a selection of reviews from our database
|
Green Lantern #18 - 20 "Mystery of the Star Sapphire" Parts 1-3 Posted 29 Aug 2009Writer: Geoff Johns
Reviewed by Sara Michelle Kowalczyk |
 |
To be honest, I was a little afraid to read these Green Lantern books. They’re more my boyfriend’s thing than mine. I’ve tried to read his Green Lantern comics before, but they were too hard for me to understand. They also never held my attention because they were about dude superheroes, not ladies wielding swords or mystical gauntlets like I’m used to. However, my feelings changed after I read this collection of Star Sapphire books.
“Throughout the years, the Zamarons used the energy of the Star Sapphire to possess many of the women Hal had affection for including Carol.”
The Star Sapphire goes back to an all-female tribe of aliens. They didn’t like what the Guardians of the Universe, the creators of the Green Lantern Corps, were proposing to do. The Guardians wanted to rid their world of all emotion. The female aliens didn’t want to live without love, so they left. They spent many years searching for the emotion the Guardians feared, and one day, on the planet of Zamaron, they discovered something. Two lovers, long dead, had conceived a glowing, pink crystal in their final embrace. The female aliens believed the crystal was a symbol of love, so they began their recruitment. Their never-ending search for female hosts to take up the mantle of the Star Sapphire.
The Mystery of the Star Sapphire begins at Ferris Air. Carol Ferris gives the reader a quick overview of her relationship with Hal Jordan, the Green Lantern. They were together once, but when Hal was taken over by Parallax, Carol thought he died, so she married another man. Now, she runs her father’s base and flies planes. One afternoon, while Carol is flying, the essence of the Star Sapphire possesses her. The alien tribe, the Zamarons, as they later call themselves, unleash the power of the Star Sapphire. They want it to take over Carol, so she can seduce Hal with her womanly wiles.
Carol flies to Edwards Air Force Base looking for Hal. He’s having a drink with his new lady, Cowgirl, when Carol crashes the party, literally. The Star Sapphire realizes Hal isn’t in love with Carol anymore, he loves Cowgirl, so it claims her instead. As Hal’s fighting off Cowgirl’s, um, advances, Carol fills him in on what she knows about the origins of the Zamarons. She realizes that throughout the years, the Zamarons used the energy of the Star Sapphire to possess many of the women Hal had affection for including Carol. The Star Sapphires always seemed to come back, and even though Hal’s been able to fight off previous attacks, not all of the Green Lanterns the Zamarons attacked were as strong.
For instance, there was that poor, dumb Green Lantern on the planet of Xanador who slept with his girlfriend. Unfortunately for him, the Zamarons sent her a Star Sapphire. She killed him and gave birth to the spawn of the Star Sapphire. It took over the planet, killing every living thing and replacing it with crystals. The Zamarons believed they were spreading "the violet light of love" across the planet, only it was a deadly, warped version of love. That’s what they planned to do with Earth.
Hal, still carrying Carol, and battling evil Cowgirl in the sky crashes into a hotel. Carol asks Hal to use his ring and make her a Green Lantern suit, so she can help him kick the Star Sapphire’s butt. Unfortunately, the girl fight is cut short when the Zamarons arrive. Hal distracts them while Carol tries to pull the Star Sapphire crystal off of Cowgirl. It’s what makes the host act so crazy in love. Carol detaches it, and the Zamarons declare they are going to force Hal to sleep with Carol or Cowgirl. They tell Hal to choose, but he kisses one of their own, turning her into a Star Sapphire. The Zamarons realize they must take their sister home to remove the crystal, so they leave.
On the planet Zamaron, the aliens extract the Star Sapphire from their sister’s head. They realize they need to move the source of the power further away from the emotional part of the body, the brain. They make it into a ring, just like the Green Lanterns. After scheduling a date with Cowgirl, Hal visits Ferris Air to check on Carol and learns from a mechanic that she’s fine. She’s been a lot happier since her divorce, which he didn’t expect to hear. I think Hal still loves her.
There you have it. Geoff Johns is the man. I’m very impressed with Green Lantern, and I’m glad I got to read a less complicated (yes, less complicated if you can believe that) story. I loved how the Star Sapphires tried to recruit Hal’s girlfriends to the Pink Side! Not to speak badly of my comics, but they’re not nearly as complex as these. I’m used to good looking ladies battling evil with weapons. Don’t get me wrong, there’s depth to my comics, but not like this! Oh, and there’s plenty of good looking ladies in these comics as well. As for my art critique, I think Daniel Acuna did a beautiful job. His strokes flowed well with the swirling, glowing characters of the Star Sapphire and the Green Lantern. Ivan Reis, you’re the man too. He provided the cover art for all three issues. I loved Ivan’s work on Lady Death.
So, am I converting to Green Lantern comics? Heck no, I still love my lady comics! However, I’ll definitely read more Green Lantern comics if the Star Sapphires are in them. Now that I understand their super elaborate, super intense origins! As my boyfriend and the guy at the comic shop also explained, these issues tie in to the very popular Green Lantern: Blackest Night. I recommend reading Green Lantern if you like a challenging, well-written book.