Odyssey, time bandit from the stars and Kyle Rayner’s flatmate now he’s back living in LA, has been plucked from Earth obscurity to star in a Hollywood film. Unfortunately, pictures of her at the premiere have brought out the trolls. Having been out in space doing Green Lantern stuff for years, Kyle is shocked by the random nastiness, so dons his metaphorical armour to be Odyssey’s knight of the keyboard.
And…
An invitation to breakfast from superheroine Jade snaps Kyle out of keyboard warrior mode. Meanwhile in space, Green Lantern Hal Jordan, shapechanger Jayna and new ally Tobi Y2K are on a quest.
And what they see is rather lovely…
Back on Earth, Odyssey’s publicist tries to convince her that even negative buzz is good when a knock comes at the door.
In the local park, Jade – also an actress – is sharing her point of view on trolls with Kyle.
Awwww… sadly, the lovely moment is interrupted as Kyle gets a call.
Kyle suits up, Jade joins him and they meet the troll, who isn’t what they were expecting…
Elsewhere, wheels are turning that are bound to bring Kyle pain – physical and emotional.
This is upsetting. Frankenstein, Agent of SHADE, gruff good guy, now apparently just another General Lane/General Eiling military type, happy to do bad things to good people in the name of the United States.
I mean, longtime fans will know ‘Major‘ has to be Captain Atom’s evil counterpart Major Force, who, shortly after Kyle became a GL, murdered his girlfriend Alex. I wonder if he knows just how much power Kyle can access these days…
Writer Jeremy Adams has really hit his stride on this book since Kyle became lead Green Lantern; he’s such a likeable character. Hal is still around, ready to take the spotlight at some point, but seeing Kyle back on Earth, reigniting his old romance with Jade, is just great. And the new threats he’s been serving up via the medium of an Oan jailbreak are huge fun.
After a couple of issues of less than fabulous art, Xermanico declares himself well and truly back with a killer splash page. All through the book we’re treated to his slick stylings and fantastic facial expressions – our three heroes look terrific, the bit part players are convincing and the new villain is horrific.
Speaking of whom, he calls himself Zmora…is he related to the Zamorans, the cosmic Amazons who power Star Sapphire?
And how does he know Kyle already lost Alex due to his being a superhero?
Back on the art front, colourist Romulo Fajardo Jr steals the issue with that rainbow space page – it is gorgeous. And Dave Sharpe provides appealing lettering, I especially like his scratchy front for the murderous Zmora.
How about Xermanico’s cover? It’s clever stuff, though I do wish she’d lose the Harley Quinn hair and get a do honouring the character Adams intended her to be, Dart from Atari Force. Go on, try and unsee it!
Green Lantern #35, aka Legacy issue #604, is a cracker from beginning to end – don’t miss it.
Too Dangerous For a Girl 2 
Kyle is my favorite GL by far so this run of issues has been a treat even with Odyssey being just a generic bad girl with a idiosyncratic code of honor. The inclusion of Jade is wonderful as well, since their breakup was lame and equal parts decreed from on high and pointless. And I was there when Alex was murdered so the appearance of Major Force at the end, which had escaped my notice as well as Franky being a Big Bad now, actually moved me. Alex was a delightful character and fully formed even quicker than Kyle so her death obviously still moves me from my reaction to the story’s end.
And has no one told the Y2K kid that Earth wasn’t ended twenty-six plus years ago?
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Alex was great, I was rereading her issues in the Kyle Compendium lately and had forgotten that when we first met her and Kyle they had pretty much broken up.
Isn’t it weird that Alex, Donna and Jade were all snappers?
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Google was no help figuring out what a snapper is. Don’t look. One definition is offensive.
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Photographer! Do non-newspaper folk not use this?
Good job I never mentioned a ‘dogs cock’ or ‘screamer’ (borh journo slang for exclamation mark).
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I assumed Zamora knew the deal on Kyle because he’s an internet troll. Finding stuff to antagonize people with is what they do. This issue really reinforced the idea that Kyle has been away in space for a looooong time. The fact that he doesn’t remember to ignore the trolls? He would have to be out there not to know that at this point.
I’m so happy Kyle and Jenny are rekindling things. I thought they were great together back in the day. I also really love the fact that Jade is secure enough in herself and her relationship with Kyle not to be suspicious/jealous of Odyssey. That is a trope I don’t ever want to see again.
Odyssey… Odyssey… Hey, isn’t there a giant movie out right now with that name? Funny timing for her to be trying to break into Hollywood.
I really hope the Frankenstein desk job/Sarge Steel impression are a cover. I feel like he wouldn’t let Major Force out unless he knew Kyle was going to hand him his ass. Also, I wonder who his secretary is…
This was a fun issue!
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That’s a terrific idea about Zamora and the internet revealing the info on Kyle and Alex, I forgot that their tragedy wouldn’t have been connected to GL so far as the public is concerned.
Now Jeff, what has you so intrigued about the secretary?
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I don’t know, but the idea of G.I. Robot or Khalis (the mummy) having to file paperwork and answer phones when not on assignment strikes me as funny.
Either that or a regualar person who is totally nonplused with anything at S.H.A.D.E., since nothing there is weird or abnormal to them (but a nice day would where nothing happened would probably freak them out).
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I’d enjoy all of this!
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I think Hal should have his own book. So should Kyle. Always having a million Gals around sometimes makes these books feel convoluted. The Green Lanterns are supposed to patrol their sectors, but they are always on Oa.
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Exactly. This sort of thing started when Hal’s book became the Green Lantern Corps, what were all those Lanterns doing living on Earth/
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We should just assume all the non-Earth policing happens in between arcs and during time gaps in stories. I’m assuming divorcing the characters from Earth based stories doesn’t help sales.
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Could be. I’m surprised the newish GL Corps book is still going, I packed it in – not because of the lack of Earth but due to too many unengaging characters and plotlines.
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Anj here.
Great review and like you I love this issue and this arc. Jeremy Adams always brings an entertaining story.
Between this issue and the fourth-wall busting Prime stuff in Superman, we really have been getting some meta-comic-commentary ! I am here for it.
And Odyssey is really growing on me as a character!
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Cheers Anj, I like Odyssey too, she should sign on with the JLU.
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