Green Lantern Corps #51, #52, #53, #54, #55, #56 and #57 - DC

We start out this batch of issues with the Revolt of the Alpha-Lanterns storyline. In it, Hank Henshaw, the Cyborg-Superman has captured Ganthet. He looks like he's using him to torture the Alpha-Lanterns, one by one, but actually . . he's trying to get him to covert them back to their original state of being . . their human being. Or . . being human. Somehow someone has convinced him that Ganthet can change them back. And if that is so . . he would also be able to, somehow, change him back. No matter what Henshaw's done throughout the years, it seems that it always comes back to him wanting to be human again. He even orders Lantern Glibberquip to blow his head off in front of Ganthet, and Lantern Stel, to show them how serious he is. Plus I think it was a way to demonstrate to Ganthet just how complete his control is over these Alpha-Lanterns. He then has Ganthet experiment on Lantern Hraalkar . . unsuccessfully. And next is Lantern Horroq Nnot. Anyways, Kyle, John and Sora are still hiding in the bowels of the planet, so . . they work there way down to where Henshaw has sent the rest of the robot population. They try to use the planets resident's respect for Stel to rally them against Henshaw. But they are completely under Hank's command. So, with not many options being left open to them . . Kyle decides to call in Hannu . . one of the Lost Lanterns. He shows up about the same time as Boodikka. Whom Henshsaw has sent to check in on the 'servants'. Even though these two were captured together, for years, with Henshaw . . Hannu is unrelenting with Boodikka. His initial attack breaks her battery, which loosens Henshaw's control over her. And before she passes, she uses her own energy to recharge the Lantern's rings. But . . then we find out . . she doesn't pass. Somehow Sora and John save her. And while this is going on . . Ganthet actually figures out how to remove the power battery from Horroq Nnot's chest . . essentially returning her to her original form . . with a few pieces added, and exchanged . . of course. And that's when John and Kyle's plan to attack, with the support of all of Grenda's robot population, occurs. In the battle Hank's body is destroyed. His essence tries to take residence in the newly revitalized Boodikka. But her willpower is just to strong for him, and she ends up destroying him. Well . . at least as far as we know. For now. When they all go back to OA, Ganthet uses what he's learned to give the rest of the Alpha-Lanterns . . if nothing else, at least the return of their human emotions. Physically they're still Alpha-Lanterns, but . . at least now their decision making process will be a little clearer. They're no longer more machine than man. And for their sacrifice in battle, the Guardians grant Ganthet, Boodikka, John, Kyle, Sora, Hannu and Stel Honor Guard status. Basically allowing them to operate in any sector they choose. The Guardians want them to be an inspiration to the rest of the Corps. Meanwhile, back on Qward, the Weaponer has come across a net of some sort that's been left behind. It's made out of the energy of the White Lantern. So he's decided to try to use it to make a weapon to fight Sinestro. And in issue #53 his plan finally comes together, and . . he strikes. But not in the way you'd expect. He goes to Korugar and starts some trouble to attract Sora's attention . . Sinestro's daughter. But she's not there right now . . Kyle is instead. Somehow the Weaponer has configured the net from the White Lantern into his shield, and now at his request it creates the perfect weapon that he needs for any situation. Kyle calls out for her, and when Sora finally does show up . . the Weaponer makes short work of both of them and then captures her and takes her back to Qward. He tells Kyle to warn Sinestro that he has his daughter, because he wants to kill him. The reason he hasn't drawn him directly into battle is because . . for what he's done to him, Qward, and the entire anti-matter universe . . the Weaponer wants him to die on Qward. Kyle goes back to Earth to warn him, but . . Sinestro doesn't seem very eager to help, or to try to save his daughter. Which brings Kyle and Sinestro to odds. Kyle just wants Thaal to come back with him to Qward and help him save his daughter . . Kyle's girlfriend. But for some reason . . Sinestro wants nothing to do with this mission. We also find out that the truce between the Green Lantern Corps and the Sinestro Corps is not violated so long as they don't use their rings. So instead, Kyle returns to OA and enlists the aid of his fellow honor guards. In the meantime, back on Qward, the Weaponer tells his story to Sora. We find out how, and why, the Weaponers decided to make the yellow rings in the first place, and then what Sinestro . . and later his Sinestro Corps, did to enslave and disparage the entire Qwardian race. It actually all revolves around the being that they looked to as their god . . the Anti-Monitor. Anyways, Kyle and the rest of the Honor Guard show up on Qward. With every intention of rescuing Sora, but . . they aren't prepared to deal with the Weaponer's new weapon . . the net made of White Light. Therefore, he makes pretty short work of all of them. Well . . all except Kyle. He's managed to stay out of the battle in lieu of searching for Sora. By the time he does find her . . and they abscond with some of the Weaponer's own weapons to fight him with . . their fellow Lanterns have all been subdued. However, the Weaponer's own fellow Qwardians consider him an outcast. Since he's the one that forged the original ring for Sinestro, the entire planet blames him for everything bad that's happened to them. And honestly . . they've been through a lot. But the point is . . they don't really care if the Green Lanterns kill him or not. However, I'm sure they're more than a little dismayed when next . . the entire Sinestro Corps shows up at their doorstep. Well . . everyone except for Sinestro, that is. However, it isn't long before he joins the fray as well. As he explains it to the Weaponer . . 'I sent my troops ahead, as any wise General would. I arrive on my terms . . not yours.' And we learn that Kyle and Thaal's little tussle back on Earth was kind of a prelude to what happens here. Apparently the 'no rings' policy, as far as the truce between the Green Lantern Corps and the Sinestro Corps, also applies here. The Sinestro Corps want to wipe out Qward. Or at least it's population. And obviously the Green Lantern Corps can't let that happen. But . . they have to figure out how to stop them without breaking the truce. As we learned from Ganthet in issue #55, Attrocitus is on Earth trying to find out who is behind the abduction of all of the entities . . and where they're taking them. Apparently Ganthet knows that it's Scar, but . . he doesn't know where Scar is at. However, he does know that the only way they'll be able to stand up to Scar . . especially with the power of the various entities, is with Sinestro's help. But he won't do that if the truce is broken. Hannu is the first to jump in. He doesn't like to use his ring anyways. And Kyle and Sora gather up a bunch of weapons from the Weaponer's arsenal. Issue #56 ends with the Corps . . or rather the Honor Guard, standing side-by-side with the Qwardians, ready to face off against Sinestro and his Corps. In the final chapter, Firestorm is also drawn to this planet . . apparently by the use of the White Light. He's actually in search of the Black Lantern version of himself, Deathstorm. So this is kind of a cross-over with Brightest Day. And it will probably serve to explain, in that book, how Firestorm ended up being in the anti-matter universe. And more specifically on the planet Qward. Anyways, Ronnie and Jason are hell-bent on finding him because the evil guy has absorbed Professor Stein and Jason's own father into his own matrix. And since Firestorm doesn't have any kind of truce with the Sinestro Corps, he's more than willing to help out in this battle. But even with his help, things are pretty much a stalemate. However, we do get a bit of a twist at the end. Sinestro seems to have beaten the Weaponer, but instead of killing him . . he offers him a position on his Corps. The Weaponer is now a Yellow Lantern. And . . there's another question I have about the end of this story. When Sinestro and the rest of his Corps head back to Earth . . including the Weaponer . . it appears that the White Lantern net is no longer attached to his shield. So . . where is it? He may have it. It's never really explained that he doesn't. But when we see him last, it doesn't appear to still be attached to his shield. So . . where is it? Hopefully that will all be explained in the Firestorm part of this story. But, we also find out at the end, from Ganthet, that not only do they face Scar when they return to Earth, but also . . Krona. Remember when, way back when, the JLA were tricked into believing that he was still in his other dimensional prison? Firestorm appeared to be the only one that suspected things to be different. Anyways, this is all leading into the next big storyline . . War of the Green Lanterns. The first part of this group of books . . the Revolt of the Alpha-Lanterns, is brought to us by Tony Bedard, with Adrian Syaf and Vicente Cifuentes doing the art. And it really does look fantastic. The Weaponer storyline is also brought to us by Tony, but with Tyler Kirkman and Batt doing the art. It looks just as good. The thing I like about this book is the diversity of characters. There are so many great, and interesting characters here. And it appears that Tony is going to introduce us to as many of them as possible. And now that Hal and Guy each have their own books, we get to see more of Kyle, John and the rest in this one. This book is a great read . . and an action-packed thrill-ride through each of it's pages. I look forward to it every month.

