A Week in Ink

Green Lantern No. 65

Geoff Johns' "Green Lantern No. 65" has taken a page out of Sci-Fi history and essentially pulled out a script similar to a certain Lucas masterpiece.

As Hal Jordan and Guy Gardner wander the arctic wasteland identified as Sector 2000, the base Jordan has previously built is nowhere to be found. The team seems to be out of luck until, through sheer luck, the egocentric duo miraculously fall into Jordan's expertly crafted base specially equipped with its own Kessel running starship.

Johns manages to create a more daring Hal Jordan than usual, as Hal throws himself out of the oven and into the fire – and right into the grasps of 1000 angry Lanterns.

However, quick maneuvers put the team on top of the other Earth-born Emerald Warriors John Stewart and Kyle Rayner. Reunited, the team formulates a plot that will either save the universe or kill them in the process, a strategy that Jordan is all too familiar with.

Johns has breathed life into this series with the ending pages of this issue, surely putting the GL team back on top of the pull list for many. The dialogue between the Jordan-Gardner duo has its moments of humor, and does well to break up the serious tone that Johns develops at the beginning and end of the comic.

Besides the initial interrogation scene with Kilowog, the art is just slightly above par, and doesn't do much to add to Johns' fantastic story arch.

Overall the comic certainly adds some incentive to catch up with the Lanterns but lacks a lasting appeal for the group of up-and-coming Green Lantern movie fans.

Captain America: The Fighting Avenger

Like an episode of '90s Spider-Man, Cap gets his own cartoonish makeover as he embarks on a retelling of the super soldier's first military outing.

While this issue doesn't necessarily recap the hero's epic origins truthfully, it does a great job of hitting home the biggest plot points of the young Avenger's life. Also, writer Brian Clevinger manages this in a relatively humorous manner, somewhere in between a Dr. Seuss whimsy and an Alan Moore foreboding.

Cap is written as a typical inexperienced man-in-arms, loyal to the cause and clear set in his goals but just a little too inexperienced to know how to work them out. Thankfully, the Red Skull always has time to fight the genetically enhanced American icon, and by doing so, triggers the never-ending struggle for control between the two.

The issue does a tremendous job when it is seen as a starting point for those new to Marvel's most beloved hero. Drawn with a manga-like tone and inked over in a flat color, the issue's art is nearly as humorous as the characters themselves.

Cap's team also manages to have a few funny quips and some notably intriguing dialogue and, while the characters lack the depth for any sort of historic identification, they serve their purpose well.

The only qualms to be had with the one-shot of America's finest is that a price tag of $4.99 errs on the side of expensive and lacks the true depth and content that are usually accompanied by a $5 bill.

Halo: Fall of Reach - Covenant No. 1

Before Master Chief rocked the Covenant forces on Xbox consoles world wide, he was just another number in humanity's last hope for survival.

That is what the latest series by Marvel is truly attempting to convey. This attempt should be applauded as the lore of the Halo franchise is plentiful, but the Marvel team's work falls short of the legendary groundwork the developers at Bungie have laid in front of them.

While the team engulfs the comic in Halo lore, they lack the distinctly clean artwork the game has built a foundation on. Artist Felix Ruiz was given the keys to the figurative artist armory and walked out with the plasma pistol, as the art could've been absolutely astounding but is instead passed off as amateurish and weak.

Writer Brian Reed does not escape the burning wreckage of the issue as his writing, while well developed, is lacking heavily in content. Instead, Reed writes in minor characters that are left to do the heavy lifting of the series. This upside-down approach to writing has its benefits as the desperation of humanity's last defenders is almost palpable human emotion rather than a droll, filler dialogue.

This series is just another attempt to artistically represent a world built in the virtual realm, and while this type of medium switching can often be entertaining and exhilarating, the Covenant series has thus far been neither.

With three issues remaining in the series, there is hope on Reach's horizon that a savior will come and raise up the series. Though if this issue is any indication of what's to come, Master Chief will most likely hail from a cast of ordinary characters, all of whom could use a bit more sun.

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