DCU Comic Book Reviews

GREEN LANTERN #22

Sinestro Corps, Chapter Two:  Running Scared

October 2007

Written by Geoff Johns

Pencils by Ivan Reis

Inks by Oclair Albert

Cover by Ivan Reis and Oclair Albert & Andy Kubert

Synopsis

With the Sinestro Corps about to attack Oa, the Guardians recall every available lantern back to Oa for the upcoming battle.  On the Planet Qward, Hal Jordan battles against Kyle Rayner, who has been infected by the parasite Parallax.  Jordan also must battle dozens of members of the Sinestro Corps, but receives back-up support from other Green Lanterns.  Meanwhile, Superboy-prime watches over Earth.  In Sector 3601, Hank Henshaw tells the Anti-Monitor that War World is almost finished.  He also requests that the Anti-Monitor kill him when it does.  The Anti-Monitor agrees.  Meanwhile, Jordan the other lanterns continue to battle the Sinestro Corps.  When the battle starts to go bad, the lanterns descend under the planet’s surface.  There, they split with some to find Ion while others go in search of Guy Gardner and John Stewart.  Jordan and others find them chained to the wall, watched by Lyssa Drak, the keeper of the book of Parallax. 

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

No one does loud, action-filled stories like Geoff Johns and this issue is definitive proof of that.  There is a lot of stuff going on in this issue, but Johns deftly handles all of the bits and pieces, ably incorporating Jordan’s past into the present without feeling forced while also pushing the characters and the plot forward.  For the first time, the lanterns supposedly “killed” by Jordan realize that Parallax is an entity of its own, just as they realize that Ion and Kyle Rayner were two separate entities.  And in the midst of all this, Ivan Reis artwork is brilliant as he creates high level energy and action for the battle scenes. 

What intrigues the most about this war that is being waged is that the participants on not fighting equal footing.  The yellow lanterns can kill and willingly do so.  The green lanterns cannot and as we see in this issue are physically unable even if they wanted to.  So, how does one win a battle in which your hands are tied behind your back?  Knock them unconscious and put them in jail?  Yes, that is possible except that it is harder to do than just kill someone and, let’s face, it will have to be one hell of jail cell to find all them.  It will be interesting to see how Johns resolves this quandary. 

One of the things that I like about this overall story is that the two books are not connected in that one flows from the other in one continuous story, but they are connected by the same characters being involved in the same events.  For instance, Soranik Natu’s story takes place in the Corps book, but we get a brief glimpse of her here, on page 1.  The battle for Mogo will also take place in the Corps book, but it is mentioned here as well. 

The cover states this is Part Four of the Sinestro Corps War while the first page indicates this is Chapter Two if the Sinestro Corps.  The Green Lantern Corps, issue #14 that was released a couple of weeks ago also listed on the cover page that it was Chapter Two of the Sinestro Corps.  Although the books take place in the same timeframe and feature overlapping events, neither is a continuation of the other, despite what the cover might state.  And even though the story elements seem to be merging (as stated above) whoever is in charge of the credit page is asleep at the wheel.

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