Green Lantern Corps #50 - DC

This issue goes a long way to fill us in on what brought Hank Henshaw, the Cyborg Superman, to this position. As far as the Green Lanterns knew, Hank was destroyed during the Sinestro wars. Well it appears that the Manhunters had a design for him, so . . they reanimated him . . as their Grandmaster. Well, all Hank wanted was sweet oblivion, so since he was mad about them cheating him out of this, he shut them off. He then found himself wandering the galaxy until he happened back upon Earth. This was right at the end of Blackest Night. When he saw Nekron, he saw his chance to escape his agony. But . . since he didn't have an actual heart, he was invisible to the Black Lanterns, and obviously Nekron. He left before it was all over, and was convinced that this would be the end of all life. But he didn't want to be alone . . again. So he was going to reactivate his Manhunters. But when he returned he found another there. I think it was Scar. I might be wrong, but . . that's who it looks like. Basically he told Hank that if he were to take control of the Alpha-Lanterns, and create more . . it would draw the attention of the Guardians. And the Guardians were . .'one group of heartless beings that death did acknowledge'. So that's what this is all about. And he went to Grenda, obviously, because it's a planet full of mechanical life-forms. Beings he could easily control. However, now they're all in hiding. And Hank is trying to draw Ganthet's power out of him. While Kyle, John and Soranik have found where all the Grendan's are hiding. Again, I have a couple of questions here. First, how can Hank possibly think that he can overpower a Guardian. Even if he does siphon off his power, Ganthet has been at this a lot longer than Hank. I'm sure he knows how to control his power and ebb it's flow. Secondly, when all of this is done and over . . obviously Hank's not going to be triumphant in all this . . what's going to happen to all these Alpha-Lanterns? They started out as a special squad created by the Guardians. But now? Now they're probably a Corps unto themselves. I have a feeling that when this is all over it's going to change the face of the Corps. Which is fine. I like it when things change. It's the nature of life. It's really the only constant. Except in comics. But . . that seems to be changing a bit. Only the future will tell. Anyways, this book is brought to us by Tony Bedard, with Adrian Syaf and Vicente Cifuentes on the art. All of whom did a terrific job. The beautiful covers are by Syaf and Cifuentes on one, with Patrick Gleason and John Dell doing the variant. This is a great book and I'm thrilled that it's lasted as long as it has. I just hope it keeps going.

Green Lantern Corps #49 - DC

There appears to be a little bit of deception going on inside of the Green Lantern Corps right now. Alpha Lantern Boodikka and John Stewart are on their way to Grenda, a robot planet, to find out why all communication was lost with them 2 days ago. The Drill Instructor Grel is also from this planet. He recently came here, also to find out what was going on, but he was also cut off from communication. So Boodikka asked John Stewart to help her with a stealthy infiltration of the planet. However, he soon finds out that first Boodikka is no longer answering to the Guardians. 'We no longer obey the Guardians. We answer to a higher power now.' Meanwhile, back on OA, Kyle is having a bit of his own trouble. But it's really all in his mind. He's with Sora now, but . . with Jade back, he can't help thinking about her. Unfortunately, he's made that kind of apparent to Sora. It doesn't matter what planet they're from, women don't like the ghosts of girlfriends past. But before they can resolve their issue, Ganthet shows up. He needs their help. But he also needs their faith. He comes seeking help for a problem that may not be there. There appears to be no real threat, but . . 'I found something exceedingly strange. Every single Alpha-Lantern has departed OA.' Which prompts Sora and Kyle to realize that they've noticed a lot of new Alpha-Lanterns lately. They also start searching for them, and upon realizing that John was with Boodikka on a mission, check his last location. The rings can't contact him, but . . his last location was Grenda. The 3 of them head of to Grenda. Long story short . . it turns out the Hank Henshaw, the Cyborg Superman, appears to be behind this little uprising. We got a hint of that on the very fist page, but . . until the end when you realized what was going on. Also, in the anti-matter universe, the Weaponers of Qward are looking at the energy construct that Boston Brand left behind when he was recently here to fight the Anti-Monitor. It's made of the White energy of his ring, so . . they're looking at it an unknown power-source. It's probably something that shouldn't fall into their hands. Tony Bedard is the writer of this book now. And as I've said before, I think he does a fantastic job with team book. Between his writing and Adrian Syaf's art, I think this book may reach new heights once again. Not that it hasn't been spectacular ever since the relaunch of this title, but . . I was worried with Peter J Tomasi and Patrick Gleason both leaving. Now? Now I don't think we have anything to worry about. Tony and Adrian are both doing a terrific job. Plus Patrick does the variant cover.

