The Blog of OA: Soranik Natu

Showing posts with label Soranik Natu. Show all posts

3/31/12

Animated Series Episode 5 "Heir Apparent" Review

3/31/2012

A few episodes into the animated series and with every one I end up saying to myself that this is the best of the series only to have that trumped the following Saturday. It's a wonderful problem to have and this week's installment, "Heir Apparent', continues the trend. With a script by Jennifer Keene that pulls from the rich history found in the Green Lantern comics the audience is treated to the origin of a fan favorite character and more great character moments that continues to define the traits of our main cast.

On Betrassus, a world where feudal society meets futuristic technology, the crew of the Interceptor arrives with hopes to recruit the Green Lantern of the sector, Dulock [sp], and when he goes missing before taking the hand of Queen Iolande it's up to Hal to prevent a Betrassian warrior from getting the crown while he and the crew solve the mystery of the missing Green Lantern.

Green Lantern Corps #62

8/15/2011

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In the aftermath of the War of the Green Lanterns there is yet more fallout amongst the ranks of the Corps as relationships are tested and torn. Kyle Rayner has not fared well in this regard, having severely strained his friendship with John Stewart and now with the latest issue of the Green Lantern Corps title the future of his romantic relationship with Soranik Natu is in serious jeopardy. Oddly, this issue takes place chronologically after the conclusion to the War of the Green Lanterns: Aftermath two part series yet saw print before the concluding issue hit the stands, hence my review coming a bit late since I held up on reading it to make sure it didn't spoil the end of the mini.

The Story -

This issue starts out with a flashback to the moment when Kyle made the mistake that all us guys make at one point or another in our romantic lives - he lies to the woman he thinks he loves to protect the relationship. Months ago the Star Sapphire Miri allowed both Kyle and Soranik Natu to see the vision of their true loves and while Sinestro's daughter saw Kyle, he saw Jade but lied to Natu because he hedged his bets on the woman in front him who still had a pulse - an advantage that Jade didn't have during the dark days before the Brightest Day.

Miri reveals the bond between them

Kyle is reliving the moment as he floats above the second sun of Oa contemplating all that's occurred of late and blaming himself for not coming up with a better solution. After talking the situation over with Tomar-Tu Kyle is assaulted by a vision of Miri attacking people caused by the emotional tether created between Miri, Kyle and Natu during Kyle's resuscitation after his death during Blackest Night way back in Green Lantern Corps #43. Rayner is pulled through a portal created by the tether with the Xudarian inadvertently joining him moments before Soranik Natu is similarly pulled to their location.

Miri, driven by the sometimes controlling power of love, has created a conflict which Tomar-Tu ultimately discovers is meant to draw Kyle and Soranik together, having sensed the end of their love is near. The conflict serves to drive the wedge further between the couple with Natu snapping at all efforts by Kyle to work together until Tomar-Tu needs to be protected. It's not until Miri is defeated that she reveals the ploy to save the love that Miri brought together all those months ago.

Kyle has no luck

And then it happens, Kyle admits his lie and Sora doesn't take it well at all, flying away on the final page and Kyle left to lick the wounds he created by his lack of honesty.

The Writing -
If the summary of this issue read fast that's because this issue was so easy to summarize for the simple reason that all the conflict between Miri and the Green Lanterns really had no purpose or real drama other than to get to the final moments when Kyle comes clean about his lie. The planet's residents under attack are never really hurt more than superficially, something that Tomar-Tu reveals far too early. So any tension is undercut by the reader figuring out what's going on long before the members of the Corps do.

This moment between Kyle and Natu needed to happen to move them both in the direction that the Green Lantern creative team want them in and they needed a moment for their relationship to have the panel time it deserves. To be honest I found their drama more interesting to watch unfold than most of what I read in the Aftermath mini-series. Again I feel like the issues between the end of the War and the DC relaunch were not well planned out as if it were hastily planned so that all attention could be focused on September.

So I give Tony Bedard good marks for the handling of the relationship, but not for the plot and pacing here. Too much time was spent on the battle and not on the resolution of the relationship.

