Green Lantern #21
Written by Robert Venditti
Pencils by Billy Tan
Inks by Richard Friend
Colors by Alex Sinclair & Tony Avina
Review by Adam Shaw
Geoff Johns has left the bridge and the ship. Venditti and Tan are now at the helm of Green Lantern and we join them as they are leaving port. Sure, I had kept up with the adventures of Green Lantern via various news sources, but I was never along for the voyage.
I had been on many ships that crossed her path. There were many ports of call, where I could have jumped on to Captain Johns’ vessel. However, all the prior experiences of the passengers and crew scared me a little. I didn’t want to feel left out of the in-jokes and shared experiences of all of those that started with Johns’ maiden voyage.
Now that John’s and his crew had departed, Green Lantern was back in port for her new crew and supplies. I figured now was as good as time as any to see what adventures lie ahead with a new captain and crew running this behemoth of a ship…
If you couldn’t tell, I am new to the world of Green Lantern, all the ring colors, Corps, guardians, or what have you. I’ve kept a general eye via wikis as to what was going on, but that’s about it. The last time I read a Green Lantern book Kyle Rayner was Ion.
As a newer reader to Green Lantern, I found issue #21 to be an easy jumping on point. It was fairly simple to get a grasp of what was going on, and you could tell that some major shan hitting fits had gone down in the run leading up to this. Venditti didn’t dwell too much on the specifics of these events, and instead focuses on moving the story forward, as well as welcoming in new readers. We get all the important information we need in the first few pages of the story; OA is under attack, the Green Lantern Corp needs recruits, and Hal Jordan is now the leader of the Corp. Wham, bam, slam, and we got all we need to get us going.
I did wish however, that we got just a little bit more information about the threat that appears in this issue. Long time readers might be satisfied with what goes on in this issue, but it is definitely a setup issue. As a newer reader, I wanted just a little bit more out of it. It’s a pretty good issue, that is on the cusp of being a really good “first” issue. Don’t get me wrong. I love what Veniditti has been doing over on X-O Manowar, and there is enough here to get me to stick around and see what happens to Hal, Kilowog, and the new recruits.
The art from Tan and friends is also another reason to stick around. Tan’s line work really popped out and appealed to the aesthetics that I find visually stimulating. It looks good, it looks clean, and it sings.
The Verdict
I don’t think I would classify this as a must buy, but if you’ve been looking for a chance to check out Green Lantern, this issue slows down enough for you to jump on board. (See how I tied it back to the intro?) Venditti gives you everything you’ll need to follow the story, and the art team will soothe your eyes with their pretty pictures and colors. (All the colors of the rainbow lantern corps.)
