Somewhere in the neighborhood of the seventeenth chapter of this sprawling saga, "Green Lantern Annual" #3 presents the "Godhead" finale titled "Fall of the Gods." Written by Robert Venditti with art from Billy Tan and trio of inkers Mark Irwin, Marc Deering and Livesay, this comic delivers a payoff to the "Godhead" storyline.

It isn't as loud or impactful as it could (or should) have been, especially for as long as "Godhead" has played out, but at the end of "Green Lantern Annual" #3 most of the major participants of the preceding adventure are in a different place. Venditti's story is much more driven by plot and subplot than by the construction of characters, relationships or the interactions therein, but with a sweeping tale that smashes cultures and battalions of characters together, plot and subplot should rule the scene.

Beyond that, Venditti leaves the lid off the box for more story ideas to creep out, especially with an ominous "The End...For Now!" to finish the last Green Lantern comic book for 2014. Packing in yet another comic book cliche, Venditti hits readers with "Mortals, you dabble in things you cannot comprehend," before that final scene. As with Green Lantern-based events, the conclusion is less satisfying than the journey to that point, which is further compounded by the genesis of the next, soon-to-be-sweeping epic.

Tan's work, while serviceable, is filled with stiff characters in a collection of images strung together rather than a smooth, gliding tale. Events and stories are told within each panel, but the flow from one panel to the next is rigid and clunky. The trio of inkers might compound some of that, but the inkers need a frame to draw over. For their part, Irwin, Deering and Livesay keep the look of "Green Lantern Annual" #3 consistent, but there are way too many flat spots in the story that could have been embellished a bit more to give readers a deeper canvas with more dimensional occupants. Colorist Alex Sinclair does a fine job distinguishing one light source from another, Lanterns from Boom Tubes and living Source Titans from their Source Wall counterparts. Sinclair even attempts to sculpt in some depth.

"Green Lantern Annual" #3 trips just before crossing the finish line, and rather than get up, dust itself off and finish the course, it languishes for a moment, then just decides to leave. There are plenty of ideas that are given range to roam, but the end of "Godhead" doesn't deliver the payout the epic promised at the start.