TF Views

I don't know how retro eleven year old Green Lantern comics are, but I've been enjoying the "Green Lantern by Robert Venditti" omnibus. Hard to believe that it's been 11 years since Geoff Johns's final issue and Robert Venditti taking over the series. I remember a lot of griping about the "Lights Out" story and the concept of an emotional reservoir that can be tapped dry, and I tend to agree that it doesn't really make sense. I would think all the various people in the universe would generate emotion, making an inexhaustible supply. Maybe the Lanterns were using it up faster than it was generated? But that aside, the story is good and Relic is a good antagonist, acting on what he thinks are good motives: trying to prevent the death of this universe for the same reasons his universe died. The omnibus includes both the Green Lantern issues, which I have read, and the Green Lantern Corps isses, which I have not, along with a few issues of Red Lanterns and New Guardians where they are apparently important to the storyline. I'm still not a big fan of the way Billy Tan draws Hal, but I like Bernard Chang's art on GLC. I wish they would get someone at his level to draw the current series. The art in the current book is not impressive at all.

The paper in this book is good, but the volume is noticeably thinner than many others on my shelf, despite being 850 pages. I can't complain, I like seeing less shelf space taken up. I think a volume two is on the way with the New Gods storyline and the Renegade story arc, and then hopefully we'll get Hal Jordan and the GLC collected at some point. I'm wondering if Lost Army and Edge of Oblivion will be in the second Vendetti volume since they were concurrent with "Renegade"?

andersonh1 wrote: ↑Sun Dec 14, 2025 6:02 am I remember a lot of griping about the "Lights Out" story and the concept of an emotional reservoir that can be tapped dry, and I tend to agree that it doesn't really make sense. I would think all the various people in the universe would generate emotion, making an inexhaustible supply. Maybe the Lanterns were using it up faster than it was generated? But that aside, the story is good and Relic is a good antagonist, acting on what he thinks are good motives: trying to prevent the death of this universe for the same reasons his universe died.

I liked the idea of Relic. His backstory is a bit similar to Galactus, albeit without Relic being reborn as a force of nature compelled to consume life, flipped to trying to save this universe from the fate of his universe instead. But, yeah, the idea of the emotional reservoir didn't make any sense. Venditti obviously used it to walk back some of the concepts Johns introduced, getting rid of the Entities (minus Parallax) to 'refill' the reservoir. I'm glad the recent stories once again walked that back and restored the Entities... Including Parallax who apparently died in the meantime and the Entities fear made a new Parallax? The last reference I can find to the original Parallax was that he was captured in a Yellow ring by Superman.

At any rate... I'd love to see Relic appear again someday. Be interesting to see what else they can do with the character who is from a previous universe.

Sparky Prime wrote: ↑Sun Dec 14, 2025 4:12 pm

andersonh1 wrote: ↑Sun Dec 14, 2025 6:02 am I remember a lot of griping about the "Lights Out" story and the concept of an emotional reservoir that can be tapped dry, and I tend to agree that it doesn't really make sense. I would think all the various people in the universe would generate emotion, making an inexhaustible supply. Maybe the Lanterns were using it up faster than it was generated? But that aside, the story is good and Relic is a good antagonist, acting on what he thinks are good motives: trying to prevent the death of this universe for the same reasons his universe died.

I liked the idea of Relic. His backstory is a bit similar to Galactus, albeit without Relic being reborn as a force of nature compelled to consume life, flipped to trying to save this universe from the fate of his universe instead. But, yeah, the idea of the emotional reservoir didn't make any sense. Venditti obviously used it to walk back some of the concepts Johns introduced, getting rid of the Entities (minus Parallax) to 'refill' the reservoir. I'm glad the recent stories once again walked that back and restored the Entities... Including Parallax who apparently died in the meantime and the Entities fear made a new Parallax? The last reference I can find to the original Parallax was that he was captured in a Yellow ring by Superman.

At any rate... I'd love to see Relic appear again someday. Be interesting to see what else they can do with the character who is from a previous universe.

I agree, I think there's potential there. Relic is hostile, but he has good motives for his actions. That's an interesting combination. When did we last see him? Was it when he was studying the Source Wall during the Renegade storyline?

I'm enjoying the omnibus. I really should have been reading Green Lantern Corps at the time. I was missing out on half the story. But at least it gives me something new to read now. I'm in the early stages of the Durlan plot to destroy the Corps, a storyline I enjoyed quite a bit. Chad and Mark over on the Lanterncast thought it dragged on too long, but it never bored me.

andersonh1 wrote: ↑Wed Dec 17, 2025 4:06 am When did we last see him? Was it when he was studying the Source Wall during the Renegade storyline?

Yeah, I believe so. I haven't seen any references to Relic since then.

I'm in the early stages of the Durlan plot to destroy the Corps, a storyline I enjoyed quite a bit. Chad and Mark over on the Lanterncast thought it dragged on too long, but it never bored me.

It's been years since I read it, but I don't recall feeling like it dragged either. And that was waiting for each issue to come out every month.