Review: GREEN LANTERN: THE LOST ARMY #3

by Robert Reed
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Faced with an old foe, John Stewart must rely on his instincts as he, Guy Gardner, and the other Green Lanterns try to figure out where, and when, they are in the universe.

Green Lantern: The Lost Army #3 begins as the Green Lanterns discuss among themselves how to handle Relic. They all clearly remember their war with the villain, but they also recognize that this Relic appears to be less certain in his goals. This Relic appears to still hope for a chance to save the universe. As de facto leader, John Stewart treads carefully in just how much he lets Relic know. A flashback to his time in the armed forces reveals that he has a great capacity for trust, and that plays out in the present as he chooses to follow Relic aboard his ship.

John Stewart is no fool, however, and – without truly consulting his team – he lies to Relic about who they are and where they come from.This leads to an intense argument between John and Guy as the latter disagrees with Stewart’s tactic and with how he made the decision himself. And while tensions build within the group, Relic makes his own plans for his new-found passengers.

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THE POSITIVE

The highlight of Green Lantern: The Lost Army #3 is an argument between Guy and John after the latter lies to Relic without allowing the other Lanterns to provide their opinions on Stewart’s plan of action. It’s a great moment in writer Cullen Bunn’s script that highlights the difference between the two veterans and also shows John’s ability to adapt based off of the situation.

This issue sees artist Cliff Richards and color artist Michael Atiyeh join series artist Jesus Saiz. Richards and Atiyeh handle the pages toward the end of the issue, and while the style change is noticeable, it’s not a distraction. Both Jesus and Richards provide some nice character work in the issue, and both get some nice action sequences. The big difference between the two styles comes in the coloring. Jesus Saiz has been getting some great dimensionality in his artwork due to his color shading. Atiyeh uses a more traditional style, and in some ways, that makes his segments in the books appear flatter.

THE NEGATIVE

While Cullen Bunn’s script contains some nice banter between John Stewart and Guy Gardner, there isn’t much that elevates this story above average. The plot with Relic falls a bit flat in its execution. In making a series that features protagonists lost in space, Bunn has to avoid the plot seeming unnecessarily drawn out. Thus far, Green Lantern: The Lost Army has been anchored by good character moments, but in only having the main story, it loses steam in this issue. If the mystery of what happened to the Green Lanterns is going to be drawn out further, the series would be greatly aided by subplots that could carry the individual issues.

The lack of momentum carries over into the artwork. Jesus Saiz, Cliff Richards, and color artist Michael Atiyeh all turn in technically great work but, with a few exceptions, the story doesn’t provide enough opportunities for them to show off their skills in either action or character work. The best moments are a flashback involving Relic and the brief argument between Stewart and Gardner.

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THE VERDICT

Green Lantern: The Lost Army #3 sees some minor developments as John Stewart gambles by having his team join with Relic in order to learn more about their location. Unfortunately, these developments aren’t quite enough to keep the series from losing steam. The art by Jesus Saiz, Cliff Richards, and Michael Atiyeh is good, but there’s a lack of visual excitement here which only exacerbates the issues with the script. There’s a lot of setup in Green Lantern: The Lost Army #3, and hopefully that pays off in later issues.

3outof5

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