GREEN LANTERN #16

[ SHOW ME THE GREEN ] 

Isn't it splendid when Lanterns first meet? I find it prolific and very-very sweet. Just ask my mate Baz. He knows how to razzmatazz. Whenever someone bows down at his feet. Ewwww! Can you smell cheese? Or is it something to do with the green supreme creative team of Writer: Geoff Johns; Artist: Doug Mahnke; and Publisher: DC Comics, in February 2013. Hope not!

Using GENERAL terms, answer the following 4 questions about this STORY entitled 'Trial by Fire'.

• WHAT'S THE MAIN THRUST OF THIS TALE: Under the tutelage of the squirrel Green Lantern called B'dg, Simon Baz has to locate his Power Battery, recharge his ring, and then gage from it the whereabouts of Hal and Sinestro.
• ARE THE MAIN OBJECTIVES ACHIEVED: Kind of. Baz does manage to find the power source in question and figure out the jumbled message hidden within his ring, however, when B'dg informs him that he has to relinquish his 'trinket' after he finds these two missing Lanterns, they then fly off and snap Baz's brother-in-law out of a coma.
• ANYTHING ELSE HAPPEN: Yes. But I'm not saying anything. Except that B'dg speaks to a squirrel, and that there will be a cross-over with the Green Lantern Corps.
• HOW DOES THIS STORY END: In the dead-zone, with Hal and Sinestro's 'your guide', Tomra-Re, telling them about an impending doom involving the First Lantern.  

What is the most memorable SENTENCE OR CONVERSATION spoken in this issue?

Although it did read a little like a 'plot recap' by default, I still enjoyed hologram-Hal's very personal way of explaining to Baz the circumstances behind his disappearance. Particularly that part when he said...

'If you're seeing this message, I hope that you are a guy or gal after my own heart. You're going to be overwhelmed by a lot of things. The whole idea of the Green Lantern Corps for one, but I'll give you the basics. The Guardians who created the Corps are off there rocker. They've lost it. But with your help, I can save them'.

Now wasn't that a very nice and warming way of explaining to someone that 'sh*t is about to happen to them'? Huh? Plus very natural too.

What was the BEST thing about this issue?

Honest to Ganthet. There was a lot about this adventure I really did enjoy. Such as: (1) That Agent Fed now believes Baz was framed. (2) The surely dynamics between Baz and B'dg. (3) The Tomra-Re reveal. And (4) The surprising twist nearing the end if it.

What was the WORST thing about this issue?

My one small little gripe I wasn't very keen on in this issue; was how the structure of this yarn segwayed completely away from the matter at hand half-way thought it. One minute B'dg and Baz were looking for Hal and Sinestro. And the next minute they rushed off to save Simon's brother-in-law's life.

Don't get me wrong now, dear reader. I did get a kick out of the segway in question. I just wasn't too thrilled with the sudden departure from one plot point to the next.

What was the most INNOVATIVE thing about this issue?

For me -- personally -- one of the most well thought out scenes in this comic book was the one where Baz tried to bring his brother-in-law back to life. It felt personal by nature, and really seemed to define who Simon is as a man, plus what his priorities -- Family and friends.

Pick TWO CHARACTERS out this comic book, and compare them individually to a SIMPSONS CAST MEMBER.

SANTA'S LITTLE HELPER AS B'DG: Although Santa isn't really the most helpful of animals; he still is a very loyal companion when he wants to be.

BLEEDING GUMS MURPHY AS TOMRA-RE: Well, there both dead, aren't they? Plus they did introduce two characters in their respective series to a whole new world!

What WORD or PHRASE could you use to sum-up this story?

'We can't command our love, but we can our actions' -- Arthur Conan Doyle

What SONG, THEME-TUNE, or MELODY, would complement this tale, as well as add and extra dimension to it by default?

'YOU CAN'T HIDE YOUR LOVE AWAY' BY THE BEATLES: Not only does this comic book and this melody share a common spiritual vibe, but they're also both very nice to sit back and relax to too.

ANYTHING Else?

I truly felt that the last couple of issues of 'Green Lantern' were a tad too hollow where a story was concerned. They only really slipped out snippets of exposition here and there, directly making each tale somewhat sparse in content.

Granted, to a certain extent, I understood why Geoff and company did just that -- to keep us readers on tender-hooks. Yet, in the same breath, after reading this issue I'm now happy to say that this pitfall is starting to gradually pay off.

Yeah. No kidding. This adventure was a great read. In my eyes it was a fun merry-go-round of ups and downs, just waiting to be told. I just hope that the 'content stakes' could be 'built up' a bit more in the future is all. That way us G.L. fans will get a chance to read more than a very nice twenty odd page pamphlet that keeps on teasing us month after month. 

Agreed?

GIVE IT, IT'S DUES: This comic is getting like fine wine: Improving with age.