Chances are if somebody mentions the words “Green Lantern”, to you, John Stewart is probably the first character that comes to mind. After all, he played a major part in Justice League and Justice League Unlimited, and was even slated to appear in Zack Snyder’s Justice League. But despite his popularity in other media, Stewart hasn’t really had much of a leading presence in Green Lantern stories in the comics. That’s started to change: first he underwent a massive power shift in the Green Lantern series from Geoff Thorne, and now in Green Lantern: War Journal #1 he finds a new purpose.
War Journal #1 picks up in the aftermath of the United Planets’ decision to quarantine Earth, and assume control of the Green Lantern Corps. In the aftermath, Stewart has returned to his home in Detroit – but any chances of peace are dashed when the malevolent threat of the Radiant Dead arrives on Earth. Stewart previously faced the Radiant Dead in another dimension and seemingly defeated them, but now they’re returned, deadlier than ever. He’s also struggling to fit back into society, which isn’t as easy as he’d hoped.
War Journal has its origins in a backup story that the creative team of Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Montos developed in the main Green Lantern title. But to their credit, War Journal #1 actually feels like a great starting point – all readers need to know is that John Stewart is the Green Lantern. Johnson starts peeling back the layers of what makes Stewart tick, which results in some very compelling character drama. He reconnects with his mother, as they both try to work through a recent tragedy in their own way. He starts fixing odd things among the house, a nod to his roots as an architect. When one of the United Planets’ Green Lanterns tries to ambush him, John lets loose all of his fury in a burst of emerald energy. Every action John takes reveals a man who’s trying to find his place in the world, which actually runs parallel to what Johnson is doing over at Marvel with Incredible Hulk.
It helps that he’s accompanied by Montos, whose artwork jumps between the terrestrial and cosmic with ridiculous ease. This is evident in the pages following the credits; John being stuck in traffic is juxtaposed with a flashback of him flying through the skies during his Green Lantern days, while another image of him digging holes in his lawn provides a sharp contrast to him stopping a well of water on an alien planet. The book even opens with a shot of the International Space Station, minutes before the Radiant Dead rip it to shreds. As for the Dead themselves, they’re ripped right from your worst nightmares – decaying flesh wrapped in violet energy. Granted, the Green Lantern mythos did “space zombies” before with Blackest Night but this is a whole new level of horrific.
Rounding out the art team is Adriano Lucas on colors and Dave Sharpe on letters. Lucas delivers some vibrant colors throughout the book, from the sun shining in the black cold void of space to the warm atmosphere surrounding Stewart’s home. The Green Lantern’s constructs are a bright, vibrant green – and in Stewart’s case, constructed of various pieces giving them the form of living machines. Sharpe’s lettering also changes with the territory, especially with the Green Lanterns; each time a construct hits someone, there is an thunderous sound effect delivered in, what else, a vibrant verdant color.
Green Lantern: War Journal #1 is the start of a well-crafted character study about John Stewart that aims to put him back into the spotlight. If you’ve been asking for John Stewart to have a bigger role in the DC Universe, this is the comic for you. It also helps that the creative team has a genuine love for the character, and a desire to drive him to greater heights.
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