Green Lanterns #34
Writer: Tim Seeley
Artist: Ronan Cliquet
Cover Artist: Mike McKone and Dinei Riberio
Colorist: Hi-Fi
Publisher: DC Comics
Green Lanterns Jessica Cruz and Simon Baz continue their adventure in Space, desperately trying to save Planet Mol! Work Release part Two.
What You Need to Know:
Simon Baz and Jessica Cruz were challenged by the acting Green Lantern Corps Leader Jon Stewart to leave the Planet Earth to protect the rest of Space Sector 2814. They were sent to a planet that was being destroyed by it’s Sun going Supernova, and their orders were to evacuate the inhabitants. This was a direct conflict with the beliefs of the Molites, who worshiped their planet, and they refused to leave. If the Planet willed their deaths, then so be it.
Simon heads to orbit to save a nearby ship that has been crippled by the Gravitational field of the dying planet but was from the Homeworld of the Deceased Lantern Abin Sur. They have been struck by an electromagnetic pulse and the hull has been breached, critically injuring the daughter of the Captain, Liseth ( a famous Intergalactic Pop Musician).
Meanwhile Jessica, through the sheer power of her will and creativity, is left to hold the core of the planet together to save the Molites. She has been holding the weight of the Planet and she is slowly losing a charge in her ring trying to save the subterranean people of Mol.
What You’ll Find Out:
There are two main plots going on here. First, the Space Drama that is unfolding between Jessica and the Planet she is trying to evacuate and Simon who has discovered the Spaceship the “Brinkmanship”. Then a Flashback to their Lives on Earth, where they just cannot seem to get any forward momentum going. Between Jessica and Simon, and their various issues they have not had much luck leading a mundane Human life on Earth.
What Just Happened?
Jessica struggles with agoraphobia and extreme anxiety. She is frightened by crowds and has had a hard time functioning around large groups of people. She is pushed to the limits of her power by holding up one-eighth of the Mass of Planet Mol, truly a Herculean feat, but she must also convince the Molites to leave their beloved Planet of whom they worship. She is aware that if she succeeds then she will be in a crowd of the Salamander like Molites, but is able to put that fear aside and make a speech that moves them both Physically and metaphorically to evacuate the planet. basically her version of the Braveheart Speech. She is able to prevail and the matter at hand is now only to hold the planet until Simon can return with the transport ship and relocate the Molites.
Simon, however, has arrived just as the daughter of the captain Liseth, has become critically injured. She clings to life as her Mother, Captain Regent Anthene Vok in despair over her careless actions decides to turn her sword on herself. Simon stops this and tells her there is little time, but he has a power that is unique to him out of all of the Green lanterns. He has the ability to heal Liseth, and he does so at a personal strain to himself.
With Liseth Healed, the ship is repaired and able to transport the Molites to a safe haven as refugees of heir dying world. The only problem is that the Brinkmanship is unable to get any closer to Mol, without a repeat of the disaster that almost destroyed their ship as well in the wake of the Gravity Fields. Simon has an idea, and goes to his favorite pastime of Racing, with a Green Light construct of a racetrack with several cars and a track to send the Molites to the ship safely, and not a moment too soon for poor exhausted Jessica, who has saved the Molites from their planet.
On their return to the ship, Liseth is grateful to Simon and even invites the two to see her perform ( along with some heavy flirting with Simon).
Jessica and Simon return to their Job searches, as we see Jess sit in a Restaurant and actually have some luck getting a job, but she will be starting off as a dishwasher, while we see Simon is still living with the demons of his past and is turned down from a job in a Pitt crew at the local racetrack due to former ties to a terrorist group. We see Simon, unable to get the job leave his sister’s home and move to an apartment on OA.
Rating: 7/10
Final Thought: My first thought on this was that the art shifted from Eduardo Pansica the last issue to Ronan Clicquet in this issue.Admittedly, I am more a fan of their former’s detailed style and not in favor of changing artists in the middle of a story arc. All things considered, Clicquet does a good job of capturing the Molites, and the vast scope of Planetary mayhem.
The Earth lives of Simon and Jessica are the least interesting point of the story, but I can see that they are the anchor to hold these two to their humble human roots. I think eventually they should sacrifice this aspect and keep the book more Space adventure, and less Failure to launch.
The plot moved swiftly, and the threads all lined up. I find the two very different yet so similar characters in Simon and Jessica to be really enjoyable to follow. I also have learned a lot about what separated these two from the throngs of the Green Lantern Corps. Specifically, the way Jessica’s ring talks to her and the strange healing ability of Simon.
The one scene that made me flat out angry was the appearance of the antagonist from the legendary story “Mogo Doesn’t Socialize”. I found this an unwarranted introduction of an iconic character from a story that is a treasured tale, and this was just an unearned appearance. You can be the judge yourself, but we will see how this goes down next month!
