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Green Lantern: New Guardians #35 - Godhead, Act I, Part IV: Trust

5

It's part Four of Godhead! The New Gods are after Kyle!

The Good

Let's get this right out in the open, right away. The Lantern books have been riddled with cross-over event after cross-over event and it's been super annoying, no matter how well done they are. When Godhead was announced, I wasn't annoyed because the idea of having the Lanterns cross-over with the New Gods, a very underused element in the New 52, was nothing short of utterly brilliant. I feel like I needed to get that off my chest. As a GL fan, who is annoyed with giant cross-overs, based on the concept alone, I am very accepting of this story.

I normally don't read NEW GUARDIANS and I have no clue why because this is so incredibly well-written. Writer Justin Jordan doesn't make this jump on point insanely new reader friendly, but at no time will new readers feel alienated or completely lost with what's going on in Kyle's life right now. There's minor explanation for the current state of affairs, but Jordan moves the story forward more than discussing the past.

With the last two parts of Godhead, the New Gods are and aren't the villains in the story. What we can say is that they have certainly not been very helpful in any way. However, GLNG presents the New Gods in a bit of a different light, total pun intended. Highfather is the hero of the story ad his dialogue with Kyle puts a lot of this story into perspective.

The issue ends on a somber note, but I cannot wait to see where this adventure takes Kyle and Carol. There's no cliffhanger reveal and the story goes exactly where you'd expect it to, considering the situation, but it's executed exceptionally well. The four panels on the 19th page are put laid out beautifully and the eye naturally moves with the action.

The last two pages are drawn so well. Brad Walker, on pencils, Andrew Hennessy with Robin Riggs, on inks, and Wil Quintana on colors put together this incredibly emotional scene between Kyle and Carol. Artistically, it's my two favorite pages of the week. No, I haven't read everything, but as of now, these pages rock me like an Amadeus Hurricane. Walker's style works really well for the New Gods, who we don't see too much of here. As always, you need a strong colorist on a Lantern book because colors are extremely important, and Quintana does a swell job, especially on a few pages where Kyle is bleeding out white light. There's strong color work with blurring and transitions that make these scenes stand out.

The Bad

If you're not reading GLNG on a regular base, like I was, this book feels so different from the rest of the Lantern books because it's so isolated. However, that's something I found quite endearing about the book as well.

The Verdict

GREEN LANTERN: NEW GUARDIANS #35 is a huge hit. It's a great issue for readers to jump in on, but the issue doesn't spend the whole time catching said new readers up. It adds a lot of the overall story and most importantly, it's a really fun read. Jordan provides us with a story that adds a lot to the arc and gives the reader new insight into the New Gods, who aren't really the villains here, that we know of. If you've been enjoying Godhead, this is a must read, even if you've missed out on GLNG.