can’t be perfect can it?
As with many big blockbuster type stories this one does have a few lucky twists to help progress things in a timely matter. There’s a major one that helps the Corps swing things that almost seems too convenient, but it’s hard to knock a comic such as this for that considering it’s pretty standard for a lot of final issues!
Now that’s sad.
Is It Good?
Big, explosive, and exciting, this is a story that feels incredibly important and will most assuredly have resounding ramifications on the DCU in the future.
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