#jo mullein

Glad to finally get a good look at the full Spectrum of Light, with the explicit confirmation that OA and the Blackstars' hierarchical perspectives are inaccurate. Some things worth noting are the clarification that yellow is in fact a distinct color from gold (which explains the difference between Thaal and John's panels in Kari's vision back in #11), and Qard being more prominent on the ring than its contemporaries--as if the universe's inner darkness was seeping into its beauty to break down any nuance.

Sadly, it seems that the latter aspect is all Thaal could focus on, thanks to the Face of Steel planting the idea that Anti-Life is inescapable into his head. I find it really interesting that Mogo used to be aligned with the Adepts of OA, and it makes sense given a self-aware planet would be a model case of the "total understanding" they aspire to.

"Ooh, I know more than all of you and I've got really cool gold armor and I can be super cryptic about the Green Lanterns and the hidden parts of the Spectrum" fuck you, Thaal.

There's that AMM reference I mentioned, really like the confirmation that Aur operates on Martian rules--seems super limited at first glance, but perception and understanding are central to the way everyone operates.

Big fan of this showcase of OA-tech (in the same vein as "mutant technology"), with John exploiting Thaal's already flimsy will and his belief that Tomars can pose a real threat to him. At first I was pretty miffed that Jo's convo with Jess was offscreened, but it makes sense given what we learn a few pages later:

"I think I'm on Mogo's side" was a red herring. Instead of aligning with MU, Jess empathized with the planet being deprived of real agency and the feelings of isolation that come with that. Overall a really cool application of "correct action".

The Face of Steel might bring back Thaal as a full-fledged Manhunter, but what really piques my interest here is whatever "[resource] cycle" it's been managing (and its decision to double down on using Qard instead of any of the other levels). Looking forward to learning more about its origins and motivations.