Green Lantern Corps #17: Guy, Guy, and Guy’s Dad

Hampton’s deep dive into Guy Gardner continues in Green Lantern Corps #17. The story arc that began with Guy becoming the Allsight has included ongoing character exploration, and that exploration has made the story arc particularly compelling. Green Lantern Corps #17, focusing exclusively on Guy, provides the best look at the character yet.

Green Lantern Corps #17 takes Guy all the way back to his childhood. Guy briefly revisits his childhood and abusive father. Hampton has hinted at this aspect of Guy’s past multiple times but has never come right out and addressed it straight on. The scene unfolds over a single page, but it finally gets to the root of the doubt Guy’s internal monologue has hinted at since this arc began.

Most of the rest of Green Lantern Corps #17 sees Guy in dialogue with an older version of himself who is trapped in the black hole that Guy entered at the end of the previous issue. For the first time since the Allsight arc began, Guy’s dialogue and internal monologue doesn’t reflect doubt in himself. The character’s renewed confidence pays off especially well when it turns out that the way out of the black hole is more a function of emotion than willpower.

The only characters of consequence in Green Lantern Corps #17 are Guy and older Guy. Other characters appear in a panel here and a panel there, but for all intents and purposes the two Guys are the only characters in the issue. The older version of Guy doesn’t bear much resemblance to the present day version. At times there are some similarities around the eyes. But for the most part they come across visually as completely separate people. That said, Pasarín does his usual exceptional job detailing characters’ facial features and delivering a very expressive appearance overall. This is especially the case with the older Guy whose face is lined more liberally and heavier than the young version. He is particularly engaging, coming across as more determined and energetic than younger Guy as a result of that added detail, especially in closeup.

The younger Guy’s chief contrast is the attitude their expressions convey. Though Guy overcomes his doubts as the issue unfolds, he starts at a lower point emotionally. As a result, where old Guy looks determined, young Guy looks resigned and, in a few mid-issue panels, despondent. Pasarín’s work very successfully conveys the emotional journey young Guy is on, and the emotions he conveys shift as the issue goes on–in some ways catching up to old Guy’s starting energy and mood.

This issue’s format change is amusing. The shift from vertical to horizontal and back again is a nice way to take advantage of the story point that is taking place in a black hole. The wider panels this format allows for work at several points as the two Guys face each other.

Green isn’t the only color in Green Lantern Corps #17, though at times it feels like it. Between the two Guys’ costumes, the expression of their power, and the emotional entity that appears late in the issue, it is the predominant one. Prianto uses a variety of shades which maintains a slight contrast throughout and keeps the issue from becoming a monotonous monotone.

Sharpe uses a variety of font styles and colors for the sound effects spread throughout the issue. Green Lantern Corps #17 is a fairly low action issue, and these sound effects add extra juice to the visuals.