Or – “Totally Missed This One Last Week.”
Okay, now it’s just getting troublesome… I don’t have the slightest idea how I didn’t catch this one when I did my “purchase for review” pile last Wednesday, but somehow I did. Mea culpa. Anyway, we’re knee-deep in the Sinestro Corps War, and Earth’s various Lanterns are all feeling the pain, while their green brothers are getting killed in space. The Guardians are likewise in disarray, and it’s liable to get worse afore it gets better. Remember Cyborg Superman? Tom Welling Prime? How ’bout the evil tupperware masked Parallax? They’re all ready to throw down, and all that stands in their way is a rapidly dwindling Thin Green Line…
Previously, on Green Lantern: Sinestro’s battles have been waged on multiple fronts; his old home planet of Korugar, in the anti-matter universe of Qward, on Oa itself, and throughout deep space. The various GL’s have been fighting a losing battle, as the Sinestros have been killing whenever possible. To the surprise of all, the Guardians (seemingly motivated by fear of the prophecy called “The Darkest Night”) have removed the rings restrictions against killing, and the Corps has been responding with extreme force. (I suspect that this was part of Sinestro’s plan all along, but that’s just me and my old-school thought processes.) Now, Sinestro has expanded his playing field, feinting an attack on Oa but then mustering his whole Corps to Earth, where Tom Welling Prime has been waiting to get even with the heroes of Earth after the events of Infinite Crisis…
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Paging Mr. Yat… Mr. Sodam Yat! Anybody else wanna see Tommy Boy get his ass handed to him “Sodam” quick it makes his spit-curled head spin? (Sorry, I’ve been trying not to make that pun for a couple of months now, and it’s been killing me, honest…) Sinestro’s soldiers drop out of the sky like thousands of glowing golden meteors, attacking en masse while the heroes of Earth struggle to keep up. We catch up with the events of last month, as Hal contacts Salaak for backup, and we finally see why the transmission was interrupted.
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The human Gourd laughs again, explaining “Fear leads all. Once we have taken your planet, the men, women and children will join the Qwardians as our slaves. Those that refuse will be buried in the mass grave that we’ll turn Coast City into…” He gloats that Parallax has already begun the preparations for the giant cemetary by killing Jim Jordan and his family, and before John Stewart can warn Hal to hold on, he’s already in motion, breaking Mach 1 in split-seconds.
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As his ring gutters and starts to die, he smashes Kyle-allax into the pavement, as John and Guy move in to back him up. “Why isn’t Kyle breakin’ free? It’s like he’s not even fighting back.” Kyle explains that it took The Spectre to help him break loose, and sends Guy to retrieve the painting that Kyle referenced right before the war as his touchstone with his now-deceased mother, while trying to free Kyle from the monster’s influence.
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Hal is swallowed by Parallax, and as John Stewart arrives, the combined HalaKyleallax smirks. “I have a NEW partner…” Racing cross country, Guy Gardner is ambushed by at least a dozen Sinestros (including one who seems to be a Twi’lek) and asks which one wants a hole in the head first. As the creatures mock him for his empty threats, a voice from off-screen interrupts… “Empty threats? That was yesterday.” A Green power-ringed fist blows the Sinestro to pieces as the Cavalry arrives. In New York, Hank Henshaw squares off with an old foe, and Kal-El does his best flyin’ John Wayne imitation…
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Crap-cakes! Just when things were starting to turn in our heroes’ favor, too… Maybe Power Girl can match up to him, at least for a while, but as a Pre-Crisis Earth-2 Kryptonian, she’s less probably somewhat less powerful than evil Tom and his limb tubes of great nastiness. Meanwhile, Halylelax tries to kill John Stewart, telling him, “You WILL die.” John isn’t interesting in his posturing, firing a full power blast into the composite monster’s face, and snarling “Right now, I don’t have to do anything by stay black.” I really like that line, for some reason. Suddenly, Guy arrives with the painting, trying to trigger Kyle’s memory. Kyle tells Hal the truth, that Despotellis killed his mother, and it’s all his fault, but Hal Jordan has more than enough experience with situations like these…
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Parallax explodes as the emerald energy burst him open, and Hal and Kyle climb out of his carcass. “That’s pleasant,” remarks Guy, as they shake off the viscious yellow fluid. Parallax attacks (hey, I’m a poet and I didn’t realize!) but suddenly, his energy is dispersed and ripped apart… by Ganthet!
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Why, yes… yes, he will! All of y’all who were complaining that they “ruined” Kyle a few months ago owe me a Diet Vanilla Coke, heavy on the bourbon… The four Lanterns of Earth take their Lanterns, and symbolically burn away the blackest night by ‘lighting ’em up.’ In Brightest Day! Or Christmas Night! Something something glowing bright! Those Who Dig The Evil Side, Lose Their License, Burma Shave. (Cut me some slack, it’s 1 in the morning here…) Fully juice, and ready to crack some yellow skulls, the Lanterns of Earth decide to pose dramatically.
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This, by the way, is exactly why I don’t mind that Earth has this many GL’s. Next issue promises to reveal the last secrets of the Blackest Night, and I suspect that we’re going to see some one on one battles. Guy Gardner and Karu-Sil… Kilowog and Arkillo… Sodam Yat and Tom Welling Prime… And our main event, Harold J. Jordon versus Sinestro Q. Arpington-Smythe (you’d go the Cher/Madonna single name route, too.)
