By: Geoff Johns (writer), Doug Mahnke (pencils), Christian Alamy, Tom Nguyen, Keith Champagne and Doug Mahnke (inkers)
The Story: The New Guardians, Chapter Four: A really creepy Hector Hammond is sprung from prison by an even creepier former guardian. In the meantime, Hal is trying to deal with Larfleeze, who is discovering the true meaning of Christmas. Why does Hal bother? Larfleeze has done something that interests Hal very much – he has trapped the entity of greed in his orange lantern. Hal might need access to that trick soon– for the other six entities. As always, there’s a complication…
What’s Good: Johns and Mahnke have delivered another fun ride full of characterization and surprises. The dialogue is crisp and relatively spare, considering the heavy conceptual lifting it has to do. Hal and Larfleeze and Hammond have distinct voices, interests and intents and that comes out in the writing. The humor and irony are equally good (Larfleeze contrasted against the concept of Santa Claus) and lighten the load for the heavier stuff that hits later on. Johns and Mahnke also use Hammond’s telepathic abilities to full dramatic effect to show us, in pictures only, a glimpse of Larfleeze’ past and motivations. It was a cool window to press my nose to and left me itching for other views of this fascinating, ultra-powerful, unstable muppet.
Mahnke, Alamy, Nguyen and Champagne slap down some nice artwork too. Hammond, both in the present, and in his twisted wants and dreams, is creepy and revolting. The police chief of North Branch, Minnesota, talking to Green Lantern, was excellently characterized. Hal was heroic and the Larfleezian constructs and Hammond’s attack he must face are evocative and exuberant (check out Larfleeze writing on a mountain of stuff if you need to see my justification for the word exuberant). And the final splash page really knits together artistically what has been happening through the book.
What’s Not So Good: I was hoping for a little more context on the entity-hunting guardian and the scene with the Question and Saint Walker, but if you don’t have patience for the slow reveal, you shouldn’t be reading Geoff Johns.
Conclusion: The latest chapter in the Brightest Day event is a fun adventure romp that is well worth picking up.
Grade: B
-DS Arsenault
Filed under: DC Comics Tagged: | Blackest Night, Brightest Day, Christian Alamy, Comic Book Reviews, comic books, comic reviews, Comics, DC Comics, Doug Mahnke, DS Arsenault, Geoff Johns, Green Lantern, Green Lantern #56, Green Lantern #56 review, Hal Jordan, Hector Hammond, Keith Champagne, Larfleeze, Reviews, Santa Claus, Tom Nguyen, Weekly Comic Book Review, White Lantern
