Green Lantern #22

I'm not sure if it's Venditti familiarizing himself with the Green Lantern Universe, or planning for new readers to be jumping on after Geoff Johns' supermassive run is over, but this issue reads very new reader friendly without being too pandering about it. It feels a LITTLE forced that St. Walker and a Star Sapphire just HAPPENED to show up to end up demonstrating some of the unique ways certain rings affect each other, but overall I feel like it's good the issue is so accessible and that accessibility was well handled.

A good way this issue appeals to longtime readers is an almost flaunting of how completely rearranged the command structure is within the corps in the wake of The Guardians' extermination. Hal isn't doing a bad job as leader, thinking strategically, taking command, smartly prioritizing; but he's still clearly struggling with the burden of authority. So many other lanterns have willingly taken on positions so different from their previous iconic roles, but it feels natural after everything that's happened. Most of them are eager to be where yet are in certain ways, but lack experience, creating a more hectic feel on Oa. With the looming threat foretold in Venditti's debut issue, the mysterious glitch-type event in this issue, and the escaped prisoner; things are looking pretty rough for this era of the corps still in the midst of restructuring. Not to mention the only new recruits they got are excessively greener than usual, but at lest they prove to be capable and interesting characters, not just dead weight to do nothing more than add to Hal's worries.

In Conclusion: 4/5

I guess it's the unspoken rule that 'Green Lantern' is the 'main' title of the group, but I almost feel like this should be Green Lantern Corps. Venditti is doing a great job at keeping the focus well rounded amongst the key lanterns, strong characterization for ones only temporarily important, and the budding new ones. Either way, Venditti's doing a damn fine job for the hard act he had to follow.