Green Lantern: Blackstars #1
Written by: Grant Morrison
Art by: Xermanico
Cover Art by: Liam Sharp
DC Comics
2019
What has Hal Jordan done? Following the catastrophic events of The Green Lantern #12, no Green Lanterns can be found patrolling their space sectors…and not a single power ring lights the darkness. Across the universe, once-familiar faces now wear a different uniform and enforce a new type of galactic law. The Green Lantern Corps is dead-long live the Blackstars! Who are they? What are they? Answers will be revealed as the unstoppable Blackstars set their sights on the demons of Ysmault, Mongul…and a tiny, backwater planet called Earth. A dangerous new chapter of the Green Lantern mythology starts now!
I’m not sure a reviewer can give every book the chance it deserves, as sometimes, you’re just not into it enough to see what the fans see. Such is the case today, as Green Lanterns: Blackstars #1 has little appeal to me. It’s a mess of story, told out of sequence, with little or no conflict, using writing like “quasi creatures”, “hate-missiles” and ” super-science”, but maybe long-time fans are into that. Still though, I can’t see this book drawing in new readers, at least until more of the story is available.
It’s a shame, of course, because the comic is not without merit. It’s great to look at and there’s some interesting ideas going on, but there’s very little to pull a reader into these characters. A couple is told to love each other, so they do – full stop.
There’s no reason given, there’s no romantic interaction between them, there’s no warmth at all. And every conflict is resolved with almost no resistance. Need to recruit an army of demons who have been bond and tormented for thousands of years?
Just convince them anything’s better than being bored, and they sign right up! Need to confront a warlord in charge of an entire planet devoted to battle? Good thing you brought an immense fleet of star ships capable of turning him to dust! It has all the excitement of reading a take-out menu.
I really hope someone sees more in this comic than I do, but I can’t help but review it as I see it, and on its own. It’s just not very interesting. I have no idea who these people are, what they’re trying to accomplish, or why I should care. And the writing’s subpar, at best.
An Intro Only a True Fan Could Enjoy
Changing up everything about a long-beloved series isn't always the best idea. As the Green Lantern mythology explores a universe without Green Lanterns, casual fans are left wondering what's going on. Maybe this book is intended only for the faithful, but I can't see this story or writing grabbing any one else's attention.
Brian Reed
Brian has been reading comics since January, 1987, when the death of Optimus Prime rocked his young world. Once a regular presenter on The Nerdstravaganza Podcast, Brian now writes for Florida Geek Scene.
