I tried to think of something deep to put into this introduction, but honestly I have zilch. What honestly shocked me as I opened my copy of Green Lanterns #49 was that Tim Seeley did not write this issue at all. At first I thought it was a error, but much to my surprise this issue had a completely different creative team. I’m not sure exactly why Seeley didn’t write the second part of this arc. This should a interesting read. Warning the following review will contain spoilers. You have been warned.

Aaron Gillespie is your writer (for this issue at least) and I’ll confess that I haven’t heard his name prior to this issue. One of the aspects that I look at when a new writer takes over is how different from the previous writer. For the most part, Gillespies did his best to mimic what Seeley had established prior. What’s really noticeable is the dialog between Jessica and Simon, their conversations don’t seem to have the same flow as before. I mostly attribute this to a new writer getting familiar with Jessica and Simon’s dynamic on the fly, they still stayed true to how they were prior but long term readers will notice a difference.

Honestly the only aspect of this issue I didn’t enjoy was the exposition scene as ultimately forced the book to a crawl. I understand that in any storytelling medium that exposition is needed, but it’s way a writer executes said exposition can dictate a readers enjoyment. There’s nothing visually interesting for the reader to grab onto, and certain panels are just filled with texts that can make certain readers want to skip right past it. Once said exposition was over with, I enjoyed what Gillespie did. I will admire his ability that he tried to keep the book consistent. I know that may seem like a backhanded compliment but when you’ve read as many comics as I’ve had and creative teams change, it can be really jarring from reading one issue then the second issue has a completely different feel.

Not only did Green Lanterns feature a new writer, but a completely different artist came along for the ride. Similar to Gillespie I had never seen work from Roge Antonio, but what I saw looked really good. His pencils are very similar to Mike McKone, a bit blocky in certain instances but perfectly captures what makes superhero art great. His action is dynamic and his facial expressions add emotional touches that sadly might go unnoticed but once found they’ll be greatly appreciated. Outside of a few hiccups with anatomy, Antonio’s art was a pleasant surprise.

Green Lanterns #49 was a interesting journey. It was a bit weird to not see Tim Seeley write the second part of a new arc, but both Aaron Gillespe and Roge Antonio did a great job of holding the fort down. While this issue lacked the tension that was built up from the start of this arc, I still overall had a enjoyable experience with it. I’ll be interested to see if Seeley returns next issue or was this the start of a new creative team.

Green Lanterns #49 earns a 3/5