Green Lantern #44

Let's all agree that Green Lantern has become the flagship title of the DCU. This should be at the top of everyone's stack this week. And guess what? It lives up to the hype.

Even as a bad guy, Martian Manhunter is one of my favorites. Geoff Johns does a great job with the first long look at a Black Lantern. First off, J'onn uses his shape-shifting to make himself look alive, only Hal's ring tips off GL and Flash that J'onn is going to be trouble. We're then treated to a tremendous slugfest as the Flash and GL take on J'onn who is "as strong as Superman, why can no one remember that?" Darn right, J'onn! Green Lantern and Flash are two of the top tier heroes in the DCU, and the Manhunter gives them more than they can handle. While switching between physical and mental attacks, J'onn is constantly hammering at the heroes emotionally too. The Black Lanterns seem to remember everything they knew while alive, and they remember being heroes, but now that they're dead they hold a grudge.

I have never been as accepting of the Hal & Barry duo as I was in this issue. The two of them work well together and are on the same wavelength for most of the fight (with one fantastic exception when Flash is bludgeoning Hal thinking he's J'onn). There are a few glimpses of other Lanterns and of Oa itself as the Black Lanterns make their move, but the main event is J'onn vs. his former teammates. This was a thrilling comic and one of the best I've read in some time. Johns has been saving his best work for Blackest Night. He seems to have a good handle on J'onn too, so I am really hoping that Blackest Night ends with a slew of resurrections. And as of this moment, I'm still cheering for the bad guys!

Doug Mahnke's art is wonderful. J'onn looks fantastic. Mahnke handles the different fighting styles of each hero in neat ways. The shot where Flash uses a gravestone as a ramp to launch himself up into the sky was one of the best panels I've seen in months.

Excellent