Green Lantern Corps #48 - DC

I consider an issue like this to be a 'life' issue. We see some of the remnants of existing storylines . . some wrapping up, some tidying up . . while at the same time new storylines are just beginning. Much like life. It's in a constant state of change, and things come, and things go. When it comes down to it . . we're just along for the ride. Anyways, it appears that Ganthet is recruiting for some type of mission. He's already got Guy working with him, and together they go to approach Atrocitus. We don't know what it is exactly, but . . Guy is certain that it will end he and Hal's friendship. Also . . it requires sacrifice. To that end, Ganthet has relinquished his status as a Guardian. Instead he chooses to be the Green Lantern of sector 0 . . OA. I assume it's because he wants to work outside of the Guardian's purview. Because it's not like he needs a ring for power. And he's not the first to leave their ranks . . Appa Ali Apsa, Scar, Syad. But . . he is the first one to resign 'officially'. Anyways, rebuilding, demolition and other stuff is going on around the planet. And Corps members are still recuperating from their recent battles. That's where we find Hraalkar, a rookie . . resting. But he's disturbed by Varix, an Alpha Lantern whom is apparently recruiting him. Shortly after his partner Glibberquip, also a rookie, express' concern about his disappearance. But Salaak can't seem to find him. But then somehow he stumbles across him. Hraalkar is with the Green Man and Varix. And it looks like he's already been turned into an Alpha Lantern. Now they want to recruit Glibberquip. It appears that they're either trying to build their own Corps, or . . they're trying to steal members from the Guardians. Which makes Boodikka's request for John Stewart's help a little suspicious. It appears that the entire population of Grenda, in space-sector 3009, has disappeared. It's Stel's home planet, so he went to investigate. But now he's gone also. So Boodikka is going to take a look, and she's asked for John's help. We see them heading off of OA. But now I gotta wonder if John isn't heading into some type of trap . . of sorts. Afterall, he was one of the first people picked to be an Alpha Lantern. But he refused it. I thought it was a good issue. Some of the stuff seems connected, some doesn't. But it's just like life . . everything just keeps moving forward, no matter what. It also appears that we've changed our creative staff here. Tony Bedard is writing this series now. With Adrian Syaf doing the art. I liked it. They're both very talented. Also . . beautiful cover by Rodolfo Migliari.

Green Lantern Corps #47 - DC

Well . . the Corps is trying to put itself back together. As far as the everyday stuff . . the Power Battery, the buildings . . the cosmetic part of the job . . they're almost back to 100%. Hey . . when you put a bunch of guys and gals with rings to work . . they can accomplish stuff pretty fast. Especially when it's just putting stuff back together. But as far as the more empirical things . . the relationships, the trust, the well being of the Corps . . well, that kind of stuff is going to take a little more time. And much more effort on everyone's part . . especially the Guardians. Right now the Guardians are the head of a not very well liked dictatorship. Don't get me wrong, they've made a lot of good decisions, but . . from here on out . . everyone of their bad ones, and actually every decision going forward, is going to be scrutinized and second-guessed. We start out with a good one. The Green Lanterns that didn't make it through the latest crisis have been laid to rest on Mogo. And Mogo, in turn has created a living memoriam to them . . a giant tree. With each of the leaves representing a fallen Lantern. This is also accompanied by an eternal flame. Then, because the crisis is over, and the depletion of their ranks, Lantern Salaak has lifted the moratorium on the redistribution and forging of Power Rings. OA, and the Green Lantern Corps, will shortly receive it's first batch of new recruits. Kyle, who was previously going to scratch his mural, because it had been destroyed in all the carnage, has decided, with Sora's advice and love, to redouble his efforts to complete it because now it represents the history of the Corps and pays homage to the fallen. It's a sort of 'memory wall' if you will. And they both feel that it's something that the new recruits are going to need. Kilowog has decided to step down as Drill Instructor. He's just tired of having to bury so many of his trainee's. And . . he's just tired period. From here on out he'll just be a plain 'ol Green Lantern. But he has chosen his successor . . Lantern Stel. Also, Isomot has helped his buddy Vath recover by giving him his own legs. Since Isomat does possess regenerative powers, he figured it was the least he could do. Plus, Vath would do the same for him. The problem is this . . Isomat is from Rann, while Vath is Thanagarian. I think deep down Isomat appreciates the gesture, but . . he knows that if found out, his own people will cast him out. Even though these 2 have worked through their issues, the Thanagarians are still deeply despised by the Rannians. Also, Guy and Kyle lead the charge on a little Q & A session demanded of the Guardians. They're questioning a lot of the Guardians recent decisions. First of all Arisia is mad about the fate of Sodam Yat. He had to give his life to save the people of Daxam when he used his power to turn their sun yellow. But they find out most of that was Scar's doing. They're also not happy about the Alpha Lanterns. And . . they're demanding the repeal of the third law. You know, the one about relationships between members of the Corps. Kyle makes an impassioned plea, and there's a little debate between the Guardians and Salaak, after the rest of the Lanterns leave. I don't know which was the deciding factor, but . . the Guardians do indeed repeal the law. And finally, Guy and Kyle sit down to figure out how, and why, they're going to put Warriors back together. I thought it was a great 'wrap-up' issue. I think it pretty much covered most of the loose ends. Even though not everything was resolved, we are shown that it's all acknowledged and a work in progress. Peter Tomasi did a great job of keeping everything on track, and organized. And this also leads into his new series, Emerald Warriors, coming out in August. Patrick Gleason's art, as usual, was spot on. He has really become the defining factor of this series and these characters. I think he's done a tremendous job of representing each of these various species and giving them their own unique look and personality. I enjoyed the original Green Lantern Corps, and Green Lantern Corps Quarterly that followed up the end of the original Green Lantern series. But . . I think this series has taken the concept so much further. With this series, I think these characters are definitely on track towards reaching their full potential. It's a terrific effort by all involved. Thanks!!

Green Lantern Corps #46 - DC

I've been dreading doing this review, and . . I think that's why I've put this one off for a couple of days. To be perfectly honest . . I wasn't blown away by this one. It was . . ok. But . . there really was only a couple of pages that, for me, really progressed the story. We start out with the Green Lantern Corps defending the atmosphere of Earth from a plethora of Black Lanterns heading towards it from . . well, everywhere in the galaxy. We've learned that Earth is actually the planet from which all life sprang, and the entity that resides within it . . a being of white light . . is the ultimate protector of the universe. Or . . the final spectrum of the universal power . . the emotional power of light. Anyways, all of this has been kept a secret by the Guardians. Nekron, however . . I assume because his black/death theme is the antithesis of the white entity . . knew what was going on and has set Earth . . or more specifically Coast City, as the staging area for his big battle. His Normandy, if you will. But we knew all of that coming into this story. The first 18 pages of this story are spent with Kyle and Guy fighting the Black Lantern versions of their lost loves . . Alex and Tora. We know that Alex died. Obviously. But . . I'm guessing that Guy doesn't know about Nekron using the heroes that have been resurrected by controlling them through his power of death. Which they've all tasted. Luckily he doesn't lash out at Tora to bad, so . . when Nekron is defeated, hopefully she'll return to normal. So . . that was all . . ok. But . . we knew that it was coming, so . . it didn't really move the story along. It was just another aspect. That seems to have been the major theme of this epic story-line . . heroes being forced to faced the loved ones they've lost or wronged. But . . since the added the extra 8 pages directly to this story, the final pages of the book are spent dealing with the real issue in this tale . . the return of the Anti-Monitor. Well . . kind of. It seems that Nekron has not only found the Anti-Monitor, but has gathered him up, put him into his Black Power Battery, and is siphoning off his power. We don't really know why, yet . . but, I'm guessing that this is the chink in Nekron's armor. If they can figure out how to separate the Anti-Monitor from the Power Battery, hopefully Nekron will be diminished enough that he'll be beatable. And . . they give it the ol' college try. Unfortunately it's just not good enough. They seem to knock out the Anti-Monitor. I'd say that they've killed him, but . . I don't know that's necessarily the truth. But . . even unconscious, they can't get him separated from the battery. And that is how the issue ends . . with Kyle and Guy's technicolored emotional Lantern army getting ready to charge the Black Battery. I don't think that Peter J Tomasi necessarily did a bad job here. But . . he probably was only allowed to take the story so far, since issue #8 of Blackest Night comes out in a few weeks. I'm sure his hands were tied even more than normal. And I still think that Patrick Gleason does a fantastic job with his depiction of these numerous alien races. Like I said, I just wasn't thrilled with the progress of the story here. There really wasn't any. I'm just hoping that Blackest Night #8 has a revelation on every page because we're going to need all of that momentum to wrap this one up. I guess I'm just disappointed because this book has made so much progress. But then this month, it's stuck playing second fiddle to everything else . . again. I just don't want to see it fall back into that role. But I'm probably over reacting. It's probably better to wait and wrap up this story-line, and then . . then we'll see what the future holds for this title. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Green Lantern Corps #45 - DC

