Written by Geoff Johns
Illustrated by Doug MahnkeWith the entire Sinestro Corps out to kill its founder, the renegade Green Lantern Sinestro finds himself in a position he’s never been in before: on the run.
It’s the Pan-Universal Odd Couple! Hal Jordan and Thaal Sinestro are continuing their journey to rescue Sinestro’s home planet from the evil grasp of his own corps, the Sinestro Corps! Will this book be terrible, or will it succeed in not sucking?
Check my thoughts after the cut! As a note, mild spoilers are discussed.
This book is an interesting one, now that’ Sinestro is the main character and Hal is the second lead. It’s interesting because the last seven years or so has been a love letter from Geoff Johns to Hal Jordan and how amazing he is. The comic community as a whole bought this, and Hal joined the upper echelon of DC heroes along with Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. Heck, he even got a feature film dedicated to him, and even Wonder Woman can’t say that.
However, now that Sinestro is the main Lantern of Earth, the book takes a completely different tone. Hal is NOT the golden boy Johns always wrote him as. He’s the headstrong and stubborn jerk who can’t do anything right as a superhero or even as a person. Sinestro constantly reminds Hal of this, and even as someone who generally likes Hal, it’s a welcome change of pace from the norm.
But while Sinestro is accusing Hal of not looking before he leaps, the interesting part is that he’s guilty of a bit of the same things. When they reach Korugar, Sinestro becomes just as impetuous as Hal is on Earth, or everywhere else for that matter. This re-enforces something that the newly lobotomized Ganthet observes about the Green Lanterns as a whole, using Hal and Sinestro as obvious examples.
Honestly, one of the best parts about this book (aside from Mahnke’s gorgeous art, which I’ll get to in a bit) is the chemistry between the two long-time enemies. I touched upon this in the teaser, but they really are the pan-universal odd couple. They don’t get along, but that’s the beauty of it. However, at this point, I wonder if Hal gets along with anyone. He bickers with Batman, fights with Superman, clashes with Sinestro, disappoints Carol. Flat out annoys Guy; who’s left? But that’s the beauty of Hal Jordan I suppose. He’s a giant douche, but somehow gets away with everything.
But enough about that, let’s talk about Geoff Johns. The book itself had started to get stale after all these Green Lantern events, from Rebirth all the way through Brightest Day. I imagine Johns realized this, and with the movie’s introduction of Sinestro as a Green Lantern, it was only logical to give him a book, at least until Green Lantern 2 comes out (assuming it does). It really works for the book as a whole. When Sinestro inevitably turns on Hal in time for that new movie (again, assuming it comes out), the weight of it will feel heavier and the book will be all the better for it.
But until then, the A and B plots have enough excitement for all of us to enjoy. The trip to Korugar not only gives a moment of humanity (of sorts), but some new characters he knows to help increase the relatability to an alien who is kind of a jerk in his own right. Beyond that, the plan the Guardians are hatching looks like it might be the looming Green Lantern event coming in the next two years or so. What will it be? Who knows, but one can imagine what they’re conspiring to do. Finally, the last panel in the book is a jaw dropping moment that was honestly shocking. What a brilliant piece of writing.
Then there’s Doug Mahnke. Doug Mahnke is still probably the best thing about this book. While I’ve never been one to dislike his work, it’s grown a lot from the first time I read a title he’s worked on (that would be Action Comics #775, for those of you playing the home game). His work is clean and elegant, with gorgeous, gorgeous depictions of action and, well, violence. There’s a panel, where Sinestro attempts to ambush his former underlings and drills a hole right through one of those same underlings. A good bit of that credit deserves to go to the rest of the art team, from Christian Alamy, a frequent Mahnke collaborator, who makes his work stand out even more than it already would with just his pencils, to the rest of his inking team, Keith Champagne, Mark Irwin, and Tom Nguyen. Their inks, combined with David Baron’s colors, elevate already stellar art to something truly special. In fact, when it comes to the art, I have merely one complaint, and it’s not even with the art itself, and more of an observation on Hal’s uniform. There are some strange logos on Hal’s shoulders, and I don’t quite understand what they are or even why they belong there. Other than that, however, the book is absolutely gorgeous.
In case you couldn’t tell, the book was pretty outstanding, and it’s written in a way that might intrigue even those bored with the Green Lantern franchise. Check it out!
Final Verdict: 8.2 — Buy!
