It is Tuesday and that means it is time to conclude this recap of Green Lanterns Volume 2: Phantom Lantern. If you need to start from the beginning you can find Part 1 and Part 2 by clicking on those links! Last we left our heroes, Simon and Jessica were having a hard time getting the Phantom ring back from Frank (a sad, schlub of a guy who just really wanted to be a Green Lantern).
Phantom Lantern, Part 3: Simon is giving us a quick breakdown of the emotional spectrum and how the Phantom ring can bring out all powers of every emotion. It has a large drawback though, the ring doesn't have a safety and the guy wearing the ring (Frank) isn't controlling the ring so much as it is controlling him. Frank is on a bit of a rampage while he is being controlled by the Orange power of Avarice. He is attacking a random household while Jessica and Simon pursue him. In the chaos Frank gets away while Jess and Simon save some people.
Time for a quick flashback, a younger Frank is on a date at a carnival in Coast City, California (a favorite hangout of Hal Jordan). Hal makes a guest appearance to give some kids a fun time. Frank's date calls Hal a bit of a showoff but he is a hero so she figures he is cool. She turns around to find Frank gone. Guy is back home regretting even for a moment forgetting he needs to keep working hard to get his own power ring.
Today, Frank makes it back to his home in Coast City, but he isn't doing well. He keeps shifting emotions, fear, rage, then avarice. Volthoom is unimpressed and uninterested in Frank's troubles. He is busy trying to perform some really old ritual on Rami. Volthoom tells Frank to take a chill pill and get ahold of himself. Frank thinks about flying and is able to pull himself back to being a Green Lantern. Volthoom is pissed that Frank flew right home and for sure led the other Green Lanterns to where they are. Volthoom's solution is to insult Frank until he gets his confidence back (I do not get guys sometimes)?
Simon and Jessica have in fact made it to Coast City but have not pinpointed Frank's exact location. Simon is very angry. Jess tries to calm him down and asks what it is that makes them so much more worthy than Frank to have rings. They argue for a bit, debating if they even understand the rings. In his mind Simon admits that he just wants the ring, because he doesn't think that green alone will be powerful enough. Jess admits to herself that if Frank shouldn't be the Phantom Lantern, should she really be a Green Lantern.
Simon's ring finds Frank and he is visiting Memorial Park (not sure why it can now find Frank, but meh), a place built by Green Lantern's to memorialize heroes. Frank is just hanging out in the park, offering to pose for pictures. Simon tries to take the ring off Frank's figure using a construct. Frank gives into fear and turns into a Yellow Lantern. He then does what Yellow Lanterns do and makes scary visions to fight Simon and Jessica.
The Phantom Lantern, Part Four: Ten billion years ago on the home planet to the Guardians of the Universe, Volthoom (hopped up on all power of every light) is destroying everything and everyone. All the Guardian's elders are debating what they should do. Finally they come to the conclusion they have to listen to Rami. Rami didn't have much time so he could only craft rings to focus the green light of will. He shows them the first set of Green Lantern Rings. The first seven rings activate, shooting out into space to find the first Green Lanterns.
Back at the Memorial Park in the present, Simon and Jessica are fighting scary fear versions of themselves. Frank is pretty happy with himself until the Phantom ring causes him to feel weird. Jessica is having a hard time fighting her mean self. She can't find the courage to ignore what it is telling her (that she is a failure as a Green Lantern). Simon's fear monster is even worse, it calls him weak and suggests he should kill himself with his gun (damn fear monster).
In Frank's apartment Volthoom is still doing something to Rami. Rami finally wakes up and is sassy enough to insult Volthoom. We learn that Volthoom was killed by a guy named Nekron, but that happened after Rami was exiled. Rami also knows the ritual that Volthoom is trying to perform, because Rami is the one who taught it to him. They discuss the Phantom ring and how dangerous it is, how being connected to the whole spectrum made Volthoom crazy. There is a lot of blame to go around and some mistakes were made, but Rami is pretty sure that unchecked, Frank will destroy everyone and everything, much like Volthoom almost did before.
Jessica is finally able to think of something good, her sister, and she defeats her fear monster. Simon does the same and for a moment I think he questions his choice to carry that gun. They take a look at Frank and he is not doing well. He shifts into a Red Lantern. Jessica wants to help and inside Rami points out that the ring will consume Frank alive.
