“At long last the universe belongs to the Sinestro Corps!”

The Green Lantern corner of the DC Universe continues to get shaken to its core.  With the Green Lanterns missing and Sinestro employing agents to remove remnants of the rest of the ring bearers it was only a matter of time before Saint Walker ended up in the crosshairs.  Fortunately for the last remaining Blue Lantern he may not suffer the same fate at the hands of Lobo as others have.  In fact Lobo shockingly added two significant heads to his trophy room on the pages of his solo series this month before showing up in this week’s Sinestro #15.

Lobo finds Saint Walker on the planet Arklu trying to find as much hope for himself as for the inhabitants of the desolate planet.  Without the proximity of  a Green Lantern the Blue Lantern’s ring only has partial functionality and Saint Walker is severely outclassed by the Czarnian assassin.  With his bounty intact Lobo takes his bounty to Sinestro and vents his anger about the persistence shown by Sinestro’s rings who seem to find Lobo a most suitable potential member of the Yellow Lanterns.

It’s when Saint Walker and Sinestro are together that the issue become delightfully sinister as Sinestro does his best to win Walker’s faith.  It’s almost the “Last Temptation of Bro’Dee” with Sinestro playing off of his own image and flipping the playbook so that we almost believe that his forces are the best hope for peace and order in a universe lacking a Green Lantern Corps.  Little does he know of Sinestro’s plans behind the scenes to make sure that there are no other ring bearers to get in the way of his vision for the universe.

Sinestro would have Saint Walker believe that his plan to help unlock the abilities of his ring is nothing more than a way to allow Walker to help in Sinestro’s peaceful endeavors.  Unfortunately no one is there to warn Saint Walker of the spider’s web being built that will ultimately ensnare him once Sinestro’s science team has unlocked the ring’s potential and found a way to turn it to their own advantage.  How Saint Walker will respond to this offer is left for a future issue but I’m not sure he’s going to have much of a way out unless Indigo-1 inserts herself into the story.  Why Indigo-1?  You’ll want to read Lobo #10 to see the details but the short of it is that, spoiler alert, she may very well be the last remaining member of the Indigo Tribe.

Cullen Bunn’s script for this issue continues to build on recent events and move forward to something that could be quite spectacular.  Sinestro’s plans are coming to fruition from the claiming and evolution of War World to the re-purposing of the Manhunters.  This is Sinestro being able to function without the interference of the Guardians, the Green Lanterns or Hal Jordan and as a reader Bunn makes it easy to almost want Sinestro to succeed.  Just as Sinestro is seducing and manipulating those around him Bunn is doing the same thing to us readers – I almost feel dirty!  And that scene between Lyssa Drak and Lobo is tantalizing to say the least.

This issue also provided a treat for the eyes as Ethan Van Sciver returns to the Lantern universe for another outing.  Like last month’s Green Lantern #43 which Van Sciver also drew there’s a familiarity with Ethan’s art which is akin to sitting down and having a drink with an old friend.  This script calls for a little more grit that what we usually see from Van Sciver and he does a great job conveying the harsh conditions on Arklu.  I also particularly liked Ethan’s take on the new Lobo with the character looking more like a cold blooded killer than some of his more recent appearances.  Likewise his Sinestro has taken on a slightly different posture since Green Lantern: Rebirth now that he finds himself able to remove all those pesky obstacles at any cost necessary.

Sinestro #15 is another fine effort from Cullen Bunn as he continues to advance Sinestro’s agenda while giving the reader some excellent character bits.  The seduction of Saint Walker has begun and we’re left wanting to shout warnings to the last of the Blue Lanterns.  The issue is a visual treat thanks to fill in artist Ethan Van Sciver who consistently adds artistic elements which elevates the narrative of the script.  Eight out of ten lanterns.