Sadly, I've seen this look before myself

The Art -
I have to give a lot of credit to the art team with this issue, particularly with their handling of the facial expressions of the characters. The mark of good art to me is being able to tell what's going on without reading the word balloons, and this issue succeeds on many levels with the graphic storytelling. Kudos to Daniel Hdr, Keith Champagne and Nei Ruffino for a good job other than a couple of places where Kyle looked like he had too many donuts.

What Do I Think?
We all saw the end of Kyle's latest relationship coming a mile away, so most of the dramatic punch is pulled and coupled with action that lacks any dramatic tension this issue is just average despite a good job by the art team. Three out of five lanterns.

War of the Green Lanterns: Aftermath #2

8/14/2011

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When we last left Soranik Natu she was making the difficult choice of whether or not to join some of her fellow Green Lanterns in their plan to get rid of Sinestro in light of him being chosen to wield a Green Lantern power ring. The second and concluding issue of this two issue mini-series picks up moments later as Natu must make a decision that could have dire consequences for both her and her father.

The Story -

Soranik Natu is clearly torn between her oath to protect like both as a Green Lantern and as a medical professional and her strong hatred for her father and the outrageous notion that he could once again join the Green Lantern Corps despite his actions in recent years. Natu joins the group and they head to the citadel to take care of this particular loose end in the War of the Green Lanterns.

Meanwhile Kilowog is working alongside the Guy Gardner and Kyle Rayner clean up the mess left behind from their conflict with Krona. Soranik is the subject of their conversation, specifically on the soured relationship between her and Kyle, perhaps the guy with the worst track record with women this side of Peter Parker. Guy turns their attention to the fate of Hal Jordan and John Stewart's seeming lack of remorse for pulling the trigger on Mogo.

Morro arrives on the scene looking for assistance with dealing with Salaak, who is set on the task of putting Krona's remains in the crypts on Oa, something which clearly doesn't settle well with the Corps' crypt keeper. A wisecrack from Guy later and the four are in Salaak's face questioning the decision to put the body of the fallen renegade Guardian amongst the Corps' honored dead. The four lanterns call the decision making of the Guardians into question again and their differences nearly spark a full-on confrontation, but Salaak's cooler head prevails and he departs to take care of another matter. Kyle discovers that Natu has gone of the grid and quickly departs for the citadel after surmising that there is foul play afoot.

Tempers boil over in another panel lacking any background detail

Elsewhere Soranik Natu and her new found allies approach the Guardians chamber ready to breach it in favor of executing Sinestro. The lone guard on the door is dispatched with without too much harm, but before the group can enter the citadel Rayner confronts them. Kyle, either as a calculated move to create a distraction or as a really stupid mistake, refers to Natu as his girlfriend which hits a raw nerve with the Korugarian and the two former lovers take to fighting.

Hell hath no fury......

Saint Walker continues his conversation with Ganthet as he continues his lament over his separation from Sayd and his puzzlement of how to honor his pact with Atrocitus that promised the Red Lantern would have his vengeance upon Krona since Hal Jordan finished him. Their conversation is short lived as Salaak arrives to shoo the Blue Lantern away from Oa and deliver Ganthet to the Guardians who have summoned their former member to be deal with his recent actions.

Back at the Citadel Natu and Rayner are raising the roof on the place and their battle breaches the doorway and the sight of a manacled Sinestro, the Guardians trying to remove his ring, is revealed. The Guardians are not pleased and immediately the situation is addressed with the whole Corps. This is about as close to being completely pissed off as the Guardians have ever been, and they make that very clear to the Green Lanterns, dispatching everyone but the Alpha Lanterns and the Honor Guard to return to duty in their respective sectors. With Hal Jordan no longer serving sector 2814, Kyle Rayner is sent to Earth no only to deal with the lack of coverage, but to distance him from Soranik Natu and John Stewart.

John stops short of telling Kyle where he can put his olive branch.

