Review: Green Lanterns Vol. 7- Superhuman Trafficking

Quick Summary

Pros: The main storyline is constantly fun and engaging. The closing story is wonderfully unique and interesting. The characters are as enjoyable as ever. The artwork looks nice and suits this book.

Cons: The book’s theme ends up tripping over itself in places and is not as meaningful as it could have been.

Overall: This volume has some flaws but, as a whole, tells an interesting and exciting story about two great characters. This book has an engaging narrative, creative encounters, two stellar characters, and some solid artwork to back it all up. The book’s main theme isn’t the best but is not bad enough to disrupt the reading process. In the end, this is another worthwhile volume for fans of this series or of these characters.

Story

Green Lanterns Vol. 7: Superhuman Trafficking, mostly written by Tim Seeley, is not quite as good as its predecessor but still manages to work as another success for this series. The volume follows two fun characters as they set off on a series of engaging adventures. The stories in this book are all enjoyable on their own and are constantly enhanced by the presence of the book’s main characters. The downside is that this collection does not nail its theme quite as well as previous volumes, with the main point being muddied by too many smaller points and not enough time to address them all. However, the majority of the volume still reads well and produces another satisfying adventure.

(spoilers start here)

The main narrative in Superhuman Trafficking sees Jessica Cruz and Simon Baz take on an organization focused on kidnapping superheroes and forcing them into slavery. Their conflict against this organization evolves from a simple investigation to a full on fight against mind-controlled superheroes. The progression of this conflict is satisfying to see and keeps the entire narrative engaging.

This is further enhanced by the fun approach Tim Seeley takes in writing these characters. Simon and Jessica aren’t stoic and serious the whole way through; they take time to make jokes, talk with each other, and worry about their romantic lives. Even the different ways they individually approach the superhero dating app makes for fun moments. My only point of contention is that I don’t care for Simon and Jessica as a couple, since I think they make better friends, but I could also see other readers enjoying the way their potential romance is teased.

The biggest downside with this main narrative is that the point of the story gets a little jumbled over the course of the read. At its core, the book looks at some of the pitfalls of organized religion, which it attempts to explore through the lenses of social stratification, economic repression, and the desire for community. While an exploration like this is possible, cramming it into a handful of comic issues alongside multiple other storylines does not work that well.

Luckily, Superhuman Trafficking closes with a fantastic final chapter. The annual issue, written by Andy Diggle, is a wonderfully creative and isolated story about a unique, cosmic adventure. It explores a fun mystery and has Jess save the day in a satisfying way. This story works well on its own but also helps in making this a better collection overall.

(spoilers end here)

Art

The artwork in Superhuman Trafficking is positive and works as an asset to the storytelling. The first few chapters, penciled by Barnaby Bagenda, are some of the best. These chapters feature bold action and impressive layouts, both of which help better tell the story. Later on, V. Ken Marion takes over on pencils and provides a less bold but more realistic take on the comic’s action. Though not quite as appealing, these chapters still look nice and manage to work well on their own. Finally, the volume closes with an annual chapter from Mike Perkins. This chapter depicts the story’s unique location well but often makes characters’ faces look a little bit strange. Overall though, the quality of artwork in this volume trends positive and ends up making this a better book.

Continuity

Green Lanterns Vol. 7: Superhuman Trafficking continues the story from Green Lanterns Vol. 6: A World of Our Own (Review).

The story here continues in Green Lanterns Vol. 8: Ghosts of the Past (Review).

This volume also references other comic books, detailed below:

• Simon mentions dealing with a “low-grade hypnotic suggestion field” before. This happened in an encounter with Dick Grayson (Reading Order) from Grayson Annual #3, collected in Grayson Vol. 5: Spiral’s End (Review).
• The dubious reputation of Garnet and the work of its previous Green Lantern were originally shown in Green Lantern Corps Quarterly #1.
• Scrapps’ history with the Omega Men is shown across The Omega Men: The End is Here (Review).