Al Ewing knows how to write stories that make you feel for characters and their struggles, especially Black people and members of the LGBTQ+ community. DC Comics’ Sojourner Mullein is a member of both communities, and her being a Black, bisexual woman didn’t change in Absolute Green Lantern. Nor did the adversity she faces because of it.
She takes on these challenges and overcomes them like a hero - because that's what she is.
Absolute Green Lantern No. 8
- Writer: Al Ewing
- Artist: Jahnoy Lindsay
- Colors: Jahnoy Lindsay
The issue begins with Sojourner driving with her father to Evergreen. He seemed angry and bitter due to his divorce, and he takes it out on his daughter by forcing her to grow up earlier than she should have to. It gets worse as the story continues, when you realize this was something that was passed down to him from his father and likely from to his dad from his father.
Sojourner grows up and becomes a cop with a guy named Chief Bill Hand as her boss. In DC Comics’ Prime Universe, he’s a Green Lantern villain. Fun fact, he’s evil here, too. He takes bribes, runs a protection racket, and is a racist who uses terms like “uppity” when referring to Black people who stand up to him.
Sojourner tries to remember the lessons her father taught her, like, “You need restraint in this world,” and it only leads to her hiding that she’s queer and that she’s working for the crooked Evergreen Police Chief. Eventually, she has had enough and quits the force. Her father tells her to reconsider, saying that the Hand family always treated him and his dad with respect. Sadly, it was probably because they didn’t have any other option.
After talking with her dad, Sojourner hangs out with Hal Jordan. He understands what she’s saying and encourages her to leave and never look back. A moment that showed true strength as she breaks generational curses. And while things get better, Sojourner is still learning who she is.
Absolute Green Lantern No. 8 is in the running for best single issue of the year. It was a comic book that hit on real-life issues that everyone faces at some point. Things like feeling obligated to be something because of how you were raised or what society expects, and standing up for what you believe in when life looks bleak, are things everyone faces at some point. Maybe my favorite was seeing Sojourner break a generational curse that plagued the people who came before her.
The lessons above are positive, but the mistakes Sojourner made were just as important. For example, messing up and realizing an apology won’t make everything okay is crucial to life. It causes you to think before acting because you won’t always be forgiven. And when you learn from those mistakes, you become a better person for yourself. At the end of the day, you can always help others, but you can’t help someone drowning if you’re drowning yourself.
Al Ewing and Jahnoy Lindsay get a standing ovation from this writer. And I recommend everyone buy this issue, even if you haven't read the previous ones.