Absolute Green Lantern #14: His Name is Tomar Re

Jo and Hal have been reunited with John Stewart and Guy Gardner at the behest of the unpredictable Tomar Re. His revenge in full swing, Tomar Re plans to use Jo’s light to destroy the Oanians and their Blackstars. With Chase and Baz on the run from Jim Hammond and Jo rocketing through space, things are definitely going to get worse before they get better.

After an entertaining filler issue, AGL starts its next arc by finally getting our protagonist into space. It felt like a long time coming, but all the set up was necessary to get us to this point. This issue is fairly exposition heavy as we learn Tomar Re’s backstory as well as the purpose behind the Green Lantern, but it’s not really a problem. The action scenes with Chase and Baz more than make up for it.

What Al Ewing reveals in this issue is crucial to both world and character building, but there are moments where it can be a bit too wordy. Tomar Re’s origin is suitably sad and informs the decisions he makes, but the story so far doesn’t go out of its way to justify his actions, making for an interesting character as he tries to use his own power to coerce Jo to do what he wants, which leads to a push and pull between the two at the end of the issue. Elsewhere we still have the lingering mystery of the light that Hal now possesses, and while John and Guy are mostly just here to give exposition, there is a tension between Tomar Re and John that continues to build.

Sid Kotian steps in to fulfill art duties and by all counts knocks it out of the park. The characters are distinctive and moments like Chase and Baz’s escape from Hammond’s goons are fast-paced and exciting like an ’80s action movie. Prasad Rao’s colors also deserve the spotlight as they practically glow off of the page when the book centers on Jo and the other “light-bearers.”