Halloween is officially over, and the holiday season has begun! Even though down here in Texas it still feels like it’s early summer. Besides the minor complaining I hope everyone had a good scare, but after a two issue mini arc, issue ten begins the Phantom Lantern story line. Readers were given a small preview from the last issue, and while I have my own worries about where Humphries will take this story when you factor the origin of the Phantom Ring. The time for talk is over let’s see the opening salvo for The Phantom Ring. Warning spoilers are to follow.
For the detractors of this book, the inner monologues of self doubt between Jessica and Simon wear thin as is comes far to often and it doesn’t let either Green Lantern progress past their current state. I want to be more positive and believe that Humphries wants to play the long game when it comes to their character arcs, and this issue did have less inner monologues but the fact that despite saving the planet from the Red Lanterns, it does become grating to read a character that he or she still feels that they don’t belong or they need more to do more. In terms of creating real and tangible characters writing them in this fashion makes sense, however for readers it’s as if your beating them over the head with the same dialog over and over again.
While this issue was mostly set up for the the following issues, two letter boxes struck me as nothing but eye rolling. To give some context, the phantom ring is special from any other ring in that anyone can use it without being chosen and it channel all energies of the emotional spectrum. In a very nauseating single page splash of Simon being exposed to the emotional spectrum at seemingly at once. Which leads to Jessica believing that she might be better suited for another Lantern color and Simon becomes power hungry. Given that superhero comics tend to have their own heroes fight each other I’m suspecting that Humphries will use the phantom ring as a wedge between Jessica and Simon.
Hopefully I’m wrong but the warning signs are there and it worries me. Only because it feels way to early to put these characters at odds with each other.
Negative is the word your looking for as, but rest assured I did enjoy one particular aspect and that was Frank Lamnski’s and Eduardo Pansica’s art. Focusing first on Pansica’s art I have to mention that the consistent art is helping, and I can’t be the only one who see’s the Ivan Reis influence right? Outside of channeling Ivan Reis, Pansica’s storytelling is on point and I personally love his facial expressions for Frank. It’s borderline psychopath, yet it’s also a bit naive it makes Lamnski feel that much more dangerous because his personality and that is shown well enough with the art alone.
It’s been quite a while since we’ve had a new oath as I have flashbacks to 2007 when this very message board had users create custom oaths for the various corps. The single splash of Frank becoming the Phantom Lantern is a chilling page. The extremely creepy look on Frank face with the shadows gives a foreboding feeling to the reader, despite the fact that Frank is living his dream. Not to mention the design of the “core” Phantom Lantern costume is cool as I like the coloring and nebula looking to it’s design. Implying that the Phantom Lantern is more connected to the universe than any of the other lantern corps.
The opening arc for the Phantom Lantern was a mixed bag for me, I’m not looking forward to what this means for Jessica and Simon but I am interested into see what the Phantom Ring can do and what’s Voolthooms end game is. Also I hope that Pansica sticks around for art duties, and not just for the Ivan Reis comparison but so that this book can continue to receive consistent art.
Green Lanterns #10 earns a 3/5