Last issue everyone banded together to save Kyle . . to bring him back to life. Guy even put on a Red Ring to help him do so. However, now that Kyle's back . . now everyone has to turn their attention and save Guy. The problem is . . Guy is fighting back. I mean, Guy was already a hot-head. But now? Now the Red Ring has really taken him over the top. And the other problem is . . in their attempt to help him, they obviously have to use their rings . . and a lot of force. So all the anger that Guy is feeling . . it's now directed at those that are trying to save him. So . . it's kind of hard to save somebody who's trying to kill you. In fact at one point Kilowog tries to convince Kyle that the only way to save Guy is to kill him. Finally, it takes about 6 of the Lanterns pooling all of their power to even get him restrained. One of the Indigo tribe tells him that the Red Lanterns influence is in his blood now. 'The Red Ring is unlike our rings. It does not simply slip off and on. Once it finds a host, it does not relinquish it's grip. They are bonded until . . . the host is dead.' However there is one hope. 'The light of a Blue Lantern can cleanse a corrupted soul and obliterate a Red Ring.' But again, they're problem is Guy. The longer they hold him contained, the madder he's getting . . which just makes him more powerful. It's only a matter of time until even their combined power will be unable to hold him. It isn't until they're really about to give up, and kill Guy, before Mogo finally steps in. He reaches up and pulls Guy down into his eco-system. 'I am now immersing Guy in a nutrient bath to keep his body from going into shock. His entire blood supply . . is about to be filtered at super-speed. Lantern Gardner's blood will become my blood.' They all watch as the leech like creatures burrow into Guy's body. Sora notices . .'They're like super-antibodies . . attacking not only corrupted vital organs, but each and every cell in his body.' Finally he reemerges . . looking and acting the the old Guy. However, Mogo warns him that he still has some of the Red influence in his blood. In order to be completely eradicate the exposure, he has to find one of the Blue Lanterns. They're the only ones that can reverse the process. But, before they can do anything, the Indigo tribe has sent out a warning that everything is about to culminate back on Earth. All the Lanterns across the Universe are being asked to gather there to solidify their power. And like that . . everyone is off to Earth. My only problem with the whole thing is that when they had Guy contained, the Indigo Tribe guy said that he didn't have enough power to transport Kyle and Guy to one of the Blue Lanterns. But then when the warning is issued . . the rest of the Indigo Tribe gathers to transport everyone back to Earth. I questioned that, but . . I guess it was just part of the story. Anyways, I thought that this was another great issue by Peter J Tomasi and Patrick Gleason. It was brilliantly written and expertly drawn. There's really nothing else I can say that I haven't said before. So, my advice? Get out there, pick up this book, and see how this story ends.

Green Lantern Corps #44 - DC

Well, it looks like Mogo has stepped up and saved OA and the Central Power Battery. It seems, at some time, he was given a primacy directive by the Guardians. Basically, he pulls himself into close proximity of OA, and then increases his gravitational force exponentially. In order to do so though, he has to temporarily interrupt the power-rings of all the Green Lanterns that are trying to defend the planet. Every living thing is pulled off of OA and sent on a collision course with Mogo. It looks like everyone is in a hazardous descent towards the planet, but . . Mogo stops the Green Lanterns re-entry shortly before impact. The rest of the Black Lanterns? They're absorbed into Mogo's surface. 'All the Black Lanterns will be pulled through each stratum of my being. They will be torn asunder and diffused. Sifted into atoms. Until all that is left of them . . will be drawn to the center of my core . . where they will forever be superheated and prevented from re-forming. In other words, my fellow Lanterns . . they will burn for all eternity.' Well . . I guess that's one way of getting rid of the infection. However, while all of this was going on, Guy still has a Red Lantern Ring on his left hand. Kyle tries to talk to him . . let him know that he's not dead. But Guy appears to be to far gone. He won't believe what he's seeing. And he can't get past the rage that the Red ring is feeding him. But Kyle refuses to give up on him. Next issue the Green Lantern Corps needs to get to the task of rebuilding OA and the Central Power Battery. However, it looks like they're all going to have to take on Guy before that can happen. I think Peter J Tomasi is doing an incredible job with this series. I love his take on these characters, and this army. I also love Patrick Gleason's work as the penciller. I definitely don't think this guy gets enough credit. He draws some incredible visuals for this book. And . . we're getting near the end. Blackest Night is almost over. Only 2 more issues. And then? . . . Brightest Day! But I don't necessarily think that's the end. I think it's more like the beginning of the rebuilding. Plus . . we're going to get an awful lot of stuff in the next 2 months. Buckle up. I think the ride is about to get extremely bumpy.

Green Lantern Corps #43 - DC

What a great book. At the end of last issue we saw Kyle get killed in an explosion. He knew that it was gonna blow, but he wanted to take out as many of the Black Lanterns in the process as he could. So he sacrificed himself to give the rest of the Corps some breathing room. Now? Now Natu is trying to save him, and Guy has gone over the edge. Because of his rage for everything that's going on, not to mention losing his best friend . . a Red Lantern ring found Guy, and he accepted it gladly. So while Guy is trying to single handedly take out the Black Lanterns, pretty much everyone else is working by Natu's side to give her the time she needs to try to save Kyle. Even Munk, from the Indigo Tribe is right there to help. There is, after all, a whole bunch of severed Black Rings that are looking for a new host . . and with Kyle being recently deceased, they're attacking like piranhas. She needs all the help she can get to keep them off him. In the end though its a Star Sapphire that saves Kyle's life. She uses her power to share Natu's heart with Kyle, and Kyle's heart with Natu. They're even more connected now than they've ever been. Anyways, the Star Sapphire in on OA because she's brought Kryb to try to reunite him with his children. However, once they arrive they find out that they've already been killed and transformed into Black Lanterns. Although, my question is . . why is this so important? Kryb is all upset, but then the Star Sapphire can't stay to help him because she's called away on a mission of love . .'The heart is being attacked in sector zero. Death looks to extinguish eternal love.' Of course they're talking about Kyle and Natu. So then in all of his anger and rage Guy comes across Kryb and starts beating the crap out of him. Is he going to unwittingly turn Kryb into a Black Lantern? Maybe once Kryb does, because of the connection with the 'babies', the love for them will over power the Black Ring's influence. I don't know. I'm just guessing. But there has to be something important to the whole Kryb thing. I just don't know what it is. Anyways, after the Star Sapphires intervention Kyle does indeed rejoin the land of the living. But his first priority is to go save his buddy Guy and get that Red Ring off of him. But before they can do so . . Mogo shows up. 'I guess Mogo does socialize after all.' I thought this was a great issue of Green Lantern Corps. The Black Lanterns are still around . . still menacing, but . . at least we don't have to see much of them. Peter J Tomasi did a great job with the story and with handling the characters. And of course Patrick Gleason has made this book his own. I think this title is every bit as strong as the regular Green Lantern book.

