Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
Green Lantern: The Lost Army #1
DC Comics
Bunn & Saiz
"Green Lantern: The Lost Army" launches with a fairly standard introductory issue. The comic book doesn't try to be anything beyond the title. The book is definitely about a group of Green Lanterns that are lost. There's nothing epic about them or their situation and this helps the comic very accessible and manageable in scope. This is a good start to what looks to be a fairly self-contained comic that fits into a larger franchise. I recommend giving this a shot.
The opening of the book watches the lost lanterns battling some kind of matter eaters. The fight scene allows for an introduction to the characters and provides something exciting to open the book with. The comic features John Stewart and some of his origin is revealed in this comic. There isn't anything new here but if you happen to be a new reader you will be informed nicely.
One of the issues with a lot of Green Lantern lead characters is that the supporting characters tend to steal the show. This is the case with characters like Kilowog. However, this book takes careful steps to be sure the focus doesn't ever leave Stewart and it works.
As the book progresses they determine there are some Green Lanterns in the area and something else that could be a problem. As they investigate they stumble upon some dead lanterns and a larger mystery.
This is the kind of story that is a pure adventure story. The characters are on a journey, but not to find anything in particular, except to get home. On the way they get diverted. This allows for many stories opportunities and a lot of surprises. These are the kinds of stories that Conan comics had with great success for many years. The cosmic adventure aspect opens up the door to a lot of possibilities.
The downside is that this comic doesn't have a plot per se. It also isn't terribly character focused. It's basically putting some characters in the middle of space and they find something strange. End of story. This might not be everyone's cup of tea, especially if they are looking for something deeper in a comic book.
The artwork is good but it is an acquired taste. The comic has a painted look to it but there are plenty of details to be found in the faces and characters, but the backgrounds tend to be rather absent. The color palette is not of the typical Green Lantern stock as the colors are toned down. I liked the art but I can see how this might be too much of a departure from the norm for some readers.
"Green Lantern: The Lost Army" is off to a good start. If you like adventure stories that take characters into unexpected scenarios then this is the comic book for you. The cast of characters is not terribly interesting but some of the groundwork is put down for John Stewart. The comic is backed up with some nice artwork to round out the reading experience. One of the nice aspects of this book seems to be that it will be a self-contained comic that stays away from events and crossovers. I recommend giving this comic a shot.
3 out of 5 Geek Goggles
