Green Lantern #19: A Troubled Takeoff

The Green Lantern Corps is united again following the tumultuous events of “Civil Corps.” But there’s no rest for the weary. After kicking off the next big storyline in Green Lantern: Fractured Spectrum #1, Adams sends Hal and Kyle on a mixed results recruitment drive to Earth in Green Lantern #19.

The Book of Oa is in dangerous hands, and Hal needs a team to help him get it back. Green Lantern #19 follows Hal and Kyle back to Earth on a recruiting drive. But when Star Sapphire turns Hal down, the two Green Lanterns look to unlikely allies–Kon-El and sciencells escapee Time Bandit.

The “Fractured Spectrum Saga” doesn’t begin in Green Lantern #19, but Adams provides enough necessary backstory that readers who missed the recent one-shot won’t be totally lost. Also, his judicious use of that backstory doesn’t make the issue repetitive. With the new storyline established in broad strokes, this issue is free to focus largely on characters.

Green Lantern #19 is a classic team assembling issue. It’s also a good jumping on point even for readers who missed the recent Green Lantern Fractured Spectrum #1. As a result it’s very light on plot advancement, and serves as a welcome pause between the recent “Civil Corps” and the new “Fractured Spectrum Saga” storylines. In this way it’s a very surface level issue.

Adams throws a few curveballs at readers with this new team. Hal’s first choice, Carol, decides to stay on Earth to continue to train and develop her powers as a hero. Separating Hal and Carol immediately after getting them back together runs counter to expectations, but her absence elevates the other new team members.

Failing to recruit Carol, Hal and Kyle pick up the escaped prisoner Odyssey/Time Bandit and Conner. Even though Conner is a long established character, these two additions feel like wildcards in a Green Lantern story, and they immediately generate curiosity. Furthermore, in recent years, Conner’s best development has arguably come when he is away from the rest of the Super family. Fans of the character may find this a welcome choice.

Visually, Green Lantern #19 is considerably less successful. Three artists are credited, though at times it’s difficult to know exactly where one artist’s work ends and another’s begins. The styles seem largely consistent. Unfortunately that doesn’t save the art. Facial features have a cut and paste quality, especially when it comes to female characters. There is very little to differentiate expressions between Wonder Woman, Carol, and Odyssey. Carol in particular is underserved as her facial expressions never seem to line up with the dramatic weight Adams gives her regarding her choice to stay on Earth.

Male characters fare better. Additional shading and linework relative to the female characters adds dimension to cheekbones, forehead worry lines, and so forth. Visually, male characters appear more in line with their dialogue. Unfortunately, even though Green Lantern #19 is a lightweight bridge issue, its important emotional beats are undercut by this uneven work.

Much more successful than the art is Fajardo Jr.’s coloring. His work is considerably more vivid than is typical for the series and not as nuanced, but it works with the art styles on display in the issue.

There is no shortage of emphasized dialogue in Green Lantern #19, whether it be from basic exclamations as when Hal and Kyle’s ship blasts into space or imparting new information such as when Odyssey is introduced. Sharpe color codes most of this emphasized dialogue to either who is saying it or who it is referring to. In Odyssey’s case, the revelation of her identity is made by Kyle, but the oversized font choice is in colors that match Odyssey’s look. This contrasts with various moments when the Green Lanterns or Carol are exclaiming in a more general sense and the dialogue matches their color scheme. In a general sense, these repeated uses of large and colorful emphasized dialogue does make visuals more dynamic, though at times they steal the focus from the artwork.