Green Lantern Corps #40 Review

Writer: Van Jensen / Art: Bernard Chang / DC Comics Jensen has Lantern Stewart facing off against his greatest failure once again. There is a bomb on Zarox (similar to Xanshi’s) fueled by negative emotions and it’s up to Stewart’s crew to see to it that his first mistake all those years ago doesn’t play out the same way. Jensen does a flash back to when John was on Xanshi before dealing with the yellow bomb but it is vastly different this time around. I am guessing this is supposed to be a retcon of the Cosmic Odyssey Book Two: Disaster story line where John Stewart’s over confidence (it’s been remarked he was written out of character) had him leave the Martian Manhunter behind to cure Xanshi only to discover the bomb on the planet was yellow. Where as Lantern’s were powerless against the color back then. He failed and barely survived. In this retelling John is with Katma-tui instead and they discover this bomb together. It is Steawrt’s lack of patience and showing of force whereby he attacks the strange device which actually triggers it to detonate.

Jensen takes an approach that makes a bit more sense as this tragedy taking place with Katma-Tui instead of Martian Manhunter rooting it purely in Green Lantern lore, although it was still a surprise to see this retcon to a major event of Stewart’s life. In present day we see Stewart takes action to try and clear the bomb himself but it being fueled by negative emotions is the antithesis to his willpower thereby making moving it…