GREEN LANTERN CORPS/JUSTICE LEAGUE versus SINESTRO CORPS
Birth of the Black Lantern (DC)
Where: Green Lantern #25 When: January 2008
Why: Geoff Johns How: Ivan Reis

The Story So Far...
The Anti-Monitor - a creature of immense power that once sought to destroy the multiverse - joins Sinestro in creating a new Corps of agents, with the intent to use them as heralds of his conquest over the positive realm. Harnessing the yellow power rings of Qward, the Sinestro Corps operate on a design of fear, using it to control their yellow energy the same way the Lanterns us willpower.

Tricked into believing the Sinestro Corps were to attack Oa, the designates of Sector 2814 soon find themselves four against an army, as the Anti-Monitor and his heralds emerge in the Milky Way. They launch their attack on Earth, but the rest of the Green Lanterns, along with heroes native to the planet, soon join the war. The Justice League, Justice Society, Titans, and more, rally to join the Green Lantern Corps in a stand against a force determined to seek the destruction of all.

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Wonder Man 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Iron Man 5 (Professor)
Speed: The Sentry 6 (Mach-Speeds)
Stamina: Iron Man 6 (Generator)
Agility: Spider-man 5 (Cat-like)
Fighting Ability: Ares 7 (Warrior)
Energy Power: The Sentry 7 (Cosmic)


- The Green Lantern Corps is: John Stewart, Guy Gardner, Kilowog, Arisia, Breeon, Adam, Soranik Naru, Princess Iolande, Bzzd, Green Man, Torquemada, Voz, Apros, Brik, Tahr, Kraken, Chaselon, Sir Deeter, Leezle Pon, Lok Neboora, Raker Qarrigat, Salaak, Stel, Isamot Kol, Larvox, & Vath Sarn.
With: Superman, Powergirl, Hawkman, Alan Scott, Martian Manhunter, Wonder Woman, Metamorpho, Firestorm, Wonder Girl, Raven, Red Tornado, Captain Marvel, Batman, Starman, Supergirl, Hawkgirl, Plastic Man, Starfire, Bulleteer, STRIPE, Black Lightning, Red Arrow, Firehawk, Miss Martian, Jay Garrick, Nightwing, Creeper, Cyborg, Black Canary, Green Arrow, Robin, & Steel.

Having succumbed to the effects of the Parallax entity; Earth's most famous Green Lantern, Hal Jordan, would lead a grief stricken rampage against his fellows in a bid to gain power enough to resurrect his obliterated city.
At the cost of the few survivors, the Guardians of the Universe would pool their energies to create one final, immensly powerful ring, which would be sent out into the universe with the last surviving Guardian from Oa; Ganthet.

The ring would come to be the inhereted by Kyle Rayner.
The young graphic artist's imagination would make him an ideal recipient, his creative mind opening up a realm of possibilities to the ring's powers of solid manifestation. These iconic Green Lantern powers would come to Rayner with the added responsibility of being the last of the Corpsman - a footnote that would continue to be a part of his education right until the return of the Corps.

- The Sinestro Corps is: Anti-Monitor, Cyborg Superman, Superboy-Prime, Karu-Sil, Haasp the Hunter, Snap Trap, Despotellis, & Yellow Lantern.

While imprisoned in the Central Battery of Oa; former Green Lantern, Sinestro, came in contact with a creature as old as time itself. Parallax, an entity born of fear, had been imprisoned by the Guardians of the Galaxy and consequently instilled in the rings of the Lanterns an impurity that left them vulnerable to objects of yellow -- the colour of fear in the cosmic emotional spectrum.

When Hal Jordan was able to excise the corruption of Parallax from his soul, a freed Sinestro opts to form a new army in the anti-matter universe of Qward. Armed with yellow rings inspired by fear, he summons the most frightening villains from across the universe, joining together to form the Sinestro Corps.

Among Sinestro's most famous early recruits: Superboy-Prime, Cyborg Superman, Amon Sur, Mongul, Fatality, Parallax, and the Anti-Monitor.

Math: Green Lantern Corps Ranking: Batman (#1)

What Went Down...
The Earth plays host to three cosmic armies as the Justice League and other heroes combine with the Green Lantern Corps to resist their fear-wielding counterparts, the Sinestro Corps. At the centre of the melee, the armored giant of destruction - the Anti-Monitor!

From a distance the war is abstracted, appearing as a mass of wills colliding, but on the frontlines the personal struggles make-up the bigger picture. Among the heralds of the Anti-Monitor is Hank Henshaw, the Cyborg Superman that welcomes the lethal force initiated by the Guardians that oversee the Lantern Corps. He provokes their action, crushing the will of Lanterns beneath his cybernetic hand, while burning the wings of the courageous Hawkman.

