Nothing But A Yellow Thing — Reviewing ‘Absolute Green Lantern’ #3

Judgment continues to be in progress as the citizens of Evergreen remain trapped by the mysterious machinations of Abin Sur. As clues to escape begin to formulate, another friendly face is seemingly gone, as the present-day battle between friends intensifies.

Horror and heartache abound in Absolute Green Lantern #3 from Al Ewing, Jahnoy Lindsay, and Lucas Gattoni.

Much like the second issue, I find myself changing how I feel about the bouncing of time in this series. A change for the positive this time around, I assure you.

Perhaps that’s because we spent more time in the past of Evergreen, and the present day stuff is minimized. Not only that, but John Stewart was at the heart of the issue. Either way, there was something that worked a bit more with the change here.

I trust Ewing implicitly as a creator. There isn’t a series from his writing desk that I haven’t at least enjoyed or loved. Coming at Green Lantern under a horror lens is very intriguing and very fitting with what the overall character(s) and their mythos revolve around.

I love the way that Ewing is seeding in various things from the past of Green Lantern. From the weakness to yellow/gold things, to the Alan Scott Café run by Todd Rice (his son) who would be the hero Obsidian in “our” universe. Seeing in the Easter eggs without having to be heavy handed or “Look at me” about them.

Nothing is getting easier as this horror story unfolds, making the rougher textured yet still slick work of Lindsay a solid continued fit. It really dips well into the realms of real and exaggerated to deliver something structured with great depth, and is able to provide or eschew details depending on the needs of a moment or panel.

There is often a sort of sketch type of feeling to aspects on these pages. That gives foundation to the mysterious, still uncertain tone of the overarching story. It’s boosted by the darker color choices on display. Washing out most of the colors so that the brighter colors, especially the greens, are sharper and bolder, popping out as the unearthly feeling visuals that they should be.

Many of the characters are speaking in shorter and deliberate ways, tiptoeing around as things are becoming tougher around them. Gattoni makes sure this is felt in the way that the words are displayed. It gives that special feeling with the shifting fonts and colors which enhance some of the speech bubbles.

Absolute Green Lantern #3 is now available from DC Comics.