Far Sector #1-6

Far Sector #1-6

Originally released in 2019

Written by N.K. Jemisin

Art by Jamal Campbell

Far Sector is a murder mystery set on a planet that's on the far edges of the jurisdiction of the Green Lantern Corps., focusing on a new Green Lantern named Sojourner "Jo" Mullein. Why do so many Green Lanterns originate from Earth? I have no idea. (Maybe Earth is seen as the universe's equivalent of the Wild West, a lawless land that needs as much law enforcement as it can get) In a place where most people have emotion blockers to prevent a return to civil war (though some people take a drug called Switchoff to remove the blockers), a sudden murder reveals a darker side to this society, with the leaders of the various races scheming to get what they want.

The very beginning of the book made me think of Blade Runner, though the tone took a shift as it went on.  Jamal Campbell does an amazing job with creating breathtaking visuals on this alien world, and Jo and the various aliens that she encounters are all well-designed with distinctive appearances. The effects surrounding the Green Lantern ring, like what looks like shattering glass when she fires a laser, helps to give the constructs a sense of weight to them.

It's interesting to go into a murder mystery like this with no established knowledge of the characters.  It leaves me curious how this book will play with the tropes and conventions of the genre - normally, if someone's openly antagonistic to the main character, they're likely not the mastermind because then it wouldn't be a surprise when they turn out to be evil. However, if someone who's been kind and helpful to the main character turns out to be the murderer, or the head of the conspiracy, the story runs the risk of falling apart when it comes to explaining why they were so helpful if it went against their interests.  I have my suspicions for who the killer could be, but it could just as easily be someone who's been rude or cruel to Jo.

Jo is an interesting character, with her internal monologue giving us a human perspective on a very different world.  Seeking a purpose in life, she joined the military after what seems to be the events of 9/11 (or at least something very similar - not sure how 9/11 could happen in a world with Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, etc.), but seeing the devastation that it caused made her rethink her choice.  She joined the police force, only to watch as her partner brutally beat a suspect, and she hates herself for not stepping in or doing more to stop it.  Once she becomes a Green Lantern, those serve as driving forces for her to do better in this new role in life.

Making matters difficult is the growing support for Switchoff and the planet's ruling council, who seem to have a vested interest in keeping the population emotionless.  However, these councilors aren't unanimous in their views - one (a member of a race of carnivorous plants) is honest to a fault, even about something like wanting to eat Jo (a sign of respect in his culture), another uses Switchoff to reflect on his decisions after the fact and is like two different people depending on if he's on or off the drug (off of it, he'll have peaceful protestors shot if it means that order will be restored; on it, he'll resign out of remorse for what he did), and the third is an AI who can barely hide her disdain (possibly even bigotry) towards organic life.

I questioned why Earth needed to have at least eight separate Green Lanterns (Alan Scott, the Golden Age GL, is an odd case where his powers have no ties to the Green Lantern Corps. as far as I know, but I'm counting him here), but this story does seem like one that couldn't be done with an experienced Green Lantern. N.K. Jemisin has made a compelling murder mystery, and I'm interested to see where the second half of the story goes.