Green Lanterns 2: The Phantom Lantern

green lanterns volume 2 the phantom lantern cover trade paperback robson rocha art
7.0 Overall Score
Story: 7/10
Art: 8/10

Love the Green Lanterns

Still seems like a stupid concept

Comic Info

Comic Name:   Green Lanterns

Publisher:   DC Comics

Writer:  Sam Humphries

Artist:   Ed Benes/Ronan Cliquet/Robson Rocha/Eduardo Pansica/Jay Leisten/Julio Ferreira/Cam Smith

# of Issues:   7

Release Date:   2017

green lanterns #8 cover halloween issue

Green Lanterns #8 Variant

Reprints Green Lanterns #7-14 (November 2016-March 2017).  Jessica Cruz and Simon Baz are reluctant partners, but if they hope to be great Green Lanterns, they are going to have to learn to work with each other…and breaking Jessica’s agoraphobia is one of the first steps.  When the Guardian Rami and his Phantom Ring are captured by a man who always felt he should have been Earth’s Green Lantern, Simon and Jessica find themselves in the fight of their life that will push their new abilities to the max.

Written by Sam Humphries, Green Lanterns Volume 2:  The Phantom Lantern continues the Rebirth title’s launch.  Following Green Lanterns Volume 1:  Rage Planet, the collection features art by Ed Benes, Ronan Cliquet, Robson Rocha, Eduardo Pansica, Jay Leisten, Julio Ferreira, and Cam Smith.

I will always give Green Lantern a chance.  While many scarf down Batman, Superman, or Wonder Woman, I always preferred a Green Lantern issue (even during some of the lamer points in the series).  Green Lanterns follows in the line of Green Lantern in both the good and the bad aspects of the characters.

green lanterns #14 cover jessica cruz phantom lantern

Green Lanterns #14 Variant

Ever since Geoff Johns introduced the color spectrum to the Green Lantern’s mythos, many of the stories have been tied to it.  Unlike the White Ring or the Black Ring, this is the Phantom Ring (which is all colors).  The White and Black rings launched entire storylines at DC but the Phantom Ring is a bit of a whimper in that respect.  I kind of hoped this storyline had been a bit bigger.

What does work is the odd relationship between the likable characters of Jessica and Simon.  It almost feels a little like Hawk and Dove in the first two volumes with Simon being the bombastic character who “likes to fight” while Jessica is more passive simply due to her fears and insecurities.  This volume has her getting over some of her fears so it will be interesting to see where they go with her character from here.

I still argue that the basic concept of Green Lanterns is pretty stupid.  The idea of the two characters being forced to work together is a novel one, but in real terms, it seems like a rather dumb idea to risk the safety of an entire world on the idea that two must work together…still it is a comic book and there have been loads of dumber ideas that have worked, and I’ll stick with my Lanterns.  Green Lanterns 2:  The Phantom Lantern is followed by Green Lanterns 3:  Polarity.

Related Links:

Green Lanterns 1:  Rage Planet

Green Lanterns 3:  Polarity

Green Lanterns 4:  The First Ring

Green Lanterns 5:  Out of Time

Green Lanterns 6:  A World of Our Own

Author: JPRoscoe View all posts by
Follow me on Twitter/Instagram/Letterboxd @JPRoscoe76! Loves all things pop-culture especially if it has a bit of a counter-culture twist. Plays video games (basically from the start when a neighbor brought home an Atari 2600), comic loving (for almost 30 years), and a true critic of movies. Enjoys the art house but also isn't afraid to let in one or two popular movies at the same time.

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