REVIEW: ‘Green Lantern,’ Issue #4

Green Lantern #4 is published by DC Comics, written by Grant Morrison, with art by Liam Sharp, colors by Steve Oliff, and letters by Tom Orzechowski. With rogue sun eaters eating their way through the cosmos, the Green Lantern Corps has their hands full. But, in the shadows conversations are happening that could change the galactic scene in ways no one expects.

This issue sets up the coming story in the best way I can hope for with good background and character building, action to push the narrative forward, and some surprises I didn’t see coming to leave me eagerly waiting for the next issue. This is my first issue with the new run, and while there are always concern jumping into a comic mid-stream, this ended up being the perfect issue to start with. I’ve heard a lot of buzz around Grant Morrison’s run, and with one issue down, I’m not disappointed.

The story takes place in the form of a conversation between two aliens exchanging information as one is hoping to join the other’s group, the Blackstars. This framing is an interesting way to tell the story and one I rather enjoyed. It created a dual narrative both within the story being told, and outside it, as little exchanges bring us back to the teller and his companion; giving character and flavor beyond the story. The only difficulty I had with this narrative approach is that with this added level of scene changing, coupled with a bit of planet-hopping to go on in the primary narrative, it’s easy to get a little disoriented. But such opportunities are mostly minimized and shouldn’t be a problem.

Grant Morrison does a good job capturing Hal’s character, both in his sense of duty, as well as where specifically that duty always is. The supporting cast was unfamiliar to me, but held up nonetheless. I always love seeing new lanterns and a couple of these were pretty cool, leaving me hoping for reappearances for them as the story continues.

These characters were also helped immensely by the fantastic art and coloring from Sharp and Oliff respectively. The designs of several Lanterns, as well as many of the background characters, are very unique. Sharp used a noticeably different inking approach on a couple which really made the pop in their panels.

The colors are also strong and vibrant which, while I’m always a fan of in my comics, I feel like color should especially be a prominent feature in a Green Lantern comic as it is so connected to the Corp and what it is. And perhaps the best art presentation in the whole book goes to a couple of pages featuring the guardians of the universe. They are captured just as I have always pictured them. In all their smug overbearing glory.

Overall, Green Lantern #4 delivered a well-rounded read from a talented creative team that I am looking forward to revisiting next month. They covered a lot of ground in this book, and handled it better than many would have, which gives promise for when the story picks up in issues to come.