This is more like it. Villains Month, which stumbled out of the gate with Joker, knocks it out of the park with Green Lantern #23.1. Aka Relic. You know that creature from the space anomaly that has been wreaking havoc in Green Lantern New Guardians? Well, now we know who he is, where he came from and, most importantly, why he’s so pissed off. Writer Robert Venditti cobbles together a story that elaborates on the Green Lantern mythology and deepens the current storyline.
Long before there was anything, long before the Guardians or any kind of semblance of life in the universe, the Lightsmiths discovered how to harness the energy of the universe. In their time, the violet light was passion, the red fury, the orange gluttony, the green resolve, the indigo empathy, the blue light faith and the yellow light terror. Each of the Lightsmiths created entire worlds of just pure light. Occasionally, they would war with each other, but for the most part they lived in harmony.
One lone being, a scientist the Lightsmiths referred to as Relic, began to caution them on the exhaustive use of the light. His logic was that if the light sprang from something, it could be exhausted. The Lightsmiths laughed at his notion, claiming there was no proof that the light would run out. Relic wanted to prove his point, so he created a machine to find the reservoir where the light came from. Unable to prove his claim, he returned after a long absence in deep space to find the light is finally dying.
Terrified of losing the light, the Lightsmiths go to war, one that rages until the last of the light, the green light of resolve, dies. When all the light is gone, the universe collapses and Relic is broken apart at a molecular level. When Relic is reborn, he returns in a new form, one locked in a space anomaly. A being that is brought back into the universe when he senses more Lightsmiths (our Lantern Corps) and escapes to stop them. Relic knows that Lightsmiths only respond to violence, so he will use that to save the universe.
Venditti uses an impressive sense of storytelling to take a villain who has thus far been uninteresting and give him depth. Now, the mission of this creature not only has reason behind it, but also a moral center. It’s harder to root against a force that is convinced it is doing what is right. Not only is Relic more interesting, but Venditti has also piqued my curiosity for Lights Out, the next GLU event series. This is surprisingly excellent work for a simple one shot.
Rags Morales pencils are solid, but very bare bones. Green Lantern #23.1 is all about creating the idea of a universe bigger than ours, and Morales takes that to heart. Lots of splash pages, larger than normal panels filled to the parameters with figures. The scale Morales works with creates a perfect landscape for the story. Outside of a few pages, he is relaxed with backgrounds and high detail work. Like the light energy, most of this work is to generate a feeling or connection.
(5 Story, 4 Art)
