Just when I was finally getting fed up with Green Lantern, they pull me back in. I was not a fan of GL ever since the relaunch, and when they started hyping another freakin’ Lantern-War event, my patience was at its maximum. That’s why I’m delighted to find that this “Rise of the Third Army” is completely unlike any other GL event.

There will be some undoubtedly frustrated with this series due to the Third Army barely appearing, but I’m fine with what it is offering. Despite only being around for three months, Simon Baz is already a strong contender for my favorite Green Lantern. While the plot doesn’t really advance much from last issue, this is a good example of decompressed comics working, with special emphasis on Baz and his interactions with the Justice League. I also really like how the League are portrayed in this; they feel really consistent with their own book, which is something that isn’t happening enough nowadays. Their dialogue is also *get this* genuinely funny.

But, the real star of this story is Baz, and he has star power. This is the best kind of modern superhero: He’s a very flawed guy who has made a lot mistakes, but through those mistakes has become a semantic person, and all of his decisions feel very natural. After realizing that no one is going to help him out of his predicament, he changes his priority to finding out who really planted the bomb, because he’s afraid people in his neighborhood could get hurt. He never feels overtly romanticized or heroic, just a guy whose screwed up a lot and wants to make up for all of his stupid decisions. Now I’m not saying I don’t want Hal back, but you gotta admit that that’s a better pitch for a character than “good-looking pilot who’s never been to war and just flies jets owned by his incredibly hot girlfriend.”

If there is one thing dragging this, it’s the art. Not because it’s bad, but because with Doug Mahnke, it can be so much better. The use of multiple inkers doesn’t help, as pages can vary in how much detail is crammed. Nevertheless, it is still clear and there aren’t any major flaws. I just remember the Doug Mahnke who drew War of the Green Lanterns and get underwhelmed.