Green Lanterns Rebirth #1 Review

Green Lanterns Rebirth #1

Writer: Geoff Johns
Artists: Ethan Van Sciver, Ed Benes
Colourist: Jason Wright
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Editor: Mike Cotton
Publisher: DC

A review by Amelia Wellman

In brightest day, in blackest night, no evil shall escape my sight. Let those who worship evil’s might, beware my power, Green Lantern’s light! Green Lanterns Rebirth brings in two rookie lanterns: Jessica Cruz and Simon Baz. Both are young and inexperienced and need to be put through their paces before they tackle the universe’s toughest beat: Earth.

DC’s prolific Geoff Johns is back to write Green Lantern stories and that’s what made me pick up Green Lanterns Rebirth without hesitation. Blackest Night wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea but it’s the series that made me care about the Lanterns. To have the creator behind that epic storyline back to reboot the Lantern universe is an exciting prospect.

The most promising thing in Green Lanterns Rebirth #1 is the focus on the rookie Green Lanterns: Jessica and Simon. They’re not new characters, having been introduced in 2013 and 2012 respectively, but they’re characters that need further exploration. They’ve been imbued with the most powerful weapon in the DC universe, but have no idea how to use it. When Hal Jordan tests them and, they not only fail, but turn on each other in petty blame-game tactics, it’s clear just how new they are. The whole emotional spectrum is going to be explored through the eyes of these two rookie recruits. If you’re new to Green Lantern, you’ll be able to empathize with these two as they learn about everything because you’ll be learning about everything at the same time.

More importantly, they’re both characters of colour. Simon is a Lebanese-American, and Jessica is a Latina-American. There’s now four of seven Green Lanterns that aren’t white. Still only one of the seven that’s a woman, but that’s a rant for another day. Having both new, main characters as people or colour is a promising start to (hopefully) the beginning of some true, lasting diversity in big brand, mainstream comics!

While a Geoff Johns headed story is exciting, I can’t say the same enthusiasm translated to the art. It’s pretty enough and it gets the story across but it comes off like most other mainstream comics. Nothing against Sciver and Benes of course, but there’s nothing here that really stuck out and grabbed me. It’s a little rigid, a little lacking in personal touches. I will say that Jason Wright’s colours in the panels that show the vast, emptiness of space are amazing and definitely the highlight of this issue’s art.

The Verdict
Buy It. Especially if you’ve always wanted to read Green Lantern comics but didn’t know where to start. Say what you will about the DC universe reboot concerning other heroes, it works for Green Lantern. Unlike other DC heroes, the Green Lanterns have literally the whole universe to pull stories from, and having that loom over a prospective fan is daunting. A universe reboot, written by Geoff Johns at that, is good for both exposure of the Green Lantern brand and making sure that it doesn’t get tired.