Written by: Tate Brombal
Art by: Werther Dell'Edera
Colors by: Giovanna Niro
Letters by: Tom Napolitano
Cover art by: Werther Dell'Edera (cover A)
Cover price: $4.99
Release date: October 23, 2024
Green Lantern Dark #1, by DC Comics on 10/23/24, imagines an Elseworld future where all heroes are dead, the Sun's rays are dwindling, and Solomon Grundy-controlled zombies overrun the world.
Is Green Lantern Dark #1 Good?
On the first pass, I'm not sure what to make of this issue. Writer Tate Brombal, mostly known for House of Slaughter comics from BOOM!, brings his horror-centric sensibilities to a post-apocalyptic world where the only hero left is an urban legend, and the remaining humans live in constant fear of Grundy's zombies. The central premise certainly sounds different, but you have to wade through a LOT of yapping to get to the heart of the story.
Green Lantern Dark #1 begins with a narrated montage explaining how a Great Darkness descended on the Earth years ago. All superheroes joined the fight to stave off distinction, sacrificing their lives in the process. In the darkened years that followed, monsters rose to feast on the remaining humans, but the last hero, the Green Lantern, pushed the monsters back. The worst of the monsters, Solomon Grundy, raised the dead into an army to destroy all life.
Well, that's a lot. Tate Brombal gives readers the highlights of how we get from here to there, but the highlights leave out more than a trivial amount of detail. At best, you know the world is in a bad place, but the rest is confusingly vague.
The story begins with young Lunette, who is a firm believer in the legend of the Green Lantern, her cynical older brother Kain, and their mother, Andi, who is also the town's mayor. After a night of storytelling in the town square to keep spirits up, the mother and children enter the local diner for some food and light conversation.
During the meal, one of Grundy's zombie scouts enters the diner and attacks. Andi fights the zombie with a knife, but the zombie is too strong. Suddenly, the fabled Green Lantern, who happens to be drinking a beer in a quiet corner, leaps into action and destroys the zombie.
Brombal's scenes to establish Lunette, her family, and the Green Lantern work well enough in execution, but the setup comes off as too coincidental. What did the zombie enter that specific diner at that specific time when the only Green Lantern happened to be there? The setup works, but you have to work to suspend some disbelief.
Lunette is thrilled to get confirmation that her faith in the legend is real. Unfortunately, the Green Lantern is not interested in helping people or making friends. Through a vague series of conversations, we learn Grundy has a vague reason to kill the Green Lantern to return to his final rest because the current Green Lantern's predecessor was responsible for his recent resurrection. It's not clear why Grundy couldn't return to his rest or how he obtained the power to raise the dead, but Grundy's core motivation somehow involves killing the Green Lantern... maybe.
The issue concludes with Grundy's zombies swarming the town, Lunette lending the Green Lantern her will, and one town down with six more to go.
What's great about Green Lantern Dark #1?
The highlight of this issue is the central premise. As vague and loosely conveyed as it is, Brombal's idea about the last Green Lantern holding back everlasting darkness filled with supernatural monsters is a weird kind of twist on the classic superhero theme that Elseworld is made for.
As a plus, the design of the Green Lantern's design is the most original take on a ringslinger I've seen in a while.
What's not great about Green Lantern Dark #1?
The highlight of this issue is the central premise. As vague and loosely conveyed as it is, Brombal's idea about the last Green Lantern holding back everlasting darkness filled with supernatural monsters is a weird kind of twist on the classic superhero theme that Elseworld is made for.
As a plus, the design of the Green Lantern's design is the most original take on a ringslinger I've seen in a while.
How's the Art?
Werther Dell'Edera would seem to be the right artist choice for a post-apocalyptic horror comic that's mostly swathed in darkness. However, Deel'Edera's scratchy, low-fidelity, indie style looks like it belongs in a BOOM! comic, so DC readers may find the style below par for what you would find in any other Green Lantern comic. In other words, you may like the art or hate it, depending on your tolerance for something that looks VERY different than what you're used to from DC.
Green Lantern Dark #1 creates a future Earth on the edge of distinction where the last Green Lantern travels the dark roads to stave off supernatural monsters. Tate Brombal's core concept sounds cool, but the execution is too dialog-heavy and too vague to really hook you. Plus, the art fits the supernatural theme, but it's better suited for indie books well outside the typical DC quality.
About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.
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Final Thoughts
Green Lantern Dark #1 creates a future Earth on the edge of distinction where the last Green Lantern travels the dark roads to stave off supernatural monsters. Tate Brombal's core concept sounds cool, but the execution is too dialog-heavy and too vague to really hook you. Plus, the art fits the supernatural theme, but it's better suited for indie books well outside the typical DC quality.
6/10
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