Before Rayner departs he tries unsuccessfully to mend fences with John and then joins Kilowog, Morro and Arisia in taking care of Mogo's remains by putting them in the sun, which responds by displaying a familiar Mogo-ish band around its center. At the same time Ganthet sends the body of Krona to Ysmault for Atrocitus in honor of their pact. He is caught by the Guardians just afterwards and he assumes that they are there to chastise him for what he did, but the issue comes to an abrupt end with the Guardians mysteriously saying that's not why they want to speak with him, a strange look upon their faces.

The Writing -

Tony Bedard wraps up the event with this second part of a sort-of conclusion to the tale. While this issue moves us from point A to point B it's unclear exactly what the end point is supposed to be. Very little seems resolved over these two issues and it again becomes apparent in my opinion that this could have been told within the pages of the books remaining before the re-launch in September. There's really nothing here that screams that this is an important enough story to warrant a mini-series of its own.

I'm not faulting the writing per se, but more perhaps the editorial decisions here. This would have been a fine issue of a regular ongoing series, but as a mini-series that serves as a conclusion to a major story arc it comes on underwhelming and undeserving of being anything more.

The Art -

Likewise the art seems pretty unspectacular as well. Too many empty backgrounds make this appear rushed and unfinished, with a lot of heavy ink that just pulls this issue down into mediocrity.

What Do I Think?

It's pretty obvious that I didn't think this issue did much to elevate itself from being nothing more than slightly average. Again, I think that these events should have just played out in the remaining pages of the monthly titles and I think it's based on the need to fill in some blanks between the War of the Green Lanterns and the books that were already in the can that led to this two part series being created - and it reads and looks like this is just that kind of rush job done to get a book on the stands that wasn't planned out very well. Two lanterns out of five.

War of the Green Lanterns: Aftermath #1

8/02/2011

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The War of the Green Lanterns is over, but the fallout from the event has just begun. When last we left our war torn heroes there was a new ring bearer in Sinestro, while Hal Jordan has found himself ejected from the Corps as the Guardians have deemed him too dangerous in light of his ability to kill Krona in Green Lantern #67. The first issue of the two-part miniseries picks up as Hal finds himself back on Earth and the Corps is left with their jaws dropped in reaction to the Guardians.

Hal's fate remains uncertain

The Story -

Outside Yuma, Arizona, Hal Jordan reappears on Earth sans power ring and is approached by a startled policeman. The scene shifts quickly to Oa where the Guardians are still trying to come to grips with Hal Jordan's actions, in fact they seems almost indignant that a lowly human had the ability to override their safeguards they put in place.

Guy and Kilowog, however, are ticked off about the dismissal of Jordan and Sinestro's wearing of a Green Lantern ring. Sinestro is also not a fan of wearing this ring again, but he cannot get the ring off in spite of his own displeasure. The Guardians are surprisingly swift to come to the defense of Sinestro, trying to get the situation under control before it degrades into another armed conflict as more members of the Corps begin to to protest the situation.

Kilowog refuses to just stand down and throws in ring in disgust at the Guardians resigned to live the rest of his life as a civilian. Salaak, ever the logical influence, reports that hundreds of resignations have begun coming in, as we've seen in the pages of the most recent issue of the Green Lantern Corps. He stresses composure and makes the decision not to accept any of the resignations until everyone has time to recover emotionally from the War. In fact he discovers that the Corps is suffering from Post-traumatic Stress and pushes everyone to put aside their differences as they must deal with burying the dead, but not before Soranik Natu lashes out at Kyle Rayner, perhaps signalling the beginning of the end of their relationship, and the Guardians get a little snippy with Salaak.

Two very unhappy campers

Ganthet is suffering perhaps more than anyone else, having lost his hand and feeling guilty for not being able to prevent the killing of Mogo. This is compounded by the loss of his ring and feeling like he no longer belongs to the Corps but cannot go back to being a Guardian, either - let alone that he and Sayd have been separated. Along comes Saint Walker who does his thing to help Ganthet find hope in a life presently filled with hopelessness. While this restores Ganthet's missing hand, it only underscores for the former Guardian that he is extremely lonely.

