With GodHead over with it’s time for Sinestro to get back to his mission of saving his fellow Korugarians who have scattered themselves among the stars, something that an old adversary has decided to use to bait Sinestro into a rematch.  But before Mongul and Sinestro can prove who’s the better warrior the Apex League show up with an agenda of their own.  This week’s Sinestro #9 also marks the debut of Brad Walker on the series after moving over from Green Lantern: New Guardians.

Cullen Bunn provides some much needed background on the Paling and uses a few pages right at the start to show the devastation they leave in their wake, and that the Apex League is gearing up to put a stop to their every expanding influence.  Bunn used the Sinestro: Future’s End issue to show them as a future adversary for Sinestro and in this issue it’s not clear whether it’s Sinestro, Mongul or Warworld itself that they are after to use against the Paling.  At any rate I’m sure neither Mongul nor Sinestro are going to help them willingly and certainly next month will provide plenty of opportunity for the all three sides to try to assert themselves.

Something that came to mind while I read the issue was how Mongul could have known that Sinestro has been combing the universe looking for his kinsmen?  The obvious notion is that Dez is plotting behind Sinestro’s back and as we see his continued efforts to stoke the fires of dissent it certainly would surprise no one if he has been leaking information to Mongul.  The scenes in this issue underline his inability to be trusted, in anyone ever really can in the Sinestro Corps, but it seems just a little to easy to put together so I’m hoping that Bunn has someone else in mind.

Lyssa Drak is another likely suspect and we see more of her jealous streak this issue as she sees Sinestro falling more and more under the spell of Bekka.  Bunn does clear up a couple of things, one being that Bekka still has the ring that Sinestro gave her in issue #7.  The other is that while Highfather did separate Parallax from Sinestro in their fight last month Thaal still has the fear entity in his dominion.

I also really like Bunn’s analysis of the Mongul / Sinestro dynamic.  They really are cut from the same cloth and while Sinestro would label Mongul as stupid it’s more of a case of their methodologies being diametrically opposed to each other.  Sinestro creates his vision of order through mental strength and guile while with Mongul it is all about brute force and physical prowess.   Both driven towards a similar goal and, as Sinestro points out, two visions of the future which cannot coexist.

Brad Walker’s debut on the Sinestro title is mostly positive and his efforts to portray the emotion brewing behind Sinestro’s eyes don’t go unnoticed.  There are a few panels where he exaggerates a little too much and it ends up looking a bit unnatural.  I’m sure someone of Walker’s ability will find his form on the series in very short order.

For what is largely a set-up issue, Sinestro #9 does a good job of keeping all the balls that Cullen Bunn is juggling on this title in motion while rekindling the rivalry between Mongul and the titular character.  Adding the Paling, the Apex League and the hint of betrayal in the ranks of the Sinestro Corps this issue ups the ante a bit and sets the stage for what will undoubtedly be a compelling and entertaining story.  Four out of five lanterns.

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