Green Lantern Corps #42 - DC

It really looks like all is lost for the Corps this issue. Even with the help of another Indigo Tribe member, Munk, it's just not enough to stop the onslaught of these Black Lanterns. Also, it seems that when the Black Lanterns kill another, by eating their hearts, it increases their power levels. Well, with this assault on OA, it appears that they've absorbed enough to reach 100%. Once that happens they no longer seem focused on the outlets of the energy, the green light, but rather it's source . . the central power battery. They'll fight when provoked, but . . death and destruction no longer seem to be their motivating force. They all seem to gather together, creating a giant construct, that is literally ripping the battery from it's foundation. A few various attacks are attempted. Kyle grabs one of the sciencells and drops Red Lantern Vice right into the middle of the fray. He does quite a bit of damage, but . . the problem is Alpha Lantern Chaselon, rather than working with the Corps, feels that the Alpha Lanterns are the only ones capable of rectifying the situation. And even with what's going on, he can't abide a Red Lantern loose on OA. So he exterminates him. Since he's now in the middle of the fray he's overwhelmed by Black Lanterns and his shell is cracked, exposing the Alpha Lanterns power source. A source that is now compromised and on the verge of destruction. Kyle, knowing what is going to happen, scoops up the Alpha Lantern's lantern, and flies with it straight into the middle of the conflagration. He puts up a dome to contain as many as possible. And is at ground zero as the lantern goes terminal. He takes out a whole lot of Black Lanterns, but . . . 'Ring status report. Green Lantern 2814 deceased. Priority directive located. Moratorium on sentient ring replacement. Proceed to space sector 2261.' That's it? Kyle is dead? Say it isn't so! Now I know why that next cover shows Guy becoming a Red Lantern. He probably is going to allow it to happen in order to avenge his buddy. Wow! What a powerful issue. I can't believe that after all this time, his replacing Hal, his temporarily becoming ION . . I can't believe Kyle is gone. And if so, what's with the ring not immediately attempting to find a replacement, but instead heading to sector 2261? What's up with that? Anyways, another fantastic issue by Peter J Tomasi and Patrick Gleason. And did you check out that awesome variant cover by Greg Horn. I guess Greg has signed on to do a lot of covers for DC. So we'll be seeing more and more of his work. This was a great issue and a fantastic story. I can't wait to see what happens next.

Green Lantern Corps #41 - DC

Well . . it doesn't appear that things are getting any easier for any of our favorite Corps members. And we see a lot of them this issue. This whole issue takes place, pretty much, right on OA. First we see Iolande and Soranik trying to save their fellow Corps members that have been hurt and are stuck in the infirmary. The only thing that appear very different about their attack is that at one point Soranik is getting engulfed in this giant black skull. I'm not sure if that was one of the Black Lanterns she blew apart reforming, or if it was some other manifestation entirely by the black rings. Anyways, they end up beating them down long enough to gather up all their fellow members, and then they decide to take them to 'The only place I know where they'll be safe . . Mogo.' But hasn't Mogo been compromised also? I guess we'll find out next issue. Meanwhile, Guy is fighting Ke'haan, on of the lost lanterns. He's intent on finding out what the black rings are doing to their corpses. So when he takes Ke'haan out, he takes a piece of him with him to study. On their way off of OA, Soranik sees Kyle fighting with another Black Lantern. She goes back to help him and comes face to face with Jade. Meanwhile, Arisia is having some family issues of her own . . literally. All of her previous family members, that have been Lanterns, are trying to take her out. They end up crashing into the Hall of Lanterns, and it's the holograms of her family . . how they used to be . . how they should be remembered . . it's those holograms that finally give her the strength and the will to fight back. Also we see Killowog fighting Lantern Ermey. He was Killowog's trainer and mentor. He's really messing with Killowog's head, and in the end it looks like Ermey's going to take his heart. And our last batch, Vath and Isamot, really seemed to be overwhelmed by the teaming ranks of the Black Lanterns. It appears certain that they're going down. Especially when these creepy looking kids show up . . the Children of the Corps. 'We wanna eat . . and we wanna eat now! Yum, yum eat him up!' But then at the last second, a member of the Indigo Tribe arrives to save them. There's a lot of banter back and forth between the Green Lanterns and the Black Lanterns. To me . . none of that seems very important. Basically they're just pushing their buttons. However, I think it is important to note that during those conversations a lot of secrets and emotions are coming to light. I know they're just stroking their emotions to fuel their rings, but . . I think there's going to be a lot of collateral damage done here that we're not really going to see or notice until after all the fighting is done. Right now they all have this common purpose . . to defeat the Black Lanterns. But when all the minutia quiets . . and they have more time to reflect . . I think they're all going to remember, and think about all the things that have been revealed during the course of these confrontations. I have a feeling that friendships and teamwork are going to be stretched mighty thin. This was another fantastic issue by Peter J Tomasi and Patrick Gleason.

