The crossover rolls on with the focus shifting towards everyone’s favorite White Lantern, Kyle Rayner. Due to Kyle’s incident with the Source Wall and the discovery of the Life Equation in makes complete sense that Kyle will be the focal point for this epic story. Plus given last month’s Futures End tie-in readers have a vague idea of what Kyle’s ultimate fate might be. Will this book continue the theme of Lanterns having their collective tushes kicked by the New Gods? Or will the shift in titles make the tone change as well? Let’s charge up and find out shall we.
Lucky for readers of the previous three chapters Jordan recaps the series quickly but even so it still feels a bit redundant given that if you’re reading act 4 of this chances are the reader has read the previous three. Brad Walker does deliver some excelling profile shots of the New Gods that should be used for trading cards one day. Plus to be fair it is way to catch up Kyle on recent events but it still feels a bit pointless.
Instead of focusing on the New Gods like the previous chapters have, this one is Kyle and Carol centric from start to finish. Jordan uses his opening salvo to drop a pipe bomb for readers of this book. It’s revealed that the New Guardians have be worried that someone may come for Kyle, plus they were spying on all the corps and they made Kyle stay hidden for “the greater good.” Given that the past year and half this book has been a fantastic catalyst for Guardian and corpsmen relations. Even better that these batch of Guardians actually felt like characters.
Readers felt for Quarors during the Psion arc, they didn’t come off as the same old Guardians of the past. This was like watching a breakup of two friends and given how this story ends this won’t be a friendship that can be repaired easily. Walker captures Kyle and Carol’s rage and ultimately their disappointment in this revelations. Walker continues to excel in with storytelling with each issue. He made the opening sequence even more tense. A wonderful blend of story and art coming together.
Just as Kyle was about to leave to take on the New Gods, the New Guardians act like their now dead brothers and attempt to retain Kyle. Which in turn causes Kyle to radiate the white light. It’s interesting to note that it appears the white light can now reveal their true natures? It’s not completely clear since some of the Guardians are seen as corpses and Carol is replaced with Kyle’s first love, Alex Dewitt. A potential rupture in their relationship down the line? Or is that old saying that you never forget your first love. Either it was another amazing sequence by Walker again, with a great use of negative space for the light white. In a way signifying how deep the power of the white light is.
This is all draws the attention of High Father himself, but instead of an immediate beat down High Father offers counsel. He actually comes off as protector of the Universe in this than the previous three chapters. The issue itself ends with High Father giving Kyle the choice to help him with the white light. What’s strange is that he doesn’t force Kyle to come with him, but that’s possibly due to the Life Equation inside Kyle at the moment. So Kyle agrees to go and Carol goes with him and they seal it with a passionate kiss (two things Hal most definitely won’t like) and they jump to New Genesis.
While it’s only four parts in this was a fun breather issue for this event. It was nice that the titular star of the book was given the primary focus instead of the New Gods, plus the Judas moment between Kyle, Carol, and the New Guardians I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again but Brad Walker is simply an amazing artist. He continues to make action sequences dynamic and exposition scenes just as compelling. His growth as an artist has been fun to look at.
Green Lantern New Guardians #35 earns a 4/5
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