REVIEW: ‘Absolute Green Lantern’ Issue 1

Absolute Green Lantern Issue 1 is published by DC Comics, written by Al Ewing, art and colors by Jahnoy Lindsay, and letters by Lucas Gattoni.

This issue is part of the Absolute Universe. Alien objects have landed on Earth and are starting to influence the residents of a small town.

This issue has a fascinating approach to starting a new series. Absolute Green Lantern Issue 1 takes place in a very remote area, new parts of America rarely visited by superheroes in the central universe. Familiar attributes and characters are present in every Green Lantern comic. But it is like the deck has been shuffled, rewriting the fundamentals of the universe to bewilder and surprise. The structure bounces around the past and the present, telling the most gripping part of the comic first. It uses a character that can be used as an anchor, or so we think.

There is a lot of tension leading up to an unexpected reveal. For much of Absolute Green Lantern Issue 1, we’re following an enemy and a menace, no matter how unaware they are. It will be long before we see the character becoming the Green Lantern. The cover gives it away, but it’s still intriguing, considering who else is a candidate. Seeing the sheer damage the alien elements do to typical human towns and people is fascinating.

Ewing brilliantly subverts expectations with the main character of the Absolute Green Lantern Issue 1. Hal Jordan is the primary focus of this opening chapter, as he has been for countless Green Lantern issues before this one. But this is not the Hal that we know and love. For one, he’s fearful, afraid, and haunted by something that’s just happened. Hal also has something in his pocket that can cause great harm. He isn’t the only known character in this first issue.

A core group of friends is quickly gathered, but they are torn apart quickly and scattered for reasons only beginning to be clarified. The dialogue within this issue can create an atmosphere extremely quickly. There is a creepy, horror element to much of Absolute Green Lantern Issue 1. The way that panic very quickly sets in among the civilians, gradually increasing in noise and severity, creates an unease throughout the chapter. Choosing who will become a Green Lantern is interesting and welcome because it’s the least commonly told story.

The art is sensational. The world looks normal for much of Absolute Green Lantern Issue 1. The towns reside in a stereotypical American desert, with diners where much conversation occurs. But then Lindsay brings something very new to the world. Hal looks deeply uncomfortable, with wide eyes and sweat dripping down his face. The anxiety radiates from him, creating jitters and frayed nerves. But that is only one confrontation with a single cop. Then he gets closer to civilisation, with a diner full of people, the tension rises even further.

So many parts of the Green Lantern mythos have been redesigned, some with more terrifying and brutal results. Lindsay seems to recreate elements of manga within American comic books, especially in some facial expressions and how an alien figure is illustrated. There is a startling suddenness to what almost becomes action. Things explode and erupt, trying to make the most out of the element of surprise. There isn’t a fight scene, but plenty of drama, and a form of power that will need a Green Lantern to stop.

The colors are terrific in Absolute Green Lantern Issue 1. Green Lantern comics are known for being vibrant and colorful, embracing the full range of the rainbow spectrum. But so early in this series, the shades are more natural and grounded. There is a distinct lack of green only when there are signs of where the Green Lantern power will come from. One color that does make an appearance is black. And it is a rich and imposing black, like a void that engulfs everything it touches. The lettering is small but very clear and easy to read.

Absolute Green Lantern Issue 1 uses existing knowledge to fool us. Ewing uses the red herrings of Hal Jordan and other famous figures to create ideas about who the Green Lantern of the Absolute Universe will be. Still, a much more thrilling and enthralling story is underway. A dark, creepy, and atmospheric comic is created that relies on suspense and misdirection.

In each of the other Absolute universe comics, the creators have kept the identity of the characters intact. Bruce Wayne is still Batman, Kal-El is Superman, and Wally West is The Flash. But the Green Lantern is a ring, which means it can fall to pretty much whoever the creator chooses. And that provides several roads on which to travel.

Absolute Green Lantern Issue 1 is available now wherever comics are sold.