There’s Some New Sheriffs In Space — Reviewing ‘Green Lantern Corps’ #1

Liking the Green Lantern Corps is kind of a hard thing to do. Why? Because they’re space cops. Relationships with cops for anyone that has even a tinge of melanin showing in their skin, well, we all know what that is like by now.

Despite being full of the utmost ACAB energy, I found myself intrigued by the brand new Green Lantern Corps series from Morgan Hampton, Jeremy Adams, Fernando Pasarin, Oclair Albert, Arif Prianto, and Dave Sharpe. It’s chock full of a very diverse cast of Lanterns, with a pretty diverse team of creators behind it. After watching Hampton cook with the recent Cyborg series, I had to see what he was up to next with DC Comics.

This did not disappoint.

The Lanterns are back to working as the police of space (their office is very police procedural precinct), but there is a lighter feeling here. Without the Guardians leading the way, it’s Jessica Cruz and John Stewart, among others, actually leading the way. Various marginalized characters are the leading voices of how to protect and help the universe.

That’s quite a step up.

A lot goes down here. I like the way that Hampton and Adams bounce the characters off one another. John is the leading voice thanks to narration, but everyone has their place and voice. Relationships of the past play large roles here. Simon Baz is the voice of reason to an overworked Jessica because of their longtime partnership. Even Sinestro, having returned to the Corps, works against and with Stewart.

Right away we have a pivot where the idea of containing those with emotional issues is tossed aside. Rather than locking everyone up, Sinestro and John come to agree that helping people and harnessing their power for good is the way to go. This helps to untarnish the Green Lantern symbol but also make it mean something more than it ever has.

Diversity is at the core of who the Corps are, since there are Lanterns from every sector of the universe. Aliens of every shape, color, size, and complexity. Such distinctness needs to really stand out and be celebrated. Pasarin really meets and exceeds that goal in this issue. There is a real solid weight to the artwork on the page, giving the spaces a scale and lived in feeling at all times. Thanks to the addition of Albert’s inks.

There is a mild stiff feeling in the art at times, but that sort of works with the rigidness of the Corps, especially since that is something the group clings to and is also trying to fight at the same time. Despite that slight stiffness, the artwork has life and flavor to it, which allows it to have a sense of movement.

Prianto is a colorist whose work I really dig. Seeing it all the time in Poison Ivy really showcases how much range and power the color palette can have. Here, things are vibrant, still heavy on the greens coincidentally enough, in a lighter and more delicate way, compared to the heavier and darker tinged eco-horror vibe of the Ivy book. Within this space they have a lightness to them and a more structured feel matching the organizational power tone on display.

Naturally, there are a ton of voices sounding off in a book with a cast this large. Even with John as the central voice, both out loud and in captions, Sharpe gives respect and distinctiveness to each character. Infusing different personalities, volumes, and tonal range into things. Without having to change fonts or bubbles all the time.

When those things do change, they give a fun differing quality to the words, like Sinestro dropping his own name delivered in the yellow lantern logo style for the character. I love a logo font drop in conversation, it’s some of that beautiful comic book visual wackiness that I gobble up with a spoon.

Green Lantern Corps #1 is now available from DC Comics.