Green Lantern: New Guardians #1
Written by Tony Bedard
Pencils by Tyler Kirkham
Inks by Batt
Green Lantern: New Guardians is my favorite of the three Green Lantern books I’ve read in the DC Comics New 52. (You can check out Talking Comics reviews for Green Lantern, Green Lantern Corps and Red Lanterns to learn our opinions on the other books.) GL: NG #1’s best feature is its winning tone; a sense of playfulness akin to that of a great buddy-cop film. In fact, Lethal Weapon and its ability to perfectly straddle the line between the absurd and the serious, comes to mind when reading Kyle Rayner’s debut issue.
Oh that’s right! Kyle Rayner is the titular Green Lantern and I couldn’t be more psyched! He was my favorite space cop before the relaunch and this first issue does nothing but reinforce my love. It’s rare in a hero book that pure imagination trumps big biceps. But Kyle Rayner, unlike trained military pilot Hal Jordan, former Marine John Stewart and hulking ex- football player Guy Gardner, doesn’t have any physical gifts that make him an effective Corps member. He’s an artist and it’s that creativity that makes him able to create constructs that the others couldn’t cook up in their wildest dreams. Being creative and a nerd myself, this makes him infinitely more relatable.
Like all great Green Lantern books, it has a nice balance of the extraterrestrial and the earthly. Tony Bedard has laid out an adventure that has me fully engaged and salivating for issue #2. Let’s not forget Tyler Kirkham’s art, which is bright, engaging and completes the package which makes this book as fun as any other I’ve read over this month. Even if you are feeling Lantern fatigue (They seem to be in as many books as Batman is!) don’t miss Green Lantern: New Guardians.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
This feels the most standalone of all the Green Lantern books. You see Kyle Rayner receive his ring of power for the very first. Having knowledge of Lantern lore may clear up some bigger universe questions but none of it is required to enjoy the fun.
VERDICT
Buy It- Green Lantern: New Guardians is engaging, funny, and entertaining. The “what have I gotten myself into” tone harkens back to great 80’s/90’s action films and video games in the Uncharted series.
