Tony Black reviews Green Lanterns #3…
“RAGE PLANET” Chapter Three: In issue #3, Green Lanterns Jessica Cruz and Simon Baz are trapped in the bloody and monstrous Rage Tower with their rings drained. Now, they must work together if they’re going to escape. Can the new protectors of Earth find common ground—or are they doomed to give in to the anger that’s growing between them?
Of all the Rebirth titles, Green Lanterns under writer Sam Humphries continues proving itself as one of the most consistently impressive runs and in part three of ‘Rage Planet’, story and character arcs continue escalating around incumbent Lanterns, Simon Baz & Jessica Cruz, as they continue facing the Rage virus infecting the Earth thanks to the dark Red Lantern Lord Atrocitus & his plans to invoke Red Dawn upon their world. After establishing the global crisis, this issue serves to contextualise the effects and consequences of Rage and what it does to the mind, through not just the seemingly evil character of Bleez but also the continued anxieties and tensions between Simon & Jessica. These two haven’t gelled as a partnership yet and watching them struggle makes for fine drama.
Humphries right from the opening issue has managed to later this run of Green Lanterns with a level of social commentary, not just on anxiety issues but also race, and he brings that back in carefully through the inclusion of Simon’s Muslim family to the story, and indeed Simon’s own rage within which ultimately serves to channel positively given his anger is largely about the injustice of how his family are considered ‘un-American’ (it’s a very timely comment). Humphries actually delivers a storytelling feint in many respects here, given we all expect Simon to be more at risk of Rage when it’s Jessica, with her own agoraphobia being pushed down under the surface, who’s more at risk.
The way the two Lanterns clash over their own abilities, their own uncertainties at the ring power they yield, and ultimately over precisely how they defeat Rage is excellently written and indeed drawn by Jay Leisten & Robson Rocha, who infuses the issue with a vibrant mesh of red & green colour which clearly dictates the battle not just against evil, but the enemy within. It’s best characterised via Bleez, who gets a superb little arc whereby we discover a surprising legend behind her & the suggestion the bad guys may to some extent ultimately be capable of redemption.
Altogether it’s just a great little issue for Green Lanterns, which right now is excellently balancing a measure of broad, exciting plot, filled with consequences, and strong character work not even just for the two lead Lanterns but equally the supporting villains and characters in our leads lives. What could easily just have ended up quite an overwrought battle against some especially silly looking alien uber villains has a clear level of sociological and character depth to it, and hopefully this will continue as the Rage storyline right now shows no sign of abating.
Rating: 9/10
Tony Black
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Originally published July 21, 2016. Updated April 14, 2018.