A friendship torn apart

On another part of Oa several lanterns are ready to take out their emotions on John Stewart for the destruction of Mogo. Kyle Rayner inserts himself in the situation before it gets out of hand. The moment allows the two Lanterns to address their particular situation, trying to find common ground and preserve their friendship. It doesn't happen, with Kyle failing to understand and respect John's position and John shielding his own guilt and self-loathing by drawing a line in the sand and lashing out, their relationship another seeming casualty of war.

Soranik Natu is dealing with the mind controlled Lanterns who themselves are filled with guilt over what Krona made them do and their own feelings of inadequacy and being chosen for something they don't feel worthy of. Hannu corrals Natu as Meadlux tells them and a small Corps contingent that his reading of the emotions of the Guardians reveal they are terrified by Hal Jordan's actions. They fear that any one of the Corps might be capable to doing the same thing.

Natu's dilemma

In the groups' minds the Green Lantern Corps is on the verge of collapse and they are of a mind that getting rid of Sinestro is their first priority. As the issue closes they explain their plans to Soranik Natu that they want her to break into the citadel and kill the renegade Green Lantern.

The Writing -

War leaves its mark on everyone it touches and Tony Bedard does a good job of showing this here by having these characters react to the situation very emotionally, and in ways they might not under normal situations. Sure Soranik Natu might feel like Kyle gets in the way some times, but she might normally handle his efforts differently - but here she's having none of it as her father's new status has pushed her far beyond rationality. Likewise we know that John Stewart is dealing with his actions with a lot of self loathing, but being reproached by Kyle is more than he can handle right now and his all too human reaction is very real.

If anything, my only question here is Hal Jordan, who reacts to his new status quo saying "I'm nobody now" rather than the anger I expected. But war affects us all in ways that are perhaps uncharacteristic, stripping us raw so that the things we think and feel are laid bare without the defenses we might normally have in place so while I might not think that's a natural reaction who's to say how any of us would respond?

I particularly liked how Bedard really establishes for us that this arc will carry some weight going forward. There is fallout here including the effect on interpersonal relationships to the tragic loses to the question of how the Corps itself will function from now on. With the Green Lantern mythology being mostly untouched by the relaunch these events will continue to play out as the new 52 redefines our perceptions of the rest of the DC Universe.

The Art -

I'm not sure where the art falls apart for me here but I suspect it's the inking more than the pencils. It just appears heavy to me. It doesn't look terrible, but there are places where it just doesn't look right.

What Do I Think?

I question why DC thought they needed to put out a two issue miniseries rather than continue this in the regular titles other than getting more money from us. I personally don't see why they couldn't have just make the next two issues these two rather than separate them out, especially in light that the two issues of Green Lantern Corp and Emerald Warriors that came out after Green Lantern #67 seemed like so much filler.

That criticism aside, I liked the writing this issue, but the art was a bit of a downer and made a good issue an average one. Three out of five lanterns.

DC Reveals the Covers of Green/Red Lantern Corps #1

6/12/2011

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While we've seen the titles to be relaunched by DC in September, we haven't had too many covers to look at. Today DC Comics revealed the cover to Green Lantern Corps #1, written by Peter J. Tomasi with art by Fernando Pasarin and Scott Hanna and Red Lantern Corps #1, written by Peter Milligan with art by Ed Benes and Rob Hunter. Click on the images for a larger view.

The cover of Green Lantern Corps #1

The cover of Red Lantern Corps #1

Source: Comic Book Resources, Newsarama

Green Lantern Corps 58 Review

3/29/2011

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We got a double shot of the War of the Green Lanterns with part one debuting in Green Lantern #64 and part two in Green Lantern Corps #58. With a number of Green Lanterns still on Qward I wondered how the events of part one would play out with Parallax returning to the central power battery and taking control of almost every Green Lantern in the universe. This issue continues the first act well by moving the characters to where they need to be for the war to truly start.

