Green Lantern Corps #44

Wow. DC did a great job keeping the huge ending for this issue a secret. I'm not sure if this character is actually dead for real or not, but there is certainly a setup worthy of the next few issues now. I had been wondering what could make Guy Gardner become the newest Red Lantern, and the closing developments of this issue could certainly be enough to do it.

The bulk of the issue is classic action in the Peter Tomasi manner. That means tons of GLs get moments to shine even while starring on only a few pages. The creepiest Black Lanterns are showing up in this book, including the Corphans, the undead children of Corps members. Heh. That's a little over the top, but I won't complain. The battle is furious and fast paced, even after the Black Lanterns refocus on destroying the Oan power battery rather than the actual corps members. Now that Nekron has arrived, I guess the Black Lanterns aren't as focused on swelling their own numbers anymore.

In an attempt to stop them, my favorite GL cracks open an Alpha Lantern battery, setting off a huge explosion. It seems to atomize a large number of Black Lanterns, saving the battery for at least a few minutes. I really can't believe that this character is dead, but his ring does fly off to find a new bearer. I'm bummed, but really, at this point I've already seen Blue Beetle, Mr. Miracle, Barda, Martian Manhunter, and the Hawks get it, I really only have a couple pet characters left. And now I have one less.

Patrick Gleason rocks. He does a wonderful job with the creepy, blasted faces of the dead. His constructs are still top notch too, I loved Isamot and Vath on their gigantic canons just blasting away into legions of the undead.

Good