Farewells are bitter sweet. From one perspective, farewell means saying goodbye to something that lasted long enough to leave a impression on you. From the other perspective it’s exciting to know that a brand new adventure is just right around the corner. So let’s see how Sam Humphries leaves Green Lanterns. Warning they’re will be spoilers going forward. You have been warned.
I’m not sure what I was expecting once I opened up this issue of Green Lanterns. It was pretty surprising that this issue was a self contained one-shot that elegantly sets up the future for Jessica and Simon. Given how crazy the previous arc was, I’m really happy to report that this issue was very down to Earth. I know that certain Green Lantern prefer the cosmic epic when reading a Green Lantern story, but even Hal Jordan knew when it was time to ground himself before his next big adventure. An added bonus is that Humphries framed his finale with Jessica and Simon craving pancakes, something that we all can relate at some point in our lives.
If there is one thing that I love about this issue above all else is the growth of Simon and Jessica as characters. If you’ve been reading this series from the start, this closing chapter showcases their growth in characters over the past year and two months. If you recall reading my reviews, I couldn’t stand Jessica and how she was portrayed in certain situations. Focusing on Jessica for the moment, her growth as a character is the most impressive. Seeing Jessica muster up her willpower to try and flirt with a handsome guy or even just staying at the party surrounded with people she didn’t know and not running away are perfect examples of her growth. Even though I didn’t really connect with Simon on the same level as Jessica but I can appreciate his reconciliation with his brother. The overall tone for this issue was just fun, and relaxing. I’m not saying that every comic should have this tone constantly, but more comics should allow themselves to unwind from the universe shattering events.
From the art side of things, I was a bit disappointed that neither of the previous Green Lanterns artist worked on this issue. I’ll get more into Scott Goldlewski’s art but I’m if you can’t tell by now but I prefer consistent art team. Thankfully Goldlewski was the only artists that worked on this comic from start to finish, but given current comics rapid delivery system it’s not surprising to see a completely different artist working on a book. Goldlewski’s art is good art, certain panels had a blockier visual than others but by in large his art was standard. It wasn’t the amazing but it got the job done.
Green Lanterns has a been a wild ride and while I didn’t enjoy every single aspect of Sam Humphries’ run I did enjoy enough of it to recommend to anybody whether they’ve never read a Green Lantern comic or if they’ve been reading it since the 1950’s.
Green Lanterns #32 earns a 4/5