Green Lantern Corps #40 - DC

It's more murder and mayhem on the grand scale that is the Blackest Night. I keep wanting to say Darkest Night for some reason. But . . whatever. Anyways, as you can see by the cover, Jade is back. But that seems to be the theme with the Black Lantern's attacks. Despite who or what came back, or who attacked who . . it seems like the Black Ring's attacks are very specific and orchestrated. In every instance it seems that it's the friends and families of the living that are attacking them. It seems to be the ones that can stir up the most emotion. So far the only person I've seen not be touched by all of this emotion is Kyle. He's confronted by Jade, and he listens to her talk. But all the while he's studying her and trying to figure out how to take her out. He's knows that it's not really Jade, and he won't stand for this obscene imitation. However, once he exposes her, and she really tries to sink her teeth into him . . does he have enough strength to overcome the attack? Anyways, that's what's basically happening all over the place to every member of the Corps. But, a couple of things I've noticed is . . when the Black Lanterns attack, it appears that they can see all of the various emotions in the counterparts. And they're showing up as the different colors of the spectrum . . much like the rings. Also, either this emotion, or this light seems to be powering them. The more they see and affect, the more powerful they become. It's my guess that somehow they have to get to the point where they're fighting them without emotion. Maybe they have to switch up targets so there's no emotional connection. However, that doesn't stem the problem of them swelling their ranks by killing everyone they can. They kill 'em, they ring 'em, and then they come back for the other side. There has to be some way to stop that whole process. Also, there's a couple of interesting developments this issue. The Lanterns go into the Planetary Citadel to find out what the Guardians are doing. That's when they find them all held by some kind of black-goo. They also notice that one of them is missing. I don't think they know it's Scab yet, but . . hopefully they'll make the connection soon. Anyways, the Alpha Lanterns immediately try to take control of the Corps, but Salaak stands up to them. He reminds them that the Guardians protocol for leadership falls on the Clarissi and then the Illustres. Salaak is the current Clarissi, and Guy and Kyle are the Illustres. That puts them in charge of the Corps. We also see that a Star Sapphire has come to Kryb's aid. He escaped the crystals of Zamaron to try to retrieve his 'children', but now he can no longer hear them. He agrees to go back to Zamaron after he saves them, so the Star Sapphire has agreed to help. But when they return to Vdra, they find nothing there. I think their alliance is going to prove to be much more important than it appears right now. We're only seeing the affects of the Black Lanterns right now. We don't know their purpose, ultimate goal, or even who's behind the whole thing. We know that the Black Hand and Scab are involved, but I think they're just generals. We haven't seen the true genius behind this madness yet. This issue is brought to us by Peter J Tomasi and Patrick Gleason. Who both do an exemplary job. Plus we get these fantastic covers by Patrick and Billy Tucci. This is a great book. If you're not reading it . . I don't know why!

Green Lantern Corps #39 - DC

This book is every bit as dark as Blackest Night. Kyle and Guy are heading back to OA after the events of Blackest Night #1. They left for OA immediately after Tribute Day so . . they don't know of the 'outbreak' that's happening all over the Earth. On the way back they run in to Natu and Iolande also on their way back to OA from Korugar. They too left at just the right time because they have no knowledge of Mongul's arrival and subjugation of the entire planet. After the Daxamites gained their powers . . when Sodam Yat turned their sun yellow . . Mongul decided it wasn't worth the effort to try to keep the planet. So he needed a new planet for his base of operations. So what better planet than that of the person he succeeded . . Sinestro. Although he tells the people of Korugar that his operations are now called . .' the Mongul corps!'. And speaking of the people of Daxam. Now that they have their powers . . Senator Diro has some words for Arisia. "We now have powers . . powers to protect ourselves from aliens . . all aliens. We want you and your ring off our world." Anyways our quartet come upon the swarm of black rings heading towards OA. They try to stop them but are ineffectual. So instead the speed up their trip to beat the rings and warn the Corps. They get there just in time, but the rings aren't attacking. Instead they head straight for the crypts. Every dead Lantern laid to rest on OA is now in service of the Black Lantern Corps. The issue ends with Kyle coming face to face with . . Jade. This was another fantastic issue by Peter J Tomasi and Patrick Gleason. I love this book. I love the plethora of characters in it. With the Guardians not around to help the Corps, or offer guidance . . it'll be interesting to see how this attack is handled. If it can be.

Blackest Night: Tales of the Corps #3 - DC

First of all, I can't believe that no one has pictures of these 'variant' covers posted yet. They're some great covers, but unless you paid $25 for the issues, you don't get to see what they look like. I think that's sad. Anyways, we get some origin stories this issue. We actually get to see Kilowog's origin. Well . . not exactly the origin, but . . we do pick up on his story from the first days of him being recruited into the Corps. We find out that he was recruited around the same time as Tomar-re. I didn't actually think that he had been in the Corps that long. Anyways, he's put through the paces by his drill instructor, Lantern Ermey. He's actually the one that came up with the term 'Poozer'. "That's what I call useless rookies, Poozer. Especially you, Brillolog from planet Ballowax!" He kind of reminds me of Guy Gardner. Anyways, we see from this story that there's going to be some personal demons Kilowog is going to have to face with these Black Lanterns . . including his fellow recruits and Lantern Ermey. That should prove interesting. This story was brought to us by Peter J Tomasi and Chris Samnee. Next we get the origin of Arisia. On her world, the Lantern heritage stayed within the same family. Brother, Uncle, Cousin . . whatever. At the beginning of the story Arisia's father is their current Green Lantern, and he's doing everything he can to train his daughter and prepare her for her destiny. However, when he dies, her Uncle takes up the mantle first. Then sadly, and joyously, he Uncle dies and she assumes the ring. The people that she's going to have to face are going to be members of her own family. How sick is that? This story was also by Peter, with Mike Mayhew doing the art. It really looked incredible. Finally, for the third story, we see the sketch pages of Blackest Night #0, with director commentary by Geoff Johns, Editor Eddie Berganza and Associate Editor Adam Schlagman. I thought it was fantastic. First of all, the pencil drawing by Ivan Reis were just incredible. I can't believe how talented this guy is, and I'm glad that others are finally starting to notice. Ivan is really an artist in every sense of the word. I also liked all the commentary because it game me some insight into subtle nuances and 'themes' that I hadn't realized. Especially when Eddie comments, "It's ironic that the fastest man alive needs to catch up." Barry and Hal are the main characters of this story, but the dark and light of the DCU are what the really theme is. This is exemplified by Batman and Green Lantern. But we get a hint that the Flash, Barry, and the Atom are going to play big parts in all of this. And that Green Lantern #44 is a very important issue. It's funny when Eddie asks Geoff how he came up with the Oath. "I started backward with 'the Dead shall rise'." "The Blackest Night fall from the skies . . the darkness grows as all light dies . . we crave your hears and your demise . . by my Black Hand . . the dead shall rise!" And finally Geoff reveals, "Scar is our corrupted Guardian. Scar is nothing compared to the being behind the Black Lanterns." I don't usually like when stuff is reprinted . . especially this soon after coming out, but . . I thoroughly enjoyed it this time. First of all, not everyone had access to it . . 'Free Comic-book Day' and all. The pencil drawings were incredible, and . . the commentary really shed a lot of light onto the whole project. I thought it was fantastic.

