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Tim Seeley takes over writing duties on Green Lanterns #33 and he’s putting them to work! Not just on Earth, but in space too. Given the caption, “Buried alive!” on the cover they’re in some trouble.
So what’s it about?
The official summary reads:
“WORK RELEASE!” Being a member of an intergalactic police force and the Justice League isn’t easy, but Simon Baz and Jessica Cruz face their most dire threats when they return to Earth and are forced to…get jobs?!
Why does this matter?
This series is proof you can do different things with the Green Lantern characters. In this case, it’s story about partners who must trust each other in the line of duty. They both have their issues, and their own histories, which Seeley mines adequately.
Fine, you have my attention. What’s good about it?
Time to stop saving just Earth and start saving the sector!
This is a good jumping on point for new readers since Seeley does well to remind us of both characters’ checkered pasts as well as put a new lease on their futures. Jessica Cruz, for instance, isn’t cooped up in her house afraid and Simon’s place among his family is rock solid. They both need to get real jobs–the Green Lanterns don’t get paid after all–and that adds a humanity to their off-world heroics.
Speaking of which, the mission at hand involves saving people who live underground but are a bit stubborn about the rescue. It’s a tricky puzzle to solve given Green Lanterns usually just swoop in to save the day and the victims come back with cheers. Seeley also weaves in an interesting intergalactic musician who is observing the calamity. I’ll say no more, but it’ll certainly add a new wrinkle to the next issue and further fleshes out the complex nature of space cultures.
Eduardo Pansica continues to get better with every issue. The colors by Alex Sollazzo help give the book a cosmic colorfulness that suits the characters’ new outside Earth mission status. In a key scene with Jessica, Pansica draws some fantastic facial expressions as Jessica talks to her therapist. There’s also a fun hipster thing going on with her therapist’s choice of clothing. On a bigger scale, Pansica draws fantastic constructs, some of which are pretty flipping cool like a giant Wonder Woman and a bunch of Buddhist monks using nets to catch rocks. The Green Lanterns are the epitome of creative power and it shows in this issue.
Great scene.
It can’t be perfect can it?
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Seeing the heroes take job interviews is all well and good, but they play out about as you’d expect. There’s going to be conflict sure, but even Jessica’s job choice is predictable. It does create a sense of anticipation for whatever job they both do eventually land, but it’s not surprising to see how they play out here.
Is It Good?
Seeley shows this series is in good hands with a fresh new direction and a new set of conflicts to conquer. It helps series artist Eduardo Pansica is so very good at making the book feel big in scope.
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