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Geek Dad
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Dad
Review – Absolute Green Lantern #3: Hunger in the Dark
Absolute Green Lantern #3 cover, via DC Comics. Ray: Al Ewing has turned Green Lantern into a full-fledged horror story, and like every horror story, it has some classic inspirations. Fans of Stephen King will obviously see the influence from Under the Dome here, as the mysterious alien judge Alan Scott has created a green energy field over part of the city – trapping Jo Mullein, Hal Jordan, John Stewart – and John's friend Todd Rice, who enters the story this issue. While the story jumps back and forth in time, we see more this issue of the earlier segment, as the crew tries to figure out the strange new world they find themselves trapped in. It's John who takes the lead here, with his strategic mind discovering that the field reacts a certain way to metal – or anything it perceives as metal – and starts trying to break it down. But this attracts Abin Sur's attention, and the inscrutable alien proceeds to cast his judgement over John. Lockdown. Via DC Comics. We know from the earlier issues that the power will wind up vested with two of these characters – Jo with the Green Lantern ring, and Hal with the Black Hand. What we didn't know until now is that those powers are diametrically opposed, with the Black Hand trying to consume the green automatically – and anyone it's attached to. This is the first take on Green Lantern that portrays these powers not as superpowers, but as something terrifying and bizarre, that would be beyond the average person's ability to comprehend. Al Ewing has worked a lot with cosmic powers before, and his books are often deeply haunting, but part of the credit here goes to the great Jahnoy Lindsay. Their art is deeply unsettling in places, creating a sense of just how powerful these elements are. This is the most mysterious of the Absolute line so far, and it has me incredibly intrigued by what comes next. To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week. GeekDad received this comic for review purposes. Liked it? Take a second to support GeekDad and GeekMom on Patreon!
Geek Dad
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Dad
Review – Metamorpho the Element Man #6: Into the Sun
Metamorpho the Element Man #6 – Al Ewing, Writer; Steve Lieber, Artist; Lee Loughridge, Colorist Ray – 9.5/10 Ray: Al Ewing has always been a writer who does larger-than-life adventures, but none of his books have ever been as gleefully bizarre as this gonzo sci-fi tribute to the Silver Age. This is unfortunately the final issue (for now), but he's saved the craziest for last. The tyrant sun Solaris has come to Earth, forcing Rex Mason into a battle of wits and wills that the Metamorpho squad lost – leading to the extinction of Earth in short order. Stagg Industries has rallied to prepare an assault on the evil sun, but someone has to pilot the ship to deploy the weapon – knowing they likely won't come back. Rex has been chosen, blaming himself for the disaster, and it's amusing to see Sapphire try to convince him otherwise while Simon Stagg and Java are secretly gleeful. The first half of this issue is almost like a video game level at points, with Solaris deploying its defenses and turning the entire battlefield into a 16-bit bullet hell. But that's just the start. After Rex seemingly sacrifices his life, we're taken into a whole new realm – the one we glimpsed at the very start of the series, populated by the mysterious Prince Ra-Man. This Egyptian-themed sorcerer not only gives Metamorpho another fight, but takes him into a unique alternate reality. Ewing's writing comes up with the crazy scenarios, but Steve Lieber brings them to life in a way that few artists can do – dramatically shifting his own art style at times. He has the same skill as Joe Quinones on that front, which is really rare. It all leads to Rex pulling one of the craziest moves I've ever seen in a superhero comic – but will he make it back alive? The issue ends with a meta touch, asking readers to campaign for more Metamorpho by this creative team if we want a resolution. I'm sold – this book just delivered pure ridiculous joy from beginning to end. To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week. GeekDad received this comic for review purposes. Liked it? Take a second to support GeekDad and GeekMom on Patreon!
