Judgement Is Coming

So far I’ve been impressed by the storytelling and artistry on display for the Absolute Universe line of comics published by DC. Of the three volumes we looked at – Absolute Batman, Absolute Wonder Woman, and Absolute Superman – each found a way to strip away all of the things that you would think define the characters (such as the wealth and upbringing of Bruce Wayne, or the life on Paradise Island for Diana, or being raised by the Kents for Kal-El) and then illustrated how the core nature of these characters would come through regardless. These heroes are the heroes they are not because of their circumstances, per se, but because there’s an innate core that will always lead them down that path.

But then we get to Absolute Green Lantern and things are a little different here. Despite the raison d'être of these books seemingly being to strip away everything that made these characters who they were, Absolute Green Lantern doesn’t exactly do that. Instead it opts to reinvent the whole mythology of the Green Lantern Corps. Yes, it does posit a universe without the Guardians of Oa overseeing the power of “The Green”, but the way the book sets up its story doesn’t really feel like the same kind of reinvention as we saw for the other heroes so far. This feels far more substantial, and far further off the rails, than anything DC put out so far.

Not that I necessarily think this is a bad thing. I’m a huge fan of the Earth-2 books DC ran as part of The New 52, and the reinvention of Green Lantern Alan Scott for that book was quite a shift in the mythology. He wasn’t powered by a magic lantern, or a great battery on a distant planet, but by the green energy of the Earth itself. What we get in Absolute Green Lantern feels like almost as substantial a change as the version in Earth-2: a fundamental rewrite of what powers the Corps. and what drives the various powers of light. Whether you like it or not really depends on how married you are to the classic mythology. If you can get on board with this new take on the powers of light then I think this might be a book you could solidly enjoy.

The first volume of Absolute Green Lantern opens with the aftermath of a great disaster. Something has happened in Evergreen, Nevada (we see what you did there, guys), and we find Hal Jordan, on his own, wandering the desert. He seems troubled, plagued by a voice he can’t shake, while he keeps his hand hidden from all. We assume this is because he has a ring, and that he doesn’t understand what he’s gotten himself into… except that’s not really the case. Instead of a green ring of power, Hal has a black hand, and something has gone very wrong for the character in the days leading up to his wandering the desert.

It seems that days before a strange alien spaceship began hovering over the town of Evergreen, placing the town, and all its people, within a sealed dome of green light. No way in, and no way out. From the spaceship comes Abin Sur, an alien who states that all should have no fear, all will be judged. He then shoots Sheriff Guy Gardner with green energy, seemingly destroying the man. The rest of the town freaks out, running in all directions to save their lives. But a few of the townsfolk – John Stewart, Hal Jordan, and Sojourner Mullein – think there has to be more going on, that there must be some way to escape. And one of them just might find a way to tap into Abin Sur’s power… even if they won’t truly understand just what kind of mess they’ve gotten themselves into.

There are two aspects of Absolute Green Lantern that readers might find off-putting. The first is the reinvention of the powers of the light. Fans of Green Lantern, especially from the Geoff Johns run onwards, know that the spectrum of light that powers the universe comes in a number of flavors. From Black at one end for death, through the Red of rage, Orange of avarice, Yellow of fear, Green of willpower, Blue of hope, Indigo of compassion, Violet of love, and White of life, these are the colors and their powers. But Absolute Green Lantern changes that quite drastically.

Here the spectrum is broken into four levels. Qard is Black, the lowest level of the spectrum, and it represents chaotic action and unbridled will. Above that is Green, or Sur, the level of correct action. Red is above that, called Rao, and it’s the power of restraint. And then Gold (or Yellow) is at the “top”, called Aur, and it is powered by total understanding. Each of these levels of the spectrum has their own powers (Aur grants total invulnerability so long as the user remains perfectly still), but the key factor of them is that they seem almost completely different from the spectrum of the main universe.

This first book doesn’t actually tell us why this is, only letting us know the how of the spectrum. This can feel unsatisfying for readers, especially those coming from a classic Green Lantern book. I likened it to Alan Scott’s powers in Earth-2, which was also a big divergence from the lore, but at least that tied into a mythology shift that DC had already been pushing, that of the powers of the Green (nature) and the Red (beasts and animals). Alan Scott’s powers were similarly tied to the spectrum of nature as Swamp Thing’s and even Poison Ivy’s. It was a shift, but not so drastic that it didn’t at least make sense.

Absolute Green Lantern, though, throws out all the rules. This isn’t a spectrum like what was referenced in either Earth Prime or for Earth-2. It’s something different, and weirder. Maybe this leads somewhere interesting, although we have yet to see the pay off for that in this first volume, but the change could be seen as substantial enough that it might upset fans of the classic comics. I know, as a Green Lantern fan, I found the changes to be a tad stark, maybe reinventing too much simply for the sake of reinvention. But, as yet, I’m willing to see where the story goes past this first book just to know if the changes actually do something interesting for the characters. The vote is still out on that front.

And that leads me to the second complaint I have about this book. While the other volumes we’ve looked at for the other heroes all leave story threads dangling they’ve all told complete chapters of their stories within the bounds of their first books. Absolute Green Lantern, though, doesn’t. It raises a lot of questions, and puts a lot of things in motion (including referencing other books in the comic line and how the actions taken over there are influencing events here), but it doesn’t tell a complete story. This is very much the first chapter in a larger adventure, but it doesn’t have any kind of satisfying conclusion even for its own internal story. This is a beginning without even a brief ending, and, as a reader, it left me feeling a little unfulfilled.

Honestly, this is the first book in the Absolute Universe line that left me underwhelmed. I like many aspects of the book. The art is solid, in a pretty standard comic book style, with rich detail and lovely shading. The characters are well written, and the emphasis put onto Sojourner “Jo” Mullein as our lead character is appreciated. I’m not even opposed to the massive changes in lore if they actually lead somewhere… but we don’t yet know where that destination is. After reading the other volumes so far I could look at the heroes and their stories and say, “yes, I understand what the creators are going for with their reinvention.”

That isn’t the case with Absolute Green Lantern. I’m not certain where these characters are going or what the writers even have in mind. The book has a lot of big ideas, but no clear direction yet, making it feel very messy. As a Green Lantern fan I want to enjoy this book. I want it to thrill me and wow me. As of yet, Absolute Green Lantern hasn’t won me over.