Emerald

If you never read more than the first couple of Oz books as child, then like me, events in “Emerald City of Oz” #1 might be a bit of a surprise. I had no idea, for instance, that Dorothy, Aunt Em, Uncle Henry and Toto eventually all moved from Kansas to Oz. I certainly had no idea that the evil Nome King from “Ozma of Oz” ended up in a return appearance to prepare to invade the land of Oz. But as Eric Shanower and Skottie Young adapt L. Frank Baum’s sixth Oz book into a comic, it’s great to know that this is just the start of the story and there’s still got lots of plot ahead. What’s nice about “Emerald City of Oz” is that it feels like a mixture of old and new wrapped up into a single package. Baum ditches the familiar “Dorothy finds herself in Oz once more” story structure, moving her and her family permanently into the Emerald City. It’s a surprising change but one that feels quite natural. If given the opportunity, wouldn’t you rather live in the fabulous land of Oz instead of (

With the “War of the Green Lanterns” behind us, the Green Lantern Corps can pick themselves up, dust themselves off, and. . . what’s that? We’re still waiting on the last issue of the “War of the Green Lanterns” story? Oh. That’s embarrassing. OK. How about, with the “Green Lantern” feature film rocking the big screen across the country and around the world, “Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors” adds to the fevered pitch. . . Huh?! Seriously? Ugh. OK. As a standalone story that features Peter J. Tomasi writing Guy Gardner at his most Guy Gardner-ish best, this issue gives everyone – reader, writer, and characters – a chance to grab a breath. Unfortunately, just as Guy is inhaling and dreaming of his vacation activities, Salaak throws an assignment his way: “Fly in, stop the warships, see that the dignitary is safely on her way, and fly to Earth. An hour at most. . .” Yeah. You see it coming already, don’t you? Guy gets hoodwinked, and the story hits high gear from there. Guy’s suscept

Please be warned that there are spoilers in this review with specific regards to the “War of the Green Lanterns” installments that have occurred in both “Green Lantern” #66 and “Green Lantern Corps” #60, both of which were also released on May 25. If you do not want any of the events in those issues to be spoiled, click away. The ninth and penultimate chapter of the “War of the Green Lanterns” really doesn’t seem that far off from where I last left this story – with the fifth installment. I decided to take a break from the Green Lantern titles as I was feeling burnt out by the Crayola Cavalry. The story simply wasn’t moving me at the time. This issue didn’t really change much of that at all. Sure, I’m comparing “Green Lantern Corps” to “Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors,” but given that the same story threads through both books, the title is virtually irrelevant. On the upside of this book, Tomasi still writes one of the best interpretations of Guy Gardner, but the other characters

“Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors” has been a slightly problematic title since it began; its mix of characters and plots hasn’t felt terribly interesting, a surprise after Peter J. Tomasi’s great run on “Green Lantern Corps.” With this issue, it’s in a curious quandary. I feel like this is one of the better issues of the series to date, but overall it’s still disappointing. The continuing problem with “War of the Green Lanterns” is a lack of anything of substance happening. We’re six chapters into the story now, and once again we get a couple pages of action (a quick and unsatisfying resolution to last issue’s cliffhanger) followed by a lot of talking. We’re still in set-up mode at this point (oh look, a new mysterious weapon!), despite the fact that we should be entering the big climax shortly. Part of the problem is a lack of any sort of spark between Earth’s four Green Lanterns in this comic. Conflicts don’t seem to have much energy (positive or negative), and we get more “I think

Please be warned that there are spoilers in this review with specific regards to the “War of the Green Lanterns” installments that have occurred in both “Green Lantern” #64 and “Green Lantern Corps” #58. If you do not want any of the events in those issues to be spoiled, click away. The third installment of the “War of the Green Lanterns” takes the turmoil to Guy Gardner, Arisia, and Kilowog. In order to deepen the mystery, heighten the tension, and make the story more enticing, Peter Tomasi focuses in on Guy Gardner after the first seven pages. Guy is seemingly left alone as the impurity has been restored into the Central Power Battery. That impurity, you will recall, is Parallax. This, of course, means bad things for the Green Lantern Corps, many of whom are now in the thrall of Parallax and/or Krona. Tomasi writes the most relatable Guy Gardner I’ve ever read, and he continues to deliver in this issue. Frustrated and isolated, Guy needs to lash out. Lucky for him, Hal Jordan sho