Sam Humphries |

TITLE: Green Lanterns #15
AUTHOR: Sam Humphries
PENCILLER: Miguel Mendonca. Cover by Tyler Kirkham and Tomeu Morey.
PUBLISHER: DC Comics
PRICE: $2.99
RELEASED: January 18, 2017

***Looking for more? Check out Green Lanterns, Vol. 1: Rage Planet.***

By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

For many people, clinical anxiety is a tough thing to understand. There’ve literally been books written about loving people with anxiety, and how anxious individuals can maintain healthy relationships. But writing about anxiety, and conveying those feelings is very hard. Trust me, I know.

That’s what makes Green Lanterns #15 so special. Sam Humphries, Miguel Mendonca, and their cohorts take readers inside the mind of an anxious person as well, if not better, than anyone I’ve ever seen. Jessica Cruz and Simon Baz have never been more real than they are in this issue.

“A Day in the Life” spotlights Jessica, our newest Green Lantern who lives with anxiety every day. Lucky, her partner Simon always has her back. But even those closest to Jessica don’t understand what she goes through on a day-to-day basis. Things don’t get any less tense when the Justice League comes calling about a monster wreaking havoc.

Full disclosure: Having anxiety myself, I may be biased on this one. But I’m part of the demographic this issue will effect the most: People with anxiety. We see Jessica having to summon a hero’s bravery just to get out of bed in the morning, and that’s what it feels like sometimes. It sounds overly dramatic. But those who’ve been there know what it’s like. Each new day can mean a new battle with your own emotions.

Humphries has always excelled at taking us inside Jessica’s mind. Her thoughts will skew one way, and she’ll have to push back against them. Case in point, her inner monologue on the page at right. Racing negative thoughts are fought with positive thoughts. Ot one point we actually see those caption boxes stacked on top of one another to convey the speed of her racing mind.

The issue’s high point is the splash page where Jessica actually has an anxiety attack (shown below). Her thoughts take a nosedive into all the worst cast scenarios, and the spiral is a tremendous way to convey it. The pained expression on her face is beautifully rendered by Mendonca. Her gripping the bedsheets so tightly is a great visual.

Simon’s role in this story is important. He’s part of Jessica’s support system. But he’s not perfect. He gets frustrated. But he keeps trying. Because that’s what you do when you care for someone. I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating: I hope they don’t make Jessica and Simon a couple. Too predictable. They’re toying with a Jessica/Barry Allen romance, though I doubt that goes anywhere.

Miguel Mendonca has been around for awhile, but this is my first exposure to him. All I can say is, I want more. He’s one of those artists that’s great with little details in human expression that allows readers to lose themselves in the issue. I’ll reiterate that the center image of Jessica at left is gorgeous. There’s also a scene late in the book with she and Simon at her kitchen table, and we get two close-up shots that look beautifully real. From Simon’s little smile, to Jessica tucking her hair behind her ear. What we get here is very much in the style of a traditional superhero comic. But there’s a great element of believability and realism to it. As believable and real as it can be when you have a giant monster throwing a submarine…

You can certainly argue there’s an element of corniness to the issue. In particular, this stretch of dialogue from Jessica: “I have to fight anxiety every day. It’s the biggest battle I have. Catching that submarine today? That was nothing. Nothing.” Stuff like that creates an after school special vibe, which is a groaner.

I tend to give that sort of thing a pass when it’s in service to a greater good, as is the case here. Again, I’m probably biased here. But this issue offers great awareness for mental illness, and is something I’d happily put in the hands of someone suffering from anxiety.

That’s probably the best compliment I can give to an issue like this. I wish I’d had something like it in my darker hours. As for Green Lanterns as a whole, it continues to be one of the most underrated books DC has on the market right now.

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TITLE: Green Lanterns, Vol. 1: Rage Planet
AUTHORS: Sam Humphries, Geoff Johns
PENCILLERS: Robson Rocha, Ed Benes, Ethan Van Sciver, Tom Derenick, Jack Herbert, Neil Edwards, Eduardo Pansica.
COLLECTS: Green Lanterns: Rebirth #1, Green Lanterns #1–6.
FORMAT: Softcover
PUBLISHER: DC Comics
PRICE: $16.99
RELEASE DATE: January 25, 2017

By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

Green Lanterns almost makes me sad that there are human ring-slingers besides Jessica Cruz, Simon Baz, and Hal Jordan. This feels like such a natural next chapter in the Green Lantern saga. The next generation learns to overcome fear, while Jordan mentors them from afar. Makes perfect sense to me.

