DCU Comic Book Reviews

GREEN LANTERN #36

Rage Of The Red Lanterns, Part 2

January 2009

Written by Geoff Johns

Pencils by Ivan Reis

Inks by Oclair Albert

Cover by Shane Davis

Synopsis

On Ysmault, Atrocitus holds Sinestro captive and announces he will drain every drop of Sinestro’s blood into the rings of Red Lanterns.  Sinestro warns him that he has no idea what he has started.  Elsewhere, Saint Walker of the Blue Lanterns tells Hal Jordan that he is there to protect him.  Kilowog and John Stewart are not too sure about that.  Walker than blasts Stewart with his ring, giving him a glimmer of hope for the future.  Later, Saint Walker takes Jordan to the Odym, the home of the Blue Lanterns.  There, Jordan finds Ganthet, who asks Jordan to help the Blue Lanterns to save Sinestro and bring him to Odym.  On Zamaron, the conversion of Fatality and she is welcomed to the Star Sapphires.  Her first task:  find John Stewart.  Meanwhile, Jordan and the Blue Lanterns encounter a sun about to go supernova, killing three hundred people on a nearby planet.  The Blue Lanterns supply the populace with hope and the planet is saved.  They tell Jordan that hope charges everyone around them, including Jordan.  After they rescue Sinestro, Jordan is to discard his green ring and become the leader of the Blue Lantern Corps.  On Ysmault, Atrocitus tells Sinestro he knows how to tear him apart.  He knows about Sinestro’s daughter. 

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

You know for a story called “Rage of the Red Lanterns”, we see more of the Blue Lanterns than we do of the Red Lanterns.  Not that I am complaining, mind you; I loved this issue and I love what is happening with the various corps.    There may be a lot of stuff happening, but Johns juggles it all brilliantly.  This is just great stuff.

I was not surprised by the first ending (Saint Walker’s proclamation of what they want Jordan to become).  Nor was I particularly excited by it either.  Putting aside the fact that I know that Jordan would never join the Blue Lantern Corps (because the title of this book would not make sense and I doubt DC would willingly throw away decades of Jordan being the Green Lantern), Jordan is the last person I would think would be the embodiment of hope.  It just doesn’t feel right and in fact is one of those rare times when Johns has introduced an element that feels more like a plot device than an outgrowth of the character.

My first thought when I got to the second ending was that it seemed like Sinestro’s daughter was a convenient ret-con with in order to provide some emotional depth to his torture at the hands of the Red Lanterns.  In other words, a plot device, much like the ending with Jordan.  But then I gave it a little bit of thought, and I am curious to see where Johns is going to go with this.  Because, yes it is a retcon, but I can’t imagine that Johns has not thought this through, not only who the character will be (possible we have met her?) but also where this is will lead in future stories.  So, now I am curious and anxious to see where this leads.  

I have reservations about the Blue Lantern Corps.  It seems to me that it is just a little too easy for the Blue Corps to overcome most obstacles.  I mean, most people have some form of hope, especially when a catastrophic event is staring you in the face.  So, it seems like a shortcut to solve all problems all at once.  Hopefully, Johns has found a way around this.  We’ll just have to wait and see. 

Once again, Johns pulls out his rhyming dictionary for the Blue Lantern oath.  I really think DC should find a way to publish a book with all of oaths in one place.  Perhaps a single issue, priced at about a dollar with all of the oaths and Reis’ artwork.  That would be cool. 

The two-page spread of the Odym homeworld is absolutely gorgeous.  After I finished reading this issue, I flipped back to take a look at it again. 

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