Green Lantern Sojourner “Jo” Mullien is Discovering Just How Corrupt The City Enduring Really Is!

N.K. Jemisin’s comic debut Far Sector is turning out to be a most thrilling sci-fi murder mystery with a twist…or three. For those of you living under a rock for the last decade, N.K. Jemisin is a sci-fi/fantasy legend. Having won myriad awards from Hugo, Nebula, Locus and more, she is the first black author to win the Hugo for best novel for The Fifth Season, the first of the Broken Earth trilogy. She won that award for all three novels the following two years. The reason I chose to review this comic during black history month.

The hella-dope artwork for this comic is from none other than the award winning Naomi artist Jamal Campbell. With a team like this on the job I already know this title going to be phenomenal. I’m not disappointed. Immediately we are blast like a rocket into a stunningly drawn and scarily familiar tale of corruption, drug dealing, human trafficking and murder. I couldn’t help but recognize so many parallels to our life in the U.S. lately. Distopian future sci-fi is always just a hair different than our own world. Just a bit more advanced and evolved issues from where we stand now, but enough to make it fantasy. Far Sector certainly adheres to this idea and tells us about ourselves in a subtle, nuanced way as sort of a warning of things to come, should we not soon change our ways. Yes, this is a comic book.

Green Lantern Sojourner “Jo” protects The City Enduring and it’s 20 billion citizens. The city itself has seen 500 years of peace due to the forced removal of emotion from it’s people. Sounds good, but when a government decides whats best for it’s people without their knowledge or consent, and forces them to take a pharmaceutical cocktail that makes them subservient, well then it stops sounding so good. Using internet culture, memes, social media etc. as a plot device is a lil’ overdone these days but I did not find it cringey or tacky at all here. Actually, I found it a refreshing and effective commentary on today’s world and social media lifestyle we are somewhat forced to live. Corporations and governments prosper and thrive by keeping us little guys oppressed and controlled. They’ve learned that sewing seeds of confusion keeps us divided. All they need to control us is to make us so scared of what could happen, albeit a pandemic, an uprising, riots, or terrorism, that we actually beg them for safety. Through surveillance, vaccinations, heavy policing and basic control. “As appealing as facsim is to the fearful, it isn’t sustainable” -N.K. Jemisin

This issue cuts deep and straight to the point, all taking place in a single CEPD precinct. Almost all of the story is told through character dialogue explaining their points of view and deeds. With each speech bubble bursting with information and important details. Jemisin does this to keep us focused and immersed in the story she wants to tell so that the massive twist hits out of nowhere, BOOM! It knocks the reader and the characters for a serious flip. The artwork is a major part of the storytelling in comic books. Jamal expertly uses his pencil to tell us just how the characters are feeling. The facial expressions are spot on and never leave you wondering what the character is thinking. The scenery is an artists tool to help the writer tell the story without the heavy descriptions you would find in a novel. However, this issue has only a couple locations so Mr. Campbell had to be very creative and colorful to express things. He does not let us down in that regard. The smooth lines and shading combined with great digital coloring plays the background to the story in the most beautiful way.

“The City Enduring shuns emotion.” The opening line tells the reader we’re in for some dark and twisted shit. Everyone in the city, all 20 billion inhabitants have been infected with a biocybernetic virus called Emotion Exploit which suppresses emotions. Again, without consent of the patients. It’s becoming clear to Lantern Jo that the cats who control the underground black market, which exploits the lack of emotions, are after her. The baddies keep people working in “sweatshops” to provide memes for internet, which they can only produce when drugged up on “Switch off,” a narcotic designed to induce emotions in the emotionless citizens of The City Enduring. They get paid well enough, but don’t have any freedom. Sound familiar? Jo infiltrates the sweatshop but instead of notifying the CEPD she attempts to shut it down herself but gets arrested. At the CEPD precinct we see that Jo is now being interrogated by Syz. Jo tries appealing to Syz’ sense of justice to help shut down the drug dealers operation by making a public statement about whats going on in the sweatshop warehouse, but Syz ain’t having it.

Unfortunately another stark reality we live with is police corruption and brutality in this country circa 2021. Like our own corrupt police the CEPD wants to try and make the murder of Stevn look like a random isolated act of violence. While making Meile’s death appear to be suicide by cop. Enraged by this Green Lantern Jo busts out some green ring construct energy, knocking her would-be jailers back, and making it clear that she can leave anytime she likes. At this point she puts an ultimatum to her old friend Syz, The Council or Justice! Syz finally agrees to Jo’s request to speak with Marth of the Sea and summons him there. Alone in a room with Jo now, Marth admits that it was he who sent Jo to investigate the sweatshop. Then the bombshell drops, it was Marths operation all along. The warehouse, the sweatshop, the drugging of the “residents” of the facility and Jo can’t believe it, shes like WTF bro?! Speaking further with Marth we learn that the chemical removal of emotions was imposed by his ancestor 500 yrs ago to stop wars and violence. They feared their civilization was in danger of hurting itself and other civilizations in the universe, and rightly so.

Marth has come to believe that “order” has become an end in itself, and a very profitable one. The powers that be cannot, will not discard the emotional exploits because they depend on the profits as their livelihood. “Their fortunes are tied to the status quo.” Problem is, a society cannot be forced to be civil if it’s not their collective will to do so. They have to be manipulated into thinking it was their idea. Sound Familiar? Meanwhile Marth claims he was unaware that the sweatshops “residents” were being held against their will, not until Stevn of the Glaciers murder. Marth reveals he has other facilities like the sweatshop but claims the residents are willing. He and Averrup wanted a green lantern to disrupt the status quo. Their plan seemingly worked perfectly, inciting a riot, which they then quelled by opening fire on the protesters to “solidify public opinion.” Sound familiar?

As we learn all this, Syz busts in the room, having been recording the whole conversation and confession by Marth and places him under arrest. With that Jo gets coms from CanHaz to inform her that The Council ordered half of the referendum servers to shut down. CanHaz explains “E-voters aren’t being registered” The average citizen needs those servers to vote as they cannot go in person. Sound Familiar? Suddenly there’s a city wide alert! Unauthorized Vessels on approach! To your battle stations, all weapons at the ready! Women and children into the bunker! But its not unknown ships, its their own defense fleet, THIS IS A COUP! This SHOULD sound familiar….;)

This issue is the big pay off. The series thus far has been building, a slow burn and now we finally get the deep toke and welcomed cough. Jemisin has lead us down a rabbit hole of intricate conversations chock full of important details and a deep narrative. We gratefully embrace the culmination and surprise twist ending. This is easily the best issue yet. Available now! Be sure to pick it up at your local comic shop if you can. Otherwise get a digital copy immediately! Do yourself a favor and waste no time.

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