The Story-

Similar to how Green Lantern #64 started, we have a couple of pages spent telling any potential new readers what they have to know about Kyle Rayner and John Stewart before we jump into the story proper. In this case it's Kyle comparing his tenure with the ring to Johns and ending with him being a bit insecure about himself.

Ganthet opens up a portal back to our universe and the Green Lanterns pass through it to Oa only to find the bodies of the Alpha Lanterns floating in space with all of their internal power batteries ripped out. It was interesting to see Boodikka there seeing as she just got trashed by Doomsday over the in Justice League book and Cyborg Superman was returned to life. The group of Lanterns have arrived on Oa not long after Parallax re-entered the central power battery and within moments everyone but Ganthet, Kyle and John are completely under his control.

Images From Upcoming Waves of DC Direct Green Lantern Figures

3/13/2011

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DC Direct announced a number of new waves for their Green Lantern series of figures. The first issue of Wizard's new online magazine recently revealed some hi quality images of some of the figures, including the Red Lantern Guy Gardner, Stel, Soranik Natu and the Green/Blue Lantern Hal Jordan.

Source: Wizard Magazine

Green Lantern Corps 57 Review

2/20/2011

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The Weaponer arc comes to an interesting if not distracting conclusion as issue 57 of Green Lantern Corps closes one chapter before launching into the War of the Green Lanterns. This issue also features a sneak preview of the mini-event which kicks off with next month's issue of the main Green Lantern title.

The Story-

The issue starts out with Firestorm, yes Firestorm, on Qward, having been there since Brightest Day #17 when the White Entity asked for protection while Boston Brand finds a champion to wear the white ring. The issue then shifts scenes abruptly as we return to the battle raging between the Qwardians and the Sinestro Corps with the Green Lantern Corps continuing to delicately walk the line between their truce with the Yellow Lanterns and their duty to protect life.

The Qwardians, armed with the weapons they found in the Weaponer's armory last issue, launch a full out attack on Sinestro and begin driving him back, freeing the Weaponer from Sinestro's assault. Sinestro grows tired of the attempts to slow him down and launches a counter offensive which takes out a number of the Qwardians, however a number of them are protected by the Weaponer and this instantly changes the opinion they have of him and they leap to battle by the Weaponer's side.

DC Direct Green Lantern Waves 5 and 6 Confirmed

2/13/2011

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DC Direct's presence at Toy Fair revealed that they have plans for both a fifth and sixth wave of their Green Lantern series in the works now that the Blackest Night line is done. There will also be a boxed set of figures including a blue/green hybrid Hal Jordan. The wave lists of figures is tentative and no release date has been announced yet.

Wave 5
Blue Lantern Brother Warth
Guy Gardner
Soranik Natu
Sinestro (not pictured)

Blue Lantern Warth, Guy Gardner, Soranik Natu

Wave 6
Emerald Energy Hal Jordan
Arkkis Chummuck
Red Lantern Guy Gardner (with chainsaw construct)
Stel

Boxed Set
Black Lantern Ted Kord
Blue/Green Lantern Hal
Star Sapphire Fatality
Indigo Tribesman Munk

Source: Toy News International

2/13/2011

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With Toy Fair in full swing today we have some cool images and video coming out of New York City. First up is a video that shows some of the new toys in action including the transformation of the Ring Blaster Jet to tank, the "Colossal Cannon" and the packaging of the Movie Masters line. The Green Lantern section starts about 3:33 into the video.

Pietro Filipponi from the Daily Blam is also on the show floor and has posted two pictures, one of the Green Lantern display and another of the Power Battery prop from DC Direct that will cost $350.

The last picture for now shows an upcoming wave of Green Lantern figures that includes Stel, Soranik Natu, Guy Gardner and Arkkis Chummuck. By the articulation of the figures this appears to be a new wave of figures by DC Direct.

Green Lantern Corps 56 Review

1/23/2011

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This week's Green Lantern Corps #56 is filled with tons of action as the Weaponer storyline rapidly approaches its conclusion to make way for the War of the Green Lanterns. Sinestro makes his way to Qward to face off against his new adversary and he's bringing the rest of his Corpsmen with him - can Ganthet, John Stewart, Kyle Rayner, Boodikka and Hannu keep the peace without breaking the fragile truce between them and the Sinestro Corps?

