Review: Green Lanterns Volume 1 - Rage Planet

When Atrocitus sights his sights on conquering Earth, rookie Green Lanterns Simon Baz and Jessica Cruz are the only line of defense against his Red Lanterns. They must overcome their shortcomings and learn to work together as partners in order to destroy Atrocitus’ deadly Hell Tower and save Earth from being transformed into a planet governed by rage.

Green Lanterns Volume 1: Rage Planet collects Green Lanterns: Rebirth #1 and Green Lanterns #1-6, written by Sam Humphries and primarily illustrated by Robson Rocha.

Rage Planet is light on plot, but heavy on character development. Not a whole lot happens in the six issues collected in this trade and the narrative seems to tread water until its rather abrupt conclusion. It’s a fairly standard invasion storyline where the Red Lanterns come to Earth in order to make it their new home world. To do so, they must install what is known as a Hell Tower, which infects the planet and all those living on it with unyielding rage. With the rest of the Green Lanterns out of the picture, newbies Simon and Jessica are the only heroes equipped to deal with this threat. There isn’t a whole lot of action or conflict until towards the end when Simon and Jessica finally face off against Atrocitus and his Red Lanterns. Prior to that, we mostly get scenes involving the rage infection and our protagonists’ reactions to it. If I’m being honest, it’s a bit of a paint-by-numbers zombie story (but with an alien force as the cause rather than some kind of radiation or virus).

Where Rage Planet really engages is in its character work. Simon was once unjustly imprisoned and is continually faced with the islamophobia directed at his family. He is an individual who feels he has something to prove as a result of the way the society around him wishes to discard and profile him. This makes him brash and impulsive. By contrast, Jessica is someone crippled by anxiety and who has spent the last three years of her life hidden away in her apartment following a traumatic event. She’s never sought help, but shows signs of either being agoraphobic or of suffering from PTSD. It remains a mystery to Jessica as to why she’s even a Green Lantern and Rage Planet is largely built around her inability to create constructs with her ring. The dynamic between the two characters is tense and argumentative, as can be expected based on how different they approach their new roles. While I quite like Simon as a character, it is Jessica who I relate to the most and find to have the most potential. This is someone who is really hindered by self-doubt and this is something that really prevents her from being the hero she needs to be. She has to overcome her fear. It’s refreshing to have a Green Lantern like her as the preceding ones have long existed in various stages of being messianic heroes (save for Guy Gardner).

As a whole, Green Lanterns Volume 1: Rage Planet is a fairly predictable (but enjoyable) start to Simon Baz and Jessica Cruz’s Post-New 52 life. The character work that Humphries puts into the story injects an otherwise unremarkable narrative with interest and engagement. I especially like what he’s done with Jessica, making her the real reason to read this book. On the artistic front, Rage Planet is unfortunately very inconsistent as it features the work of multiple artists. It’s not the best decision to make, especially for the first six issues straight out the gate of DC’s Rebirth initiative. I’m not terribly impressed with Rage Planet, but Jessica is enough to keep me interested for the time being.

RATING: B-