So we’re doing summary executions now?
For protesting?
Keep reading for a review of Far Sector #4.
Minor spoilers below.
I keep forgetting that this new Lantern isn’t just new to me, that I’m not jumping into an “our story already in progress” situation. (Because usually I’m playing catchup with well-established chracters.) Jo is new to everybody, and there’s a lot about her we still don’t know. Why was she assigned to the City Enduring? What’s up with her not being comfortable flying? How did she get to be a Lantern in the first place?
This issue starts to answer a lot of those questions.
We also see some effects of the Emotion Exploit, the genetic trait that neutralizes everyone’s emotions. Sure, it keeps you from getting angry and being warlike, but you also won’t have second thoughts about an order to fire weapons into an unarmed crowd. Yes, it’d keep you emotionally stable, but when someone dies, you don’t get to grieve.
And you wouldn’t feel guilty about being an elected leader who doesn’t give a rat’s ass about the will of the people, and that’s what Jo’s dealing with now.
The writing of this issue really lets you feel what Jo’s going through: it’s infuriating, because not only does the ruling council think it’s perfectly fine to have law enforcement to mow down protesters, one of them made the order even though he’s currently taking the illegal substance that sparked the protests in the first place. And they don’t even care enough to pretend to look guilty about it! (Is it weird that’s what bothers me the most? That they don’t even try to act like that’s awful? Yes? Okay, moving right along…)
If that wasn’t enough, the council drops one more piece of information on Jo, the reason why they invited her here, and it’s demoralizing, to say the least.
…we’ve started to figure out that when you hurt people to make them obey, they disobey harder.
So we got that little gem from the council, plus one more tidbit about a time limit, and the name of the person who started the protests, and why, and none of it felt like an info dump. But I still have questions. Am I supposed to recognize the person who showed up to talk about Jo’s power set? And what’s up with the person in the council chambers sneakily broadcasting a recording to someone outside the room?
As for the art, I can’t think of anything new to say about Jamal Campbell’s work that I haven’t already said several times, I’m such a fan. I loved the shot of Jo blasting the crap out of the riot cannon (I’m a sucker for a “badass shooting without looking” pose) and the panel of her in her green lantern raincoat, and the details on Glory’s paper fan (I never get tired of an android race that’s addicted to “retro” Earth culture.)
