4 out of 5

Let me start by talking about Tom Taylor by talking about falling in love.

…If only there was a better text equivalent of a pregnant pause.  Now insert some joke here about the word ‘pregnant’.  And ‘insert’.

‘Falling in love,’ whatever exact feelings that equates to for you, generally has a relatable sensation of gamble associated with it; abandon.  You recognize that you might be falling into habits, or spouting illogical justifications, but you’re fueled by this somewhat blinding feeling that makes you confident (or confident in denying your doubts, I add cynically) that all will work out because something something love.  If you’re in love while reading this, you maybe just shook your head at my innate grumpiness, but never you mind.  My point in offering this interpretation of a feeling is to compare it to when I “fall” for a new writer.  It will often start small – an annual in Tom Taylor’s case – leading to some cautious steps forward (“I’m not going to fall again,” etc.), and then, suddenly, a flurry of positive reinforcement.  It’s like last time but different! your brain is going, while shushing away the niggling questions you might have about – in comic terms – what books may be hiding in that creator’s past…

You acknowledge (or think you do) that no one is perfect.  But it doesn’t really register until you find the inevitable proof.  Which, for me, was Green Lantern Corps: Edge of Oblivion.

But here is where the cycle can splinter off into different directions.

Sometimes it’s a bad break up, and everything you’ve read/experienced up to that point gets negatively reassessed through post-break up glasses.

Sometimes the energy just peters out, and you can recall the zeal you initially felt but then look at the present landscape with malaise.

Sometimes you can be friends: The highs and lows may not completely balance out, but you just sort of accept that maybe it’s not a match made in heaven.  Again, in comic terms, you’ll probably check out that creator’s new stuff, but there’s not the same deep dive feeling that has us digging through their oeuvre for even the smallest addition.

Lastly, and certainly most rewardingly, the love endures.  All the bad stuff (which will undeniably exist) is added to an overall character assessment that enhances the good stuff.  And makes the ungood stuff much better, as you can “see” the creator in the work, and consider how they approached it, or how it factors in to their overall body of work.  In the movie world, I have this relationship with Takashi Miike.  In comics: Steve Gerber.

…Wait, sorry, were you looking for a review?  Haven’t you learned by now that this is just a forum for me to tickle me own fancies?

Anyhow, look: Tom Taylor’s comic history doesn’t yet extend for decades like Gerber’s, and I may change my mind tomorrow, but I’ve got a good feeling about the guy.  I dont think I’m falling, but seeing the benefits of the friendship first: Sussing out possible intentions in that Rebirth work while enjoying his better offerings; revisiting older stuff like these two DCU Online issues and appreciating how solid they are, and enjoyable, and how they may eventually factor into a larger picture.  Because, yeah, I approached with some trepidation since we’re again dealing with Green Lanterns, but I walked away without having to make any justifications: These are a good read.

A bi-weekly series based on the narrative of the DC Online game – and thus removed from the continuity obnoxiousness that makes writing books like canon-GL ridiculous – Taylor slides between Marv Wolfman penned issues to give a short glimpse of Hal Jordan and the gang’s handling of a showdown between Sinestro’s corp (the yellow lanterns) and Brainiac’s army, which, as dictated by the guardians, amounts to “stand back and let everyone kill each other.”

Hal and Sinestro’s antics thereafter aren’t particularly surprising, given the established takes on the characters, but Tom’s strengths (now, and then, when this was written in 2011) include making a lot of the comic dramatics feel natural.  He pretty slickly steps through both tragedy and black comedy without betraying any character or the pace of his snapshot story.  There’s not a lot of resolution overall, as these DCU issues seemed to need to feed into an ongoing battle kinda thing (instead of clear story arcs),  but that’s not to suggest that the issues feel rushed or cut off.

Art-wise, Bruno Redondo has an interestingly clear-lined style that hints at Scott Kollins, but his work isn’t as emphatically stylized as Scott’s, which I prefer, and his sense of pacing and framing does a great job of capturing the cosmic scope and large cast but not losing the “acting.”

So as I bounce around Tom’s writing past, I feel stronger and stronger about the forming relationship; issues like these DCU books are solid additions to his catalogue, and prove his ability to hack it with the major characters, which is arguably tougher (in a way) than doing something creator owned.

Tom: You don’t have to say ‘i love you’ back.  I know it, buddy.  I know it.