John Stewart Saves The Day, And Maybe This Crossover
The excitement and tension of War of the Green Lanterns spikes high as Green Lantern Corps comes in with probably the best issue of the crossover. A difficult and surprising choice is made that suddenly makes War of the Green Lantern matter. It wipes away all doubt about whether this story will genuinely have any consequences and gives a powerful character moment to the character who has been in need of one the most for years.
With Krona using Mogo to recruit hundreds, if not thousands, of unqualified aliens as Green Lanterns to raise an army, John Stewart and Kyle Rayner make it their mission to free Mogo. Along the way, both Lanterns get a better handle on using their new power rings, and John Stewart learns the dark side of compassion.
The big moment at the end of this issue is undeniably big, and it is built up to very well. The decision John makes here makes sense for the character and should have a major impact on not only him but the Green Lantern Corps moving forward from this crossover. The page figuratively showing John holding Mogo on his shoulders like Atlas is a particularly good page.
While John really steals the show here, Kyle has a good role as well that really serves the story. Kyle figuring out how he can free the brainwashed Green Lanterns of their impurity really helps build to the surprising cliffhanger. It gives the first half of the issue a tangible sense of hope that everything can go as planned, and when it doesn't, that has even more impact as a result.
Death in comics works great when it is handled well. It works when it results as a natural progression of the story and not as a moment of pure shock value. It works when it has meaning beyond just giving a story a body count so it seems like the stakes matter. What happens in this issue works great. It feels like a part of the story that belongs there.
War of the Green Lanterns has its best issue here, and it will probably stand as the best. This is the big moment of the story that can't be glossed over when all is said and done. This is also a defining moment for the character of John Stewart.
