Comic Review: Green Lanterns (2016-) #53

Green Lanterns (2016-) #53

DC Comics

Writer: Dan Jurgens

Artist: Marco Santucci

Green Lanterns #53 picks up directly where issue #52 left off.  The Green Lantern Corps is locked in an epic battle with the Ravagers to defend the planet Panelo.  In the heat of the battle, Simon Baz mysteriously flies away.  Will the Green Lanterns stop the Ravagers?  What’s going on with Simon Baz?  Green Lanterns #53 answers all of these questions and more.

Compared to Jurgen’s previous issues, Green Lanterns #53 worked for me.  In previous issues, Jurgens juggled a lot of different characters and storylines.  Jurgens includes all six of the Earth Lanterns in this story which felt all over the place in past issues.  Not only are there plenty of characters, but there are also plenty of things happening.  The Lanterns have to deal with the Ravagers, Eon, and malfunctioning power rings.  However, this issue flowed far better than previous issues.  There was still plenty happening, but everything is starting to blend nicely.

In particular, the action in this issue was well done.  This is important because most of the issue is action between the Lanterns and Ravagers.  Each Lantern gets their time to shine, adding up to an epic space battle.  The scale and intensity of the battle are conveyed well throughout the issue.  Although the Ravagers are far from an interesting antagonist, they work wonderfully as cannon fodder for our heroes.

The issue also answers what the heck Simon Baz is up to.  We knew Simon’s ring was malfunctioning, but this issue answers why it drives Simon away from the battle.  This leads to an exciting reveal at the end of the issue.  However, I found it a little out of character for Simon to abandon his Corps.  Even though Simon shows hesitation towards his ring’s orders, he doesn’t defy them.

Even though the action in this issue was great, my favorite part was the mystery behind the malfunctioning rings.  It would have been nice to see the rings messing with other Lanterns during the battle.  The fight was already chaotic enough, but add untrustworthy rings to the mix, and you get a really interesting battle.  Even though I felt Jurgens could have done more with the malfunctioning rings, I liked what we got.

I don’t have too much to say about Marco Santucci’s art.  His art is decent enough, but nothing special.

Green Lanterns #53 is a step in the right direction for Dan Jurgens.  While previous issues left something to be desired, issue 53 offers great action and intriguing concepts.  I’m not a fan of the new villain Eon so far, but there’s plenty of other things I enjoy about the issue.  If Jurgens can continue this level of quality in the future, it’ll be a bright day for Green Lantern fans.