Simon Baz has just stolen a car, been suspected of terrorism after said car exploded via bomb hidden in the trunk, was broken out of holding by a Green Lantern ring and now he’s face to face with the Justice League. What else could go wrong?

Here’s the summary from DC:

• “Rise of the Third Army” continues!
• The Justice League comes after the new Green Lantern, demanding answers about the missing Hal Jordan!
• The Green Lantern Corps makes a disturbing discovery about the Guardians!

This issue is a continuation of the “Rise of the Third Army” story arc currently going on through all of the Lantern titles, and this issue gives a bit of exposition to the now mad Guardians of the Universe as they continue to watch their plans unfold. The masters claim that they will destroy their own GL Corps and remove all sentient thought in the universe in order to bring about “peace.”  The issue also follows the new albeit reluctant Green Lantern of Earth, Simon Baz, a wanted criminal who has just been confronted by the Justice League. The superhero team had been contacted by the U.S. President to bring Baz in to the authorities, and they agreed to do so because they also want to know what happened to Hal Jordan. What ensues is Baz trying to escape from the JL in order to prove he’s innocent of the crime he’s been accused of.

As usual, master scribe Geoff Johns is writing the title he’s built up since Rebirth, and he continues to do good work on his “baby.”  From Baz being sort of starstruck by his first meeting with the League, to him trying to escape from them the story flows nicely.  He also makes the Guardians menacing, as they realize that they are now too far gone to stop even if they wanted to.  There is an heir of tension from Baz trying to find the real bomb maker to the Guardians plans slowly succeeding.

Doug Manhke continues showing why he has helmed the art for a number of years. His pencils give excellent detail to each character while realizing constructs made by the ring that are imbued with their own life. There are four total inkers on the book (Christian Alamay, Mark Irwin, Keith Champagne and Tom Nguyen), each one doing their job well with fine lines enhancing the work on display here. The color is another solid feature of the comic, as Alex Sinclair and Tony Avina make each character pop with their own specific style.

This is easily one of the standout books at DC, with good characters, solid story and excellent pacing. This creative team will keep you entertained and excited along the way as not one moment feels like it’s been dragged on too long or moved through too quickly.  You won’t be disappointed by Green Lantern #14.

Reviewer’s Note: To have a grasp on the story I recommend you pick-up Green Lantern Annual #1 and Green Lantern #0 that DC released a couple of months ago.

4.5/5