Though in Tim Seeley I trust, I was quite sad to see Sam Humphries tweet this two weeks ago:
CONGRATULATIONS to new GREEN LANTERNS writer, Tim "Top Shelf" Seeley. He is already killing it. Simon and Jess are in excellent hands. ✳️✳️ https://t.co/aRcnqY1j4H
— Sam "The Hammer" Humphries (@samhumphries) August 21, 2017
Say it ain’t so Humphries! This series has rejuvenated Simon Baz and Jessica Cruz while further developing the Green Lantern mythos and history. It has taken a buddy cop drama and turned it into cosmic fun. You have big shoes to fill Seeley!
So what’s it about?
The official summary reads:
“OUT OF TIME” part five! Jessica, Simon and the first seven bearers of green rings face Volthoom in the past as he holds the Guardians of the Universe hostage. As Lantern after Lantern falls, is there any chance of stopping the First Lantern from rewriting reality?
Why does this matter?
Simon Baz lost his ring, Jessica Cruz is attempting to teach the first Green Lanterns how to use their powers, and, oh yeah, they’re both trapped 10 billion years in the past. No biggy. On top of that, they’ve gotta stop Volthoom from killing an entire planet. Just another day in a Green Lantern’s life!
Fine, you have my attention. What’s good about it?
Dig the look of the Lantern at the bottom.
Even though these new first Green Lantern characters have only been in a few issues Humphries has done a great job fleshing them out and making them sound different. They continue to be interesting in this issue which is helpful since so many of them die! Like a good TV show, Humphries spares no character who needs killing as this issue focuses on Volthoom and their first attack on him. Volthoom meanwhile, is freaking evil as hell and quite insane. His power ring is one that switches based on his emotions, which makes him particularly erratic, especially visually, due to the color changes.
This issue is largely a fight comic as the Green Lanterns take on Volthoom and get their newbie butts kicked. If there was a central character to the issue it’s Simon, who is reeling from a lack of ring and inability to join in the fight. To say Humphries ends this issue on an awesome note is an understatement and if you’ve been reading this series you’re going to dig where the story is going.
The pencils by Carlo Barbera are quite clean and reminiscent of Humberto Ramos’ kinetic and elongated lines. Volthoom exhibits many emotions and Barbera captures them well. Heck, he even looks emotive when he’s drooling blood or spitting with rage. There’s good use of double page layouts too, which helps give the action a bit of chaotic energy that suits the Green Lanterns’ inexperience with the ability of their rings.
Yep, he’s bonkers.
It can’t be perfect can it?
This issue exhibits the usual fight style we see in superhero comics which is a bit unfortunate. Essentially they run in punching with no plan at all and given their numbers you’d think Jessica or Simon would have a better plan than this. Though the losses taken do add a gravity to the action the lack of strategy, or much focus on specific characters aside from coming in punching, lessens the impact of their deaths. You see a hero rushing in and punching only to die and you think, “Well they kinda deserved it, no?”
Is It Good?
An action packed fight comic that takes real losses in a fun penultimate issue to Humphries’s latest story arc.
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