When a moment of devastation enters your life, something that makes you completely helpless in the face of adversity. What is your first instinct on what to do next? Do you grieve at your utter lack of control that you thought you had? Does blind rage and ill contempt for those around you overwhelm your senses, which if let unchecked can prevent you from moving on from onward. After the events of last issue, Tom Taylor put’s Guy Gardner in a spot that almost everybody can sympathize with. An emotional/driven Guy Gardner makes for a more engaging character arc.
In fairness to Lost Army and the fact that Tom Taylor killed two beloved Green Lantern’s to push Guy Gardner’s character along is just as cheap. The scale is even bigger that what Lost Army did, due to the legacy that both Arisia and B’DG had among the Green Lantern fan base. There was no significant buildup to their deaths, and after reading this issue the only purpose was to push Guy forward to a clash against the perceived villain. Death has no meaning in comics if you don’t devote time to each character, and even though Arisia and B’DG are known Green Lanterns, not every reader may understand that, so that punch of their death is lacking.
To see some positive aspects of their death’s, it did shed some light onto the burden that Kilowog carries. The association with the police has been a concept for the mythos of Green Lantern for over 12 years now, but rarely have previous writers look at the position higher than a beat cop. The burden of leadership is put on in full force with Kilowog demanding Guy Gardner remember rank, and that he didn’t make the decision to let them die. While Van Sciver keeps Kilowog’s face stone cold, I believe that’s the point. Kilowog knows that there is something bigger at stake and more Green Lantern’s might die, so in turn Kilowog won’t and can’t mourn because of his sense of duty.
While this issue had a full share of typical exposition, the only huge problem was the final page reveal. When an individual is given a Green Lantern ring, it’s a significant moment for that character. Yes Tom Taylor does supply a excellent explanation on why Marinel is able to wield a Green Lantern ring. Not only that but given that loads of characters have wielded Lantern rings over the years, so that in fact also doesn’t help this seemingly “incredible” moment. It makes Marinel lose any originality that she may have had. A weak ending to a decent story.
Sadly Ethan Van Sciver penciled his last issue, and once again he made this issue enjoyable. Focusing on Guy Gardner’s facial expressions as they perfectly captures Guy Gardner’s emotions without flaw. The single page of Guy contemplating his situation, it’s the small mannerism’s that bring these static images to life. Guy gently touching his Green Lantern ring, the only object that has given him safety during this trial period. His slouching shoulders and depressed facial expression tell the story of Guy Gardner. Ethan Van Sciver’s detail will be missed for the last three issues, especially since most of the goodwill from this series is due to his art.
Green Lantern Edge of Oblivion #3 earns a 3/5