Green Lantern: Simon Baz

It can sometimes feel that comics creators have a real tightrope to walk when introducing minority characters. If the writer focuses too much on the specifics of the minority, it may come across as exploitative or a gimmick. On the other hand, underplay the cultural aspects and be accused of lip-service. I don’t know if any of this was on writer Geoff Johns’ mind when he threw caution to the wind and introduced Simon Baz, a gun-toting Muslim suspected terrorist, as the latest Green Lantern back in 2012.

Johns was nearing the end of his epic 9 year run on Green Lantern by this point, so it was an odd time to not only drop in an entirely new character, but to give him the lead of the book for 5 issues. And yet that’s exactly what happened in #0, and from #13 – #16 of the New 52 series of Green Lantern. At this point; the Green Lantern franchise was firing on all cylinders, with 4 monthly titles crossing over in a cosmic event called Rise of the Third Army. So it’s actually refreshing that the flagship title stepped away from this for a little while, and told the story of a US Muslim who steals a van, without realizing that it has a terrorist bomb in the back, gets taken into federal custody and is being interrogated in a foreign rendition facility when a hi-tech power-ring flies through the roof and inducts him into a corps of intergalactic space cops.

It almost sounds too ridiculous and contrived to work, but at the end of the day, it’s really just about an underdog having the odds stacked against him, and having to become a hero in order to clear his name and ‘make things right’. The wider crossover lingers at the fringes of the plot, reminding you that there is a greater context to events, but Baz’s adventure remains largely grounded and accessible. Indeed, as a reminder of the character’s urban roots, this version of the Green Lantern actually carries around a handgun, which seems redundant at first, but for me was a nice visual throwback to pulp heroes like The Phantom and The Shadow, who were similarly gritty.

The five issues are a relatively quick read, but like Johns’ other work at this time (eg. Aquaman and Shazam), the action and plotting have a very cinematic feel to them, and the steady escalation of events/opponents makes this arc a highly satisfying page-turner. It’s included along with the wider crossover in the collection Green Lantern Vol 3: The End, but to be honest, the separate issues are all quite cheap, and can probably be found easily at your local comic shop or con.