Far Sector and More

Far Sector by N.K. Jemisin

I heard of this when it first came out, and while it piqued my interest, I wanted to wait for the whole story to come out. I wasn't a big fan of Green Lantern or DC in general which turned me off from it. When I saw it completed and on sale, I jumped on it. Recently I hurt my back playing baseball and said "I gotta lie down, might as well read something, right?"

Well, I'm certainly glad I did. Though I wish my achy back wasn't the motivation for reading it.

The art by Jamal Campbell gives the space opera a noir-ish feel in the early episodes and a lived-in feel in the later episodes. The panel really pops and the way he draws the main characters gives them emotion, even when they are not feeling it. But you can tell when they are.

The storyline follows Sojouner "Jo" Mullins, a new Green Lantern with a specialized ring tasked with keeping the peace in a 20 billion strong floating city on a Dyson Swarm. After she arrives a murder occurs, the first one in 500 years and the fractious city council doesn't know what to do. Complicating matters is the fact the denizens have their emotions capped at birth, and the perpetrator took a drug that unlocks emotions. As she learns more about the city, she comes to understand how different it is, and more importantly, how much of the problems are the same as Earth's. There's a twisted logic to the alien leaders' plans, but it gets kinda muddled by the plot twists. Don't listen to the whiny boyz about the social justice stuff- it's not as pervasive as they think.

You can find the whole series of Far Sector on Amazon, among other retailers.