The Story -

Backtracking a little from last month's ending, Sinestro rallies his troops on Korugar by calling them all to the Sinestro Corps central power battery and playing on the high regard with which he is held by his followers. The Weaponer, whom Sinestro would supposedly have called a brother in better circumstances, has stolen from Sinestro and he uses this to create indignation amongst the Corps against the man who would dare steal from their leader. But it isn't the kidnapping of Soranik Natu that should draw their ire, a fact that Sinestro continues concealed from his followers, but the Weaponer's attempt to steal Sinestro's dignity that should motivate the Sinestro Corps to kill the Qwardian.

Green Lantern Corps 55 Review

12/28/2010

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The third part of "The Weaponer" arc reveals more about the pact between Ganthet, Guy Gardner and Atrocitus as the honor guard learns about it at a most inopportune moment, plus we get the setup for what could be one of the coolest throw-downs since this run of Green Lantern Corps began. The whole Green Lantern writing team is doing a great job of keeping all three titles independent yet linked in ways that don't require you to read all of them, but the quality is such that you really want to.

The Story -

Back on Qward the citizens of that ravaged world are drawn to the activities at the Weaponer's refuge, with Thunderers heading to the commotion for fear that this time his actions will lead to the destruction of their whole race. All the commotion is of course the arrival of the Green Lantern Honor Guard that occurred at the end of issue 54. While Kyle Rayner races to find Soranik Natu, Ganthet, John Stewart, Boodikka and Hannu lead the assault on the much hated Weaponer, but the Weaponer proves to be much more of a match that you'd think thanks to the weaponized White Lantern technology that he integrated with his shield.

Green Lantern 60 Review

12/16/2010

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The end of last month's issue of Green Lantern left Hal Jordan faced with a Parallax infused Barry Allen and our mysterious entity-napper. This week's release of Green Lantern #60 picks up where we left off and by the end the identity of our diminutive new antagonist is revealed - and this one may leave your scratching your head! As a bonus we get our second installment of the Green Lantern movie preview - this time the spotlight is on Sinestro as will be portrayed by Mark Strong.

The Story -

Before the story picks up we see Hal summing up what's been going on in the Green Lantern corner of the DC Universe over the past six weeks (in their time). While it's not needed for regular readers of the book, for anyone new to the title it's not a bad way to bring people up to speed with what's happened since Blackest Night and establish that Hal's motives are simply to get the emotional entities off the Earth where they cannot possess anyone.

Green Lantern Corps 54 Review

11/19/2010

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Sinestro shows that experience trumps youthful enthusiasm, the Weaponer explains the source of his hatred, and Kyle Rayner rallies the rescue squad in this week's Green Lantern Corps #54. Get the lowdown on what happens this issue as well as my opinions on Bedard and Kirkham in my review of part two of The Weaponer arc.

The Story -

Sinestro isn't too happy with Kyle Rayner's fisticuffs at the end of issue 53, admonishing him for daring to throw a punch and endangering the fragile truce called at the end of Blackest Night. Sinestro's retaliation lands them in the middle of the Halloween costume parade in Greenwich Village, and of course the patrons think it's all a part of the festivities.

Green Lantern Corps 53 Review

10/23/2010

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Tyler Kirkham begins his tenure on the Green Lantern Corps as artist with issue 53, released this week. We head for the showdown between Kyle Rayner and Sinestro that was mentioned at the New York Comic Con and we see the emergence of the Weaponer of Qward as a major new threat in the Green Lantern universe.

The Story –

Flashback some years ago to Qward in the antimatter universe at some point in time after Sinestro has been banished there by the Guardians for his actions in his sector which should be playing out in the upcoming Green Lantern: Secret Origin 2 that should be coming out in the next year. For the first time readers get to bear witness to the forging of Sinestro’s ring, which has seemingly been retconned a bit, no longer having the yellow gem that fans are accustomed to.

