Green Lantern New Guardians #34 Review

As you sow, so shall you reap.

This ‘journey’ of sorts has been has been both for Kyle Rayner, newly minted White Lantern, as for the ‘New Guardians’.

For the last few issues, since the annual, Justin has been carefully shifting the focus from Kyle’s out of control issues to the wide-eyed newbies that are the blue guys.

The artwork, for what it’s worth, does it job but isn’t exemplary or anything. Walker has to work with pure black backgrounds in the ship’s interior, and is able to create a sense of claustrophobia. But character faces are wonky and dis proportioned and the action is sometimes hard to follow panel-to-panel.

SPOILERS FOLLOW……………….

Using telepathy, the lobotomized and dissected Quaros manages to communicate with his fellow colleagues, and helps them escape.

This first information only, I had problems. Were Guardians this powerful before? It makes no sense that Quaros would be able to form any cogent statements after what had been done to him.

If the Psions were really integrating him into their ‘systems’, then I’m sure they should have been able to stop him communicating.

Still, anyway, Quaros-ex-machina’s effort to free the others is successful while the head Psion is busy with Kyle and Carol.

Carol is given an escape route to find the Guardians but is waylaid by Quaros. With his help, she is able to open the prison cells and get the help of the other experiments.

Kyle is having problems of his own as an instrument sucks in every construct he forms, but the arrival of the other Guardians helps to defeat the head Psion.

Quaros determines that he and the other ‘victims’ are beyond saving and determines that the Psionic technology must not fall into the wrong hands, so he shuttles out Kyle’s group before destroying the ship and himself.

As the Guardians mourn the loss of a comrade, the lantern energy sucking instrument is seen floating in the ship’s debris, unharmed…..

I like how Jordan manages to give each of the New Guardians a personality, but his treatment of the female cast is downright stereotypical.

I counted atleast two crude sexual jokes that had no place in the storyline, and the female Guardian had to be the one who cries and acts like Quaros is the love of her life. This isn’t a sitcom!

And balancing the Kyle’s power problems storyline and the Guardians’ explore-the-universe one is a tricky task, and Jordan sadly is unable to highlight one without derailing the other.

SPOILERS END……………..

Some questionable twists and character representations aside, this was an enjoyable end to the Psion arc.

It provided some good moments for the Guardians to shine, but came at the cost of Kyle’s storyline.

The artwork was serviceable, but didn’t really stand out.

So, I give it 5.5 out of 10.

+Some nice touches to the Guardians

+The artwork served the story well

-Jordan doesn’t know how to handle his female cast

-The ending felt rushed

-Inability to juggle the two major plotlines

-A ‘dues-ex-machina’ situation was included