GREEN LANTERN #4

[ POWER TO THE BARGAINS ] 

To be confident is a very bad thing. Especially is your captors are as ugly as sin. Still there will come a time, when a bell will chime, and you will go ding-a-ling-a-ling. Now if you want to know what the hell I am talking about, you best ask Writer: Geoff Johns; Artist: Doug Mahnke; and Publisher: DC Comics in January 2012.

So what’s the story morning glory?

Part four of ‘Sinestro’ is basically a ‘what the f*ck’ type of a tale, with an additional cliff-hanger that is as shocking as a doped up Granny stripping in a church.

For a start, on Korugar, Hal and Sinestro find themselves in a bit of a pickle – Hal is spat out of the yellow power battery – and together they are taken prisoner by the Sinestro Corps.

Next, in the bad guys H.Q. – Hal is plagued by inner demons whist in a holding cell – whilst Sinsetro is being tortured by some ugly alien who needs a tan and some plastic surgery.

And finally, once Hal and Sinestro are both housed in neighboring cells – Sinestro is hounded by some Korugarians whom he previously pissed off – and Hal has an idea.

Now is this a good idea? Err – depends really – because that is where the cliff-hanger comes into play. Is Sinestro replicating his power-ring many times, and then giving them to the annoyed Korugarians so he and Hal can escape – a good idea or not?

Hmm? To be continued....

What is the most memorable sentence spoken in this issue?

For me, I though the most moving words spoken in this issue, was when Hal cast a projection of Carol on the wall, and says ‘Carol, I’m sorry’.

This scene says more about Hal, than what we have seen so far.

Was the story any good?

Yes – as a tale goes – it is somewhat reminiscent of the third quarter of quite a few rom-coms, where two of the main protagonists hit a wall within their mutual union together (in a manner of speaking). 

However, in this case scenario, the ‘negative overtone’ is all to do with the ‘good guys’ being captured by the ‘bay guys’, and in addition to this, a tale with some character and momentum behind it to boot. 

Was the art any good?

Now there was something different in Doug Mahnke’s line work within this particular issue – something that made it appear simpler in tone, and less detailed in composition. Moreover, I thought that the ‘inquisitor’, Insidd, did look like he should be in an episode of Star Trek rather than Green Lantern – almost seeming like a pastiche to this genre.

OK, so is all of this a good thing or bad thing in retrospect? Errr – somewhere in between I suppose – at times it was a bit funny to look at  – while it did look a mite polished at other times.

Maybe this is something to do with the two inkers? Alamy and Keith Champagne.

What is the best thing about this issue?

Though my favourite scenes in this story do not have anything to do with the overall theme of this issue, I did enjoy the ‘Carol yearning’ segments –  because it humanised Hal, and it also gave his personality more than just one dimension.

What is the worst thing about this issue?

The remnants of last issues cliffhanger – ‘Hal go Boom’ – which then followed on to this issues initial segment – well – it did not work for me. I thought that Hal was fairy dust, and it turns out that all he got was a bit of a headache and a feeling of melancholy.

If you could sum up this issue in a phrase or saying, what would that phrase or saying be?

Nineties pop group, ‘Chumbawamba’, had a song that was dynamic, bold, and kind of Anthemic at the same time. ‘I Get Knocked Down’ was it’s name, and joviality was its game – like this tale.

If this issue were a movie, an object, or a piece of music, what would that be and why?

Elvis Presley said it best when he sung ‘Suspicious Minds’. Well, think about it for a moment, both this song and this comic book are lyrical, evocative, and... err... something to do with incarceration.

What do you think would have made this issue better than it was?

For a start, I would have liked more consistent artwork. Plus, on top of that, I would have prefered some more character and some more plot also – just to ‘beef up’ this comic from a ‘light read’ to a ‘solid tale’.

Final thoughts...

Personally speaking, I did like reading this issue – even though this may not have been all too apparent after reading my review. You see, in essence, I would have loved to have seen Mr Johns and Mr Mahnke do something on this title that would have given this arc more depth in tone and more sparkle in originality.

At the moment, this is only at 50% capacity. 

Marks out of 10? 8