Rage Planet sees Earth’s newest Green Lanterns, Simon and Jessica, become co-protectors of Sector 2814. But Simon isn’t convinced he needs a partner, and Jessica is plagued by her crippling anxiety. Not exactly ideal circumstances. Especially when Atrocitus and the Red Lantern Corps are about to bring “Red Dawn” to Earth. Simon and Jessica will soon have no choice but to work as a team.

Green Lanterns has its share of problems. It feels a little bit padded to fill the six-issue main story, has a revolving door of artists, and essentially features a stock story about reluctant partners. But Sam Humphries does some terrific character work in this book, particularly when it comes to Jessica Cruz.

A Green Lantern who suffers from clinical anxiety seems like such a natural development that I’m surprised it’s taken this long for us to get one. The entire mythology revolves around the idea of overcoming fear, after all. But Humphries makes up for lost time by taking us inside Jessica’s head and perfectly conveying her anxiety. The constant second-guessing, the belief that she’s not good enough, the panic attacks, the isolation (she didn’t leave her apartment for three years prior to becoming a Lantern). Hokey as it may sound, as someone who has dealt with anxiety myself, Jessica makes me feel represented. She’s a tremendous addition to the Green Lantern mythos.

This series gets us recaquainted with Simon Baz, who in many ways fell to the wayside prior to the Rebirth relaunch. His character can be tough to nail down, as he’s stubborn and distrustful. But also overly confident at times. I’ve always thought him carrying a gun despite wearing a Green Lantern ring was silly. I understand the need to distinguish him from the other Lanterns, as there are so many of them. But logically, that’s like keeping a pocket knife with you in case your chainsaw breaks down. Still, he and Jessica make a good buddy cop duo. I’m hoping Humphries resists making them a couple.

On a surface level, the Red Lantern stuff makes for a fine first arc. But there’s not much to it. It’s essentially Atrocitus wanting to make Earth a giant ball of pulsating rage. It’s not nearly as interesting as the Phantom Lantern material, which really gets moving in the next volume. But fans generally know who/what the Red Lanterns are, and they have a little mainstream recognition from different TV shows and video games. So it makes sense from an attention-grabbing perspective. The book’s most interesting moment with the Red Lanterns involves Simon temporarily relieving Bleez of her rage. It’s a nice “What have I done?” moment.

Ethan Van Sciver tags in, and then quickly tags out again on the pencil for the initial Rebirth issue. There’s been tremendous value in his work on these characters since he did the original Green Lantern: Rebirth story in the early 2000s. I’m always impressed by his attention to little details. His images never look real, per se. But there are often enough little details to evoke a feeling of realism, even when he draws weird aliens. Case in point: Our little blue friend in the image above. Look at the little details in his helmet, his five o’clock shadow, the wrinkles in his sleeves. You don’t necessarily notice things like this at first. But go a long way in making Van Sciver stand out.

Various artists start and stop in this book. But the one with the most page time is Robson Rocha. Like Van Sciver, his work is very detailed. His facial work isn’t exactly subtle, but it makes an impact. Jumping ahead a bit, that’s part of what made his work on Green Lanterns #9 so good. His rage-possessed civilians look downright beastly. So much that at certain points he nearly veers into comedic territory. He also draws Jessica and Bleez a little too sexy at times. But by and large, he’s a solid fit for this series.

This book doesn’t break a lot of new ground in terms of the Green Lantern mythos. But the buddy cop format is charming as hell, and the characterization of Jessica Cruz is terrific. Relative to some of DC’s other offerings, Green Lanterns isn’t making a lot of noise in terms of sales. But it’s bound to be a pleasant discovery for readers.

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A Green Lanterns #15 Review – Anxiety Attacks!

A Green Lanterns: Rage Planet Review – A New Chapter Begins