Written by Steve Englehart.
Art by Joe Staton; Bruce Patterson; L. Lois Buhaus; D.C. Weiss; & Anthony Tollin.
Cover Art by Joe Staton & Bruce D. Patterson.
SUMMARY:
Titled “1,” DC released this 40-page Crisis on Infinite Earths tie-in for March 1986 (paralleling Crisis Issues # 10-12).
Courtesy of a renegade Guardian, Guy Gardner (Earth’s newest Lantern) now commands a villainous army consisting of Hal Jordan’s worst enemies to destroy the white circle on Qward’s moon – the Anti-Monitor’s birthplace. With its annihilation, the near-omnipotent Anti-Monitor will seemingly be destroyed along with it. Accompanying the psychotic Gardner’s mission is Jordan as a consultant (and Gardner’s reluctant second-in-command).
Approaching John Stewart and Katma Tui on Earth, Sinestro implores them to help thwart Gardner’s forces. Ironically, should Gardner succeed, it would make Anti-Monitor invincible against any mortal means. Consulting with the conflicted Guardians of the Universe on Oa, Tomar-Re and Stewart co-lead a Green Lantern Corps strike force to stop Gardner’s bloodthirsty mercenaries at all costs.
This three-way engagement includes the Anti-Monitor’s deadly Thunderers defending Qward. Suffering tragic casualties, the Corps’ last hope is Jordan & Stewart defying the mentally unstable Gardner, with the fate of existence at stake. Jordan’s destiny as DC’s Green Lantern comes full circle.
REVIEW:
Concluding a year-and-a-half storyline dating back to Issues # 180-182, Green Lantern # 198 is a satisfying read. By plausibly explaining the Green Lantern Corps’ absence amidst the climatic Crisis on Infinite Earths # 10-12, fans receive a well-played secondary storyline. Above all, the Corps’ battle vs. Gardner’s cutthroats is good storytelling, as is Stewart vs. Gardner; a powerless Jordan vs. Gardner; and DC’s pivotal decision re: who is their main Green Lantern moving forward.
With Steve Englehart’s plotting in ideal form, the art team’s visuals tread closer to a range between sufficient to slightly above-average, as compared to George Pérez’s stellar work in Crisis on Infinite Earths. Considering DC’s exhaustive plethora of Crisis tie-ins during that time, the underrated Green Lantern # 198 merits a chance for re-discovery. Primarily, this issue confirms that Jordan and Stewart could readily co-exist as DC’s greatest Green Lanterns.
Note: Issue # 198 conveys this Silver Age title’s last triumph. Subsequently retitled after Issue # 200 as Green Lantern Corps, the series ineptly tried co-headlining Jordan, Stewart, & Gardner. Along with some other fan favorite Lanterns (i.e., Katma Tui, Ch’p, & Arisia), they were supposed to comprise DC’s newest Earth-based super-team. Englehart’s pathetic scripting of this concept accelerated the title’s cancellation come 1988 with Issue # 224.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
Dick Giordano’s “Meanwhile …” column is included, as is a two-page “Letters by Lantern Light” letters-and-answers column.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 8 Stars
