Green Lanterns #10 *Preview/Spoilers*

[Hypo Lil' Leaguer Find all posts View Profile Close Hypo]

Green Lanterns #10 Preview
Writer: Sam Humphries
Artists: Eduardo Pansica

[W.West Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close W.West]

Review here

[jhpace1 Green Lantern Initiate Find all posts View Profile Close jhpace1]

Two-and-a-half stars

So we open up with somehow Simon Baz getting a taste of the Phantom Ring - and he panics, so Rami the Lost Guardian of the Universe takes the Phantom Ring back from him, not authorizing the "test" at all. Simon and Jessica want to go somewhere else, maybe to Hal Jordan and the GLC, but they are distracted by a nearby house fire.

The house fire was a distraction by Mr. Second Best of course, who finally gets his hands on the Phantom Ring. Which comes with an activation oath, of course (another retcon, needing an oath with a power ring). But the mysterious figure helping Frank the new Phantom Lantern has a plan, and Frank leaves with Rami.

Artwork was acceptable, superior even, in this issue. I'm not fond of Simon or Jessica, and Jessica's doubts is starting to grate on me. Devoting six pages of the comic to Jessica overcoming her fears and talking to the girl in the ambulance was too much, in my opinion. So less than three stars.

The Phantom Ring's ability appears to be one-at-a-time color emotion, of which we saw Will and Fear. So rather than Kyle Rayner's Green Lantern-to-White Lantern gradual transformation, we have a kaleidoscope. This is the "strength" of the Phantom Ring, it seems. When the wielder felt fear, his ring didn't shut down like some GL rings, but switched to Yellow, instead. When Frank felt confident again, he went back to looking like a Green Lantern.

[JohnMc Senior Corps Member Find all posts View Profile Close JohnMc]

I have to agree with Wally about the amount of inner dialogue from Simon and Jessica doubting themselves. It was fine for the first story arc, but now its just tiresome. They can't go a panel without doubting themselves.

Someone needs to tell that its not compelling writing. This doesn't make me want to root for these characters. Just makes me want to see them get killed off in the next "Earth Shattering" event.

[Big Blue Lantern Corps Honor Guard Find all posts View Profile Close Big Blue Lantern]

So far, the Phantom ring set-up has been solid. Frank Laminski's back story was well-crafted and the art expertly conveyed his increasing madness. Jessica and Simon haven't quite found their respective strides yet, but there are enough seeds to give me confidence that they will.

One glaring plot hole that I see is why Rami didn't attempt to destroy the ring. If he was incapable of doing that alone, then the reader is left to wonder why he didn't take it to Superman so he could crush it or the Spectre to unravel the emotions within it. That needs an explanation in the near future.

[Space Cop The Dandy Find all posts View Profile Close Space Cop]

^There was a reference to him trying like hundreds of different ways to destroy it. As to Supes and crowd, he may not be aware of them and he may not trust them. He's pretty insulated and pretty paranoid.

[Big Blue Lantern Corps Honor Guard Find all posts View Profile Close Big Blue Lantern]

^There was a reference to him trying like hundreds of different ways to destroy it. As to Supes and crowd, he may not be aware of them and he may not trust them. He's pretty insulated and pretty paranoid.

You could be right about that. As a GotU, even a rogue one, he *should* be aware of beings who could help him dispose of the ring, but that makes sense that he might not trust anyone except for a select group of heroes.

[Space Cop The Dandy Find all posts View Profile Close Space Cop]

^Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt if they at least wrote it off. Baz could ask him to go to Supes and he could give some excuse so it's at least addressed.

[Big Blue Lantern Corps Honor Guard Find all posts View Profile Close Big Blue Lantern]

^Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt if they at least wrote it off. Baz could ask him to go to Supes and he could give some excuse so it's at least addressed.

I think it should be addressed. However, in the interest of full disclosure, sometimes small plot holes bother me more than they should.

[jhpace1 Green Lantern Initiate Find all posts View Profile Close jhpace1]

So far, the Phantom ring set-up has been solid. Frank Laminski's back story was well-crafted and the art expertly conveyed his increasing madness. Jessica and Simon haven't quite found their respective strides yet, but there are enough seeds to give me confidence that they will.

One glaring plot hole that I see is why Rami didn't attempt to destroy the ring. If he was incapable of doing that alone, then the reader is left to wonder why he didn't take it to Superman so he could crush it or the Spectre to unravel the emotions within it. That needs an explanation in the near future.

In classic GLC the power ring was "indestructible", period. Same for the lanterns. Which has changed after Parallax and Kyle got rebooted.

[Big Blue Lantern Corps Honor Guard Find all posts View Profile Close Big Blue Lantern]

In classic GLC the power ring was "indestructible", period. Same for the lanterns. Which has changed after Parallax and Kyle got rebooted.

I remember them being written as such, but it seems to me that the power level of a Guardian would at least be able to depower a ring. IIRC, Hal said that Ganthet (during GL: Rebirth) could "crack a planet in half", so it seems to me that Rami could have found some method of dealing with the ring's emotional content. However, Space Cop pointed out that he did mention failed attempts to destroy the ring, so that's enough for the story to progress even if that point is a little questionable.