While Hal Jordan was forced into some shore leave, the opposite seems to be happening to John Stewart. No rest for the weary I guess? If there was an aspect to Godhead I disliked was shift in focus from the recruits. I can understand why the shift in focus was done and I’m aware they were still involved but the lack of character of growth that’s shown on the page was missed. So hopefully with this new year and Godhead in the rear view mirror, the recruits will shine once again. So let’s see what Van Jensen has in store for John and his platoon.

The opening scene is done in a fashion to catch readers who may have take a absence or heard that Godhead was over. Lucky for readers who did stick around this is in fact a pivotal scene for the character of John Stewart Here John is actually elevated to corps leader, but it’s not something that’s celebrated. Sticking to Stewart’s character Van Jensen elects John to show why he was chosen. Despite the clandestine meeting it feels rewarding. It’ll be interesting to see how Hal reacts to this news but that’s something to worry about later.

Speaking of gratifying moments, the new recruits introduced all the way back at the start of Van Jensen’s run finally become true Green Lanterns. Oddly enough it’s done quickly and before the reader can comprehend what just occurred, their latest mission falls right into their laps. It’s odd because of how momentous an occasion of becoming a Green Lantern is, and even the oath is squeezed into one tiny panel. This ceremony feels less significant due to how the page was constructed and how quickly it’s over with.

Especially when you factor in how long it’s been due for these recruits to actually become Green Lanterns, it’s a bit of a let down to see this shunted down a notch. I’m guessing that this is where limiting to  twenty pages can truly be a pain.

Sadly another downside to the first quarter of the book was the art it’s not terrible as the story telling was fine. It’s minimalist in it’s final look but some facial features make the characters look completely different. The art comes off as more distracting and took me out of the story enough to not notice it.

The second half of the book picks up with John leading a team to help Lantern Feska’s planet. I did enjoy Van Jensen starting this storyline out as a simple ridding the planet of all crime but in fact a much deeper problem persists. Since not much is known it brings a level of suspense to the reader that is so far and few between in today’s superhero comics. Bernard Chang returns in his full glory in this issue and I adored his rendering of the city slums, and his great action pages are complimented with a sentimental reunion of Feska and her son, showing his progression as an artist. His storytelling remains top notch and his final page is a great example of using shadows, in a way it is a visual representation of the calm before the storm.

Green Lantern Corps #38 earns a 3/5

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