Green Lanterns #28

Writer: Sam Humphries

Artist: Eduardo Pansica

Inker: Julio Ferreira

Colourist: Blond

Letterer: Dave Sharpe

This issue demonstrates the frustration I have with Sam Humphries' work on this series; he's a fine plotter, but the pacing of his issues is middling at best and his dialogue is sometimes pure trash. This is exactly what we get in this issue. So much of Simon's inner monologue was absolutely painful to read. Humphries attempts to mix humour in with the recap, but it comes across as if it was written by a 15-year-old with no writing experience. In addition to that, last issue's twist that Simon and Jessica are ten billion years in the past might not have even registered with Humphries, because one of the original seven Green Lanterns who we meet in this issue talks as if she lives on Earth in 2017. It's absolutely ridiculous and has absolutely no basis for making sense.

Aside from the usual gripes, this is an alright issue. I simply don't care for the story and where it's going. I've been waiting for this story to happen for a long time, but Humphries decides to send us back to the past instead of actually progressing the story. What he's doing is very contrived, as he really seems to want to make his mark on the Green Lantern mythos but is doing so by erasing continuity and putting his own spin on things that have already been established. He's leaving the book soon, which is the best news I've heard in a very long time, so I wonder if DC got tired of him or if Humphries realised that he isn't a goo fit for this book.

But that's a tangent. The art was great, but the inconsistency of the art in this book is some of the worst I've seen. I want a more consistent story. The art is still nice to look out, though. The story is also kind of fun despite my problems with it, as having Simon and Jessica train the new Lanterns is a fun little callback to her being trained by Guy Gardner just a few issues ago. At least she'll grow by the time this arc is done.

There simply isn't much to this issue. It moves quick and is kind of fun, and has some nice art to boot. I just take issue with Humphries' sometimes laughable dialogue and pacing problems.