Comic Review – “Green Lantern: Brother’s Keeper”

I tried this out because it was the only Green Lantern trade
on the shelves, and because it was written by Judd Winick.
I’ll be picking up more of Judd Winick’s work on this title
fairly shortly, I assure you.

General Information

Title: Green Lantern: Brother’s Keeper

Author: Judd Winick

Illustrator(s): Dale Eaglesham, most of the time

Original Publication Date: 2003 reprint of material first
published in
2002 (Green Lantern Vol. 2, issues 151-155)

ISBN: 1-4012-0078-8

Cover Price: $12.95 US, $21.95 Can

Buy from: Amazon.com
or Amazon.ca

Premise

Kyle Rayner, the latest Green Lantern of Earth, deals with
numerous
personal issues culminating in a hate crime against his
friend.

High Point

The poster boy for anger management.

Low Point

The fill-in artwork. I’d rather have a late issue than one
that seems
this out of place compared to the rest, especially when it’s
collected
in a trade paperback.

The Scores

This is a pretty original plotline for a comic
book. Most of
the homosexual characters I read about are simply
accepted by those
around them, which is definitely a good thing, but not
necessarily
realistic. This also provides the kind of challenge that the
hero’s
superpowers aren’t really able to deal with, which always
adds a twist
to the story. (Where’s the suspense when it can be fixed
on a whim?)
I give it 6 out of 6.

The artwork on any given page is good or very
good, but the
shift between artists is remarkably irritating. I give it 4 out
of 6.

The story is very well written. The focus of the
description
on the back of the book is about two of the five issues;
keep that in
mind or you may wonder when the “real story” is getting
started. This
was a very interesting look at the life of a superhero and
the trials
he’ll face. I give it 5 out of 6.



The characterization is excellent. This is the
first
material with Kyle Rayner I’ve read (apart from his tiny
roles in some
JLA books) and his personality is quickly made clear. The
strain on
his personality later really works, too. I feel like I’ve gotten
a
very good handle on who this character is, particularly
since it’s
only a five issue set. Other characters are less well
defined, but I
still feel like I have some idea of what they’re like. I give it
5
out of 6.

The emotional response was very strong. I’ve
seen some nasty
things done to gay friends of mine, although none of it was
at this
magnitude. It’s not hard to believe that something like this
could
happen at any time, and the frustration Kyle felt seems
very, very
real. The transition from the laugh-out-loud funny first
issue to the
final two was well made, preventing any jarring moments
from getting
in the way. I give it 6 out of 6.

The flow was smooth when it was meant to be,
and jarring when
it needed to be. I give it 5 out of 6.

Overall, it’s a highly recommended collection.
It shifts
from pure entertainment into cultural exploration, without
becoming
overly preachy. It delves into abuse of power in a way that
I find
more troubling than the Emerald
Twilight
story.
A very good read. I’d change only the use of a fill-in artist.
I give
it 6 out of 6.

In total, Green Lantern: Brother’s Keeper
receives 37 out of 42.

Additional Notes and Comments

I’ll get back to working on Essential Howard the
Duck Vol. 1

soon. I forgot to bring a book to kill time between exams
today, so I
ended up buying this at the campus bookstore.

2 replies on “Comic Review – “Green Lantern: Brother’s Keeper””

  1. Judd Winick
    There was some controversy when Judd Winick tackled this particular storyline, particularly due to Mr. Winick’s background (Judd was a cast member on MTV’s Real World: San Fransisco, where he befriended a gay AIDS patient named Pedro Zamora. Pedro later died, and the graphic novel Pedro and ME written on the experience earned Judd Winick a Pulitzer Nod). Many claimed that this was Judd pushing his pro-gay agenda, and there was some criticism of the move.

    I think the titular two-issue story stands on its own merits as a fine piece of work. It’s a good story, it takes our characters to a place we haven’t seen them go. My high point would’ve been Batman’s speech, no spoiler – It largely explains everything, and is a brilliant addition. I loved the reunion issue, as well.

    Good book, highly recommended.

    BTW, Fiziko: I think you’d enjoy Green Lantern: Willworld. The artwork is simply amazing. Oh, and stay away from the current GL arc, it’s wretched.

    • Re: Judd Winick

      (Judd was a cast member on MTV’s Real World: San
      Fransisco, where he befriended a gay AIDS patient named
      Pedro Zamora. Pedro later died, and the graphic novel
      Pedro and ME written on the experience earned Judd
      Winick a Pulitzer Nod).

      BTW, Fiziko: I think you’d enjoy Green Lantern: Willworld. The
      artwork is simply amazing. Oh, and stay away from the current
      GL arc, it’s wretched.

      For those who are interested, the Pedro and Me
      review is here. I just
      added Willworld to my “Graphic Novels to buy” list,
      too; thanks for the suggestion.

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