Absolute Green Lantern #8

Absolute Green Lantern has been an extremely tumultuous journey since its inception. With a reputation that is far less consistent than many of its Absolute counterparts, and an oftentimes muddled sense of identity, it’s pretty hard to get fully on board with this series. However, while I’ve always tried to maintain a real connection with the characters in Absolute Green Lantern, as they remain one of the cosmic horror series’ only true, grounded factors, this eighth issue really pushed my faith in Al Ewing to its absolute limit.

Today, I’m talking all things Absolute Green Lantern #8, and spoilers lie ahead! Consider yourself warned! Without further ado, let’s get into the review!

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Absolute Green Lantern #8 Review

Image by DC Comics

Absolute Green Lantern #8 is all about Sojourner, the series’ leading lady, and more specifically, her backstory. As it became clear that this entire issue would be focusing on Sojourner’s backstory, my personal thought process was not one of disappointment. In fact, it was far from it. I think it’s a perfect time to get to really know Sojourner, a character that has been hitherto woefully underdeveloped, considering she is just as much of an Absolute leading hero as Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. In that sense, Absolute Green Lantern #8 was a very promising read in its first few pages. Unfortunately, after that, everything sort of fell apart.

Sojourner’s backstory, for the main superhero in Absolute Green Lantern, is surprisingly uninteresting, and dare I say, boring. Not only did the melodramatic woes of Sojourner’s love life feel completely out of place in a cosmic horror story like Absolute Green Lantern, but the entire backstory felt like it sacrificed its own, more interesting conversations, in exchange for a greater focus on the mundane marriage story between Sojourner and Cam. It’s nice that the LGBTQ+ community were represented so heavily in Absolute Green Lantern #8, but no amount of positive representation can save a boring story.

Easily the most intriguing part of Sojourner’s backstory was her relationship with her father, how his words hung over her throughout her entire life, and how his ‘advice’ shaped the decisions she made throughout this issue. Her family dynamic was so interesting in comparison to her love life, that it made me very upset to find out that her father is dead in the current-day. I would have loved to see an interaction between Sojourner and her dad in the wake of her evolution across these last few issues of Absolute Green Lantern. Can you imagine how interesting it would have been if Sojourner’s dad opened the door at the end of Absolute Green Lantern #6 to house her and Hal, instead of Cam? As much potential as Sojourner’s parental issues had, it was a shame to see them cut off by her father’s death. It really left Absolute Green Lantern #8 feeling like it had clipped its own wings.

Image by DC Comics

I did really appreciate the symbolism of the rings during Sojourner’s backstory though, with her failed marriage being inextricably linked to the rings that provide powers to those in Green Lantern stories. We’ve seen Sojourner’s ring come into play in the face-off with Abin Sur, so I really enjoyed seeing the item be given some real worth here in this issue. The ring that once symbolised Sojourner’s failures as a wife now represent her power. The main problem is that we really don’t know what Sojourner is actually going to do with her power yet, and I’m really hoping that after this incredibly slow issue, we get to dive into that side of the story a little more.

Beyond the ring symbolism, and Sojourner’s compelling relationship with her father, I could take or leave the rest of Absolute Green Lantern #8. I somewhat appreciated seeing how all of the parties involved in the series eventually ended up in Evergreen together, and it was nice to see a Guy Gardner shoutout, especially considering his popularity in the wake of James Gunn’s Superman. Once you chop all of that away though, what’s left of Absolute Green Lantern #8 is a surprisingly shallow, interestingly sloppy melodramatic romance story, a tale of adultery and marital neglect that I simply cannot equate with the interests of Absolute Green Lantern readers. To put it plainly – who is this appealing to?

The ending of the issue is actually somewhat disappointing in its reveal of Cam, considering how mundane her history with Sojourner really is. I’m actually quite surprised Cam is letting Sojourner inside, considering in response to her busy work schedule, Sojourner decided to cheat on her. Perhaps the power of morals compelled Cam to help a friend in need, but I can’t get over how much more compelling it would have been to see Sojourner turn to literally anyone else from this backstory for help. Heck, even Renee Montoya would have made a more interesting point of contact at the end of this issue. It would have been far more scandalous to see Sojourner turn to Montoya, considering their relationship wasn’t totally soured at the end of the backstory, and Montoya is the woman Sojourner cheated with, instead of on. However, Cam is what we got. Yay.

Image by DC Comics

Sarcasm aside, I’m interested to see how Cam is going to help out in this next issue, assuming that’s where the series goes next. It’s pretty impossible to predict where Absolute Green Lantern is going next, and while its mayhem was somewhat charming in the early days, things are now starting to feel a little too unpredictable for my taste, especially when that sense of unpredictability carries over into the quality of the comics themselves. Seriously guys, let’s get back on track with this next issue.

Ultimately, Absolute Green Lantern #8 just felt like a very strange comic. Strange in how mundane Sojourner’s backstory was, strange in how little it took advantage of the storylines it presented, and strange in its placement directly after one of the series’ most ambitious, and explosive, issues. I’m excited to see things get back on track next week, but honestly, I have no idea how much I can rely on that notion going forward.

What do you think of the eighth issue of Absolute Green Lantern? Do you agree with our Absolute Green Lantern #8 review? Be sure to let us know in the comments, and thanks for reading!

See also: Absolute Batman 2025 Annual Review

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