Smallville: Lantern #1 (2014) Review

Beware My Power...

Written by: Bryan Q. Miller
Art by: Marcio Takara
Cover Price: $0.99
Release Date: March 14, 2014

With everything that went down in the "Alien" mini, you would think that Bryan Q. Miller would give readers a little breather before hitting us hard with goodness.  Well, he kind of does.  The issue starts with a little Zod flashback (with classic "kneel before" line in tow) and also a great scene from Argo with some Flamebird name dropping.  These two scenes are bound to pay more dividends in the future, but play second fiddle when "it" flashes across the page.

What is "it"?  Well, I hate to spoil things, but the awesome cover by Cat Staggs that I've been drooling over for at least a month and the title of the book kind of spoiled it already.  "It" is a ring.  A ring of a certain...oh the hell with it, it's a Green Lantern ring and it is looking for a worthy successor.  

Meanwhile, Metropolis' two favorite couples are recovering from the Monitor incident.  First, we get to see Chloe and the welcome return of Oliver.  Ollie just wants to shoot his trick arrows he did miss out on all the fun in Gotham) while Chloe wants a quieter life to raise a family.  Like that's going to happen!  It's a great scene with humor and some really good dialogue that makes the relationship so fun and believable.  Again, it's so good to see Ollie again.

Then we get Lois and Clark catching a movie.  It seems odd that after what just happened and Clark says so himself.  Lois puts him in his place like she always does and then...Bam!  Enter the Ring.  The scene is so great.  I won't spoil anything else, but when Superman recited the oath I got goosebumps.

This issue already puts this arc on my must-read pile (if I could put a digital copy on a pile, of course). That may not be a surprise to those who have read any of my past Smallville reviews.  It's a great book and Bryan Q. Miller is a great writer.  

Someone I'm not too familiar with is artist Marcio Takara.  At first glance, I wasn't sure what I thought about his style.  After getting used to the change (it is a bit of a departure from the normal Smallville style), I really enjoyed it.  I also have to give praise once more to Cat Staggs.  The cover is awesome.

Bits and Pieces:

Smallville: Lantern #1 is a great start to what I'm sure is going to be a fun arc.  Bryan Q. Miller's writing is a given and Marcio Takara brings a unique style along for the ride.  From the incredible Cat Staggs' cover to Superman reciting the Green Lantern Oath and everything in between, you can't go wrong reading this issue.

9.5/10