John Stewart uses his ring to douse the flames as he and Guy Gardner arrive to join their comrades. They are immediately greeted by the venom of Karu-Sil, one of Sinestro's fear mongers. Gardner retaliates against her parallax constructs, generating a swarm of glowing green wolverines.

In the skies above, the Anti-Monitor looms over a city in chaos, plunging his fist into the street with the aim of sucking the planet dry. A wave of energy expands, positive matter turning to anti-matter, threatening to incinerate anything unable to flee it's path. The destruction forces Lanterns to redirect their attention to the innocents of New York City, to whom the wave is the most immediate threat.
Heroes such as Wonder Woman and Plastic Man join Lanterns, such as Arisia and Kilowog, in the desperate rescue.

Two brands of Manhunter collide as Hank Henshaw's cyborg meets the fist of the last lawman of Mars - J'onn J'onnz! His intervention aids John Stewart, who carries the ailing body of Guy Gardner. Yellow blood spits from the sickened Lantern -- a sign of Despotellis, the viral Sinestro, attacking him from within.

Meanwhile, heroes such as the Red Tornado, Starfire, Red Arrow, Black Lightning, and Firehawk do their bit to battle the swarming Sinestro Corps. They buzz and battle around the Anti-Monitor like insects, but each of their blows decides the fate of not only this Earth, but every parallel world that stems from it!

The Anti-Monitor's destructive conversion of energies goes unchallenged, until voices from the void recall the crisis incurred by his last attack on reality. A crisis of infinite Earths that went unchallenged by Oan Guardians in bondage.
Oan Guardians who will not stand idly by as he threatens existence anew!

The Guardians funnel their green energies at the impossible beast, confident in the knowledge that this Anti-Monitor is not yet fully developed beneath the armor that connects him to the old. Their will slams against the Anti-Monitor's shell and tears and shreds at the metal of his robotic heralds, the newest Manhunters. Their captain, Hank Henshaw, remains unphased by the Guardians' power.

Baring a grudge for their role in imprisoning him during Alexander Luthor's attempts to affect reality; Superboy-Prime blasts at the Guardians with his Kryptonian heat vision, while fighting off the advances of Alan Scott, Wonder Girl, and the Lanterns. Anti-Monitor lashes at the immortal Guardians also, trapping one in a giant fist that singes blue flesh with raw anti-power.

On the ground, John Stewart fends off the bizarre advances of the Yellow Lantern, while the increasingly weak Guy Gardner turns his attentions skyward. There, looming above the Earth, is the construct called "Warworld" affixed to the yellow central battery of the Sinestro Fear Corps. A power source big enough to destroy the Earth, or, if contained, one giant Anti-Monitor.

Even as his insides are plundered by the microscopic Despotellis; Guy Gardner pledges himself to the cause, flying into the sky with his ring blazing, forming chains with his fellow to drag the Warworld battery into position.

Other Lanterns rush to aid their brothers, fending off the opposition of Sinestro's agents. With the Guardians doing their part to rupture the Anti-Monitor's armor, the Lanterns toss Warworld toward the New York City streets below, and prepare themselves for the mammoth task of containing the explosion.

Kilowog, Apros, Brik, Salaak, Bzzd, Isamot Kol, Arisia, Torquemada, Sir Deeter, and many other Green Lanterns, all focus their energy into a giant dome over Warworld and the Anti-Monitor. Hank Henshaw is also encased within. With a cold metallic hand pressed to the edge of the translucent green dome, he whisper thanks to the Lanterns, poetically anticipating his long overdue death.

While the heroes of Earth fend off the advances of the Sinestro Corps; the City trembles as Warworld explodes, obliterating Hank Henshaw, and massive portions of New York, with it. The Anti-Monitor emerges, however, with his armor in tatters, but his resolve in tact. He lashes out at the unsuspecting Lanterns, but finally his undoing comes from an unlikely source, one of his allies, Superboy-Prime!

The impetuous youth pierces Anti-Monitor's armor and body with a torpedo-like dive. No longer interested in the Anti-Monitor's attempts at conquest, he puts an end to the creature's rampage, dragging the tattered armor into space, before tossing the smouldering corpse of the Anti-Monitor toward a dark destiny beyond the stars.

Spattered with blood, Superboy-Prime prepares a renewed assault against the heroes of the universe. His tantrum is but a precursor to the true end of the Sinestro Corps War...

The Hammer...
In the interest of clarity, this is technically part one of a two-part scenario. The battle strings out to include the suggested fight against Superboy-Prime, but to save time and my sanity, I've broken it up.

