A hero returns, pasts must be faced, and we learn a woman scorned is even worse when she is backed by an entire civilization.
GREEN LANTERN #4
Writer: Geoff Johns
Penciler: Doug Mahnke
Inkers: Christian Alamy and Keith Champahne
Colorist: Alex Sinclair
Letterer: Sal Cipriano
Editor: Brain Cunningham
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
Previously in Green Lantern: Sinestro and Hal Jordan set off for Korugar to free the citizens from the enslavement of the Sinestro Corps. While Sinestro battles his own corps, Hal flies into the yellow central battery in an attempt to shut down all yellow rings, but the plan backfires and Jordan is vaporized…
…Or So It Seemed.
As this issue opens we realize that the complete disintegration of Hal Jordan the central battery declared was a tad premature. While Hal, still disintegrating, is remembering his failings at making a relationship with Carol Ferris work, the battery spits him out since Hal is not Sinestro. To my knowledge, this stands to be the fastest reinstatement of a “dead” character in comics history, if I’m wrong please let me know. But Hal is not out of trouble yet as Sinestro Corps members swiftly throw him into a cell that will drain the energy out of his power ring.
While Hal is creating a Carol Ferris construct as his power runs out, Sinestro is having ring problems of his own. After being held at pain levels of seventeen hegatox, which is more than enough to send everyone back in time, and having a crazed professor try and destroy his ring, Sinestro is thrown into a cell “where he’s going to have to use” his ring. As I prepare myself for a page-0turning, high-energy battle between one of the most powerful GLs and a beast from the deeps of space, I turn the page to see a cell full of captive Korugar citizens. It is not a monster Sinestro must face but the consequences of his actions.
After trying to justify and apologize for the past, Hal speaks up from the adjacent cell with an idea to save Korugar. The plan is for Sinestro to create pseudo-power rings for all the captives so they may together overpower the entire Sinestro Corps. As crazy as it sounds, Sinestro cooks up a whole new batch of rings that fly to, and activate for the Korugarians. Diverging from Hal’s plan, the new ring bearing captives plan on first extracting their revenge on Sinestro before attempting to win their planet back.
PENCILS GOOD, INKING – NOT SO MUCH
Doug Mahnke has been doing a fantastic job with this title and that doesn’t stop here. What I enjoy most about the art is his way of showing the power that both green and yellow rings use when creating constructs. His uses of the two splash pages at the end of the issue were both used well to show the magnitude of what was happening. The only problem I had art wise in this issue were the changing ink outline widths on different pages. There was an entire page where the changing of inkers took me completely out of the story, but this is the risk you run having two inkers for the same book.
BOTTOM LINE: KEEP BUYING IT
Sinestro is still the main focus of this series, and that is what had me excited from the announcement of this book for the New 52. Am I glad that Hal Jordan didn’t die? I would be lying if didn’t say no. It’s not that I’m upset that Hal wasn’t disintegrated, but I know the longer he stays around the more likely he is to replace Sinestro as the lead character. But of course without Hal who would come up with great ideas like giving a group of vengeful citizens the power to wield one of the most powerful weapons in the universe? Green Lantern continues to be high on my read list and this issue doesn’t change that, earning this issue 3.5 out of 5 stars.
6 Comments
Sinestro is a mass murderer?
I really haven’t been enjoying this comic. I do not like Sinestro being “reinstated” after all he’s done. I do not like how the Flagship Green Lantern is playing second fiddle to Sinestro. And I really don’t like how it’s taking forever to get to the point of the story arc. If they wanted to do stories about Sinestro as a Green Lantern they should have rebooted the character and told stories of before he went evil.
While I do not like that they brought Hal back from the dead (The first time) , now that he’s here they should utiilze the character better than they are.
Couldn’t disagree more. This was an excellent twist and I dig seeing Sinestro as a GL again. It’s great seeing him see the consequences of his actions and to be working with Jordan. It’s like seeing Batman and Joker partner up. Hope it lasts a while before he goes back to his own Corp. Never really saw Sinestro as a villain but more of an arrogant asshole that let power corrupt him. If that’s reigned in he’s a pretty interesting anti hero.
(this review was awesome fun to read)
Gotta say, after reading both a point and counter-point to the debate regarding Sinestro coming back as a GL, I agree with the intrigue of that prospect being too delicious to leave him out. Yes, he’s done horrendous wrongs, but let’s not forget, so has Hal. ‘Light’ and hero worship should encompass some nod towards redemption (if appropriate), and I like that DC was willing to go in this direction without being heavy handed. You get that Sinestro isn’t all black, nor is Hal all white. We live in a shades of grey world, so why not have our comics reflect this?
I have been LOVING this series. It’s about damn time Sinestro has officially taken center stage. I do agree that Hal Jordan being gone (again) for a while might not be a bad thing, as it gives us even more time to delve into Sinestro’s character. Also there is a small part of me that can’t wait for the Sinestro/Hal buddy cop action coming down the pike.