It is a new week and time to catch up with the newest (to me anyway) Green Lanterns of Earth, Jessica Cruz and Simon Baz. This three part coverage of Green Lanterns Volume 2: Phantom Lantern includes issues #7-14. Today I will be covering issues #7 & 8. First a quick aside; I had a good and bad weekend. Spent time with people I love and enjoyed some great company, but I also had my car towed and had a stressful time dealing with that. So this post is going to be a little short, but I'll get back into the swing of things soon. I know that this task I have set for myself is long and in the long run I might grow tired of it and abandon it. I hope that I don't and that simply having this project to work on will bolster my confidence in my writing. For now I find joy in sharing these recaps and my thoughts on these comics. I hope you find some joy in reading them. Now, onto the action.
Family Matters, Part One: Kitchen Nightmares: We find Jessica in the bathroom trying to calm herself down. Her partner needs her and she is a Green Lantern, overcoming her fear and anxiety is supposed to be her jam. What is the momentous task Simon needs from her? To spend the day hanging out with his family.
As she wanders into the kitchen there is a bit of chaos. Simon's arm is still on the mend in a cast, so of course he is whining about it. His sister Sira is having none of it and tells him he is making the cookies for once. Farid, Simon's nephew, is excited to see Jessica and is running at her while his dad is telling him to take out the trash.
Jessica quickly nopes right out of there. She would rather fight Darkseid again then spend a day with people. Simon joins her on the front lawn and through the promise of better than cookie cookies and no small talk convinces her to come back inside. His mother is on her way and the guy could use a hand.
Back inside Jess and Simon are talking about Rami, the Guardian of the Universe who came to them for help. Simon tells Jess he is meditating. We see Farid peeking into the room Rami is in. There are little shapes that look like the universe swirling around Rami. Naturally Farid goes in and boops Rami on the nose. (I like this kid.)
Down in the kitchen, Simon explains that ma'amoul is a holiday treat in Lebanon that they always eat on Halloween. He has never made them before, his sister is just punishing him because they dumped the Guardian on her. Neither of them really know what to do about the guy. Simon, who has met other Guardians, explains to Jess that Rami is not like any of them. He is a bit rough and tumble compared to the prim and proper ones he is used to. Now it is Simon's turn to have a breakdown because the dough is all wrong.
Simon flies off and now Jessica has to chase him down and ask what the heck is wrong. He admits that he is nervous about seeing his mom. In a few flashbacks we see that she is a tough woman to impress. Jessica doesn't get why he lets his mom bring him down, but he explains that isn't what he meant. His mom is his hero and he is the one who let her down. Also, he hasn't told his parents that he is a Green Lantern. Jessica points out that he is a super hero now, that is the ultimate comeback story. Simon is unsure, he was counting on the cookies to smooth things over.
Are they not Green Lanterns? Can they not make whatever they need to make to aid in the creation of the best better than cookie cookies? Of course they can and do. There is even a little time to sit and relax before Simon's mom arrives. In his full Green Lantern outfit he greets his mom with his homemade ma' amoul.
At first his mom thinks he is wearing a Halloween costume but Jessica explains being a Green Lantern is his job and he is a superhero who helps save the world. Then she tells Simon under her breath to go hug his mom. Simon's mom is still not convinced this is a good idea and doesn't really understand how he became a Green Lantern or why. She is giving Simon a bit of a lecture about risking his life when Jessica interrupts offering her a cookie. The room freezes, but she smiles and compliments the cookie. Before Simon can apologize for being a bad son, she stops him to tell him that he is reckless and courageous and that he must be who he is. She is happy he found a way to do good in the world. They hug and all is well, but where is Farid?
He is up in the attack piling things on top of Rami's head as he meditates. Suddenly Rami's eyes fly open and everything goes tumbling down as he announces, "They're coming!" All the adults rush upstairs to find Farid in a pile of stuff and Rami is gone. Farid reports he jumped out the window saying the, "Dumbo-nators are coming." Jessica is confused but Simon knows that means trouble because the Dominators are coming!
Family Matters, Part Two: All Hallows' Eve: In the woods two figures are looking real shady as they discuss plans to steal the Phantom Ring. They just need to find Rami, then they will use the ring to take over Earth (the usual bad guy plan). They step into the light and we see these two creeps are not from around here, they are the Dominators we heard about in the last issue.
Simon and Jessica find themselves on a crowded street in the middle of suburbia on Halloween Night. They are out looking for Rami. Farid and Sira are out with them (Farid is dressed as the Flash, love it). Simon isn't feeling his nephew's costume, but Jessica tells him it is great. Farid runs off and the adults share stories of Halloween pasts when they were all crazy kids.
Once Farid is out of hearing range they begin discussing the missing Rami. In some bushes close by the Dominators have spotted the Green Lanterns but decide to bide their time and let them find the Guardian for them. Jessica thinks for a moment she saw something in the bushes, but chalks it up to being haunted (classic Halloween logic).