Green Lantern Corps 52 Review

9/26/2010

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The "Revolt of the Alpha-Lanterns" reaches its conclusion in this week's Green Lantern Corp #52. This issue has a lot of action packed into its pages, including Cyborg Superman's possible fate and how the Guardians of the Universe are going to deal with what may be their biggest failure since the Manhunter fiasco.

The Story -

Boodikka lay dying on Grenda as a result of Hannu's assault in issue 51, but in her seemingly final moments she surrenders the energy needed to recharge the rings of her fellow lanterns. Soranik Natu and John Stewart attempt to hole Boodikka together as the scene shifts to Cyborg Superman and Ganthet, working to remove the Alpha Lantern from Horoq Nnot.

Green Lantern Corps 51 Review

8/21/2010

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I was pretty harsh in my review of issue fifty of Green Lantern Corps and my opinion changed considerably after chatting with Sean Whelan and Jim Segulin over on the Raging Bullets podcast, so before sitting down to review the latest issue I decided to wait a few days and read the issue a couple more times before writing this review. While I still think that issue fifty was rather lackluster for a "milestone" issue, the fourth chapter in the "Revolt of the Alpha Lanterns" arc is in my opinion the best issue in Tony Bedard's run thus far.

Green Lantern Corps 50 Review

8/01/2010

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Mayor's cover to GLC #50

Green Lantern Corps hits a milestone this month with its fiftieth issue. This month continues with part three of the "Revolt of the Alpha-Lanterns" and the first arc by new writer Tony Bedard. As nice as Ardian Syaf's cover is, if you can pick up the variant cover by Randy Mayor I think it's a bit better, showing Cyborg Superman as the puppet master of the Alpha-Lanterns.

I have to admit going into this issue that I had some expectations since this issue was a big number to hit for a new series. But I should have realized that even though DC noted the milestone by putting a big "50th Issue!" on the cover, this wasn't going to be a bigger than normal issue with extra pages or anything. If I had to surmise this issue I'd have to say it's just business as usual for our cast of Green Lanterns, and actually I was more impressed with the teaser for Green Lantern: Emerald Warrior than I was with the issue itself.

Green Lantern: Emerald Empire SDCC Report

7/24/2010

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Geoff Johns

Geoff Johns, Tony Bedard and Pete Tomasi held a panel today, right after the Green Lantern movie panel, to talk about the growing Green Lantern comics franchise. Some new interesting tidbits came out of the conversation about upcoming events in the three GL titles.

Tony Bedard confirmed that the Weaponer, featured heavily in the second arc of his run on Green Lantern Corps, will indeed be the man who forged Sinestro's ring. He will be going after Soranik Natu. The red ring that Atrocitus recently gave Lobo will lead to some problems between Lobo and L.E.G.I.O.N.

Larfleeze will be caught robbing a house as he continues to be possessed by overwhelming greed that he cannot control. Geoff Johns also said that the Orange Lantern oath is not "Mine!" The White Lanterns do have an oath which will be revealed in an upcoming issue of Brightest Day.

The Dex-Starr Valentines Day special will featured the long awaited meeting between the red kitty of rage and Krypto, the Dog of Steel.

Green Lantern Corps 47 Review

5/05/2010

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Like Green Lantern 53, this week's Green Lantern Corps 47 is an epilogue to Blackest Night. However this issue also marks the departure of Peter Tomasi and Pat Gleason from the title as Tomasi heads over to helm Green Lantern Emerald Warriors and Gleason tackles Brightest Day.

The Story -

Light it up!

Oa was hit hard by the assault of the Black Lantern Corps, with the Central Power Battery left ripped from its moorings and hundreds of rings left without bearers. So the issue starts notably with the remains of the Corps lighting up the main battery.

Guy and Kyle spend some panels recounting all they've been through during the event, Guy is either hiding from Kyle the mission he's undertaking with Ganthet and Atrocitus as we saw in the closing moments of Green Lantern 53, or it could simply be a case of these events transpiring before that issue.