For defeating Anti-Monitor (and Hank Henshaw) we declare Superboy-Prime, Guardians of the Galaxy, and the Green Lanterns mentioned who affected and contained Warworld's destruction. For their involvement in repelling the other Sinestro Corps forces, and contributing to varying degrees in the specifics of this fight, we also award a victory statistic to the Earth heroes identified in "the tape". Their involvement, while non-specific, is clearly vital to the victory of the Green Lantern Corps.

For a final piece of house keeping, we also acknowledge confirmed kill stats to Superboy-Prime and Anti-Monitor, who both claimed two lives. Other instances prove too uncertain to confirm a death. Whew.

As you might have noticed, we might be a few weeks behind, but we've assembled some epic battles for the last month of 2008! Following on from last week's symbiote bomb [New Avengers #36], we give you yet another early 2008 major battle you might have been unaware of! True to the name of the site, these epic secret wars involved the heavy hitters of both universes, but neither expanded line-wide like the lynchpin events - Secret Invasion and Final Crisis.

Despite occupying only GL-related titles, it's fair to say Sinestro Corps War went quite a bit larger than the brief symbiote plague in our other example. In fact, reflecting on the year that was 2008 is almost impossible to do without mentioning spillover from the Sinestro event. Even now, looking forward, we anticipate the event forecasted at the end of this issue - Blackest Night!

The upcoming Green Lantern event is but one of several key pieces making up the connective tissue that is the DC Universe. The heavy editorial direction cast across the company has earned criticism from fans and commentators alike, but has also ushered in an undisputed era of cohesion for the DCU. While the heady excitement of the 52-era seems to have passed, DC still manage a tight ship of concept and causality. Reading DC comics has become describable as an experience, distancing them from the hit-and-miss disconnection of Marvel's high selling, headlining events.

What this overly verbose assessment leads to is, Geoff Johns.
At first glance the writer appears to possess few special powers, but anyone reading DC comics knows how deceptive his approach can be. The Sinestro Corps War encapsulates the growth that the Green Lantern comics have experienced under the writer, benefitting not only from brand new contributions, but also the expert inclusion of ideas pulled from all the eras. It's a balance of ideals that has made DC the creative powerhouse -- competent in the face of adversity, creative while traditional.

The simplicity of the spectrum of emotion and colour to represent other Lanterns turns what could easily be a dismal concept, into something beautiful. The Rage of the Red Lanterns serves as one of the prologues to The Blackest Night, and is one of the beats we will hopefully talk more about in 2009.

I'd love to find the words to go deeper into this issue, but we're fast losing days in the year. Instead, let the this and the previous entry reveal where the Infinite Wars has come to rest at the end of the year. DC has been superb. In the new year I hope to talk more about Final Crisis, which has also been a series I've been quite impressed with, in stark contrast to Marvel's Skrull-event.

In case you missed it; be sure to check out our last review of this issue, detailing the personal battle between Sinestro, Hal Jordan, and Kyle Rayner. We will no doubt return to this epic issue at a later date for more of the Sinestro Corps War and the Superboy-Prime fight.

Next up, we tackle two of the major events that drove action on the Infinite Wars in 2008! First, I have to tag all these bloody Green Lanterns!

The Fight: 6 The Issue: 6

The complete Sinestro Corps War is available split across two Green Lantern trade paperbacks. You can pick them up at an affordable price via Amazon, and by using purchase links provided, also help sponsor the efforts of the Infinite Wars! Those, plus collected editions of most issues reviewed in the Secret Archive, are also available via the Infinite Wars Amazonian Gift Shoppe. Perfect for ringing in the new year!

SINESTRO versus HAL JORDAN/KYLE RAYNER
"Birth of the Black Lantern" (DC)
Where: Green Lantern #25 When: January 2008
Why: Geoff Johns How: Ivan Reis

The story so far...
In the wake of the crisis that saw Alexander Luthor Jr and his Society of supervillains rock the very fabric of reality; Sinestro's involvement becomes redefined. Having served as a super powered lackey under Luthor, Sinestro escapes from battle to the anti-matter universe, where he encounters a restored Anti-Monitor, who had reborn along with a new Multi-Verse.

The Anti-Monitor joins Sinestro in creating a new Corps of agents with the intent to use them as heralds of his conquest over the positive realm. Harnessing the yellow power rings of Qward; the antithesis to the Green Lantern's Oa; the Sinestro Corps operate on a design of fear, using it to control their yellow energy the same way the Lanterns us willpower.

Tricked into believing the Sinestro Corps were to attack Oa, the designates of Sector 2814 soon find themselves four against an army as the Anti-Monitor and his heralds emerge in the Milky Way. They launch their attack on Earth, central to the new multi-verse, but the rest of the Green Lanterns, along with the heroes of Earth, soon join the war. Amidst the chaos, more personal skirmishes break out, and in an intimate exchange, Sinestro finds himself facing off with his two greatest Earth-born rivals...

