GREEN LANTERN VOL. 4: DARK DAYS by Robert Venditti and Billy Tan
Collects Green Lantern #21-26, Green Lantern #23.1: Relic, and Green Lantern Annual #2
When a writer like Geoff Johns vacates his position as scribe of
Green Lantern after nine years of what was arguably the greatest run on the character in history, that leaves some big shoes to fill. Enter Robert Venditti, who has experience writing superhero stories set in space, notably Valiant's
X-O Manowar. Joined by Billy Tan, whom I must say is the perfect GL artist, they form a great team that acknowledges the vast mythology established by Johns and expand upon it. They also have a knack for creating lighter moments when you know there are, well, some rather Dark Days ahead.
The book begins with a flash forward to the Green Lantern Corps engaged in a brutal battle with Relic. That ordeal is certainly the cornerstone of this volume and the creative team teases you with just enough before bringing you back to the present, which finds Hal Jordan being named the new leader of the Corps. Reluctantly named the new leader, I might add. Before he can even acclimate to his promotion, Larfleeze storms Oa. What follows is a Green/ Orange Lantern battle featuring mind-blowing choreography. It's a wonder artists like Tan are able to turn in their work in a timely fashion with so much going on in those panels. There's also a sub-plot involving Nol-Anj's escape from a science cell that comes home to roost in the final two chapters of the book. I really dug the Clann "space criminal" concept. More on them later.
An absolute highlight of this book is the inclusion of the Relic one-shot, which was the second best book of last year's Villains Month, in my opinion. (I thought
Riddler was the best, in case you are wondering.) It's told in one panel per page format, much like
Superman #75 and kind of reads like a storybook. Relic himself is a scientist that comes from the universe that preceded this one. That reality was ended when its Lightsmiths (their equivalent of Lanterns) unwittingly brought about its destruction. He feels that he must destroy all Lantern Corps in order to save this universe. I kind of seem him as a cosmic Ra's al Ghul.
The first and last chapters of the "Lights Out" event are also included. They're very good and you can connect some of the major dots through dialogue, but it's a bit jarring going from the first chapter to the last. One example is when you see Kyle Rayner and the New Guardians working with Relic. "How did that happen?", you will no doubt ask. I won't spoil everything from these two chapters, but here are a few important points I will mention in a vague fashion: the Blue Lanterns are no more, Oa and the central power battery are destroyed, Mogo becomes the new home of the Corps, and a new power battery is erected. There's also an element of tragedy in Relic's defeat; I couldn't help but feel sorry for him.
The final two chapters see the fallout of "Lights Out" and a reprisal of the Prixiam Nol-Anj thread. The "Lights Out" portion may have been what added to GL mythos most here and it's highly likely that the incomplete presentation didn't leave the desired effect on me, but I may have actually found the Nol-Anj chapters to be the most entertaining. Exploring her planet of outlaws was one of my favorite parts of this volume. It was a fun way to close out such an intense read. And don't get me started on that cliffhanger...
As I alluded earlier, this is a more than worthy follow up to the Geoff Johns era. It may be wise to pick up the "Lights Out" trade to get a complete experience. I may have to read it myself. I'm admittedly a little behind on reading
Green Lantern lately, though I somewhat know what the cliffhanger was all about. Trust me, you will likely be chomping at the bit for Volume 5's release or you will want to go out and buy the individual issues that followed those compiled in this book. The Emerald Light still burns bright.
Score: 8.5/10