Or – “Don’t You Know What’s Goin’ On Out There? This Is No Sunday School Picnic!”
Nekron’s legion of undead minions has cut a swath of lethal force across the universe, while the Guardians of the Universe (who are mostly to blame for all this) have been taken out by one of their own. The only chance that the universe has right now are a few ring-slinging poozers who aren’t going down easy… I wish I could bet on them winning.
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Written by Peter J. Tomasi
Art and cover by Patrick Gleason and Rebecca Buchman
Variant cover by Greg Horn
Previously, on Green Lantern Corps: The first strike of the Black Lantern Corps has left the universe in disarray, and the carnage on Oa is nearly as bad as on Earth. With the Guardians taken out by one of their own, Red Lanterns rioting, dead Green Lanterns rising, and the creepiness of Kryb (who gives me nightmares) all in play, the Lanterns on Oa have their hands full. The only bright spot comes in the arrival of Indigo-1’s right hand man, a big bald guy wielding the Indigo light of compassion and a big stick. Dead friends and relatives have beset the Corps from all sides, and not even Kilowog’s legendary toughness is enough to weather the emotional turmoil that the Black Lanterns bring with them. As their power battery reaches 100% power, the Black Lanterns seem to be readying the next step of their plan, but what horror awaits the heroes next?
We open with the incredibly horrifying realization that the Lantern babies that Kryb has stolen have been killed and reanimated by the BLC, as the Indigo tribe’s second in command introduces himself as Munk. (Too bad Ch’p isn’t around, or we could have a sitcom on our hands.) Munk brings the news that Zamaron has been destroyed and their violet power battery gone, and warns the Lanterns that their battery could be next. Munk shows the GLC how to channel two colors to sever the Black Lantern rings connections to the body, but sadly isn’t able to use his power on a global scale. Suddenly, the corpses all float up into the air, chanting “100% power exceeded. Devour will.” The dead make a beeline for the central power battery, while the Lanterns try to catch their breath. Soranik Natu and Kyle Rayner fight off the remains of his ex-girlfriend Jade, reaffirming their love in that ominous way that makes me sure that Soranik is going to get her head bitten off by a Black Lantern in the next five minutes. Instead, Jade’s headless body joins the other Black Lanterns in their journey to the power battery…
As the battle is joined, Guy Gardner shows why he is the greatest Lantern of them all (just ask him) by givin the John Wayne speech and leading the troops into action. Salakk realizes what’s going on and redistributes his Corpsmen to defend the battery, while the black Lanterns create a massive construct with their rings, trying to rip the central power battery from it’s base. Desperate times lead the Lanterns to take desperate steps, releasing Vice of the Red Lanterns against the dead. Chaselon of the Alpha Lanterns attacks Vice, though, and is ripped apart by Black Lantern babies for his trouble. (Black Lantern baabies, they’ll make your dreams come truuuue! Black Lantern babies, they’ll make you into steeeewww!) Before Chaselon’s intern power battery is destroyed, though, Kyle Rayner makes the save, grabbing the Lantern and tearing away at high speed with Black Lanterns on his tail. As the Alpha Lantern’s battery announces it’s imminent destruction, Kyle puts up an energy shield to trap them all, and Soranik Natu’s ring suddenly comes to life with a message… “I love you, Soranik,” says Kyle as the power battery detonates, causing an energy feedback that destroys the construct and most of the Black Lanterns. As the issue ends, thousands of Black rings rain down on Kyle, as his own ring flies upward. “Green Lantern of 2814 deceased… Proceed to space sector 2261.”
Well, THAT was surprising… More and more, I suspect that DC isn’t going where we think they’re going with all of this, as most of the deaths in previous issues of this book and the crossovers with Blackest Night have been (forgive me, Garth) relatively minor characters. Kyle’s death, alongside some of the deaths in the last issue of B.N. lead me to believe that this story is going to have huge ramifications for the DC Universe. I occasionally have issues with Patrick Gleason’s art, but in these battle sequences, against these foes, it’s very appropriate, and nicely handled. His flyin’ zombie babies are seriously disturbing, and the sight of Black Lanterns, some whose bodies are half destroyed, descending upon the central power battery is pretty amazing.  Last issue’s interlocking stories were kind of difficult to follow, but this issue clarifies much, giving us big moments for Soranik, for Kilowog, and most of all for Guy Gardner, whose coming transformation to another color spectrum may be caused by the momentous events of this issue. It’s an oddly powerful moment, and one that I admit I didn’t see coming. Green Lantern Corps #42 works very well, selling the threat of the BLC and giving all our major players a moment in the sun, and earning an overall 4 out 5 stars. Blackest Night may not be the perfect crossover, but it’s in my time five for delivering what it promised…
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14 Comments
Kyle dead! Something tells me that all this is going to do a Bobby Ewing. Giant shower construct, anyone?
Quick! Someone get him to Miracle Max’s!
Did not see that coming, I was sure Salakk was going to die and trigger Guy’s transformation.
So, just out of curiosity, when are we going to get a “‘Crap! On! Kyle Rayner!” thing going around here?
I mean, so far, we’ve had a girlfriend in a refrigerator, his mother in a refrigerator, his girlfriend disolving to mystical dust in his arms and turning him into Ion, getting replaced by a formerly dead guy because the editorial staff doesn’t like you and wants everything to go back to how it was 30 years ago, finding out that Ion isn’t actually Kyle but a giant etherial salamander living inside Kyle that can be replaced with a giant etherial insect that’d previously been infesting the dead guy who’d replaced you and turn you evil, turning good again but being kicked off of your planet and out of the Justice League because now you’re a tertiary character despite having previously headlined your own book(s), having your giant salamander given to a guy who was already basically Superman, and (most recently) figuring out that you’re in love by fighting your previously dead girlfriend who’d dissolved into mystical dust and infested you with a giant salamander just in time to get blowed up real good.
And those are just the highlights.
Never saw what made Kyle an intersting character to begin with, he’ll forever be the office temp that replaced Hal and stuck around for some reason after he returned from maternity leave. personaly I like Guy a heck of alot more.
I can’t say i’m a “Kyle-Hater”, but lately his role has seemed …. well, non-existent, besides “Guy & Kyle: The odd couple”. So, like, I’m glad he’s the one who kakked it. I figured if anybody would get killed it was going to be Guy soooo… More Guy is More Good! :D
Psst: Guy dies, too.*
* — Or, at the very least, becomes a Red Lantern and the process of that apparently causes Red ring-bearers to vomit up all of their internals to the point of not needing them anymore (thus why disheartening Atrocitus didn’t kill him).
Well Hal didn’t die when he went Red, you know the saying “Hope springs eternal” if you catch my drift.
Hey. Red Guy ain’t Dead Guy. ^_^ Besides, he could go Purple Lantern eventually, if they ever decide to do anything with the Guy/Ice relationship. Hope DOTH spring eternal! :D
So, just out of curiosity, when are we going to get a “‘Crap! On! Kyle Rayner!†thing going around here?
Kyle came out of the 90’s. For a survivor of that era, his history is remarkably sane and coherent.
Excepting the surprise ending involving Kyle, the Kilowog section stuck with me most of all. I wonder if he’ll be able to continue as the GL Drill Sgt. after having confronted the sheer number of GLs who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Yeah he will. That’s what drill instructors do.
Jacin:
Your hero history is pure awesome!
IMO Geoff Johns jumped the Shark when he started this Lantern foolishness. Enough with the people dying and coming back! Its really just Marvel Zombies with DC characters done in a serious fashion. Ridiculous to see one of the best writers of 2008 succumb to this tragedy.