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Draw 2 (Average)
Intelligence: Sinestro 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Draw 2 (Average)
Stamina: Draw 6 (Generator)
Agility: Sinestro 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting Ability: Draw 4 (Trained Fighter)
Energy Powers: Draw 7 (Cosmic Power)


- The Green Lantern Corps are: Hal Jordan and Kyle Rayner.

Having succumed to the effects of the Parallax entity; Earth's most famous Green Lantern, Hal Jordan, would lead a grief stricken rampage against his fellows in a bid to gain power enough to resurrect his obliterated city.
At the cost of the few survivors, the Guardians of the Universe would pool their energies to create one final, immensly powerful ring, which would be sent out into the universe with the last surviving Guardian from Oa; Ganthet.

The ring would come to be the inhereted by Kyle Rayner.
The young graphic artist's imagination would make him an ideal recipient, his creative mind opening up a realm of possibilities to the ring's powers of solid manifestation. These iconic Green Lantern powers would come to Rayner with the added responsibility of being the last of the Corpsman - a footnote that would continue to be a part of his education right until the return of the Corps.

- Born on the planet Korguar, the man called Sinestro was selected by the Guardians to become the Green Lantern of Sector 1147. Dedication to justice in the space region would soon see him excel to a revered status as one of the greatest Corpsman the Green Lanterns had ever seen.

Assigned to train a human designate, Hal Jordan, selected to succeed Abin Sur's duties over Sector 2814; Sinestro's path would be that of a fallen dictator. A reviled Jordan would aid his mentor in defending his homeworld against invasion, but when the Guardians are called to aid them, Sinestro's fascist methods are exposed.

While in exile in a parallel anti-matter Universe, Sinestro encounters the planet Qward, counterpart of the Guardian's homeworld, Oa. The inhabitants, the Weaponers of Qward, construct for Sinestro a yellow ring that harnesses the universal power of fear, and grants him a yellow version of the same adaptive powers of the Green Lanterns. Powers that chiefly allow him to physically manifest any construct he is able to fathom.

The Math: Sinestro (Avg) Green Lanterns (Ttl) Ranking: Hal Jordan (#51)

What Went Down...
Above the rebuilt Coast City, the Green Lanterns fight their cosmic war against the Sinestro Corps, now granted the powers of lethal force by their masters, the Guardians of the Universe. Claiming such provocation as his true motive, Sinestro charges on his mortal enemy, Hal Jordan, with the suggestion that he remains the greatest Lantern in history.


The nobility of Sinestro's plan is quickly lost as he summons the robotic Manhunters designed by Hank Henshaw with the purpose of draining a ring of it's power. Both Hal Jordan and Kyle Rayner fall victim to the automatons' trick.

Stripped of their power, and without a battery to recharge, the two Green Lanterns make a tumbling landing atop one of the Coast City buildings below. Pursued still by Sinestro, the pair are forced to improvise, calling upon their physical prowess to maneuver in the absence of Lantern propelled acrobatics.

While the Sinestro Corps War rages on in the skies above them, the Cyborg Superman becomes a victim of the new killing powers of the Green Lantern, caught in a blast designed to destroy the Anti-Monitor and the yellow central battery. The apparent death results in mass malfunction of the Manhunters.

With the robotic scouts plummeting motionless from the sky, Hal Jordan is able to snatch one of their skulls whilst fleeing Sinestro. He soon turns the tables on the villain, using a yellow energy sapping Manhunter to strip the villain of his energy. Powerless, Sinestro finds himself on even terms, and all too happy to boldly challenge both Lanterns to unarmed combat.

The trio of powerless Corpsman tumble across the rooftop, before falling onto a construction site. All three are toppled in the harsh landing, but Sinestro fares well enough to turn an offensive, rapping the already shaken Kyle Rayner with a devestating left hook.

Taking advantage of the makeshift weapons strewn around the skyscraper construction, Jordan puts his willpower behind a 2x4 plank of wood!
The weapon shatters across Sinestro's head, taking a spray of blood with it.

Sinestro plays the psychological card, lamenting on Jordan's time possessed by the entity Parallax, and the things it made him do. Jordan spear tackles Sinestro through wall construction while the villain recounts tales of the death of Jordan's father. Jordan proves fatigued, but defiant, as Kyle Rayner reemerges.

Rayner dives at his inherited foe, putting his own body on the line in an effort to send the fear mongering Sinestro through a pane of glass. Pain is undoubtedly what the pair feel, as they each come to land on a lower level of construction.

