Here are today's Guest Reviews by LiquidCross from The Indigo Tribe for DC's; Green Lantern #23.1 (Relic #1), #23.2 (Mongul #1), #23.3 (Black Hand #1) and #23.4 (Sinestro #1). I have also added my rating after each review. If you have any questions about my rating or want to discuss anything just leave me a comment.
Green Lantern #23.1 - Fall of the Lightsmiths
Who is Relic, and why must he kill every being in the universe who might wield the light of the emotional spectrum? Relic’s power could be the most formidable force the Lanterns have ever seen!
This issue’s story incorporates Rags Morales’s recent variant covers from GREEN LANTERN, GREEN LANTERN CORPS, GREEN LANTERN: NEW GUARDIANS, RED LANTERNS and LARFLEEZE, now with inks, full color and script!
Preview
Relic #1
In the universe before this one, beings also learned to harness the emotional spectrum. They were called lightsmiths, and though conflict occasionally broke out, their use of light gave rise to a vast and peaceful galactic society. However, one scientist believed that the light was a finite resource, and horrible things would happen if it were exhausted. He was derided as a relic (get it?), and set out to find proof. After finding a wall at the edge of creation, he began to doubt his own theories…but then, the blue light went out. Once this became common knowledge, the other lightsmiths waged war on another, and as the final light went out, the universe collapsed. Relic threw himself into the breach in his final act as a scientist, and untold eons later, he was awakened by the presence of another “lightsmith.” Violence was the only thing the old lightsmiths understood, so to save this strange new universe, Relic will use violence to stop their successors.
This issue collects the variant covers from the past few months of Lantern titles, adding inks, color, more pages, and most importantly, a full origin for Relic. Now his motivations make more sense, but unfortunately, this issue has a huge flaw that undermines the entire story.
See, it makes no sense that the previous universe collapsed just because the emotional lights were exhausted. Furthermore, if sentient beings were still capable of feeling emotion, then those lights should not have gone out in the first place! That’s a constant supply of power, and that’s exactly how the Central Power Batteries are supposed to work in the prime universe. Anyway, there’s another problem: the universe would’ve been around long before sentient life evolved. Which means there was no emotional spectrum yet, so the existence of the universe still could not be dependent on it.
My Rating
Cover & Solicit - 4/5
Art, Colors & Inking - 4/5
Layout & Flow - 4/5
Story - 4/5
Verdict - 4 - (Buy Green Lantern #23.1) SAVE 10%
Green Lantern #23.2 - Worthy Foes
Deep in space, an unstoppable force is committing genocide on a galaxy-wide scale, and only the strongest will survive! Be warned, because nothing can prepare you for an all-new Warworld under the absolute rule of the tyrant called Mongul!
Preview
Mongul #1
When a distant planet’s armada threatens an approaching Death Star spherical warship, their admiral demands surrender, but he’s suddenly teleported inside. There, an Imperial probe droid servant robot shows the military leader around before introducing him to the Emperor ruler of the ship, Mongul. The yellow-skinned warlord explains his belief that only the strong and ruthless are destined to rule, and how his Warworld ship travels the universe, culling the weak. In fact, as Mongul tells his story, Warworld destroys the surrounding fleet, blows up Alderaan a nearby moon causing untold devastation on the admiral’s homeworld, then subjugates the population before recycling what’s left of the planet to fuel the next conquest. The admiral is horrified by this, but it gets worse; Mongul tears off his head, adding it to his collection of those brave enough to oppose him. After moving on from the now-dead planet, he’s informed that the next world in Warworld’s path is a Green Lantern sector house, and Mongul looks forward to the challenge.
Sorry, I just couldn’t help it with the “corrections” in the synopsis; there were some very clear Star Wars homages in this issue, but fortunately they weren’t to the story’s detriment. In fact, I thought the super-obvious probe droid design homage was great, and fit right in with Warworld!
Mongul’s got a history with Green Lantern, though all of it has been retconned away. In his most notable appearances prior to the “New 52,” Mongul was a member of the Sinestro Corps in old continuity, while he destroyed Coast City (under the Cyborg Superman’s orders) and later fought Kyle Rayner in old-old continuity. Wiping all of that clean in order to introduce him as a relatively new foe for the Corps was probably a wise move, as Green Lantern continuity over the past nine years in particular is a mess.