Our heroes decide to ask some kids if they have seen Rami. It doesn't go well and Simon proves he is a real awkward dude. Some kids are real sassy and tell him to let them know when the real Green Lanterns are around. His sister points out that Rami isn't going to just hide in their neighbors' yards, that he would find higher ground. Sira is of course right. We see Rami has found refuge in what looks like the clocktower of a capitol building. (DC comics love a good clocktower.)
Rami is looking at his ring and we get a flashback to the day he invented it. Back on the planet Oa (the guardian home world) Rami works in secret for many years to make a ring that will accept any bearer and can channel more than just green energy. He shows the other Guardians and they are not happy. Back in the present Rami is feeling guilty for creating his invention. He opens his eyes only to find that Simon and Jessica have found him.
He calls them idiots and fools (a bit harsh I think) for potentially leading the Dominators to him. Simon and Jess point out that they are kind of a big deal and are there to protect him. Rami just bolts, but doesn't get far before they catch up. Rami tries to pull the Guardian card and orders them to leave him alone. Simon says that him and his ring are a security risk so they are putting him in protective custody. Rami is unimpressed and wants 'real' Green Lanterns, not some noobs (I am paraphrasing). Before the fight can go much further there is a big Ka-Bamm!
Those sassy kids from earlier are also in the woods looking for some rotten eggs when Rami comes flying at them. The Dominators, having blown Rami off his feet and causing him to drop the box holding the Phantom ring, are close behind. These Dominators are pretty mad at Rami because way back in the first issue he destroyed their platoon and ship. The sassy kids are watching as the Dominators pick up the ring box, but before they can open it Simon grabs it away. Those crazy kids are loving the show. Simon stalls hoping Jessica can take these Dominator guys out. She takes a moment to gather herself and then kind of over does her attack but it works and they capture the Dominators.
They call in Cyborg for an alien clean up. Jessica gives Rami the ring back but they want to know what the heck is up with this ring and why it is such a big deal. He explains how it can be used by anyone and we get another flashback. The other Guardians think Rami's ring is a huge mistake and puts them all in danger. They decide to exile him until he can find a way to destroy his life's work.
Rami explains that he has tried 5,612 times to destroy the ring. He is being pretty hard on himself and Jessica points out he made a mistake ten billion years ago, maybe it is time he starts forgiving himself. She tells him they may be new and naïve but they are not arrogant and she admits both she and Simon have a long way to grow, but Rami has two choices; he can keep going it alone or he can stick with them. Those sassy kids give their two cents, pointing out how cool the Green Lanterns are and he is an idiot if he doesn't accept their help. All parties agree to work together.
Back at Simon's house some kids knock on the door to trick or treat and Jessica 'accidentally' scares them away with a green light monster. Farid is loving it and that kid got a lot of candy.
Elsewhere a guy is driving on a highway. He is heading for the Green Lanterns and we see a backpack and a large gun in his backseat. As he takes the exit for Simon's hometown, he is talking out loud to himself about how he deserves a power ring and he knows about the phantom ring too!
Thoughts: These two issues are basically a prelude to the Phantom Lantern story. The next six issues will all be more focused on that. I really enjoyed a little glimpse into Simon's life and family. I also enjoyed Jessica becoming a part of it. I like these two and how they balance each other out so well. I am excited to see what happens with the crazy guy and what someone wearing the Phantom ring can do!
I didn't talk about the writer in my coverage of Green Lanterns volume 1, but I will talk about him now. Sam Humphries wrote all of volumes 1 and 2 and looks to be the writer for the foreseeable future of this run. I am really liking his use of humor and the way he addresses tough topics, like race issues and mental illness. I am excited to see what other depth he can add to these characters. There are quite a few artists between the two volumes and I can honestly say that I have enjoyed them all. At no point does the art make the story feel disjointed. I am going to list them all and share their Twitter links (click on names) if you want to check out more of their incredible work.
Rebirth #1: Ethan Van Sciver and Ed Benes
Issue #1: Robson Rocha (Instagram)
Issue #2: Robson Rocha
Issue #3: Robson Rocha, Neil Edwards, Tom Derenick, and Jack Herbert
Issue #4: Robson Rocha, Tom Derenick, and Ed Benes
Issue #5: Robson Rocha and Eduardo Pansica
Issue #6: Jack Herbert and Will Conrad
Issue #7: Ronan Cliquet
Issue #8: V. Ken Marion and Ed Benes
Issue #9: Robson Rocha
Issue #10: Eduardo Pansica
Issue #11: Robson Rocha
Issue #12: Eduardo Pansica
Issue #13: Ronan Cliquet
Issue #14: Eduardo Pansica
See, I told you all it was a lot of artists. Later this week I will discuss cover art (yeah even more artists worked on all the amazing covers) and next week look forward to more thoughts and my favorite line of this volume.
Last Week: Trinity Volume 1: Better Together, Part 1
Trinity Volume 1: Better Together, Part 2
Next Post: Green Lanterns Volume 2: Phantom Lantern, Part 2
Note: All images belong to DC™
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