Sinestro touts metaphorical victory over the pair, lording the initiation of lethality as a lasting tribute to the fear purveyed by the Sinestro Corps, and the destiny of the Green Lantern Corps as armed lawmen. Jordan silences him with a fist.

Outside, and across the country, the Sinestro Corps find themselves defeated by the united might of the entire Green Lantern Corps, Guardians, Justice League, and Justice Society. Inside, it is Hal Jordan and Kyle Rayner who are victorious.

With Sinestro bloodied a fraction more than his green counterparts, Hal Jordan takes great pleasure in exercising restrain. Sinestro's fate is consolation.

The Hammer...
Your winners and inductees in to Season 2008: the Green Lanterns! They get no prize, but join the many superheroes and villains already vying for top spot in this year's rankings. Stay tuned Friday for more on the rankings, but in the meanwhile...

After talking about Annihilation, it was hard to just turn and run, so I really wanted to take the opportunity to not only feature another comic dated 2008, but also flash back to the Green Lantern side of things which only just started getting airplay toward the very end of 2007!

Dependent largely on where you were looking, Sinestro Corps War may just have been the biggest event rocking your reading as the previous year came to a close. For those of you following the story through to it's already promoted 2009 sequel, Blackest Night, there's still plenty to come, it would seem!
Hand-picked by Geoff Johns himself; Sterling Gates writes Green Lantern Corps where Mongul has been seen lurking with exciting prospects, while the master himself continues to plant seeds and explore the aftermath not only of the War itself, but also the connected ramifications.

I'm going to say this of Johns: he's earned his place at the top of the game.
Often we might express critical views of certain person(s) output, but that isn't always indicative of a broad view of that writer, penciller, or other.

If you're inclined to view the our menu [located right] you might have noticed a top ten creators tally. It rarely changes because, unlike our character stats, it isn't wiped periodically, which means Geoff Johns is going to be at the stack for quite some time. Being dependent on ratings values, Johns has actually amassed a lead over nearest rival [Jeph Loeb] worth approximately five must-reads.
These terms are all abstractions, but what I'm trying to illustrate is at least the tactile presence of Johns, and the constitent quality of his work.

Based on the issues I wound up with, I couldn't agree with those touting Sinestro Corps War as memorable and fantastic. Amidst the chaos, I tend to think Johns inevitably falls into the void of strong concepts, and solid logic, but a story that ultimately lacks any identifiable character.

Johns can clearly grapple with understanding some of DC's most maligned and vintaged characters, but the undeniable weakness in his arsenal remains the ability to convey characterization through subtlty; something many of his peers lord as an asset in a writer's market, still driven by the influence of early 2000's wordy fads.

In some ways I would describe the Sinestro Corps War as quite ambitious. Not only does it reorganize and root the Green Lantern mythos in a very specific style of science fiction concept, but also attempts to layer a sense of commentary beneath the strong overtones of a familiar superhero crossover epic. Again, this added layer lacks some subtlty, but with very few dull moments, the ratio of crossover to page is probably well worth it.

After events convenient, the Green Lanterns stand victorious over the successively toppled menaces of the Sinestro Corps, Anti-Monitor, and herald baddies; Superman-Prime, Cyborg Superman (Hank Henshaw), and Sinestro.
Fairly urban concepts of distrust for law enforcement become the most obvious concept explored as the Green Lanterns return to a universe that will now know them as lethal enforcers bound only by individual discretion.

The irony of combatting a man, Sinestro, who abused his Green Lantern powers in the past, is somewhat lost to the driving momentum of plot points that likely need wrap up during 2008. What we weren't able to talk about last time was the promise of a 2009 event which will introduce another of the spectrum of Lantern enforcers, rising from the corpse of the Anti-Monitor to be the undead Black Lanterns. Again, the prospects of the comic book overshadow any political commentaries designed to suggest versimilitude, but that's a matter of interest.

We could talk more about the potential of 'internal affairs' style sub-sections within the Lanterns, but without details, I do tend to feel that's a precipice to Sinestro's history as the league leading corrupt Green Lantern. Then again, that in itself suggests commentaries of super powers in times of fear, and Star Wars style depictions of a Bush-style assumption post 9-11. Not that I think Johns is trying to cast those aspertions, as much as he is telling a contemporary story that's inevitably associated with those sorts of allusions.

Last time [Green Lantern #24] we talked a bit about the potential to water down the entire concept with an excess of coloured Corps. That said, the lingering concept of a Black Lantern Corps composed entirely of the resurrected dead is a delicious spin on the otherwise over populated zombie genre in comics.
Even in the context of watching Infinte Wars-style combat in 2008's comics, it's going to be hard not to observe every perilous situation in DC comics and it's Final Crisis with suspicion for who might return in a Cyborg Superman style role.