This issue literally raced right by, with each page giving a little something extra. The return of Kyle to GL status was nicely done, even if I didn’t get a copy of the ‘Parallax’ one-shot from last month, and we had the flying green equivalent of a ‘Badass Power Walk’ at the end… it’s a pretty awesome package from top to bottom and a 4 star effort all around. Still, I suspect that Sinestro still has a couple of tricks up his Brownshirt-Armbanded Golden sleeve, and I’ll put money down that it has something to do with the Lethal Force directive… Even so, the ride ought to be worth the wait.
18 Comments
I am actually reading this series rather than “Major Spoiling” it and I have liked every issue. This crossover actually has something at stake .This is a far better lead-in to “Final” Crisis than the scattered Countdown, which isn’t bad ,but I feel no urgency with it.I still don’t understand the need for another universe makeover when the focus should be on really,really good stories like Sinestro Corps War.
I notice a Predator next to Cyborg Superman’s Legs in that double-page spread…guess that Fear DOES spread everywhere.
What’s up with the Michigan logo on one of Sayd’s lantern? Is the Wolverine defense extra effective against fear? Go Bruins!
The Sinestro Wars are being handled better than probably the last 15 “Alien Invasion” storylines from DC and Marvel, including World War Hulk. And they aren’t using thirty different books from all over the continuity with mismatched timeframes to do it (well, except Countdown, but that’s expected.) If the Skrull Invasion even comes close to this ’08’s going to be a good year.
Seriously, mad respect for using the Green Lantern book to bring back the Anti-Monitor, Cyborg Dean Cain, and Tom Welling Prime.
Hey, so Tom Welling Prime was aged in the Speed Force, right? He should be an immature 25 or so? Interesting to see a Superman with the mentality of a deranged Guy Gardner running around…
“the Lanterns of Earth decide to pose dramatically.” This cracked me up.
What’s up with the Michigan logo on one of Sayd’s lantern? Is the Wolverine defense extra effective against fear? Go Bruins!
That would be the Lantern of Michigan alumnus Guy Gardner… I liked that bit as well…
Is Hal Jordan the only one who wears the classic uniform now? Is the new standard uniform the one that Kilowog wears?
For those of you at home, imagine John Stewart being voiced by Isaac Hayes, from the theme of Shaft – “Daaaamn cool.”
I’ve heard that Johns is calling this Dc’s Star Wars, and I have to say that Parallax spouting one of Darth Vader’s lines – “I Have You Now, ____” is very appropriate. It’s basically the same character – supposed ‘Saviour’ of an order of Peacekeepers gets turned to their exact opposites by Head of said opposites, AND after the Death of his Mum…
There’s a Green Lantern message board I lurk at, and they found a couple of fun things in the 2 page spread when the Corps rescues Guy;
1. ET!
http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p171/methosivanhoe/kittens/ETGL.jpg
2. Alf!
http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p171/methosivanhoe/EMOTES/alfGL.jpg
Also, is it me, or did they use the same font for the Oath as you do in your Review buttons, thus awesomely co-ordinating that Header image?
i love gl, all of em. its probably the only dc comic on my pull list. john stewart is my favorite black superhero of all time.
Umm, were Jim Jordan & family going to die anyway, after Hal blasted away half of the balcony they were standing on? They might need to follow up on that one…
So what’s left of Parallax is trapped in those four power batteries… Would that not put the yellow vulnerability back in the rings?
Or has that been totally retconned to be just “fear”?
Anyone else have a problem with Kyle’s mask? It looks mighty, um, ‘Batman and Robin’-ish. Oh Joel Schumacher, how did it all go so wrong?
Ben – I might not be understanding/explaining this completely correctly, but I think the vulnerability only affects those lacking the willpower to overcome it; the Earth Lanterns have all shown they have.
At least I *think* that’s how it goes.
Seems like everybody except Kyle is wearing their orginal uniform with only a few alterations and more modern hairsyltes:
Hal got rid of the unitard(looking back, that would work for females such as Brik or Jade, were she still alive…but on Hal? umm, no…glad he got the update).
Jon naturally looks like his JLU counterpart(got rid of the afro ages ago, and his costume is very distinctive).
Recently, Guy has been drawn withouth that Godawful bowl haircut(even though some artists still give him that look, and keep drawing the “moon boots” on him as well…blech).
Kyle’s not sporting the Shemp Howard hairdo anymore(sorry, that’s the only person I ever think about when I used to look at his hair…And Guy woud most definitely be “Moe”…).Also, his mask isn’t the issue…it’s the whole costume. I miss the original gauntlets, black and white logo, and knee-covered get-up. If everyone is going to wear their original, I say since he’s no longer Ion, get back to basics.
I’m thinking too that Hal may have inadvertedly killed his family snatching ‘lax off the balcony at Mach 1, but they didn’t show it so I guess their okay. I hope…
From upcoming solicits, I’m sure Sinestro will survive this, Henshaw will not die(and we’ll hear him whine more about it…), Arkillo and Caru-sil may buy it. I don’t see Anti-monitor being defeated so easily here, though…
As for Sodom Yat v.s SM-Prime? Anybody wanna place a bet? I don’t think Sodom(even with his Daxamite birth, and a Power ring) is as strong as the Smallville Psycho…
This storyline is getting better and better…