Blackest Night - Tales of the Corps #2 - DC

As with last issue, this chapter again focus' on 3 different spectrums of the emotional conflagration beginning to consume the universe. Last issue we got Blue, Yellow and Indigo. This issue we see Red, Purple and Orange. Leaving only Green and Black for our third installment . . the principal proponents in this ageless cosmic battle. We start out with the Red Lanterns. The creepy thing about this story is the complete transfiguration that this character goes through from the beginning to the end of this tale . . both physically and emotionally. We start out with, basically, an angel, Bleez . . a beautiful, feminine angel that is like royalty on the planet Havania. However, the Sinestro Corps arrive and quickly subjugate everyone, regardless of class. It is during this effrontery to her lineage, and the humiliation cast upon her, that her chief captor decides to fulfill his baser instincts also. It's during this debasing experience that her rage becomes so all consuming that she is sought out by a red ring. She's now gone from the greatest heights to the depths of depravity as she becomes Atrocitus' newest recruit. "Bleez no longer knows freedom. Nor pain. But she will always know rage. Because hate creates hate. And that is it's true power." A fantastic story by Geoff Johns and Eddy Barrows. Next we see the Star Sapphires desperate attempt to re-recruit Carol Ferris as it's greatest Avatar. Geoff again does this tale, that is beautifully illustrated by Gene Ha. We revisit a little of Carol's history, and a peak into her true feelings . . her passions. In the end . . it was inevitable. I think Carol just wanted to resist . . the ironic fruit of her passions, or . . she just wanted to make the Star Sapphires work for it. Either way, she returns, I believe, as their general . . they offer her their army to lead. "Love will conquer all!" And finally we get a look at Agent Orange and his one man Corps. The avarice of this spectrum is so strong that it's only physical member, Larfleeze, assimilates and consumes all of it's recruits and converts them to constructs of his design simply because he can't bear to share anything that he's gained or garnered with another being. The emotion of his spectrum is the design of his singularity and inevitably feeds upon itself . . further perpetuating his solitude. Sorry! That just came out like that. But I think my brain got a cramp doing it. Anyways this one is brought to us by Peter J Tomasi and Tom Mandrake. On the splash pages by Geoff and Doug Mahnke we see the Black Lantern Corps. It's a neat picture, but it doesn't really show us anything new. On the Star Sapphire page, I noticed that there's a Lost Sapphire listed that we haven't learned about yet. However, on the final pages, Ethan Van Sciver gives us some insight into the designing of the various symbols for the different spectrums. It's interesting, but on the top of the page is some sketches by him of some of the members of the Black Lanterns. They include Aquaman, Deadman, Superman, Firestorm, and of course J'onn. The thing I think I like the most about this epic adventure that we're beginning to depart on is that the path and conclusion of this tale is not predictable. Like so many other comic book 'epics', this isn't a tale of simple black & white . . or, I guess I should say, in this instance, a tale of black & green. I don't think the 'good guys' are necessarily going to win this. And right now, with all the secrecy and manipulation by the Guardians, we aren't really even sure who the 'good guys' even are anymore. Over the course of this tale . . things could go a lot of different directions. And I think what were going to see is that the more we think we know . . the more were going to realize that we don't know.

Blackest Night - Tales of the Corps #1 - DC

I had seen this book in the postings, but I guess I had just never really thought about it. I was surprised when I saw it in the stack of new books. Basically this title serves to fill us in on the rest of the Corps . . the other various spectrum's, and the members therein. The first chapter is about the Blue Lantern Corps, and specifically Saint Walker. We start with Larfleeze attacking Odym, the Blue Lantern's home. He want a Blue ring. Saint Walker is trying to explain to him why it won't work for him, he's not a creature of 'hope'. As he's doing so, he thinks back to his greatest test of 'hope' . . he's thinking of what he went through shortly before becoming a Blue Lantern . . before he was chosen. Geoff Johns writes all of these stories, with various artist. Jerry Ordway does this chapter. It wasn't as exciting as what we've seen recently in the Green Lantern books, but . . it was interesting, and informative. I think it's kind of a respite before the storm. As we go through the book, Geoff and Doug Mahnke do splash pages of the various corps, and we see some of their members. I thought it was interesting that on the Blue Lantern page it's members included Sister Mercy. She was introduced to us during the Crisis, but I wasn't aware that she had become a member. Next we see Mongul as a boy. He acts and plays like any other boy, except for his penchant for death, domination and omnipotence. His father returns from a trip and disciplines him for building an idol to himself. "There is only one being on this planet deserving of veneration. And it is not you, boy. Understand?" He has been chastised, but he still thinks . . "Suns will soon shudder at my coming. And one day, the stars will run red. I am content. For now." There's nothing like an 8 year old megalomaniac. This chapter is brought to us by Geoff and Chris Samnee. And finally we get a look at the Indigo Tribe, by Geoff and Rags Morales. The indigo tribe are as yet undiscovered. Their language is untranslatable, so we don't really know what their powers are. We see one of the Green Lanterns, and one of the Sinestro Corps that have spilled their fight over onto their planet. I'm not sure if they absorb powers or just manipulate them. But they dispatch both members with equal ease. The Green Lantern goes out quieter, but I think that's because he was already injured. The Sinestro Corps member fights back, and their leader, a woman, takes him out with equal prejudice. It looks as if she feels no emotion either way afterwards. It kind of had the same feeling as if they were walking across a field and came across 2 new flowers . . and then picked them, because they were there. This is a 3 issue mini. It'll be interesting to see what happens next issue as we saw 4 of the 7 Corps this issue alone. We didn't get a tale from the Green Lantern Corps, but . . they did have a splash page. So, the storm has begun. And with 2 $25 variant covers this week . . I have a feeling that it's going to be an expensive one. I guess there was a 1 in 250 cover available for the Blackest Night book. Yikes! I'm glad I didn't see that one.

Green Lantern Corps #38 - DC

First of all, check out these 2 amazing covers. The one on the right is by Patrick Gleason, and the one one the left is by Glenn Fabry. They're both phenomenal. Peter J Tomasi is really doing an incredible job with this series. This issue, the break-out at the sci-cells is pretty much wrapped up, and the Alpha-Lanterns are taking all of the escaped prisoners of to new quarters. Meanwhile, Kilowog, and the rest of the Lanterns are left cleaning up OA. It's buildings and it's people. The problem is, right now, everybody is pretty shaken up because the battery-shell around OA has been shaken apart by the children of the white-lobe. Kilowog has to be the voice of reason and try to get everybody back on task. Meanwhile, on Korugar, Soranik is trying to deal with her recent revelation that she is the daughter of Sinestro. Her and Iolande are trying to figure out how she's going to deal with this information. And on Daxam . . with the recent power spikes in it's inhabitants, thanks to Sodam turning their sun yellow, Mongul has decided that maybe it's time to retreat. "Due to this . . unexpected resistance, I think we need to reconsider Daxam as a base of operations. I do believe there's a planet that may fit our requirements and serve the symbol of this Corps in a much more fulfilling way." But the real 'meat and potatoes' of this issue is when the Guardians, upon their return, have instructed the Alpha Lanterns in dealing with the escaped prisoners. "The Guardians have ordered that all prisoners are to be executed. We are carrying out their decree." Kyle and Guy find this out, and are intent upon stopping it . . even if it is in direct violation of the Guardians. They can't believe that the Corps has stooped to this level. It's not at all what, to them, the Corps stand for. The Guardians save the 2 that Kyle and Hal promised they'd protect, Bolphunga and Kanjar-Ro, but then they dispatch the 2 honor-guards back to Earth, where they are to learn to keep their emotions in check, and to wait until a formal inquiry is launched. On the final page, we see some asteroids collide . . with various spectrums in the background . . Green, Blue, Orange, Red, Yellow, Violet . . and out of the rubble comes hundreds of Black rings, and then . . a giant symbol of the Black Lanterns. Something nobody realizes yet is that Scar, I think, is trying to strengthen the Black Lantern Corps. So, with the execution of these prisoners, she's actually making them stronger. It looks like in the next issue of both of our books . . Blackest Night begins. This is a fantastic book. Peter has been doing an exemplary job, and I'm still thrilled with Patrick Gleason's pencils. I love the way he portrays all of these various alien races. And next month . . next issue . . ooh, I can't wait!