If the dead are open fodder, I suppose that even opens the fanboy door to all kinds of skeletons. You almost dare not imagine the notion of a Bart Allen Black Lantern, although, a Black Flash would be entirely appropriate.
Even for those undermining dangers, I think you have to credit Johns for his penchant for grand design. In the fashion Annihilation reintroduced key characters and concepts from the cosmic Marvel Universe; Johns puts together an 'all in one' tour of what one should expect of a new Green Lantern universe.

Promises of prophecies, wars, and crisis are a sure way to keep fans watching, but as we roll on to the afforementioned Final Crisis, we once again consider that horrible thought. With the Spider-man reboot being the measure of precedence; Johns' ability to contribute, redefine, and reshap, without stripping away chunks of history in a haphazard slate-wipe, makes fear for what the Crisis means to on-going continuity all that more concerning.

Blackest Night may very well be a guarantee for the secured future of the DC Universe, or maybe that's just the perfect creacendo to the end of this world as we know. Let's hope, either way, it's a tad more artful than the house across the street.

The Fight: 5.5 The Issue: 6

While it might not go down in history as a "must read", the Sinestro Corps War is going to be on any Green Lantern fans reading list for years to come. If you're excited about the Green Lanterns, and missed out on this redefining event spectacular, it's the perfect jumping on point! You can jump right in with the trades, both available through Amazon! Amazon not only offers affordable prices, but by using the purchase links provided here, you sponsor future entries into the Infinite Wars themselves.

GREEN LANTERN versus PARALLAX
Sinestro Corps: Home Invasion (DC comics)
Where: Green Lantern #24 When: December 2007
Why: Geoff Johns How: Ivan Reis

The story so far...
Long thought dead, it is the resurrection of Hal Jordan that prompts the return of the villainous fallen Green Lantern called Sinestro. Revealed, he carries with him the mysterious powers of a yellow ring, gathered in his previous travels of exile in the anti-matter universe, Qward.

Sinestro is revealed to have been imprisoned within the Central Power Battery on Oa, where he conversed with the yellow fear entity Parallax, and hatched the downfall of one of the Lantern's greatest heroes, and his bitter rival, Hal Jordan.

As Jordan joins Kyle Rayner and the other surviving Lanterns to spur the beginnings of a new era of the Green Lantern Corps; Sinestro and Parallax begin their own quest, sending out yellow power rings to gather agents for their Sinestro Corps of fear wielding soldiers. So begins the inevitable first stages of the Sinestro Corps War, prophecized by the Book of Oa.

With their intention to destroy the fifty-two worlds of the megaverse, the Sinestro Corps descend in full on "New Earth." While the Lanterns struggle with their own battles; Hal Jordan rushes to the rescue of his Coast City dwelling brother, and his family, who has come under threat from Parallax, who has possessed the once future Ion - Kyle Rayner!

Tale of the tape...
Strength: Green Lantern 2 (Average)
Intelligence: Green Lantern 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Parallax 3 (Athlete)
Stamina: Parallax 6 (Generator)
Agility: Parallax 7 (Unlimited)
Fighting Ability: Green Lantern 4 (Trained Fighter)
Energy Powers: Green Lantern 7 (Cosmic Power)


- When space alien, Abin Sur, crash lands on Earth, he uses his dying moments to search the immediate vicinity for a man of honest and brave creed, capable of overcoming great fear.

The bizarre alien ring would summon to him Hal Jordan; a man whose destiny had appeared to be following in the foosteps of his father, Martin, who was an ace test pilot before him.
Little did he know, Jordan would soar far higher, and fly much faster, than the speed machines he would come to love.

Sworn into the fold of the intergalactic peace-keeping corps; Jordan becomes the Green Lantern of Sector 2814, inhereting Abin Sur's ring.
Drawing it's powers from the energy battery constructed on the planet Oa, the ring grants Jordan, as any GL, the ability to harness his willpower to form any construct imaginable.

- It was at the dawn of existence that a creature's sentience would begin dependent solely on a singular emotion, and it's name was Parallax.

This yellow entity thrived on fear and began to purvey the reaction in societies and cultures throughout the universe. This terror campaign would be recognized by the Guardians of the Galaxy, who would use their green energies of will to entrap the creature deep within the green swirl of their green battery.

Parallax would eventually awaken from it's slumber, and use his central position to tap into Green Lantern's across the galaxy. The destruction of Coast City allows the creature to compromise a gradually manipulated Hal Jordan, and it again emerges into the universe, launching a war on the Guardians with their greatest champion as his host.

