ALLYSON'S ATTIC


/\ /\ /\ /\ Splash Page from Green Lantern #55 Pencils Doug Mahnke /\ /\ /\

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

GREEN LANTERN Issue # 55 Review

 
RATING 4.4 out of 5 points 

This issue was a BLAST! The writer, Geoff Johns, really struts his stuff.  Issue #55 is part of the Brightest Day Dc Comics Mega event, so... to know the whole storyline, you would have to go looking for back issues, and expect to buy more issues.
BUT if you can bypass needing the rest of the story,  it's a fun issue to read on it's own, and worth the cover price.  Doug Mahnke does pencils, but the whole crew of artists were able to make this issue a wonderful fun romp.

Variant cover Pictured to the right.

FULL REVIEW, Some spoilers 

Yelp...I'm a Lobo Fan. 

BUT... it's hard to find a really righteous, and gratifying, Bad-Ass LOBO story.  SOME writers have him being crude for crude's shake, then SOME writers have him being funny, but that can be a little too cartoonish, which mostly makes him look dumb.
I need my LOBO... to be a... Crudely Funny Bad-Ass

Is that too much to ask for? 


     Geoff Johns completely pulled off a truely righteous Lobo  characterization.  Lobo was a BAD-ass..., Crude... and Funny, which was a perfect LOBO.  When Lobo comments, "Feetal's Gizz! Ya can't swing a DEAD CAT without hittin' someone wearin' a POWER RING anymore!", I chortled, and agreed.  Dawg(Lobo's Dog) was even in the issue, just adding more to a great read.


LOBO (a crudely funny Bad-Ass) was hired to bring Atrocitus (a Bad-Ass) DEAD or ALIVE, to some "Ugly Guys" doorstep.  Sinestro (a Bad-Ass),  Green Lantern Hal Jordan (a Bad-Ass), and Pink Lantern Carol Ferris (a ah.. Meh), step in to try to stop him. There is even a fight between Dawg (a Bad-ass dog) and Dex-Starr (a Bad-ass cat). Te He he he... this was pure F-U-N.

The bounty Lobo received was pretty... darn... cool..., and I can't wait to read what Geoff John's has up his sleeve when he tells us more about Lobo's role in Brightest Day.

ALSO there is the additional plot of everyone looking for the Rage entity;
Hal, Sinestro, Carol, Atrocious, Mystery/Guardian, and The Spectre.

Who will get there first?
And....WHO...has the Rage Entity inside them? Whoever they are... apparently they have rage against Holstein calves, or was that a heifer.

This issue also has a extra background story of how Dex-Star became a Red Lantern cat, that was cool.   
"Goooood Kitty."

Preview Download


GREEN LANTERN #55
Writer: Geoff Johns
Pencils: Doug Mahnke
Inks: Christian Alamy,Tom Nguyen, Keith Champagne & Mahnke
Colors: Randy Mayer W/ Gabe Eltaeb
Leters: Nick J Napolitano
Cover: Mahnke & Alamy / Variant Cover: Mahnke & Mayor

Publisher: DC Comics
Aug 2010


8 comments:

  1. Thanks for the review.

    I picked this issue up yesterday but have not been able to read anything yet.

    This sounds fun. I really like the way they left you at the end of #54 and am pretty excited for this issue.

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  2. This issue was brilliant! I usually can't stand Lobo, but he rocked this issue.

    Atrocitus seems to be mellowing a bit since he's been on Earth.

    There was also a sense of whimsy to this issue; a lot of subtle humor between the leads.

    The back-up was stunning! I am a dog lover, but I can't abide any type of animal abuse and Dex-Starr's story was so poignant and sad. I get all choked up just thinking about it.

    I've already read a bunch of comments of people whining that Dex-Starr should have been an alien. I disagree. Making him an Earth kitty makes him all the more interesting.

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  3. I just finished reading this issue. Its a fun issue that reads fast and keep me guessing what was going to happen with each page turn.

    I didn't expect Atrocitus and Lobo to be in cahoots. I still don't really understand what they are doing. Was Lobo just an distraction and if so for what?

    I don't know much about the Red Lanterns. I have Rage of the Red Lanterns TPB that I have checked out from the library but havent read it yet. It that TPB important to understand the Red Lanterns?

    I like that Dex-Starr the cat is a Red Lantern.
    Has a cat been a Red Lantern before and is this a new character?

    Even with all of the questions I got from reading this issue I found it a real fun read. The art is great and it made me excited to get #56.

    Sorry about all the questions.

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  4. Dex-Starr first appeared during RAGE OF THE RED LANTERNS. The lil' guy hasn't had that much screen time since, but in that story he had a great scene and he's had little cameos throughout the stories since then.

    Dex-Starr has become a breakout character, but I like that Johns is keeping his appearances rather limited.

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  5. Thanks guys for your comments.

    Lobo is the type of character that I love but only when he is Written right. There have been more then one story in which I can't stomach him.

    When it comes down to the colors of the Lanterns, I sometimes have to go to Wiki, because... at times I can't keep track which color does what, and I end up looking over at my husband saying, "Since when can they do that?!"

    This one on power rings has the breakdown of colors.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_ring_%28DC_Comics%29

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  6. I loved Dex-Starr's background story. I cried, I know pathetic. He's such a cutie. And the fact that Atrocitus spoils him makes me all the happier. I also like that the Red Lanterns seem to be more complex than most of the other colors.

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  7. I don't like cats, but Dex-Star is one kitty that I'll make an exception.
    I loved the back story, it really won me over to Dex-Star. I didn't know until then that it was a earth cat.

    And I agree about the Red Lanterns, their stories are really becoming interesting.

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  8. LIVE! http://www.reddit.com/r/libertybowls/comments/2qpklb/

    ReplyDelete