Green Lantern Corps #37 - DC

This is another great issue of the Corps, and it looks like things have taken another step closer to Blackest Night. Sodam Yat has used his Ion power to turn the sun of Daxam from red to yellow. He's doing this to allow his world a fighting chance. Even if it does mean that he's committing suicide. The survivors on his world have become enslaved by Mongul and the Sinestro Corps. But, with the sun changing to yellow, they'll all basically be given the power of Superman. But they're mad and angry, and thirsty for revenge. So Arisia has to calm them down to plan out their attack rather than letting them act out of blind emotion. It's a tenuous agreement at best. We also see the Ash and Saarek have both been tasked with finding the Anti-Monitor's corpse. Scar seems to be manipulating them to some end, but we don't know what that is yet. For the time being, they've agreed to work together. And back on OA, there's a whole lot of crap going down. The Corps are trying to round up all the recently released convicts from their sci-cells. The only thing working in their favor is that the prisoners are surprised by their release, so there's no real structure or team-work in their attack. In fact, some of them are just as mad at each other as they are at the Corps members. Lyssa Drax, from the Sinestro Corps, is tunneling deep into OA in search of her book of Parallax. Instead, she finds Scars book, and Scar soon traps her in it. Also, the rookies are tired of not being able to fight for their team-mates, so they band together to break the shield that contains them. However, before they can do much, the Alpha-Lanterns show up and start to put a quick lid on everything. They seem to be containing all the prisoners in some kind of construct, but . . at that same time, Scar decides that it's time for her to make her move. She does something with her power, and her book, and on the final page of the issue, the Central Power battery begins to fall apart. Peter J Tomasi is doing a fantastic job with this book. Between him and Geoff Johns, over on the GL title, they've really intricately stitched together a fantastic story-line here. This is definitely going to be the story of the summer. Hats off, again, to Patrick Gleason for some fantastic visuals. I don't know how the guy does it, but he's drawn an incredibly eclectic assemblage of aliens here. The guy must have an incredible imagination. I never would've expected how strong this book has become. Get it. If you can.

Green Lantern Corps #36 - DC

Again, I commend the tremendous job that Peter J Tomasi and Patrick Gleason are doing on this book. To me, this book is second only to the regular Green Lantern title. Right now all the pieces, and people, are being moved into place to get ready for Blackest Night. As we found out at the end of the last issue, Soranik is indeed Sinestro's daughter. I don't think it was a huge surprise, but . . we did finally get the confirmation. This issue starts out with Sinestro relaying the story to her of how they were separated. Soranik is desperately trying to deny it, but . . I believe in her heart she knows that his story is true. Anyways, the main reason he's decided to tell her now is that in his recent encounter with Atrocitus, Atrocitus discovered that Sinestro had a daughter on Korugar. So eventually the Red Lanterns will come here looking for her. Sinestro just wanted to give her a 'heads-up'. Meanwhile, back on OA at the sciencells, there is a major riot going on. Every Lantern has been brought to bear, except for the rookies, and are fighting for their lives and beyond. We just see all the destruction and mayhem. I'm not sure who's going to make it, and who's not, but . . I'm sure we'll be finding that all out very soon. And, back on Daxam, Arisia and Sodam Yat are trying to free the people of this planet from the oppression of Mongul. He's taken over the Sinestro Corps, and is in the process of making Daxam his base of operations. To that extent he about to activate a defense grid around the planet that the Green Lanterns may not even be able to breach. Sodam's plan? He's going to confront Mongul and use his Ion power to take him down. But there's a problem . . he's denied access to the Ion power. "Unable to access due to Guardian interface with power ring. Power ring must be removed. Certain death will result due to extreme toxicity levels of lead in bloodstream from . . . there is a slight possibility that a massive power surge could act as a catalyst and allow a limited time of access to Ion power." So he changes his plan. When he confronts Mongul, he drops all of his body shields and allows Mongul to blast him with the full extent of his yellow energy. He looks dead, but then the Ion power kicks in. It's at 95%. He goes blasting into the atmosphere, where he takes his ring off. From there he goes diving back at Mongul. On the final panel there's a huge explosion directly over Mongul's head. Unfortunately, we won't know until next issue if the plan worked or not. I absolutely love this book. Our creative staff is doing a tremendous job here, and the tension is just building, issue to issue, until . . the Blackest Night drama explodes in July. I can't wait. Geoff Johns explains the story as . . "Blackest Night will recharge the DC Universe as Green Lantern: Rebirth recharged the Green Lantern Corps." That's not to much hype to live up to. Do ya think? The variant cover on this book was again done by Rodolfo Migliari. What can I say? If you're not reading this book . . you're definitely missing out.

Green Lantern Corps #35 - DC

These are 2 fantastic covers on this book. The one on the right is by Patrick Gleason, who also does the interiors. The one on the lower left is by Nei Ruffino. I'm not sure who he is, but . . this is an awesome cover. With each issue of Green Lantern, and Green Lantern Corps, we're getting closer and closer to Blackest Night. I think with Scar coaxing the Guardians to venture into the Vega system themselves, at the end of Green Lantern #39, all the various players of this cosmic opera may be in place now. This issue takes place mostly on OA. With the recent arrival of the Red Lantern, everything is being thrown into turmoil. The guard, Voz, is having a bit of trouble with him, and it's getting all the Sinestro Corps members, which are also locked up, all riled up. Because of this, somehow, all the Sinestro Corps rings that have been gathered up and put on lock-down . . they've somehow broken out. So now, at the sci-cells . . it's basically an all out war. All the GL Corps members that were on planet are there trying to stop a mass-outbreak. Meanwhile Arisia and Sodam Yat have gone back to his home planet of Daxam to see just what's going on with Mongul. The planet itself is in turmoil, between the recent conflict between Mongul and Arkillo, and the rest of the Sinestro Corps trying to round up all of the rest of the Daxamites . . but Mongul still has it heavily guarded. Arisia and Sodam have to sneak onto the planet. Meanwhile, Soranik has gone back to Korugar the try to settle the unrest there. They're upset because Sinestro was supposed to be executed, but . . he escaped when they had the encounter with the Red Lantern. Now everyone on the planet it is a panic. But Soranik isn't there very long when she come face to face with Sinestro. "Hello Soranik. I want to have a little heart-to-heart between a father and his daughter." I kind of suspected this, but . . I didn't really know for sure. You know, between all these aliens and planets and stuff . . my spell-check really hates this entry every month. Anyways, this is a fantastic book. I think Peter J Tomasi and Patrick are doing an incredible job here. The stories are great and the art is perfect. And like I said . . we're just getting closer and closer with every issue. The anticipation is palpable.