Green Lantern: New Guardians #36 Review

We’ve all been in a situation where we had to put our trust in someone we don’t even know. Most of the time (at least in my experience) everything turns out okay and no harm done. However because life loves to throw the occasional breaking ball, just when you think said individual has your best interest that’s when it all goes to hell in a hand basket. Given the cover for this issue it appears that Kyle may have made a mistake by going with High Father. Let’s see if that is actually the case with the latest chapter of Godhead.


If I could sum up this issue in one word it would sadly be elementary. The outcome of the issue is exactly what one would expect given the nature of how this crossover has been it almost takes the dramatic element during the scenes between Kyle, Carol, and High Father. I will admit that I kept getting Superman II vibes during this scene due to Kyle wanting to be rid of the Life Equation (not the ring itself) to protect Carol. It’s not an exact remake of the scene but the sentiments ring through, especially once Kyle is ultimately left ringless.

What is interesting about this issue is High Father’s characterization in this issue itself. In previous chapters he’s been shown as a leader who is operating on a macro level. His methods may be harsh but it’s for the greater good so it justifies the means. The High Father in this issue steps over the line into villain. Even Diogenes Neves rendered fantastic maniac expressionin for High Father for several panels. It’s not a surprise that this is the route they’ve put High Father on but it just feels to sudden.
Sure you could argue that the descent was there from the first chapter and I’ll agree it just feels like it was two sudden for him to seem power hungry. Not knowing how High Father was a character prior to this is possibly why I’m giving a pass on this, either way it still feels to soon.

I am happy to report that Carol and Kyle’s dynamic is still just as wonderful as previous issues, to bad they only get the last few pages of the issue to shine the two continue to develop their relationship in the most elegant of ways. At least as elegant you can by while being stuck in another dimension.
Diogenes Neves returns once again for penciling duties but something about his art simply looked off and it took me a while to realize it was him. The characters faces in some panels just looked either stretched out or if they were hoarding food for winter. Sadly his New Genesis splash was lacking in spectacle, considering that this is the first time the DCU is seeing it in this continuity. It’s not Neves’s strength, he does tell a solid story from panel to panel and his best panels were the one’s focused on High Father himself, more so the final one near the end of the chapter.

New Guardians #36 pretty much steered the course with an occasional bump in the road. The plot for Godhead moves along fine and it leaves Carol and Kyle in an interesting place in whatever issue they show up next during this crossover.

Get full review from Green Lantern Corps here

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Green Lantern #36 Review

The Good

Writer Robert Venditti makes some huge changes and sets a few things straight dealing with the Green Lantern universe. It's nice to see not only a writer in the New 52 be so blunt about what's canon and not, but also decide to take some major chances with characters they've been building upon for months. Even in the midst of a giant cross-over event.

One of the biggest things to happen in the issue comes towards the end. As you can probably tell from the cover, Black Hand is a part of this issue and Venditti and crew take him in a bit of a weird direction. Johns' version of the character was darker and on the brink of madness, a character obsessed with death. Here, Black Hand still has that obsession with death, but he's full-blown on the side of madness. He's lost it all and the undead seem to be his only companions. My only concern is that the character is dangerously close to being a bit too silly and falling into Deadpool territory.

The Bad
The biggest problem with the book is that the issue comes off as a tad boring. The dialogue is fine, but it feels a bit overdone at times, especially in the Orion/Highfather scene and the Hal/Sinestro scene. This all makes the issue feel really dense. Bombshells of information are dropped on the readers and on Hal and company. It's almost too much for a single issue.

The Verdict
Godhead continues to be a very strong story. Sure, it's super-long and runs through way too many books, but overall, it's been a fantastic ride, so it's worth it. A lot is happening in this issue and there's a lot of revelations, almost too many, and the book is a bit slow and a tad dull at parts, but overall, it's a great read and a very essential moment in the overall Godhead story arc.

Get the full review from Comic Vine here