Comic Review - Far Sector

[EDT]

Let’s get our Cyberpunk on, y’all! Join me as we go to the City Enduring, located in the far reaches of the known universe and inhabited by three different species of sentient beings. The beings of this city outlawed emotions for hundreds of years, seeing it as the source of conflict and disaster. For a long time, things seemed to be in control. But then the first murder in five hundred years occurred. It is time for the newest recruit of the Green Lantern Corps - powered by a special kind of power ring - to investigate the crime. Her name is Sojourner “Jo” Mullein and her investigation will reveal Enduring’s real history and how things are really run once you look past the surface. This…is the story of Far Sector.

I’ve grown to love the Green Lantern mythos and all the human lanterns. And Jo, who makes her grand debut in this 12-issue mini-series, is no exception. The strength of her characterization is connected to how the story of this series is told. In both cases, there is heavy inspiration from both Cyberpunk and Crime Noir stories. Jo’s past as a former US soldier and a police officer kicked off the force for reporting abuse of power feeds into the themes of both stories - dealing with corruption and holding onto what makes you human in an inhumane world. That last point takes on a more literal meaning as Jo learns to navigate an extraterrestrial world that she quickly learns is similar to her own in all the wrong ways. But it is through her dealings with friends and enemies and her determination to push through that makes us connect and root for her. It also helps that we can tell she enjoys some of the nerdier things in life like anime.

Now, let’s talk about her power ring. I already mentioned that hers is quite different. For starters - it doesn’t need a lantern to recharge. It recharges itself, but that means it isn’t quite as powerful as normal rings. The reason for that is that it is a physical representation of the kind of everyday fear the average black person in the US lives with but still finds the inner strength to move forward and even dare to challenge the way of life being forced on them. This in some ways plays on similar ideas of fear and willpower that we’ve seen demonstrated in other recent recruits such as Simon Baz and Jessica Cruz. Jo is just the natural next step in this exploration and has the potential to maybe surpass all other human lanterns. Only time will tell, but I have no doubt she will hold onto her fanbase throughout her journey.

Another strength of this story is the artwork. Every panel is a display of impressive beauty. Some shots even somehow manage to give off a kind of gloss or shine. If there is any kind of downside to the artwork, it’s that it might be too good in certain spots. Considering this is a story inspired by noir and cyberpunk, it might have been good to have certain panels show off some grit. While we do have some shots that capture the essence of those genres, especially when paired with strong dialogue or narration, it would have been interesting to see something that reflects the visual harshness of these kinds of stories. But that is admittedly a very minor nitpick criticism.

This is without a doubt one of the best Green Lantern stories to have been published in decades. A story supported by smart writing and engaging characters, this is one story that every comic fan should seek out.

[Corpsmember.78]

I will say I subscribed to this series back in the day,

There were a few things I had problems with, mainly were the names of the different factions, and which faction was the actual villain. Then there was also the big lack of an origin story for Mullein, it was just hello here we all are on this planet, lets go.

An even when the final hoopla came out on how she got her ring, I was still pretty baffled by the reasoning behind it. The secrecy of who gave her the ring and why was over my head, the lack of the ring being a standard GL Ring I found odd as well and not rational in any way.

So there are for me, plot holes.

I honestly can’t even tell one, why the bad guy did what they did, it is all such a blur, because then the romance kicks in, and Mullein is trying to keep the peace on a planet she knows literally 100% nothing about, having to learn their culture, keep a military from striking citizens and keep citizens from rioting…

It could basically be a story about conflict here in the real world in regard to the Middle East and trying to figure out the factions and who is the real bad guy.
It for me was that confusing.

For those of you who got it right out the gate… congrats, and a stale cookie to you.

The pros for me , the art work was fantastic. An I liked how Mullein was being used; to me, properly; as a Green Lantern as an intergalactic police presence, that is what I took away from this story from the first issue, she wasn’t there to fight a monster or another lantern corps, there was something criminally being done on a planet, and it was a hot mess that needed a real detective on the case to bring peace.

I also liked how while she was in service to the government on the planet, she was not beholden to them, she held her ground as a GL and made it clear she was acting in the authority given to her.

I have never read a Green Lantern story in this manner ever. where a crime took place, and a police officer was trying to solve it. Her ring slinging was really just problematic for her because she had to learn to use while on the field. An she wasnt too bothered with trying to learn to use the ring either she was focused on the matter at hand and the ring just better work when she needed it too.

Then when it was all over, to have her then cross over into John Stewarts path and I think maybe Simon Baz as well ( could be wrong dont pop your pants if I am not a competition and I dont care ) so anyhow I found it cool to make her character permanent by bringing her back into other GL stories.

Though I gotta say, I am a lil tired of new Earth Green Lanterns coming around, we did get a new animal GL in Batman Fortress, which was cool. But still.

[EDT]

I’ll start by briefly addressing your point regarding so many human lanterns. I do agree that DC should put a pause on bringing in new human lanterns and put in the work to develop all the ones they just brought in. Right now, there is only ONE Green Lantern book and it is once again focused on Hal Jordan. With a backup focused on John Stewart. In my opinion, we need a MINIMUM 2 books in this mythos. One focused on the Corps itself so we can spread some focus on the alien Lanterns and then a Green Lanterns book. Similar to what they did in Rebirth where one book focused on both Baz & Cruz. Those are just my thoughts on the matter.

As for Far Sector itself, let me try and address your criticisms. I give leeway to how much Jo knows about this world because the book does tell us she has only been here 6 months or something like that. She clearly knows a fair bit of the culture and history but she is still learning. To be frank, I know it would take me a while to get myself adjusted to a completely new environment and culture.

As for the slow reveal of her origin, I think that is influenced by Crime Noir stories. We get to know them more over the course of the story. Another thing about Noir stories is that as the protagonist investigates, we become a part of a political conspiracy that involves multiple parties, each one with their own agendas. Oftentimes this genre is focused more on the journey and how everything is impacted at the end. Although admittedly this does get in the way of having a simple story. Hell, I’ve seen the movie “Chinatown” a couple of times and I still struggle to understand the specifics of the case Jack Nicholson was working on and how it all connected. But I still remember the feelings of the characters and the sense of danger.

Regarding this specific story, I found it reasonable to comprehend. In a society where emotions are outlawed, there is still a drug that allows people to temporarily feel emotions. This is created by someone who also runs a black market that exploits the creativity and arts these people create while on the drug in order to finance a quiet revolution that will get rid of the emotion ban. But another person, representing the fraction that is the most negatively affected by the emotion ban, launches their own more violent takeover to punish and take control of the entire society to implement their own agenda. Granted, that person’s plan for afterward or their backup of what to do if they get stopped isn’t thought out all that well. But that is the gist of it which as far as some stories go, isn’t too complicated.

I do get why the execution for those elements didn’t work for you though. Thankfully, I was able to really get into it and I really got attached to Jo and want to see more of her in the future.

[lo_third]

Loved Far Sector, still hoping that Jemisin and Campbell return to do more one day.