Set within DC Universe’s The New 52 reboot, John Stewart & Guy Gardner square off against an ancient alien race called, “The Keepers.” They’re hellbent destroying planets and their power matches exactly like the Green Lantern Corps’ will powers. Thus, the chips are down and our heroes take a big gamble.
All seven issues of “Green Lantern Corps: Fearsome” were officially published in 2011-2012. It received praise from critics, fans and readers alike. As you may know Aaron Pierre & Kyle Chandler will portray John Stewart & Hal Jordan in an upcoming HBO series, “Lanterns.” Set within James Gunn’s DC Universe. It’ll air sometime around 2026. By the way, I’m also planning on posting more New 52 themed reviews to celebrate DC Comics’ 15th anniversary of the relaunch. Which ones should I cover next? Please leave a comment.
Today’s review contains no SPOILERS.
Light & Dark Aspects
Light: Peter J. Tomasi did a great job writing all seven issues.
Fernando Pasarin’s artwork looks really good. Every single panel brings a cinematic atmosphere. Makes you wanna be a lantern.
Action Sequences display epic battles. Issue #6 gets good when everybody goes full-on Punisher with their guns out. Not figuratively.
Chemistry between John, Guy and their fellow lanterns serve as the main highlight.
Random Thoughts
- Whenever I read John’s dialogue, I can automatically hear Phil LaMarr’s voice in the Justice League cartoon. Mr. Pierre really has some big shoes to fill. I think he’ll knock it outta the park. John’s my favorite Green Lantern.
- Thanks to Nathan Fillion’s hilarious performance as Guy in James Gunn’s Superman, I can already hear his voice in my head.
- When I read issue #6 with the lanterns wielding their guns, I listened to Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It” to get into the mood. “Ready Player One” also used that awesome song during the final battle.
The Keepers are interesting antagonists. They’re well-written, not completely forgettable.
Thank goodness nobody gets hit by an object with the color yellow. A pretty lame weakness since the classic era.
Guy’s plan on delivering his own take of an atom bomb was a risky yet effective approach.
Like Hal Jordan’s solo series, you don’t have to dig yourself deeper learning about every single character from previous comics. You’ll be fine.
Martian Manhunter/J’onn J’onzz appears assisting our heroes. He has a personal connection with The Keepers and the lanterns.
John makes a difficult choice. Without giving too much away, it ain’t easy being a superhero. I thought his decision was handled carefully in the last issue.
Dark: Pacing felt fast. The problem with modern day comics is the short length. I’m willing to accept a mini-series or one-shot story, but a full length storyline needs to feature a ton of material.
The Final Verdict: A-
Green Lantern Corps: Fearsome is a near-perfect storyline arc. Although a short volume, I really enjoyed John Stewart & Guy Gardner’s dynamic as partners without Hal Jordan involved. If you’re prepping up for Lanterns on HBO, I highly recommend reading modern Green Lantern storylines featuring either John or Guy. The classic comics are cheesy as heck.
Nickthemoviecritic.com 