Facing a oncoming threat of insurmountable odds is scary thing to face. Chances are you will be able to see the sheer number of enemies. I am going to proposition something that is more terrifying than an army? An endless army that you cannot see. Ask anybody who has served in combat and they will most likely tell you that the unknown is always scarier. Think about it, even in normal day life the unknown is terrifying. So for added measure let’s thrown in a shape shifting alien race who have thanks to this issue makes The Durlans even more terrifying than before. Be warned there is a huge spoiler here, so read the issue first before reading this review.
The issue picks up immediately after the ending for issue 28, and Chang’s action pages continue to be dynamic. Not only that but Chang’s storytelling is still top notch, the reader is never lost. Jensen himself sets the tone for Von Daggle’s role for the remainder of the issue. Jensen does an excellent of job of never showing which side Von Daggle will choose.
It adds even more tension to an already tense situation.
Being that this book is covers more than one team, we rejoin Iolande in her search for Natu. Taking inspiration from the old west our heroes find themselves in a Shadow Market. The coloring of the Shadow Market reminds this reviewer of Omega from Mass Effect due to the amount of red used, during the first panel at least.
With Loragg in tole, he was able to conjure a visit with the head honcho of this Shadow Market. The dialog is lively and it feels more like a natural conversation than simple exposition. However before things could continue Lantern Hwaal slices off the bosses hand, in a brash move that even has Iolande stunned.
While this move is effective, perception is part of this war and it looks like this little move will hurt the Corps in the long run. It’s the small attention to detail is what makes this book fantastic. It doesn’t beat you over the head with it, but it never lets you forget it’s there. It’s a perfect balance.
Jensen does transition us to a bit of exposition between Kilowog and Arisia over the state of the Corps, but lucky Chang was able to make the back round wrestling match between Jruk and Hannu humorous. A well done comedy beat, even if wasn’t intended to be a comedy beat at all.
We return just in time as the battle concludes with John once again using tactics to defeat his foes. I know I’ve beaten the drum to death but I love consistency and seeing Stewart outsmart his enemies is a bit more satisfactory than simple beating them down via construct, which we know Stewart can all do. Chang’s excellent single page splash of the Durlans meeting their fate is gruesome and rich with detail, the coloring emphasis on red is striking making it a stick out more so than other pages.
In a double switch Von Daggle betrays his own people in return of a favor, wrapping the search for Von Daggle. This issue concludes with Iolande communicating with Kilowog and she voices her concern over Lantern Hwaal’s change in behavior, which leads us to the biggest pipe bomb yet in this war.
It appears that the Lantern Hwaal who killed the boss is really a Durlan, and the real Lantern Hwaal has been captured by the Durlans! This immediately increases the tension tenfold and changes the fate of this war. Now we know Durlans can use a ring even though they weren’t chosen. Now all the members of the corps should be suspect.
Green Lantern Corps #29 receives a 4.5/5
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