New Guardians #20

The New Guardians still need a Green Lantern.

I guess the New Guardians need a Black Lantern as well if they're going to be a complete set. Which leads me to ask something about Hal Jordan that I forgot to ask in Green Lantern #20. Is he still wearing the Black Lantern ring as well as the Green Lantern ring? And if so, is he still dead? If he loses the Green Lantern ring, will he go back to being a corpse? And how can a corpse have a baby as seen in Sinestro's vision of the future? Or did the Green Lantern ring simply resurrect him? I suppose even if he is a Black and Green Lantern and a corpse, Kyle Rayner will eventually be able to heal him as his White Lantern powers get stronger, as also seen in Sinestro's vision. I guess what I'm saying is Hal Jordan should be an honorary New Guardian simply because he's got the two colors needed to fill out the set.

This issue begins with a note saying that it takes place after Green Lantern #20 for people who don't own a dictionary (or an internet connection to an online dictionary) and are confused by the words "finale" and "epilogue". This is the type of note that, while really not needed here, should be used more often when characters crossover to other titles and the comics come out the same week. Since New Guardians #20 and Green Lantern #20 came out this week, the note should definitely be used. Although it's odd that Green Lantern Corps #20 which came out two weeks ago didn't have a note at all! And it spoiled the finale for those people too impatient to set it aside!

Two mysterious speakers (Ganthet and Sayd?) are observing Kyle and discussing his feelings in the aftermath of the Wrath of the First Lantern finale. He's at home painting portraits of all of his companions over the last year and a half.

I'd hang these on my wall! Now I feel bad for constantly calling Kyle a crappy cartoonist!

Previously on Kyle's way home from Oa five hours ago, he runs into Saint Patchwork Face and I suddenly wonder how the artist who did Kyle's New Guardian portraits is the same artist who drew this:

I'm sure it has to do with whoever did the pencils and whoever did the inks and whoever did the gorgeous looking water color portraits. Saint Patchwork Face has some mighty muscular thighs here.

Kyle begins using his ring to check in on the other Lantern Corps since his ring is basically The One Ring and the others are akin to the Rings given to the Dwarves. Somehow. I think in some way that has to do with dragons and treasure. Kyle discovers that the Blue Lanterns have a new planet and headquarters although it isn't stated where that is. But the Yellow Lanterns he cannot locate. Atrocitus of the Red Lanterns is less pouty, having gotten his focused rage back. That's probably because Sinestro allowed Atrocitus to kill a Guardian. That had to be fun.

Not that I would ever kill anybody! Well, maybe. I can't write that off entirely! I should say, I'm not planning on ever killing anybody!

Little Kyle is growing up and learning to accept creatures that puke lava on other creatures. How cute.

Kyle flies around the world talking with Saint Raggedy Andy and helping people in desperate situations. He also moans about how Volthoom enabled him to meet his dad and it was a huge letdown. But the situation he showed Kyle isn't what happened so it wasn't his real father. Kyle treats the situation as if that really was his father and his father really is a mechanic somewhere. That's what his father would have been if Kyle had gone with his father. His father's probably buried in a shallow grave in the Everglades!

Saint Walker tries to tell Kyle that he should just drop the Daddy Issues because parents are just people and they're fallible and they're challenged and life is tough for everyone. Yeah, maybe, Mr. Saint Defender of Bad Parenting, but not everybody decides to have children. Those that do have an extra duty to be responsible for this new being. They have to change their lives and their dreams and their desires because it wasn't the kid's choice to be born. Kyle's dad may have reasons and stories and circumstances that can explain why he abandoned his son but he'll never have an acceptable excuse. Except for that shallow grave excuse. I'll give him that one.

Saint Walker ends up believing that Kyle did see his father as he is now. I can accept that simply because I don't actually know what the rules were and how Volthoom changed things! I just like to pretend I know everything or else my commentaries sound wishy washy, meek, and boring. I have to state everything with conviction! Anyway, Kyle sits down to paint a picture of his dad's service station from his memory. And then he goes to see him.

"Hey dad. I'm Green Lantern! I sure as heck hope you're not a super villain!"

And then Ganthet and Sayd decide that Kyle has grown into a fine boy just like I decided! Ganthet also admits Kyle taught him some stuff about emotions and human emotions and other emotions and probably courage and maybe some dirty jokes. Then Sayd and Ganthet run off to find adventures in some future DC sci-fi title back-up feature.

New Guardians #20 Rating: No change. I really, really hope Kyle's father is a super villain!