By: Peter J. Tomasi (story), Fernando Pasarin (pencils), Scott Hanna (inks), Gabe Eltaeb (colors)
The Story: Generally, it’s not a good idea for prosecutors and judges to be one and the same.
The Review: I think I’ve said this before about a couple characters, but the reserved, purposeful type of people can be difficult to connect to. Let’s not mince words here; most of us are impulsive, confrontational, part-time morons. We like to stand out somewhere in the spotlight, rather than linger in the shadows. We flail around, making a ruckus, and get a lot of attention, while the reserved, purposeful people actually make the sacrifices to get the job done.
John Stewart easily lands in this category. Think about it. He’s an architect, so the whole of his work involves not only having a vision of his end product, but figuring out the means to make it come to be—and ultimately, people will admire the results more than the work or worker that goes into it. He’s also a soldier, so his instinct is to think through even the most chaotic situation before making a move, and he knows when to lay down his life for the greater good.
All of this plays a part in his big storyline here, where he takes the Alpha Lanterns’ death sentence (which I don’t consider a spoiler since it’s been revealed for a month now—if the cover’s giant “GUILTY” didn’t give it away) with superhuman fortitude. For writers wondering, this is how you make a deeply internal character compelling. John may be acting passive-aggressively, but against such ceaseless antagonism, his even-handed responses stand out even more, a rock against the tide. When asked if he has anything further to say about the judgment, he replies with only a flicker of heat, “No. I’m done wasting my breath.”
And how about that judgment? Look, I’m not ashamed to admit that criminal law was not my strongest subject in law school, but even I feel that the justification defenses John has on his side would clearly mitigate a capital punishment. And most everyone besides the Alphas feels the same. Vath, who led the cry for John’s trial, admits execution is too extreme; the conservative Salaak finds the imposed unavailability of appeal “outrageous”; and even the Guardians are compelled to state plainly they “do not agree with [the] decision”.
On that last point, it is very easy for cynical readers to interpret it as fiendishly manipulative on the Guardians’ part, a wonderful bit of playacting for characters removed from emotion. Clearly, their goal is to cause friction between the regular Lanterns and the Alphas; why else would they shut down any execution method other than the Alphas carrying it out themselves (appeasing Guy’s own ideas about the matter in the process)? And watching how such friction plays out in the end, you can quickly see how it can escalate until the entire Corps is fighting among themselves, justifying the Guardians’ belief that this institution can no longer function. It bodes ill that Kirrt’s ring, looking for Kirrt’s replacement, terminates its recruit initiation just as it begins, a sign that the deconstruction of the Corps is already beginning.
Pasarin brings his usual excellence to the issue, crushing on both the dramatic and action fronts. If he gives the characters incredible emotion, it’s because he puts so much craft into shaping their facial features into true-to-life expression, like the perfectly wizened and crusty faces of the Guardians, or how Guy’s outraged cry doesn’t seem like it comes close to letting out all his anger. Eltaeb has great presence in this issue also, his green glows lending an eerie tension to the mostly dark settings where all the heavy conversation takes place.
Conclusion: Tomasi once again offers another piece of evidence that he’s a master of pulling your heartstrings through superheroes, and Pasarin proves the ideal director for that ambition.
Grade: A-
– Minhquan Nguyen
Some Musings: – Guy and John don’t offer the sensitive gestures of the modern bromance, but their relationship is no less heartfelt and amusing. John regarding his last meal: “That doesn’t look like the samosas, garlic nan, and chicken tikka masala I requested.” Guy: “Sorry, had to do with cereal and milk for ya—making plans the last few hours ate up a lotta my cooking time.” Those “plans” refer to Guy’s secret scheme to break out John, by the way. Aww.
Grade
Conclusion