Kyle Rayner is my favorite Green
Lantern.
I didn’t like him at first. I was
very upset at what they did to Hal Jordan during "Emerald Twilight," but writer Ron Marz made Kyle so incredibly likable. It wasn’t
that he was necessarily a nice guy. But he was the guy that became a
super hero late and always worked his butt off to be worthy of the
mantle.
For the new DC 52, while Hal starred in
the main title and Guy Gardner and John Stewart were leading Green
Lantern Corps., Kyle starred in his own book: Green Lantern: New
Guardians. The series started off with Kyle mysteriously receiving a
ring from each of the main lantern corps. He was then joined by
supporting characters from each corps: Bleez (red), Glommulous
(Orange), Armadillo (Sinestro), Saint Walker (Blue), Monk (Indigo),
and Fatality (Star Sapphire). Together they investigated the mystery
of the disappearing rings and fought a common enemy together.
With that story arc over, writer Tony
Bedard looks to take the book in a new direction and shuffle up the
cast. I like this a lot. Even though I would have liked to explore
a few more of the characters, it felt like time for a change in this
book. And based on issue #0, the changes are for the better.
The story begins focusing on Carol
Ferris, longtime love of Hal Jordan and leader in the Star Sapphire
Corps. We haven't heard much from her in the main Green Lantern
book, where she played and important supporting role. Kyle shows up
looking for Hal and the two of them begin a search.
I have to say, this new start feels as
much Carol's book as it does Kyle's, and that's a good thing. The
two of them have never really interacted in an important way until
this story. Together they fight the remnants of Black Hand's army.
Carol, having more experience than Kyle with things cosmic begins to
take the lead. It is good to see her have adventures apart from
simply being Hal's helpful girlfriend. I also like that they gave
her a less revealing (though still form-fitting) costume. I've been
waiting for them to explore the powers and limits of the Star
Sapphire ring, and this looks like just the book to do it. But that
does not diminish this Green Lantern's importance. In fact, Bedard
hints at even bigger plans for Kyle as the months unfold. Without
giving anything away, Carol can foresee that Kyle is more important
than he or the Guardians ever dreamed.
I've really enjoyed Bedard's run on
this and his previous time on Green Lantern Corps. He understands
the need for cosmic size events with intricate plots all the while
making the characters enjoyable to read. Artist Aaron Kuder is
reminiscent of Frank Quietly and gives the book a bit of a moodier
tone than it had before.
Based on the cover, we will see the
return of Arkillo and Saint Walker. I especially like this duo
because of the sort-of friendship they've developed. Walker
desperately wants to save Armadillo from his evil ways. Armadillo
wants to use his evil ways to protect the only person he cares about:
Saint Walker. They are such opposites, Bedard makes us feel a real
friendship brewing. Also based on the cover the heads of the Red and
Orange Lantern Corps (Attrocitus and Larfleeze) will be joining the
story. The Indigo Lantern representative is conspicuously missing.
All of this is still a prelude to the
Third Army story line that is about to explode into the Green Lantern
universe. The book ends with some very ominous tidings regarding the
Star Sapphires.
Because Geoff Johns' Green Lantern is
the best DC book around today, I think that the other Lantern books
can be a bit overlooked. That would be a shame since Green Lantern:
New Guardians is a fun read and looks like it will only get better.
4 out of 5 stars.
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