My Rating
Cover & Solicit - 4/5
Art, Colors & Inking - 4/5
Layout & Flow - 4/5
Story - 3/5
Verdict - 3.6 - (Buy Green Lantern #23.2) SAVE 10%
Green Lantern #23.3 - The New Black
In a world with no heroes, death lies behind every turn! Black Hand arrives to take advantage of Forever Evil, and he may be the most dangerous player yet! And when last we saw him, Black Hand was a pile of dust in the Dead Zone! How did he manage to return?
Preview
Black Hand #1
A few graveyard shift (ha!) workers at the Hand Mortuary in Coast City are cremating a body, when suddenly a black ring drops down and resurrects the notorious Black Hand, using an unfortunate worker as raw material. Black Hand doesn’t quite remember who he is, and he runs afoul of two police officers. He’s thrown in prison, where his powers start to reemerge. He breaks out, and there’s a riot outside, given that there’s no superheroes around to stop them. Black Hand tries to use dead prisoners to overrun the police, but they take down the zombies. He then resurrects viruses in the officers’ bodies to take them down that way, and makes his escape. Black Hand finds himself in a nearby cemetery, and when he comes across the grave of Martin Jordan, his memory returns. He plans to use Hal Jordan’s reanimated father against him, and literally kill him with his parent’s hand.
Not too bad of an issue, and I did like how Black Hand’s resurrection was basically just written off as “this happens a lot.” Not just with Black Hand, but with comic book characters in general! I do wonder how those two workers didn’t see the black ring drop right down in front of them before they walked away, though. (Fun nitpicking: the symbol on the ring was also incorrect in one panel, as it was the White Lantern emblem instead!) In addition, this was the first Green Lantern “Villain’s Month” story that wasn’t an origin. Good stuff.
My Rating
Cover & Solicit - 4/5
Art, Colors & Inking - 3/5
Layout & Flow - 4/5
Story - 4/5
Verdict - 3.7 - (Buy Green Lantern #23.3) SAVE 10%
Green Lantern #23.4 - Sinestro
Years ago, Sinestro used his Green Lantern ring to utterly dominate his home planet of Korugar, all in the name of “protecting” his people. It’s the mistake that turned his name into a curse, and brought down the greatest Green Lantern of them all…but one never-before-seen moment from those dark days holds the key to his future!
Preview
Sinestro #1
Lyssa Drak has been left all alone, and she’s desperately seeking Sinestro in the remains of Korugar. She’s also missing her precious Book of Parallax, so she’s doing her best focus her memory on the history of her lord and master. She recalls that Sinestro was an archaeologist on Korugar before fate bestowed a Green Lantern ring upon him, and how upon joining he Corps, he quickly became its rising star. He befriended Abin Sur, and later married Abin’s sister Arin. During it all, his indomitable will served him well, and Sinestro wondered how he could apply it to Korugar. Eventually, he just took over, convinced that he was protecting the populace. Once Sinestro’s new friend Hal Jordan saw it, though, he called him out as a tyrant, resulting in Sinestro’s capture and expulsion from the Green Lantern Corps. The rest is recent history; Sinestro formed his own fear-based Corps, fought the Green Lanterns, became one again, lost Korugar to the First Lantern, then killed the Guardians before disappearing into deep space with his Corps. Still lamenting the loss of her Book, Lyssa begins to inscribe Sinestro’s history on her very flesh, vowing to continue her search.
I have mixed feelings on this issue. The story wasn’t anything terrible, and neither was the art. In fact, Dale Eaglesham really knocked it out of the park. From the intricate framing pieces to the soft penciled look (it was likely digitally inked, if at all), his artwork was a perfect choice for this book. I’m a longtime fan of Eaglesham’s art, anyway, but he’s really done some stellar work lately between this and a stint on Iron Man.
My Rating
Cover & Solicit - 4/5
Art, Colors & Inking - 4/5
Layout & Flow - 3/5
Story - 4/5
Verdict - 3.9 - (Buy Green Lantern #23.3) SAVE 10%
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