Even before I decided to pick up “Green Lantern: New Guardians” #1, I couldn’t help but wonder if this series was needed. With three other Green Lantern titles on the market, it was hard to imagine this one having legs. After reading this first issue I still find myself asking these same questions.

If you’ve wondered where Kyle Rayner was, this is his book. Writer Tony Bedard takes Kyle from first getting his ring and becoming a Green Lantern to creating huge constructs in Times Square, all within one issue. It’s a frantically paced story that feels terribly underwritten and with certain important details seemingly ignored. For example Kyle gets to be a Green Lantern and we’re never shown any type of training at all. He gets the ring, Ganthet tells him he’s a Green Lantern, then a few pages later he’s in New York City creating constructs that couldn’t even be covered in a two page spread. In fact, more pointless pages are wasted on insignificant Lanterns from the spectrum than on developing Kyle. It attempts to move things ahead but not in a satisfying way. It’s a clunky, poorly constructed story with too many plot holes to overlook.

Tyler Kirkham’s art is pretty good but even it’s a mixed bag. There are certain pages that capture that vibrant and intense Green Lantern book look. But there are also panels that almost look like they are from a different artist. Some characters look polished and sharply detailed and then a few panels later look stiff and rushed. It’s a visually inconsistent book that never gets a firm footing and sustains it.

This was a very perplexing issue with no solid identity. It didn’t know if it wanted to be an introduction issue or a “start off running” issue. Unfortunately Bedard’s attempt to meld the two resulted in a poorly paced mess that didn’t connect with me at all. There’s a good concept for a story here somewhere. But after this first issue, I probably won’t be around in case it shows it’s head.