Today, we look at two issues featuring female cops as leads – one in a political scandal and a second as a space cop fighting off a Red menace. It’s Dynamite Entertainment’s Control 3 and Green Lanterns 4 from DC Comics in today’s Subway Shorts.
Green Lanterns 4
Written by Sam Humphries
Pencils by Ed Benes and Robson Rocha
Inks by Rob Hunter and Mark Irwin
While Hal Jordan is off in space trying to figure out what happened to the rest of the Green Lantern Corps, Earth is being defended by two rookie Green Lanterns. Simon Baz is a guy who was detained at Guantanamo Bay as a suspected terrorist when the ring chose him. His new partner, Jessica Cruz, was originally chosen by Volthoom to be Power Ring, the evil Earth 3 version of Green Lantern, over in Geoff Johns’ Justice League. When she overcame Volthoom, a GL ring chose her. Now, Baz and Cruz are wacky partners that hate each other.
That rage isn’t really useful when fighting off a new threat from the very angry Red Lanterns, which is where we are as this issue opens. Jessica has been overcome by a sense of rage and is kicking her partner’s read end. The Red Lanterns are building Rage Towers all over Earth to make our planet their homeworld, like Oa is/was/whatever to the Green Lanterns. And the two rookie Green Lanterns are the only ones who can stop them… Mainly because Simon doesn’t want to call the Justice League. They really probably should.
I am quickly growing tired of the Green Lantern books at DC, as they have regressed far below the quality of when Geoff Johns was crafting the universe. Every 6 months to a year, the Green Lanterns have a change to the status quo, and they’ve gone way too far away from the concepts of a space cop defending the universe. We’ll see how the first storyline plays out and then reassess. I may be taking my Green Lantern ring off sometime soon.
Control 3
Written by Angela Cruickshank and Andy Diggle
Art by Andrea Mutti
I’m a sucker for police procedural comic books. The stories are hard-boiled and the art is always a little gritty. Releasing a new crime comic book is generally a good way to get my money. The trick is keeping me hooked with a good story and a visually appealing style. The story of Control is a bit of a cliche at this point. A female detective in Washington D.C. stumbles into a high-powered conspiracy and has to navigate around enemies from all sides if she wants to get to the truth.
Cruickshank and Diggle are weaving an enjoyable tale about Detective Kate Burnham and the seedy underside of Washington DC police and politics, and the art by Andrea Mutti really sets the stage for the crime tale, but I would never say that they are exploring themes that haven’t been approached before. Thankfully, comic books in the 21st Century will never be as important as the talent. I’d say I’m along for the ride for the rest of the story.