Review: Green Lanterns Vol. 5- Out of Time

Quick Summary

Pros: The volume is a satisfying continuation to the narrative of this series. The main storyline is exciting and centers around a great group of characters. The artwork looks great in a number of places.

Cons: The conclusion is disappointing in some regards. The artwork is lackluster in a few places.

Overall: This collection delivers on many of this comic’s promises but also makes a few blunders. The volume’s main narrative is fantastic. It takes an excellent group of characters, gives them a high-stakes mission, and allows the entire adventure to unfold with plenty of action and even a little humor. However, the conclusion to the volume is a bit disappointing and there are places where the visuals are wanting. Though not quite as universally appealing as other volumes in this series, this is still not a comic to miss out on.

Story

Green Lanterns Vol. 5: Out of Time, by Sam Humphries, continues with many of the positive elements that have been present since this series began. The entire volume centers around an exciting narrative, where the odds are against the heroes and the fate of the universe is in jeopardy. This adventure is then filled with a ton of great characters, all of whom help add some emotions into the mix. In addition, many main plot points and subplots come to fruition here in a way that is sure to be rewarding for fans who have been with this series for a while. The only disappointment is that the volume’s conclusion feels out of place and fails to properly reflect what happened in this collection or where this series appeared to be going. The volume is still worthwhile for any fans of this series but I will admit I am nervous where it will head in the future.

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Out of Time starts out with a story arc that blends together the past few volumes’ modern narrative, featuring Simon and Jessica’s attempt to fight Volthoom, with the flashback narrative, featuring the Guardians’ effort to defeat Volthoom for the first time. In this way, this collection delivers on much of the set-up done in past collections. Readers finally get to see the first seven Green Lanterns in action and witness one of the Corps’ most significant moments.

It also helps that this narrative is exciting. The heroes are at a critical point in history, where their actions can have massive ramifications on the present and future. This all leads to a battle where the heroes are forced to pull out all the stops and where a few great twists help keep things exciting, with my favorite being the moment when Simon takes control of multiple Rings.

It also helps that all of the characters here are great. Watching relatively new Green Lanterns set the standard for the entire Green Lantern Corps is fun already but is even more fun considering the variety of personalities on display. Their banter with and support of one another plays out well and adds an emotional element when a few Lanterns are killed and when Simon and Jessica reunite with Tyran’r. Plus, Volthoom continues to work well as the comic’s antagonist, as his story is tragic but his current course of action vilifies him.

The biggest blunder in Out of Time comes from the volume’s conclusion, which feels odd and is pretty disappointing. At the end of the book, Volthoom has the First Lantern Ring, a ring so powerful that he was able to remake reality with it back in the Wrath of the First Lantern (Review) (Reading Order) event. However, instead of having the Green Lanterns launch a desperate search to find Volthoom and stop him before he is able to use this power, the next chapter in the collection has Simon and Jessica return home and relax for a bit. This narrative shift was probably done due to a shift in writers between this volume and the next one but it ends up being an illogical progression for the series, one that deprives fans of the showdown the entire comic has been leading up to.

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Art

The visuals in Out of Time fall victim to the same positives and negatives that have followed this series since it began. On the positive end of things, Eduardo Pansica and Ronan Cliquet both contribute some great artwork toward this volume. Pansica’s work is detailed and serious, making the action feel more intense. Meanwhile, Cliquet’s work is bold and bright, with a great flair for displaying the Green Lanterns’ constructs.

Unfortunately, the art styles in this book are radically different and jump around without care. Going from one chapter to the next continues the same narrative but will often feature a jarring change of scenery. A little more consistency would have gone a long way in improving this reading experience. In addition, the visuals in the final chapter are pretty lackluster in general.

Continuity

Green Lanterns Vol. 5: Out of Time continues the story from Green Lanterns Vol. 4: The First Ring (Review).

The story here continues in Green Lanterns Vol. 6: A World of Our Own (Review).

This volume also references other comic books, detailed below:

• Pieces of the First Lantern’s history were originally shown during the Green Lantern: Wrath of the First Lantern (Review) (Reading Order) event.