Green Lantern: Mosaic #2 (1992)

Green Lantern: Mosaic #2 (July, 1992)
"Nuts"
Writer - Gerard Jones
Penciller - Cully Hamner
Inker - Dan Panosian
Letterer - Albert DeGuzman
Colorist - Steve Mattsson
Editor - Kevin Dooley
Cover Price: $1.25

This past weekend I decided to go through some of my first few blog posts... from when I thought I'd only have a few blog posts before getting distracted by something shiny and abandoning this place.  I guess when I wrote my earliest posts, I was unaware that my phone had a camera equipped... with which I could actually post pictures on this here blog.  These posts looked barren and uninviting (or at least more uninviting than my current stuff)... I decided to (start to) remedy that.

The first review I "brightened up" was Green Lantern: Mosaic #1... I found myself flipping through, and actually rereading the issue again... and, really really enjoying it.  This begged the question, why hadn't I continued down the Mosaic rabbit hole?  I guess today I (start to) remedy that.

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If you need to catch up, Green Lantern: Mosaic #1 is right here (now with pictures!).

We open on a rather disturbing scene in which several squirrels are embroiled in cannibalistic combat.  Mouths are wet with froth and blood while former Green Lantern Ch'p slumbers the winter away.

At that moment, the Mosaic's main-man, John Stewart is stirred from his own rest.  His mind is preoccupied with concern over his proposed road project on this patchwork planet.  Despite his best efforts to fall back to sleep, Stewart relents and decides to visit the road.

John arrives just as a ledger truck is about to careen off into a fissure left in the road.  John observes that there is not currently a creature powerful enough (at least not on Oa) to wreck such havoc on this arterial avenue.  John bathes the truck in green energy and saves both its driver and cargo from plummeting.

Back with Ch'p, hibernation has come to an end.  He describes his tree-mates as being in "nut-frenzy", they have just woken up and "stink of hunger".  Ch'p suddenly remembers the life he'd left behind as a heroic Green Lantern and leaves.

Outside on the bare-treed snow-covered landscape he comes across former comrade in arms, Salaak.  Salaak appears to be in a meditative state, he is however responsive to Ch'p's inquiries.  He too remembers their time as Lanterns, though he would rather he didn't.  Ch'p shares that he had charged his ring for the first time since the Corps. disbanded, and when he did he saw New Lanterns.

Back on Oa, John is visually auditing the amount of damage the road had received when he is suddenly joined by a pair of old friends.  Ch'p is delighted that John recognizes them, and they return to his home to catch up.

Ch'p asks why he was suddenly seeing new Green Lanterns.  John fills him in on recent happenings concerning Hal Jordan's New Corps.  Ch'p is saddened that Hal did not make any attempt to recruit him, and questions whether or not he still has any value.

John offers Ch'p a job helping him on the Mosaic world as a monitor of the road.  He explains that the road is a vital artery for the world, as it will create consumption communities that will link the disparate inhabitants in a web of economic interdependence.  Following their talk, a yellow ledger truck comes barreling down the road, narrowly missing our man Ch'p.

We now join Ch'p on his patrol.  He watches as a large portion of overpass that get blown up real good.  As he approaches to survey the damage he is blasted with a bolt of red energy.  When he recovers he finds himself facing a large red energy creature.  Pelting it with Lantern energy proves fruitless, the being simply laughs and appears to absorb it while splitting off into a second green form.  Ch'p is deeply disturbed by what he then sees.

Nearby, John wakes up in a panic.  Feeling that something is wrong he rushes to Ch'p's aid.  After arriving, he finds Ch'p in an almost catatonic state.  He is unable to answer any of John's questions.  He begins to panic, and throws himself in front of an oncoming truck.

As he lay dying, he shares with John that he saw something... something, RED.

John agonizes over how death always seems to follow him before turning to us... yes, us.  He pleads with us to tell him what we saw... what we know as this chapter fades to black.

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Another wonderful, terrible, disturbing visit to John Stewart's patchwork Oa.  This is almost a magical series... There is no point in reading this issue where I felt comfortable.  This is nearly a quarter-century old, and I've read it many times... yet it still has the ability to bring me in, and keep me somewhat on edge.

Mosaic is quite likely my favorite Gerard Jones work.  This is just such an amazing, beautiful, and ugly world he is crafting.  His John Stewart is so well done.  He is perhaps the most powerful being currently on Oa, yet he is also the most vulnerable.  His (slipping?) sanity is another wonder to behold.  Not since Grant Morrison's run on Animal Man have I felt as though I was being spoken to by a comic book character... and in Morrison's run it felt like a more meta-commentary than anything.  Here... John Stewart may literally be losing his mind... and it's so much fun to watch!

Cully Hamner's art may just be the most appropriate for this issue (and series).  Somewhat angular and abstract, this style fits the narrative to a "T".  There is something almost disturbing about it, it suits the mood just so well.

Watching Ch'p go from scorned former ally, to embracing his newly-inherited responsibilities... to his ultimate fate was an amazing character study.  All Ch'p wanted to do was make a difference... to prove his worth.  For him to throw his life away out of fear really speaks to the unspeakable terror that our pending threat brings with it.  I don't have much of a history with our main man Ch'p, however, I can appreciate how powerful and disturbing this scene (hell, whole issue) must have been to those who did.  So well done!

This was an excellent issue... in an amazing series.  Even if you have zero interest in the Green Lantern Corps., this is a book you should check out.  It is, as I sometimes say... just that good.

