Broken Frontier

The balls set in motion directly after Blackest Night are finally being put into play in Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors #1, written by go-to Lantern scribe, Peter J. Tomasi (after Geoff Johns, of course).  The story focuses particularly on Guy Gardner, hot head Lantern Corps member who may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but he may be the most reliable and have the most applications on a particular project. He’s the GL everyone loves to hate, but can’t help but respect for getting the job done.

During the ending of Blackest Night and teased in other books, Gardner has made a pact with Ganthet, once Guardian and now Lantern, and alpha dog Red Lantern, Atrocitus, the embodiment of rage. We’re never told what specifically, but whatever brings these characters together beyond all other conflicting interests must be quite large. Also, the looming feeling of never coming back and betraying friends pops up. Whatever they’re about to do, it won’t be viewed as pretty, no matter what the outcome. 

This is an interesting state of mind to start our journey in, especially in regards to the character of Gardner. He’s never been portrayed as a coward; quite the opposite, in fact. He’s always been the bull, headfirst into a fight. Knowing this about the character makes his state of reflection all the more jarring. There’s an inherent interest within of what might give even Guy Gardner pause? What bad mojo needs to be brewing in order to make even him reflective?

Tomasi is assisted with pencils by Fernando Pasarin. Together, the two construct a competent and intriguing first issue to this ongoing. Introduced are a plethora of teases about the upcoming story, all captured kinetically by Pasarin. Unfortunately, the overwhelming feeling of confusion slightly outweighs any enticing tease for answers. 

This book reads almost like a zero issue. It’s not really the story, but just a prologue to a story. All you have to do is just wait and you get to see what anything means next time… maybe. I understand the concept of building tension and raising questions, but aside from Guy’s unnatural state of concern, there is little to latch onto emotionally. I suppose I just wanted a little more umph in my GL title, a line of books that has been building in momentum since Geoff Johns re-launched it with Rebirth. 

Many a mystery is inside, like what’s the deal with the Guardians being uncharacteristically pushovers and just how much Red Lantern rage is still inside Guy. And is that Sodom Yat? Didn’t he blow himself up inside a sun? Not to mention that the issue ends on a cliffhanger of someone that I don’t recognize. Is that guy supposed to be someone? Ignorance of the admittedly dense DC Universe aside, there just seems to be something lacking in the gusto department of Tomasi’s usually very entertaining scripts. 

At the end of the day, Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors is a solid read that could be the foundation for a wonderful series to come. It’s just hard to stand completely behind it with no grasp yet on what the driving force of the story will be. Here’s hoping that the inevitable inclusion of Kilowog will iron out empty feelings that linger. Just give us some answers or at least a direction beyond the “uncharted zone.” Something a little more tangible to hang our hats on other than a more somber than usual Gardner.