Plot: After opening in a secluded European town, where we see a young man with Green Lantern-like abilities is terrorizing the countryside, we look in on Kyle, as he discovers that Terry has told his parents that he's gay, and while they are upset by the idea, they haven't done anything foolish, such as kicking him out of their house. The book then looks in on Grayven, who like many villains in the DCU this month, has been subjected to a dose of Joker's gas. This exposure has turned Grayven into a standup comedian, and after eliminating all the competition, by blowing up every comedy club in New York, we see he gets himself a captive audience, and wire the theater doors to an explosive device that would consume the entire city, should anyone try to leave. However, Green Lantern arrives on the scene, and upon learning about Grayven's plan, we see his powers kick into overdrive, and Kyle saves the day, though his new power level attracts the notice of the young man in Europe.
Comments: To this day I'll never understand why writers do this. They make great efforts to set up a wonderfully exciting scenario, and then they toss it all away by offering up a finish so utterly anticlimactic, that all the excitement they managed to build turns into resentment for the writer failing to realize the potential of their material. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. The finish is the most important part of any story. In fact it should be rule number one in the writer's guidebook. If you have a weak finish, then you have a weak story. Having Green Lantern solve the crisis with a sudden burst of power is exactly the type of ending that tell the reader you wasted your time getting excited by the situation the writer had set up. It tells you that Judd Winick couldn't be bothered to come up with a more imaginative solution. I loved the way the Grayven crisis was built up, but the way it ends is just this side of insulting.
Judd Winick has offered up a homosexual supporting cast member, and while I applaud him for what he's trying to do, there is such a thing as overkill. I mean, it's gotten so every time Terry shows up in this book it's to deal with the fact that he's gay, and as such Judd Winick hasn't really created a supporting cast member, but rather he's created himself a poster boy posing as a character. I have nothing against including a gay cast member, but when this character has no other function in the title except to bring up the topic, then the writer is just being lazy. Make Terry into a real person. Add elements to the character that aren't related to his homosexuality. Involve him in plots that show the reader he has more to offer to the book than countless afterschool special moments. In other words, treat Terry like every other supporting cast member that has ever graced the pages of a comic.
I'm not certain if Dale Eaglesham is this book's new penciler, but if he is I'm quite pleased, as he's an artist who seems to understand how to deliver the big moments, and his quiet, talking heads sequences aren't half bad either, though during the painful Britney Spears gag, Terry's bemused expression looks like he's been smacked upside the head with a two-by-four, and is on the verge of passing out. Nevertheless, the page where we see the comedy clubs of New York exploding is a nicely done sequence, and the one-page spread where Grayven's bomb is contained is quite impressive. I also loved the page where Grayven decides to try his luck on the stage, as the art does a great job giving the entire scene a decidedly demented feel. Green Lantern also delivers some clever ring constructs during the conflict. Oh, and the opening sequence has a nice chilling feel to it, that really sells the terror that this small town is up against.
Final Word: I've noticed that I've been coming down rather hard on this title in my recent reviews, but I also notice that most of my vehemence stems from Judd Winick's failure to follow through on his ideas, rather than the ideas themselves. I like his version of Kyle Rayner. I like the relationship that he's developed between Kyle & Jade. I like the threats that he's introduced. What I dislike is the fact that he only takes things halfway, or never develops them beyond their initial holding pattern. I dislike his satisfaction with climaxes that aren't nearly as rewarding as they could've been. I dislike his inability to fully realize the potential that I see in his ideas. There's nothing as frustrating as a book that is almost great.
