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Hello Enthusiasts,
Today I am going to be reviewing the DC graphic novel Green Lantern Corps: Ring Quest. This review will not only go into its story, but also the story from the "Sinestro War" story, so there will be Spoilers Below for both of those.
As you can probably guess from that last statement, this comic takes place right after the events of that war. A lot of Green Lanterns died (though none of human ones, of course), and the Green Lanterns were granted the ability to kill a member of the Yellow Lanterns if need be. Not all of the Green Lanterns are willing to kill, but many were on board with the change, since they were being decimated by Sinestro's followers. Eventually the war breaks down to a fist fight that features Hal Jordan and Kyle Rayner versus Sinestro. Sinestro is arrested, of course, and the war is over. I skipped over a lot of elements of that story, but this isn't a Sinestro War review.
This all sets up the current story, which shows many Green Lanterns getting some well-earned rest after these battles. Guy Gardner and Kyle Rayner decide to leave Earth and live on Oa as a change of pace, opening a bar for the Green Lanterns. However, many of the Lanterns are soon called back into battle though, including Guy and Kyle, and so ends their week long vacation. They, along with several other Lanterns, are tasked with rounding up the Yellow Lantern rings that are looking for new members. As it turns out, one of them have already found a new recruit, and it turns out that it's famous DC villain Mongul. Mongul is, of course, thrilled to have the power and immediately comes up with a plan to exploit the fears of the universe. His plan is to alter the Black Mercy plants to give victims visions of terrible tragedies rather than blissful realities. It's up to the small group of Green Lanterns to try to contain this plan, which means fighting an even more powerful Mongul.
This story is done pretty well done, and it's all well paced. I never felt lost during the story, though there are a couple of things in the novel that are in there only to set up the other colored rings that were soon to come at the time. Still, even those teasers never felt like they took anything away from the story or wasted time with their inclusion. I also liked the artwork in this story, including the design of the Mother Black Mercy that is introduced. In fact, I really liked everything to do with the Mother Black Mercy, I thought that element of the story was really well done, including an origin story for the Black Mercy plants. The conversations and the emotions feel organic, and there is quite a range of emotions to display in this story.Guy is more level headed than we normally see as well, which is certainly a nice change of pace for that hothead.
The big negative in my mind was Mongul, who was wildly under-powered here. Mongul has given Superman a run for his money, and now he has a Yellow Lantern's ring, one of the most dangerous weapons in the universe, and he is defeated by a small group of Green Lanterns. No joke, I'm pretty sure more panels were dedicated to Guy and Kyle moving to Oa than there were for that Mongul fight, and I didn't think them moving to Oa dragged or anything. I won't give away much of the fight or anything, but it is disappointing all around. Also, outside of this, the comic just didn't invoke the same kind of drive to get through the story as other Green Lantern comics. I can't put my finger on it, because I thought the story was interesting, but it just didn't feel like the same kind of page turner. It kind of bothers me that I can't identify the issue, but there is something missing from the story.
Overall, it's a solid graphic novel, but it didn't grip me the way I was hoping it would. I would still recommend it to others, as I can't specifically say why I was apprehensive, but my apathy toward the book is certainly there. Pick this one up and maybe you can pin point what caused these mixed emotions. Even if you can't, you will be glad that you picked it up. It's not Mongul's best story, or the Green Lantern's best story, but it is still a solid read.
I give DC's Green Lantern Corps: Ring Quest a 7.5 out of 10.
Sincerely,
There Bored Enthusiast
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