GREEN LANTERN #17

[ GO GREEN FOR SALE ] 

Who wants to be involved with some 'Wrath'? Wouldn't you rather have a very nice bath? Baz knows what I mean. He likes to keep clean. And never does he cheat at his math. Not unlike the green supreme creative team of Writer: Geoff Johns; Artists: Doug Mahnke, Dan Jurgens, and Phil Jimenez; plus Publisher: DC Comics, in March 2013.

Using GENERAL terms, answer the following 4 questions about this first part of a STORY entitled 'Wrath of The First Lantern'.

• WHAT'S THE MAIN THRUST OF THIS TALE: Whilst the First Lantern, Volthoom, explains to the Guardians of the Universe the error of their ways, Baz, Black Hand, and B'dg, all attempt to get out of their bizarre confinement.
• ARE THE MAIN OBJECTIVES ACHIEVED: Yeah. Kind of. Not that it does any of them any good.
• ANYTHING ELSE HAPPEN: It's revealed that Krona saw Volthoom's hand at the dawn of creation.
• HOW DOES THIS STORY END: With Baz coming face to face with Sinestro in the 'Dead Zone'.

Overall, what is the most memorable SENTENCE OR CONVERSATION spoken in this issue?

Without giving too much away, I couldn't help but chuckle to myself when Sinestro said to Baz at the end of this tale...

 'Please don't tell me you are the human who was supposed to rescue us'.

Ha! Also, I did like the majority of Volthoom's conversation with Ganthet too. That was very 'engaging'.

What are the BEST bits about this issue?

(+) Although I'm not a big fan the 'multi-artist' story-line, by in large I did like how Dan and Phil's pencils really complemented Doug's main chunk of the narrative. It enhanced, and didn't detract.
(+) Baz is a character that has really grown on me by the issue. He's starting to become a very-very different GL compared to the rest of them.
(+) The double-page splash-page by Doug Mahnke was f*cking amazing. Defiantly poster-worthy in my book. Hands down.
(+) I found it strangely gratifying when Volthoom gave the Guardians a good talking to. Moreover, I did like the fact that it was his hand which surfaced during the dawn of creation, even if...

What are the WORST bits about this issue?

(-) ... it was explained in the 'Genesis' cross-over event, that the hand in question belonged to 'The Source'.
(-) In hindsight, the initial chunk of this story felt a bit too much like a recap all in all. As if writer, Geoff Johns, wanted to tell the readers to pick up the recent Green Lantern Annual, just in case they missed it.
(-) Not enough B'dg. Which was a shame. Sob!

Pick TWO CHARACTERS out of this comic book, and compare them individually to a HONG KONG ACTION STAR.

LEE HOI SANG AS VOLTHOOM: If ever there was a martial-arts master who's able to play bad yet mannered without raising a sweet, for certain, Lee would be the man for the job. Dead certain. Hai-Yah!!!!

YUET SANG CHIN AS BLACK HAND. Look at his face. Go on. Look at Chin (not the body part). And then tell me that he and 'the hand' don't share a dissimilar sinister quality. You can't, can you?

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

'Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe' -- Albert Einstein

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

ACROSS THE UNIVERSE BY THE BEATLES: In around about way both this story and this song share a number of similar attributes. They both bold, lyrical, and try to explain the origins of the universe with an alternate approach.

ANYTHING Else?

If truth be told, I didn't mind reading this particular installment of 'Green Lantern' one little bit. It relayed a very nice dual story-line about how the Guardians are bunch of tossers, and how Baz eventually gets tossed into the dead-zone. Furthermore, the art was great, the characters showed character, and -- without being overtly sentimental about it -- it does feel a little bit like a swan song for the Johns / Mahnke creative team.

Now I'm sure most of you GL fans have heard the news by now. Johnny-boy and the Monkey are jumping off this book in a couple of issue's time. Sad news, isn't it? Well, just in case I forget down the road, please allow me this opportunity to say that they've both breed new life into this franchise. Doing their best in the only way they know how.

Sob! Sob! Pass the tissues please. I'm getting emotional.

GIVE IT, IT'S DUES: If This Comic Book Was a Milk Based Beverage, It Would Be A Milkshake. Very Filling. Very Sweet. And With a Very Different Aftertaste Depending On Your Choice Of Flavors.