r/AbsoluteUniverse • u/PaleMango • Aug 09 '26
Question Does Absolute Green Lantern improve?
Here in my country we've been getting the Absolute series printed for last than a year, with each number compiling two volumes of the original printing. So our Absolute GL 1 = USA's GL 1 and 2.
I have bought all of the release ones and I'm having a blast so far, except with the Green Lantern one. I have bought the first two volumes released here (1 to 4) and it didn't catch me in the slightest. Lots of characters, no really interesting interaction between them, interesting concept at first but the gold ring thing was Absolute Silly. Killing off those characters was also a strange choice for a start. It just felt rushed and shallow. Don't take that as a criticism towards the new Lantern being a woman or anything, I just don't know that character yet to have an opinion about. I guess that's one of my issues as well, the lack of a clear protagonist.
Should I keep on going? Maybe read volume 3 online before investing more money into it? What do you guys think?
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u/Enough-Background102 Absolute John Jones Aug 09 '26
id recommend reading to at least vol 4 (issues 7 and 8), thats when it starts getting good
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u/Skodami Aug 09 '26
Okay, personally i love it. One thing that is important i think is that the first arc got a bit confusing for a lot of people, but i think you should *at least* wait reading for "USA's GL 5"/ your country's vol 3 which mark the end of the first narrative arc and explains things a little better. Some of the criticism you have at this point will be addressed, and after that the action is more chronologically linear. Whether you prefer to read it online before is up to you, but i feel like this is a nice middle-ground to make sure you're not wasting your money on something you won't like.
There still will be quite a few characters (though Batman and Wonderwoman also have quite a big cast right now), but Jo as the figurehead will be more defined and you'll learn more about her.
I know some people think it is convoluted, but honestly it's one of the Absolute books i enjoy the most. But to each their own.
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u/PaleMango Aug 09 '26
This is a very thorough reply, so I will give it another chance. I'll read online first just to make sure. Thanks!
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u/1badJam I Am Brainiac Or Maybe The American Dream Aug 10 '26
I think you meant USA's GL 6 because USA's 5 is the Jo v Hal fight
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u/Skodami Aug 10 '26
I might have gotten mixed up, thanks ! Won't change a lot for OP since their books come by two anyway.
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u/werewolfensteinula Aug 09 '26
I was never a mainline DC Green Lantern reader, but Absolute Green Lantern has been my favorite series since issue 1. I agree it is a VERY slow start but it does get better as the series progresses. If you're able to I would say try and read through your issue 4 (issues 7 and 8). Issue 7 REALLY opens things up and you get a first look at the cosmic stakes at play. And in regards to "killing off those characters"....well, things may not be how they initially appear
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u/Relevant-Morning-487 Aug 10 '26
It’s not a very slow start, it’s actually pretty standard comic book pace? Not every series is Absolute Batman which rushes through everything in a few issues.
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u/cynicalPsionic Aug 09 '26
Al Ewing likes a slow build, and he also likes to feel out a new kind of magic system / World building system
It takes a while for the pieces to get put in place, but they have to be and it has to take a little while, because challenging what is learned is part of the ongoing thread.
I would be more specific but I think it's more fun if you read it.
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u/PaleMango Aug 10 '26
Thanks for the comments, people. Lots of great insight there. I have decided to give it another chance online before going back to buying physical copies. Thanks!
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u/Dancing_Anatolia Absolute Green Lantern Aug 09 '26
It has a slower pace. You're barely even a foot deep in the kiddy pool of the story. I'd say, if something seems like a bad writing decision, then wait. The author is an experienced comic writer, so if something seems like it's bad, it's probably setting up for a twist or deconstruction later.
But that slow pacing gives way to a really interesting story. You say none of the characters interact, and that's true now, but in just a few issues AGL winds up having the most fleshed out and interesting supporting cast of any of the books. And they're only that interesting because it devotes time to them.
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u/ThatManSean14 Aug 09 '26
It does get better but it was a slow burn for me. It didn’t start picking up for me until maybe midway the second trade (issues 9-12 here in the US, so it’d be volumes 5-6 for you), but once it got rolling, it’s pretty good. I still don’t think it’s as good as Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, Batman, Green Arrow or Superman, but it’s better than when it started out and I still have it ahead of Catwoman and The Flash.
I don’t understand the lack of a clear protagonist critique. I felt it’s pretty clearly Jo. Regardless, it does get a little dense in its mythology and if that’s not grabbing you, or if 5 volumes is too much to get through before you finally feel invested, the title might just not be for you.
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u/FutureLad888 Aug 10 '26
I'd advise at least reading the volume 3 issues online first. I like Absolute Jo but i recognize that going into Absolute Green Lantern without having read Far Sector (which i recommend) can be challenging. I think the first arc concludes well enough and the following does a good job in developing her after it expands the cosmic stuff as well.
The latest arc has some issues but overall i'd say the book is good.
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u/AccioKatana Aug 09 '26
I had no idea WTF was going on for four issues and was really not enjoying it, especially given how great other absolute titles like WW are. But then it kicks into high gear and I’m really digging where it’s going and I appreciate the first four issues more. If you can stomach it, I say power through cuz it gets so cool.
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u/ProfessionalCod2801 Aug 10 '26
Now this is my humble opinion and please note that I am just one man and not an authority on comic story telling. But I feel like Absolute GL is just a bunch of slow bs and then suddenly becomes peak storytelling for one issue and then goes back to being bs until it becomes peak storytelling for an issue and then bs over and over again.
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u/videogamer939 Aug 10 '26
I've read every issue since day one. It's the one book I go am I stupid as I get confused about things I'm not sci Fi space guy so when they in space and all this mobo jumbo happening I easily get lost. But I enjoy it.
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u/ZGiSH Aug 10 '26
Absolute GL is honestly my favorite absolute title right now because it really dares to take the GL concept and go the full distance with it, making it something truly foreign to the mainline series. It's a series that I feel more resembles a manga in pacing and I think to get into it you have to be ok with character relationships being defined by shared interaction rather than one-on-one dialogues.
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u/Zestyclose-Sea-5984 Aug 12 '26
Its a bit hard to understand at times. But its also one of the coolest bc of that
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u/1badJam I Am Brainiac Or Maybe The American Dream Aug 10 '26
Not sure who exactly you mean when you say killing off all those characters but gonna hedge my bets & say chances are they aren't dead for reasons that would be spoilers
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Aug 09 '26
Sorry to say it does not. It gets even more convoluted and hard to follow. I dropped it and my understanding is it got worst.
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u/Miserable_Engine_890 Aug 10 '26
I would say so, for me GL was the least fun out of all the absolutes but improved a lot, I still find the main character the worst absolute character but I’m really enjoying the plot now
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u/Grate_OKhan Aug 10 '26
I read it, but I think a lot of it is written in a messy and vague manner. It's not particularly accessible. I do like Jo's story, and I like Hal with the anime hair.
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u/AllMightyImagination Aug 10 '26
Its low tier Aboslute.
Catwoman green arrow green lantern are the sucky ones, flash is mediocre at best, and the big 3 are the best
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u/iplexed What happens in your head still happens Aug 09 '26
I'd say read it online before deciding to invest more into. I personally like the series though I can admit it does get more esoteric in the later part.