Simon tries to get Frank to take the ring off, but he can't get close enough. Frank shifts again and is now a Blue Lantern of hope. Inside Rami is explaining that the Phantom ring has no battery, it is using Frank's body and will turn him into a bomb. The ring was just a prototype never meant to be worn. Frank is giving off a lot of energy that seems to be hurting him. He shifts again, this time to a Yellow Lantern of fear.
This time Jessica goes in for the ring and gets pushed away as Frank shifts again, to an Orange Lantern of avarice. There does not seem to be a way to reason with Frank. Simon hopes to team hit Frank with green light. Jessica is unsure and Frank shifts back to Yellow. Frank is pretty sure he is going to die. Simon tells him to shut up and that they will help him. Frank can't understand why after all he has done, they would want to help him. Jess points out that is what Green Lanterns do. Unfortunately, before any of them can do anything, Frank has another even bigger energy blast, shooting Simon and Jess as Frank screams in pain.
The Phantom Lantern, Part Five: Simon and Jess climb out of the rubble to find that Frank is now an Indigo Lantern of compassion.
In Frank's apartment Rami and Volthoom are fighting. Rami is upset remembering all the Guardians that Volthoom killed, made worse because they were friends. We don't see how that fight ends before we jump back to Frank having a compassion based revelation. He is speaking the language of Indigo Lanterns, so Jess and Simon don't know what he is saying, but lucky for the reader it is being translated.
The compassion that Simon and Jess showed led Frank to shift to the color indigo and while in that state he realizes the value of all life and how much pain he has caused. He kind of goes on for a while until he realizes that the ring he is wearing makes him dangerous. He then takes it off. Once it is off, he immediately comes to his senses and is about to put it back on. Simon knocks it away from him and Jessica grabs it. She puts it on and gets the same whirlwind that Simon had before, but then it settles on green.
Jessica is pleasantly surprised that the ring showed her that she is indeed ruled by will power. She then takes the Phantom ring off, because she doesn't need it. She uses her Green Lantern ring to restrain Frank. Simon is impressed. Jessica is very happy as she passed the Phantom ring to Simon. Simon looks really hard at the ring and for a moment it seems he is about to put it on again, but Jessica is so happy she is making constructs all around them. Jess asks him about the ring, but he tells her that he better stick with just being a Green Lantern for now.
They are having a cute bonding moment but it is interrupted by the arrival of two Green Lanterns (based on Simon's reaction these are not the nicest of Green Lanterns). The new arrivals ask what the heck is going on. Jessica is just happy to meet some other Lanterns and starts asking a bunch of questions. Simon tries to explain about the Phantom ring, but these Green Lanterns are unimpressed with being called in for basically nothing.
Rami interrupts the conversation declaring that there is indeed an emergency. The other lanterns are now very interested, since all of the Guardians were thought to be dead. Rami tells us that Volthoom has been vanquished and shows an orb that does seem to have someone trapped in it.
Frank has a small temper tantrum but no one seems to pay him much attention (I have a feeling he might be back). The visiting Lanterns want Rami to come with them to speak with John Stewart. Rami tells them off and that he will be staying on Earth to further train Jessica and Simon. Jessica is impressed as the visiting Lanterns take off promising to return with higher ups. Simon calls Cyborg again for another pick up.
Jess asks Rami how he beat Volthoom. While Rami tells us he was able to trick Volthoom into beating himself, we see the truth is that Volthoom was able to finish his ritual and trap Rami (or his soul) in the orb while taking over his body. Outside the possessed Rami is smiling as he tells Jess and Simon that he is going to teach them how to be great Green Lanterns. Poor spirit Rami is yelling from the orb, but to no avail.
Thoughts: Is this the last we have seen of the Phantom Lantern? I am guessing that it isn't. I am enjoying getting to know these characters more. It is clear that both Simon and Jessica have struggles to overcome still and I think I mentioned in my thoughts about volume 1 that I think the writer, Sam Humphries is doing a great job of tackling mental health and family drama. I am a little less invested in Rami but maybe it will get more interesting as the story goes on.
I had to think a bit about my favorite line in the volume. I think that Jessica is really funny and I find her inner thoughts very entertaining. That being said, my favorite part of this volume is the way that Jessica and her ring interact. I wish I had a buddy that also gave me superpowers.
Last Week: Green Lanterns Volume 2: Phantom Lantern, Part 1
Green Lanterns Volume 2: Phantom Lantern, Part 2
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