DC’s Love is a Battlefield #1: John Stewart and Fatality in “The Heart Wants”

We wrap up a massive 80-page Valentine’s Day giant special from DC Comics with a particularly heartfelt story featuring the Green Lantern John Stewart and Fatality or Yrra, an often troubled relationship that remains tethered to one another’s heart even after all this time.

This short is arguably one of the better executed in the bunch, and the emotional spectrum that is so often explored is an obvious catalyst for this type of story that the creative team uses to their success. John’s feelings of “something is wrong” is a manifestation of this connection he has with Yrra and it’s that very connection that gets to the heart of what this entire issue is all about. It is inherently tied to the emotional capacity for love and that is what the Violet Light is all about…right?

But this isn’t just about frolicking in the light of love, there are also familiar elements at play that impede our capacity to show love. John Stewart goes through gaslighting from the Zamarons and struggles to gain Yrra’s trust for what must be done to escape despite the conflict that can get between each of them. The title of “The Heart Wants” isn’t just a nod to our desire for love, it’s about all the complicated emotional expressions that come with it, from revenge to remorse and everything between. That exploration of the spectrum that love finds itself in and the potential it yields is what makes this such a great story.

Well, that and the outstanding artwork from Amancay Nahuelpan with vivid colors from June Chung. The visuals are quick and to the point, and the pacing is spot on. With some strong letters from Steve Wands, the short is able to wield the notions from Ridley’s script in a powerful way that helps you to feel what is happening between Stewart and Yrra. The ending panels showing a clenched fist and the attempt to hold one another’s hands is a heartfelt moment that ends this giant one-shot with a heavy emotional beat that I can really appreciate.

Ultimately, with limited space and confined to a story that can’t really have an overbearing weight of consequence, I feel the John Stewart and Fatality short is quite successful. It is a story that at least has something to say and uses the lore of the Lanterns in an interesting way to give substance to the undertones of the story. It’s one not of helplessly falling in love, but following through with the passion and intensity to discover what the heart wants and allow each of us the choice to express how we really feel when it’s most important.