Though inherently capable of manipulating and feeding on fear in much the same way the Green Lanterns draw upon willpower, Parallax was also able to control the powers of his host, to a relevant degree.

The Math: Parallax Ranking: Green Lantern (#136)

What went down...
Warned of his brother's fate at the hands of Parallax by Sinestro; Hal Jordan takes immediate leave of his fellows, exhausting much of the last of his ring's power to reach staggering speeds!

As Parallax clutches with taloned fingers at the faces of Jim Jordan and his family, Hal rockets across their apartment balcony to snatch the possessed Rayner away, leaving exploding concrete in his wake!

Jordan grapples with Parallax who attempts to undermine his attentions with taunts, recalling the destruction of Coast City, and the threat to the fledgling reconstructed real estate.
The psychological attack is mirrored by the physical, as Parallax rolls in mid-air out of Jordan's energy blaring clutches, turning to toss him into the earth.

Jordan's body bounces in the dirt, as a faint transmission from John Stewart and Guy Gardner offers Jordan hope of back-up. He reminds them the predicament their fellow; Kyle Rayner; faces, given the possessive power of the Parallax entity, recalling the Spectre's intervention in his own escape.

Gardner and Stewart split-up to send the former, despite his chagrin, to seek out an artifact from Rayner's life with his murdered mother - a painting of great sentimental value that might wrench him from the fear of his failure.

Meanwhile; Jordan struggles to reach the man beneath the Parallax, but just as he appears to be getting through his power ring finally reaches 0% energy.
Powerless, Hal Jordan finds himself at the mercy of the fear powered Parallax!

Contorting it's host body, the Parallax manifests a swirling mass of tentacles that envelop a helpless Hal Jordan. John Stewart arrives in time to witness the gathering yellow energies that emenate from beneath the hunched creature, watching in horror as it rises reborn in a glowing yellow triumph - now in possession of two Green Lantern hosts!

Parallaxed powered up unleashes yellow streams of energy that grind John Stewart into the dirt. With grit teeth the Green Lantern summons the power of his ring with determination and will, only to resist Parallax and cut through his attacks with a stream of glowing green!

At that moment, a previously detoured Guy Gardner arrives with the Rayner painting in his possession. Seeing Parallax on the ropes from Stewart's attack, Gardner rips the painting from it's wrapping and beckons to the Kyle within.

Alone in the darkness, Kyle Rayner's possession manifests itself psychically as a field of yellow wheat. A voice echos to him, eventually revealing his predecessor, Hal Jordan, glowing bright with the power of the Green Lantern.
Kyle admits his guilt over the loss of his mother at the hands of Despotellis - an agent of the Sinestro Corps - and as the wheat turns to stringy tendrils, Jordan reaches out to his successor with undestanding and compassion.

The unity of the two Lanterns allows their green light to glow bright!

The strength of two hosts proves to be a two-way road, as green light leaks from Parallax's outward depiction of Rayner, signalling the emergence of both Rayner and Jordan, bursting free in a spray of yellow blood!

The quartet of Human Lanterns enjoy a brief reunion, but are soon faced with a recouped Parallax that gathers from the gloopy remains of the day. Furious, the fear entity looms over a naked and powerless Kyle Rayner, but is stemmed by the unlikely arrival of two Guardians from Oa!

Carrying recharge lanterns for each of the men, the two Guardians restore Kyle Rayner's status as a Lantern, having previously seen him elevated to torch-baring role of Ion. Glad to return to the fold, Rayner joins his fellows in chorus as they charge their rings.

With the Guardians having just disected and absorbed Parallax into the four rings, it remains to be seen whether or not there will be ramifications. In the time being, it is a battle won, in a war as yet undecided.

The hammer...
Though it was Ganthet and Sayd who struck the winning blow, I think the involvement of each individual Green Lantern proved crucial, so we're going to be generous, and call a win to all!

Strange but true: I'm not a big sci-fi guy.
In that respect it was always the superhero aspect of the Green Lantern that remained the most important to me. By it's definition, I'm often reluctant to call myself a fan of things, because it implies a certain level of familiarity and knowledge. I don't know the minutia of the Green Lantern's lengthy history, but if I had to choose a favourite; and couldn't go the obnoxious smug route of saying Alan Scott; I'd say I'm a fan of Hal Jordan.

We've spoken before about the inflection a fan makes when identifying a moment of a legacy as "their" version of the character. Jordan was the Green Lantern in prominence when I read his tales, so alternates roughly fell by the wayside, namely Kyle Rayner. That said, I think the last decade has allowed the character to mature and endear himself in a way that I also enjoy.

It's interesting to watch Geoff Johns work.

