Invasion of the 1980's Toy Line
It would seem that for the time being while we sort out a few things in the other GL books, our main story with Larfleeze and the Space Angel is on hold for the time being. As such, this issue starts another story that could be considered an interlude before the main story picks up again. That tends to be the problem with titles that are off-shots of a greater whole, occasionally, if you need to use characters from title B or C for an important plot point in title A, Titles B and C have to drop what their doing and accommodate Title A. In this case, The main Green Lantern title is in the middle of a mess with the Indigo tribe, and the Red Lanterns are having some problems over in their book and part of the team is helping to boost sales of Blue Beetle this month so we're left with this. I honestly did not mean that to sound negative because this is not a bad issue, but there is this nagging feeling in the back of one's mind while reading this that this story line just feels like a distraction until we can get back to the real story.
So, our story begins with the Blue Lanterns charging up their rings, everyone very happy to see Saint Walker. He explains the fates of Ganthet and Sayd, who started the Blue Lantern Corps, and the others are at first horrified, they decide that it is better to carry out their work as opposed to mount a rescue, which makes sense. The Blue Lanterns are powerful and can defend themselves when necessary, but their not going to go looking for a fight. Their whole modus operandi is about instilling hope within others, and so this line is perfectly in character for this lot. Then, Odym, the planet of the Blue Lanterns is invaded by the Reach, Blue Beetle's enemies. I honestly do not know why they are there, I think it might make more sense in that Blue Beetle crossover I alluded to earlier, I'll have to pick that one up at some point. They send in their attack force, who all shout out their cheesy battle cries, oh, and they have different attack modes straight out of a toy line from the 80's. Before we get to the brunt of the fight, we get a brief scene of Fatality and the Zamarons discussing who Invictus's secret ally might be. The Blue Lanterns fight hard, but it's clear that they're out numbered. Admidst the fight, we realize that the soldiers of the reach are possessed by they're scarab armor and underneath they are innocent victims, and as such, they can be reached with the power of the blue rings. However, these guys are just a distraction while these huge scarab tanks devastate the planet. We end with the Blue Lanterns shouting they're catch phrase of All Will Be Well and we're given a sense that they will fight to the last to defend their home.
What Works:
This is an enjoyable issue and it's a nice idea to have the Blue Lanterns face off against a foe that isn't necessarily part of their world. It shows that these characters can be more than just an extension of the Green Lantern mythos, but rather their own presence within the DCU. Also, I do rather like the design of the reach, even if they do feel like an 80's Toy Line.
What Doesn't:
The Problem with the Blue Lanterns is that their probably the least developed of the 7 lantern corps's, and as such they have a hard time carrying this story by themselves. Also, there's all that business I mentioned about this feeling like a distraction from the main story. While in the last issue, it was fine because we were still building towards the main story, here it feels more than a little out of place.
Overall:
3.5/5
This title continues to be the one I'm most eager to keep following. This is still a good issue and an enjoyable side story, but I hope we get back to the main story soon.
