Sometimes a trip down memory lane isn’t always a good one. Warning the following review will contain spoilers, so be sure to read your comic before continuing on. You have been warned.
Similar to my review of last, I’m enjoying the small glimpse of Jessica’s life before her “incident.” Depending on the writer, a character prior to a dramatic change in their life could either be very similar to the one you’ve always known or be someone utterly different. In regards to Jessica, Seeley leans takes a little bit from column A and column B. Even though Jessica does seem happier as she surrounded by her friends, he does show that Jessica didn’t just develop her fearful nature until after this incident. Seeing these flashbacks make Jessica a more tragic character than I realized. This arc is proving to be a great character study for Jessica Cruz.
One of the more fun aspects of superhero comics is other superheroes showing up. Yes last arc we had some of the lesser known heroes join the fray but it’s always cool whenever a writer brings in the Justice League. Since this book is titled Green Lanterns, the League won’t take priority but the small sections of Batman and Wonder Woman trying to interrogate Calamity Jaine are super entertaining. It’s not often you see the big guns of the Justice League deal with villains that aren’t there rogues gallery. While some fans might nitpick that Jaine was able to turn the lasso of truth against Wonder Woman, I just shrug it off and roll with because it brought a much needed tension to that scene and it makes Jaine a bigger threat than she initially appeared to be. The biggest shocker was Constantines surprise cameo. While I’m not well versed in how Constantine should sound, but from my perspective he sounded correct. While I don’t want other DC characters to constantly be a factor in any non team books, it’s an nice thing to happen every once in a while. Also seeing Superman use his heat vision to give Constantine a light was pretty damn hilarious.
Now while this issue delved into Jessica’s past, one of the more interesting aspects comes as the book concludes. Much to anybodies surprise, Power Ring from Crime Syndicate of America is alive somehow. That’s only the tip of the iceberg, because Power Ring proclaims that whatever place Baz has stumbled into isn’t the realm of Voolthoom but rather it’s the realm of Jessica Cruz. In short her negative feelings have manifested its own physical space. I love that Seeley has introduced this, it’s crazy enough to belong in comics but at the same time it’s makes Jessica’s predicament even more troublesome.
Ronan Cliquet’s art is here is really great, and a good chunk of it’s his facial expressions for each character. My personal favorite are during the flashback sequences that focus on Jessica. While Cruz has become more comfortable with her current life style, Cliquet has shown her anxiety come through with his facial expressions and body posture. You really get the sense that Cruz is almost a different character, a much more content character and it’s told visually through Cliquet’s art. As for the rest of the issue, Cliquet continues to be solid on each and every page, with consistent storytelling, and it’s borderline perfection when it comes to Cliquet’s pages.
Green Lanterns #45 opens up pandora’s box for Jessica Cruz and I’m deeply invested in what lies deep in the box. Another knockout issue of Green Lanterns.
Green Lanterns #45 earns a 4/5