I think it's too late to say Johns is becoming one of the lynchpins of the DC Universe. Geoff Johns has well and truly landed, and his influence has been felt by most fans reading DC comics, as he joins Grant Morrison, and the departing influences of Mark Waid and Greg Rucka, as architect of the DCU.

Evidence of Johns far faring involvement is the promotional conclusion to Sinestro Corps War, which reveals the coming final chapter of the Green Lantern's prophecy, Blackest Night.

One of the curiosities evident in Johns' writing is that it bucks against many contemporary trends, exhibiting a questionable degree of characterization, boasting instead the strength of story structure and planning. It's always curious to be deathly excited to read a Johns book, but ultimately find yourself a little mystified at the end of it, unable to recall miniscule specifics; not that this is necessarily the case of this issue.

The introduction of a yellow brigade seems like one of the least likely concepts to turn around the flailing fortunes of the Green Lantern franchise.
As much as Johns reinvigorated the brand with the new reader grabbing, Rebirth, the energy has struggled to remain consistent. Referring back; I find it oddly enjoyable that it would be conceits typical of the science fiction genre that would bring us all back to the green light.

It's worth noting that the story actually recalls events described in a previous GL story, building on notions proposed by "the great" Alan Moore, but then, that again refers to one of Johns' subtle strengths; his ability to drawn upon and inspire intelligent application of characters and their histories.

Having read so much positive fan press about the War, I may have been a little too whipped up to draw my own appreciation. It's with a critical eye that I note, much like the fabled LBS [*Lazy Brubaker Syndrome], that Johns' muted characterization means events unfold in expected sequence, with 'oh my gosh' moments that ask the reader to appreciate them on their merits, but are in a way betrayed by their logical succession.

The superhero conceit ironically lets the story down; seeing the overwhelming odds of the Sinestro Corps broken down through individualized battles. The Green Lanterns manage to gather their forces into smaller groups to out number Sinestro members, with prominent members defeated in video game succession.

It's foolish to say that there's anything wrong with that, but it does tend to undermine the war qualities of the story, which uses window dressing of occasional group shots to allude to the broader conflict. These allusions manage to include peppered cameos by members of the Justice League and Society, albeit without interference in those respective titles (probably for the better).

If nothing else, Sinestro Corps War makes these characters enjoyable to see again. Perhaps the greatest obstacle faced by the Corps, I feel, is the lack of iconic villains, so to that end, the Sinestro Corps is a greatly succesful vehicle that uses the requisite familiarities of Cyborg Superman and Superboy-Prime, but adds it's own qualities.

That said, the promise of a legion of Lantern Corps, each representing different colours and motives, highlights the follies of such a maneuver.
Presumably the prophecized fall to be depicted in Blackest Night will provide a buffer to eliminate the excess of Corps, because as much fun as alternate brigades may be, they threaten to overwhelm and water down a concept that, on it's own, is more than sound. Blackest Night does, however, tend to suggest negatives to go along with those contingencies.

As you'll be reading in the coming months, the Infinite Wars is instigating an initiative called Spider-Boycott: 2008. We'll be omitting Spider-man from our regular routine (as much as possible) in response to the major retcon featured in One More Day, that not only erases Peter Parker's marriage to Mary-Jane Watson, but reimagines the history that was created following, including the unwelcome resurrection of Harry Osborn.

With DC's Final Crisis looming, and the Green Lantern prophecy claiming the Blackest Night will accompany the fall of the universe; it's hard not to feel reticent about the future of DC Comics.

For the past five years intergalactic doom and gloom has been teased with Infinite Crisis, the multi-verse, and various other plot devices. The grim feeling that something might actually come of it is not a dramatic suspense I wish to indulge.
As much as one comes to accept the ebb and flow of sensibility in comics writing, and makes the well adjusted decision to accept certain changes; blanket retcons are not a notion I like to encourage or entertain.

Though twenty years later we see and enjoy the benefits of Crisis on Infinite Earths, we cannot condone another wipe of the slate. So, much as it's thrilling to look forward to the prospects suggested by the Sinestro Corps War and it's inevitable conclusions, there is a sense of reluctance and concern for the future.

I do my best now to contain myself, to discuss Blackest Night in a future entry, when we revisit the Sinestro Corps War. Hopefully that will be sooner than later, so I don't forget the delicious prospect these Black Lanterns present.

The Fight: 4.5 The Issue: 5.5

After two years, it's kinda nice to finally be able to present the Infinite Wars as Green Lantern-friendly. We hope we can shine our light to bring all you GL nuts to the Infinite Wars, and hey, if you aren't among their number yet, why not head over to Amazon to pick yourself up the first Sinestro Corps War trade -- and pre-order the second, which contains the issue reviewed here, and much more! Yay Amazon, yay kick-backs, yay Sinestro!