DCU Comic Book Reviews

GREEN LANTERN CORPS #22

The Curse Of The Alpha-Lantern, Part Two

May 2008

Written by Sterling Gates

Pencils by Nelson

Inks by Nelson, Derek Fridolfs, Rob Hunter

Cover by Nelson

Synopsis

Then...Green Lantern Boodikka attempts to stop Parallax, but fails.  Now... Alpha Lantern Boodikka has returned to Bellatrix to find Lantern novice Zale, who has failed to show up at Oa for her required training.  However, Boodikka is being blocked by the Bellatrix Bombers, who reveal they want Zale to remain with them so they can use their power for themselves.  When Zale realizes this, she helps Boodikka to defeat the Bellatrix Bombers.  On Oa, the Guardians decide to keep Zale in the Lantern Corps and assign her as Boodikka’s new partner.  In Sector 112, several Green Lanterns survey the damage to Hannu’s ship.  When they find Hannu, he tells them that Laira did it with a red ring.

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

This wasn’t a bad issue, but it was entirely forgettable.  The problem with this two-part isn’t so much the writing or the art (both of which are competent) but the fact is that the major draw to this issue is learning more about the Alpha Lantern.  And, really, we don’t get it.  We don’t really learn more about the way the Alpha Lantern’s work or feel or anything else.  Think about it.  The exact same story could’ve been told whether or not Boodikka was an Alpha Lantern or not.  So, in that sense it is a forgettable story because there was nothing important that we learned or needed to know to understand the Alpha Lanterns better. 

Thematically, I understand where Gates was going with the first couple of pages, showing Boodikka failing on her own then having the Guardians force her to have a partner at the end.  I just wonder if it is a good idea to show Hal Jordan (and, indeed, all him Hal) that way when his role is so vastly different in Green Lantern.  I will assume the majority of readers will understand the context of the first couple pages, but there will be a few who will not understand. 

The final two pages of this issue felt wildly out of place and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if they are removed when this story (presumably with the other Alpha Lantern story in Green Lantern) is collected to the trade paperback.  I understand what the editors are trying to do:  set the stage for the next story, but those two pages were jarring not only because it had no relation to the previous story, but the main story ended, perhaps not happily, but at least with the optimism, such that the tone of the pages was also off.

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