Green Lantern #39 — Jeremy Adams and Ig Guara Bring Kyle Rayner to Los Angeles
Kyle Rayner finds himself in the heart of LA, where the streets are as dangerous as the outer sectors. Jeremy Adams and Ig Guara deliver a wild ride through a city of broken dreams, featuring a cast that includes the JSA's Jade and some very hungry mascots.
Los Angeles is a city that eats people alive, or at least that’s the vibe Jeremy Adams and Ig Guara are leaning into with Green Lantern #39. It’s a sharp pivot from the cosmic scale we’re used to, grounding the Green Lantern Corps in the gritty, neon-drenched chaos of a major American metropolis. Kyle Rayner, usually the anchor of the emotional spectrum, finds himself navigating a world that feels surprisingly hostile, even for a man who can build walls out of hard-light imagination.
The setup is wonderfully specific: Kyle is in LA, and the locals are not having it. The conflict isn’t just some big-bad villain plotting world domination; it’s a cacophony of threats that range from the bizarre to the outright absurd. We’re talking extraterrestrial plastic surgeons, internet trolls manifesting as physical nuisances, and the hideous mascots of Big Belly Burger turning into murder-monsters. It’s a fever dream of a city where nothing is quite what it seems, and the danger is as much about cultural friction as it is about intergalactic war.
But the real heart of this issue lies in the personal stakes. Kyle’s romantic entanglement with Jade, a hero with deep roots in the JSA and JLU, adds a layer of tender vulnerability to the chaos. The question isn’t just whether they can make it work; it’s whether Kyle will have to leave it all behind to answer a call to duty for Hal Jordan somewhere in the outer sectors. It’s a classic Lantern dilemma—love versus the oath—framed in a city that already feels like a place where dreams go to die.
Ig Guara’s art here is a perfect match for this tonal shift. His linework captures the sleek, cynical glamour of LA while allowing the grotesque elements—the burger mascots, the alien surgeons—to pop with visceral impact. There’s a kinetic energy to the pages that makes the city feel alive, breathing, and hungry. It’s a visual treat that balances the absurdity of the premise with the genuine emotional weight of Kyle’s relationships.
If you’ve been enjoying the blend of superhero action with grounded character drama, keep an eye on the Jade appearances. Her chemistry with Kyle is one of the most compelling dynamics in the current DC lineup, and seeing them navigate the madness of Los Angeles together is a joy. This issue is a great standalone entry point, but it also deepens the lore for those who’ve been following their journey. It’s a fun, weird, and surprisingly heartfelt detour for the Green Lantern.