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Green Lantern: Mosaic #1 (1992)

Green Lantern: Mosaic #1 (June, 1992)
"Do You Want to See?"
Gerard Jones - Writer
Cully Hamner - Penciller
Dan Panosian - Inker
Albert De Guzman - Letterer
Steve Mattsson - Colorist
Kevin Dooley - Editor
Cover Price - $1.25

Do you want to see something weird?

Spinning out of the main Green Lantern title, Mosaic follows John Stewart as he attempts to oversee the now-patchwork planet of Oa.  Following the Guardians of the Universe leaving Oa to be with the Zamarons (female Oans), the sole remaining guardian Appa Ali Apsa ("The Old-Timer") lost his mind due to feelings of extreme loneliness.  He collected various cities from around the galaxy that he had visited, and turned Oa into a Mosaic of varying races/species of inhabitants.

John Stewart was "elected" to oversee this experiment (becoming THE Green Lantern of Oa) in attempt to see if they may form something of a cohesive collective.

We open with Stewart introducing us (he is "speaking" to the reader throughout) to some of the disparate species that inhabit Oa, all relatively harmless, and all quite odd.  He stumbles upon a pair of twin girls who ask if he "wants to die today", and proceeds to get thoroughly thrashed.  The girls thank him for the good time, and ask if he's up for another round tomorrow.

Mosaic is an odd book.  I remember flipping through this one when it was on the shelves.  Being a 90's comics kid, I was told during my initiation to grab anything with a #1 on it, as it would do all of those cliche things... buy me a house, put me (and my kids) through college.  I remember looking at this one, and I remember it bothering me.  It was unlike any Green Lantern book I had ever seen before... hell, it was unlike ANY book I'd seen before.  Even today, this book has the uncanny ability to summon pangs of discomfort from me.  This book can definitely leave the reader ill at ease, and that is absolutely part of its charm.

We continue on our nickel tour of the Mosaic patchwork with John.  He introduces a few more species... then informs us that not only are there humans on Oa, there are American humans on Oa.  The citizens of Evergreen City, a place that Hal Jordan had once lived, are also part of the Mosaic world.

We are informed that the disparate communities are connected by roads.  Roads that are built by Oa's "one hero" Oa's "one God"... it's builder, planner, architect... John Stewart.  As though it were planned, just as John makes this claim, he hears cries for help from various species of inhabitant.  He is called into heroic duty against creatures that would do harm.  This battle is interesting, in that one cannot be sure if it is actually occurring.  We watch the fight, however, it all seems too convenient.  John quickly neutralizes the threat, all the while quoting philosophers (quotes included below), including the great thinker of our time, Hal Jordan.

What follows is a look into John's mind.  We can hear things that have been said to him, and things he had once said.  It would appear that John is at a critical point, psychologically speaking.  He is full of doubt, full of envy... full of, well... voices.  The Old-Timer speaks to John... through John.  He is tortured by his voice, which he dismisses as a "cancer in [his] subconscious".

We wrap up our tour, and John finds himself in front of the twin girls again.  They ask him if it's tomorrow yet.  John turns to the reader, and welcomes us to his world.

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Text piece touching on the "mission statement" of GL:Mosaic
Written by Gerard Jones

As cliche as it may sound, Green Lantern: Mosaic was a book that was truly... say it with me, "ahead of its time".  Packed full of fantastic ideas, mature themes, and imaginative storytelling methods, Mosaic separates itself from the rest of DC's early 1990's output.  The character of John Stewart is one that always felt more "real" to me than Hal.  I do enjoy Hal, but John (even though he wasn't "my" Green Lantern) was one who I felt I could empathize more with.  Hal, warts and all, was a roguish, cool, and confident superhero.  John was a man.  A man with responsibilities.  He was an architect... he had a job.  John's feelings of responsibility make him the perfect front for this series.  He has been given a task, and no matter what is thrown in front of him, he will see it through.

But at what cost?

John is clearly troubled in this opening issue.  Voices reinforcing institutionalized racism interspersed with his own jealousy of Hal Jordan's way of life make for quite the dichotomy.  It should also be noted, the Green Lantern ring is not the only ring John wears.  He is still wearing his wedding band.  His wife and fellow Lantern, Katma Tui was killed years earlier by Star Sapphire (Carol Ferris) who did so to send a message to Hal Jordan.  Later, John failed to protect the planet Xanshi from destruction.  John clearly had a lot on his mind, even before Mosaic.

Green Lantern: Mosaic is definitely worthy of a read-through.  It is unfortunately short for its vintage (only 18 issues), and has largely been forgotten.  Still an all-time favorite and more than worthy of read, in my opinion.

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If tasked with scoring this one, I would give it a 9.25/10.

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Quotes:

John: "'I'm a kind man.  Really I am.  But not the weak kind.  You have the kindness that comes from strength.' -Jules Feiffer"

John: "'Of all evil I deem you capable.  Therefore I want the good from you.  Truly, I've laughed at the weaklings that thought themselves good... because they had no claws.' -Friedrich Nietzsche"

John: "'The roads must roll.' -Heinlein"

John: "'Man or no man, I'll never be completely alone as long as I have the road.' -Hal Jordan"

John: "Oh.  Of course.  I promised to show you something weird didn't I?"
John: "Well, I've got news for you."
John: "You're looking at him."

John: "'This is my world... and welcome to it.' -James Thurber"