There's a great scene where a memorial tree is erected on Mogo to honor the fallen members of the Corps, with each dead lantern represented as a face on one of the leaves. Since the remains of all the dead lanterns remain in Mogo's core it was decided that the tree would replace the crypts on OA.

There are signs of the growing distrust of the Guardians by the Corps, with the little blue smurfs not even showing up to the ceremony to honor the dead who perished serving the will of the Guardians. I think that this is only one rift that's begun to widen between the Corps and their diminutive leaders, one that will take the whole mythos in some exciting directions.

Salaak also directs Mogo to release all the Green Lantern rings that need new masters, so Tony Bedard will have a chance to create some of his own unique characters to add to the Green Lantern universe in the months to come.

Soranik Natu and Kyle Rayner reconnect at the site of Kyle's mural, with Natu motivating Kyle to start it over again as a way to instill morale in the Corps in the face of all they've lost during the recent events. Knowing that Kilowog will be starring in the Emerald Warriors title it's not surprise to see him turn down his post as the drill instructor. What's surprising is the selection of Stel as his replacement.

The uneasy alliance crumbles

Vath and Isamot Kol are two of the more interesting characters created for this title and in his goodbye to these characters Peter Tomasi once again plays off of the cultural rift between Rann and Thanagar. Vath lost his legs during Blackest Night and Kol donated his own legs to Vath since he might regrow them. Kol did what he thought anyone would do to help their dearest comrade, however Vath is still blinded by the racial hatred that Rann has and only thinks of how he would look to his fellow Rannians. Despite how much both men have grown to support each other, some hatred and fear still exists.

Kol's anger rises at the ungratefulness for his sacrifice and Vath is about to loose his new legs when they are made to realize the foolishness of their actions. The two reconcile and another chapter of their journey is left for Tony Bedard to write.

Guys, Arisia and Kyle kick the door down to the Guardians' chamber, demanding that they be allowed to meet despite the efforts of the Guardians to brush them off. Arisia actually clocks one of them in the face in a great "oh yeah!" moment reminiscent of some of the confrontations that Hal has had with them in the past.

Guy rightfully calls the Guardians out for blaming a lack of knowledge of some events on Scar's actions, reminding them that more important than that is the realization that the Guardians' actions have done much to undermine the Corps itself, and that those actions, like the Third Law, will prevent good candidates from joining the Corps.

Guys throws the failure of the Manhunters and the Alpha Lanterns in the Guardian's faces and Kyle reminds them that is wasn't a lack of emotion that took out Nekron, but beings with heart. Kyle tells the Guardians that they have to earn the trust of Corps again if they are to ever get back on track.

All this prompts Salaak to speak up against the Guardians for the first time, reminding them they he is not a puppet that will mindlessly follow their every command. He is putting himself in the role of the Guardian's conscience and plans to question some of their policies when he feels they are not in the best interest of the Corps.

Guy is distraught seeing what's left of Warriors and both he and Kyle talk about how the bar is needed, like the mural, to provide a place for the betterment of the well being of the Corps. As they are talking a message comes through from the Guardians that they have repealed the Third Law, and the two clink beer bottles toasting the future. The issue draws to an end, but there is a great two page spread promoting Emerald Warriors that shows some pretty intense scenes.

The Writing -
As much as Geoff Johns is credited for the revitalization of the Green Lantern mythos, I've long thought that Peter Tomasi was really the driving force for Green Lantern: Rebirth when he was an editor. The Green Lantern Corps can be difficult to write, managing a large cast and stories that have to have cosmic significance. Throughout this run Tomasi has done both these things very well, and while it's a shame to see him leave this book, he's going to rock Emerald Warriors hard.

The Art -
Pat Gleason's work is top notch, as usual. He captures all the right emotions from the anger Arisia feels for the Guardians to the solemn look on the Corps' faces during the dedication of the memorial tree. His art will be missed in the Green Lantern books.

What Do I Think?

This book has what you need after an exhausting event like Blackest Night - an epilogue that lets you know where everyone stands and sets the stage for what's about to come. Five lanterns.