DCU Comic Book Reviews

GREEN LANTERN #50

Parallax Rebirth

March 2010

Written by Geoff Johns

Pencils by Doug Mahnke

Inks by Christian Alamy, Rebecca Buchman, Tom Nguyen, Mark Irwin, and Doug Mahnke

Covers by Doug Mahnke and Jim Lee

Synopsis

Black Lanterns have overrun Coast City.  Hal Jordan, with the New Guardians, have come to stop them.  To help defeat the Black Lanterns, all of New Guardians have deputized someone into the various lantern corps.  As the battle rages on, Black Lantern Spectre appears to judge Hal Jordan.  Jordan fights back, but a blast of light doesn’t destroy the Spectre because his power nearly eclipses their own.  Jordan realizes there is only one who can match up with the Spectre:  Parallax.  Jordan orders Ganthet to summon the power batteries that contain Parallax.  He will unleash the creature and allow it to possess him.  Sinestro tells Jordan he can’t handle, that it should be Sinestro who should do it.  When Sinestro frees the creature, Jordan makes sure it is him to possess the creature and once more become Parallax.     

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

The opening portion of this issue picks up where issue #6 of Blackest Night ended.  Then the Spectre arrives and what we get after that is pretty much an extended fight scene as we see the New Guardians fight the Spectre and fight (somewhat) amongst themselves.  This is the type of issue that could easily falter because while the concept is easy (hey, everyone vs. the Spectre), the execution is not so easy to make it interesting and exciting.  However, Johns and Mahnke absolutely nail this one; this is a great issue.  From the dynamic art of the fights to the character interactions (I love the way the Orange Lanterns fight amongst themselves) to the ending, it all came together beautifully. 

What I find amazing is that this is an anniversary issue.  Yet, beyond the cover and the extended page count, there is very little to celebrate over four years of this series.  Yet, Johns was able to take this issue and write a story that calls back to many events and people of the character’s past, but still make it relevant to what is going on right now.  This is firmly a Blackest Night story, but for fans of the first series, or when Hal was the Spectre, or even the recent Rebirth, there is something for you. 

This issue actually feels like it should be the next issue of Blackest Night rather than the next issue of Green Lantern.  This is not a complaint, mind you.  I am enjoying this event and following it closely, so I dove right into this issue and the story without any problems.  While it didn’t bother me, I think I can sympathize with anyone who would want more Hal Jordan in his book rather than the short scenes with the Lex or Mera or Scarecrow.

Here is a question:  When Blackest Night is put into a trade paperback, how it will read without the Green Lantern sections?  Will it make sense?  To me, it makes sense, but with missing pieces, it might come across as a little choppy. 

Hal joins yet another Lantern Corps.  More and more it looks as if Hal will become the White Lantern to destroy the black power battery.  The only corps I think he hasn’t joined is Star Sapphire. 

Comic Connection

The events in this issue pick up directly after the end of Blackest Night #6.  The scene on the bottom of page 4 with Blue Lantern Barry Allen and Firestorm also occurs in Blackest Night:  Flash #2. 

The Spectre became a Black Lantern in issue #2.  While he was waiting for Hal to return to Earth, the Phantom Stranger distracted the Spectre (as seen in Phantom Stranger #44, one of the “resurrected” titles), which explains what he was doing since he got the black ring and his appearance here. 

Whether intended or not, the first time Parallax appeared was in the first volume of Green Lantern, which also happened to be issue #50. 

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