DC Comics 2016
Written by Sam Humphries
Penciled by Robson Rocha
Inked by Jay Leisten
Coloured by Blond
Lettered by Dave Sharpe
New Lanterns Jessica Cruz and Simon Baz promised to protect others in brightest day or blackest night, but as “Red Planet” begins to rise, the partners find themselves confronted with an unimaginable threat from Bleez and the Red Lanterns!
I hadn’t intended to pick this issue up, even though I really enjoyed the Rebirth issue and when I was looking at it, holding it in my hand I knew I was getting it. Aside from the fact that I’m a fan of Sam’s and the books he’s done in the past and then Rocha’s interiors are so strong and amazing these characters have so much potential. I haven’t seen this much potential since Kyle was introduced.
It’s funny because in this I see the potential for what Kyle did for Green Lantern and a new generation. Put aside the fact of the race/gender/religion and look at the personalities here and you see room for growth, evolution and maturity in ways that are exciting at the prospect of watching.
Of the two I find Jessica to be the more fascinating. Sure Baz is an angry man and he has many obstacles to overcome, though many are of his own making in my mind, and yes he’s man who comes from a culture where men take the lead. However it’s Jessica with her severe anxiety and depression that she has to overcome to leave the house that more aptly demonstrates why she has a ring. So far the way Sam is approaching her is really nice, though I do look forward to a time when she’s overwhelmed to the point where she cannot leave the house as that too is a realistic side effect.
The evolution of the Green Lantern’s power is seen nicely here as well as new aspects of what they are capable of is being introduced. It does something to the mythology that turns them from more reactive to potentially proactive and that’s a nice twist.
Also what we see of Atrocious and the Red Lantern’s this issue draws a few parallels to the Gods of Myth for me. As Rage in the Universe wanes so does their power. As without followers so do a God’s. So as their plans are shown it takes on a new meaning to me and one that is as much self-preservation as it is a power play.
Rocha and company do such a great job on the interiors. I love the clean, crisp linework and the attention to detail. Seeing a legit battering-ram again is wonderful and I hope that his imagination continues in the use the rings constructs. The use of backgrounds, angles and perspective highlight how good his flow of the story through pages and panels.
So Sam and company are doing things with this book already that give it a more universal appeal as it ties in more things we can relate to than simply “Beware My Power…” This is one of more promising new titles to come out of Rebirth.