Cartoon animated world

But when a writer does make an effort to enforce a shared universe, the results can be quite thrilling, like Tomasi’s use of Martian Manhunter in this issue.  The green man’s appearance can’t come at a better time, as Guy Gardner makes little headway in interrogating his captive.  Even after stripping the enemy’s armor and getting some face-time, Guy and Salaak’s “good cop, bad cop routine” goes nowhere, as even the Guardians have zero data on their prisoner.

We don’t get to see how Guy plans to execute on that threat, but we do get the entrance of J’onn J’onzz instead.  Interestingly, Guy and J’onn act as strangers to each other (making you wonder what this means for J’onn’s League membership, as hinted in Stormwatch #1), and there’s even a simmering hostility between them.  Tomasi makes logical sense out this, however, as he has J’onn express his particular grudge against Green Lanterns.  Guy scoffs, “No one’s from Mars.”  J’onn replies, “It was not always that way.  Where was your…Corps when Mars needed you?”

Despite his resentment, J’onn doesn’t shirk in getting answers out of Guy’s detainee.  In a totally awesome move, Manhunter takes his telepathic probing to the max by using a “hands-on experience,” which involves him phasing his fingers through the prisoner’s head and lifting him clear out of his restraints.  His efforts prove fruitful: the enemy was once Keepers of the Corps’ power batteries and, now relieved of their duties, they want Oa’s central battery for themselves.

Tomasi makes sure to check in with the rest of the cast in between all this, letting us see how each of them recovers from their last mission in their own way: Hannu with unchecked fury (punching through canyon walls), Isamot with a bit of post-traumatic stress, and Sheriff Mardin with even more intensive training (“I don’t leave this room until I have a 100 percent rating, understood?”).  Very smart of Tomasi to do this, as we not only get to know the non-human Lanterns better, but they become full-blooded characters in their own rights.

Meanwhile, John Stewart remains a hostage of the Keepers, who have no intention of being lenient captors.  In response to John’s claim that he and his fellow Lanterns are unarmed, the Keepers respond, “Except a mind, which can always be used as a weapon.”  With one deadly stroke, they prove that they’re playing for “keeps” (wah-wah), and that John will have to put his analytical mind and measured attitude to good use to keep him and his comrades alive.

You’ll be very happy to see Pasarin back on art duties again, making the characters look so incredibly full-bodied and expressive, as if they have real flesh-and-blood to them.  Even without skin, you can see the results of Guy’s interrogation on the captive Keeper, as he has gelatinous blood leaking from his mouth and one eye swelled shut.  Hanna puts in just as much work, playing with shadows to make all the characters look sinister or grim by turns, especially against Eltaeb’s rich, darkly

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