Green Lantern #26: Obvious Avatars

Green Lantern #26 delivers a nice reverse to what sounded like a full proof plan in Green Lantern Corps #7. The team intended to find emotional avatars beyond the Source Wall which they could bring back to combat the loss of emotion in the universe. Adams twists that around somewhat in this issue.

Unfortunately, Marion designs these avatars as monstrous creatures, telegraphing their untrustworthiness practically from the Green Lantern #26’s cover and definitely by its second page. The result is a decided lack of tension as the various ring holders deal with the avatars.

It’s hard to know what Adams’ intent with these avatars was. His Green Lantern #26 script likely dictated in a general way how they would look. Adams makes a meal out of Hal realizing that the avatars are not to be trusted–it’s presented as a monumental revelation that only Hal has figured out. But if Adams did intend for the reader to appreciate this “Ah hah!” moment for Hal, he stepped all over it by presenting monstrous avatars to begin with.

Sharpe’s lettering doesn’t help the situation, either. He makes the smart choice of coloring the avatar’s dialogue bubbles and text to correspond with their emotional color. Unfortunately the font Sharpe uses has a scratchy quality that grows thinner and somewhat fades at the bottom of letters. One effect is to make the bottom of some letters look like knife points.

Setting aside the messy execution, the idea behind the lanterns’ interaction with the avatars is a good one. Just because they need the emotional power the avatars represent doesn’t mean they can let them run wild. In keeping with the very concept of Green Lantern, the various lanterns must have the will to control them.

Their effect on Green Lantern #26’s narrative notwithstanding, Marion’s designs for the avatars is very creative. Some fit with standard monster imagery–the orange lantern snake, for instance. Others, such as the green lantern fish which has an excessive number of fins extended from unusual places on a particularly long body, are more bizarre.

The avatars command further attention due to the vivid color choices Fajardo, Jr. makes for them. Unsurprisingly, the avatars’ colors match the emotional spectrum color that they represent. But their colors are more intense than the matching colors. Additionally, shading applied to them is never quite as dark as the ship and people surrounding them.

Finally, Adams creates a nice moment in Green Lantern #26 where Guy Gardner (of all people) posits the idea that the Suneaters are just doing what comes naturally to them. It’s a notion that isn’t explored beyond the question. Whether or not this question plays into The Starbreaker Supremacy’s conclusion or is simply lip service to make the story look smart is unclear. But in any case, it’s nice to see a multifaceted examination of the antagonists.