If you thought Absolute Green Lantern was just going to be about space cops shooting lasers at aliens, Al Ewing is here to politely tell you to think again. Issue #9 drops the cosmic opera for something that feels much more like a gritty, sci-fi noir thriller. It’s tense, it’s character-driven, and by the final page, it leaves you with a bullet in the gut—literally. Titled “Goldface,” this issue moves the pieces around the board in a way that feels intimate yet catastrophic, finally sending the series in a new and exciting direction.
The issue opens with a scene that sets a frantic, paranoid tone. We meet Steven Dayton (Mento), who is strapped into machinery, ranting about a Face of Steel and a coming world. It’s a classic Ewing setup—planting seeds of horror in a mundane setting. Dayton’s paranoia turns out to be justified when a pizza delivery guy named Keith (call sign: Nemesis) executes him to secure the Mento Device. It’s a cold open that immediately raises the stakes: someone is cleaning house, and they are targeting anyone connected to the Evergreen Event.
The core of the issue, however, takes place in a tense domestic standoff between Jo Mullein and Cameron Chase. Chase is grilling Jo about the nature of her power, leading to a massive reveal about how this version of the Lantern ring works. But the real kicker is the investigation involving Simon Baz. Baz is investigating the disappearance of a state trooper linked to Hal Jordan. The investigation takes a fatal turn when Jonny Double reveals himself to be an actual Double Agent working with Hector Hammond. It all gets pretty confusing when you have a face changer and secret spy organizations, but the issue ends on a brutal cliffhanger and the introduction of Absolute Goldface!
What makes this issue sing is how Ewing balances the high-concept sci-fi with grounded human messiness. The theme of vulnerability is front and center. Chase deduces that Jo is only a weapon when the ring is on; without it, she’s just a person. Moreover, the dialogue between Jo and Chase is electric here. It paints a picture of a messy past relationship, which grounds the story. You care about Jo getting shot at the end, not just because she’s the protagonist, but because we just spent ten pages unpacking her emotional baggage.
Sid Kotian takes the reins on art, and he nails the noir aesthetic. The facial expressions during the Jo/Chase argument are top-tier; you can feel the history and the frustration in their body language. Kotian also excels at the sudden switch to violence. The moment Goldface reveals himself (his face literally transforming into gold smoke/liquid) looks visually striking and horrifying.
Pressy’s colors are the unsung hero here. The book is bathed in two distinct palettes: the sickly, electric greens of the Lantern energy and the mundane, shadowy tones of the real world. The green doesn’t look heroic here; it looks radioactive and alien, fitting the anomaly theme perfectly. When Goldface strikes, the sudden introduction of warm, metallic golds cuts through the cool tones, which is a great way of emphasizing the danger.
Absolute Green Lantern #9 is a tight, suspenseful chapter that proves you don’t need splash pages of space battles to be engaging. The reveal of Goldface as a cold-blooded assassin rather than a goofy Silver Age villain is a stroke of genius, and the cliffhanger demands you pick up issue #10.
‘Absolute Green Lantern’ #9 Review: Paranoia, Ex-Wives & the Face of Steel
Absolute Green Lantern #9 is a tight, suspenseful chapter that proves you don’t need splash pages of space battles to be engaging. The reveal of Goldface as a cold-blooded assassin rather than a goofy Silver Age villain is a stroke of genius, and the cliffhanger demands you pick up issue #10.
