Green Lantern: Fractured Spectrum #1 is a comic that’s acting on two fronts. It has to inform readers who might not be reading Jeremy Adams’ current Green Lantern run about the current status quo of Hal Jordan and his fellow Lanterns, while also setting the stage for the next big Green Lantern storyline. The latter, it succeeds at. The former…is debatable.
The general gist of Fractured Spectrum begins when the newly reformed Green Lantern Corps are attacked by the Sorrow – aka Nathan Broome, Carol Ferris’ former fiancé and the wielder of the unforeseen power to inflict crushing sorrow on his victims. Sorrow turns out to be looking for a secret that could upend the entire Emotional Spectrum, and the universe with it.
I like the ideas that Adams is putting forward in this one-shot. The Emotional Spectrum has been host to emotions like anger, greed and love; why not sorrow? Furthermore, it’s good to see moments where Hal is interacting with other Green Lanterns, especially John Stewart. Each Green Lantern brings something unique to the table, whether it’s Hal’s action-ready attitude, John’s methodical approach, or Guy Gardner being…well, Guy Gardner. Even Jessica Cruz and Keli Quintela get a chance to shine! (Metaphorically speaking.)
DC Comics
But unless you’ve been keeping up with Adams’ Green Lantern you may have questions. The origins of the Sorrow, Jadestone – one of the Amazos from Absolute Power who gained sentience – and the rebuilding of the Corps were all covered in there. Apart from a few sentences, new readers may be asking “Why is there a Green Lantern robot?” or “wait there’s ANOTHER color?” Simultaneously, while the idea of Sorrow is cool, I question tying it to Hal and Carol’s romantic history.
Regardless of the choppy story, the artwork by V Ken Marion is dynamic and eye catching – things you definitely want in a Green Lantern title. Not only does Marion perfectly capture the look of each Lantern, but he goes big with the fight scenes. Whether it’s Guy summoning a storm of fists or Hal generating a massive battle axe, Marion understands that a Green Lantern book should go outside the box when it comes to imagination.
So do Romulo Farjado Jr. and Dave Sharpe; Farjado splashes the page with different shades of green, depending on which Lanterns are in the focus. Sharpe, on the other hand, makes them sound distinct – Jadestone’s robotic speech is far, far different from the ominous proclamations of the Sorrow. It may be more setup than catchup, but Green Lantern: Fractured Spectrum delivers a gorgeous looking book that heralds a new chapter for the GL mythos.
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