DCU Comic Book Reviews

GREEN LANTERN #37

Rage Of The Red Lanterns, Part 3

February 2009

Written by Geoff Johns

Pencils by Ivan Reis

Inks by Oclair Albert

Cover by Shane Davis

Synopsis

On the way to Ysmault to rescue Sinestro, Hal Jordan (aka Green Lantern) tries to convince the Blue Lanterns that he would never abandon the corps.  However, the Blue Lanterns are convinced that Jordan needs to join their ranks.  When they get to Ysmault, Jordan finds Sinestro, but also falls into a trap set up by the Red Lanterns.  Atrocitus spouts a prophecy of Jordan becoming a renegade once more.  Sinestro tells him not to listen.  Atrocitus then tells Laira to take Jordan.  At that moment, Yellow Lanterns arrive to rescue Sinestro and the Blue Lanterns arrive to rescue Jordan.  As the Blue Lanterns attack Atrocitus, Laira attacks Jordan.  Sinestro saves him, killing Laira.  Jordan becomes angry, attack Jordan with such rage that he becomes a Red Lantern.

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

Wow, this was a freaking fantastic issue.  Johns and Reis have created a phenomenal book and amazingly it just keeps getting better.  I mean, there were developments left and right.  When such moments as Laira seemingly dying and the yellow corps coming to save Sinestro occurring as almost afterthoughts to the last page, you just know that Johns has taken this book and turned up the volume even past 11.  The issue starts with the Blue Lanterns and cryptic comments about a price to pay for becoming Blue Lantern and you think Johns is heading in that direction, but instead he dovetails in a completely different way.  I was not expecting the final page, but it makes sense.  Johns has been building towards that moment for sometime (think about all those conversations about Sinestro’s death sentence and you can see it) so to not see it coming is a testament to his ability.  This is absolutely great stuff. 

When a member of the Green Lantern Corps becomes a member of another Corps, what happens to their Green power rings?  Does it return to Oa or does it just change to the different color.  If so, does that mean there are tons of Sectors in the universe without a Green Lantern? 

Doesn’t Sinestro have a daughter?  What happened to that?  It was an interesting plot point that seems to have been completely forgotten.  Knowing Johns, I doubt he lost track of it and it will come into play later, but it seemed odd that there wasn’t a reference to it here (unless I missed).  I have to wonder, however, if Laira was his daughter.  It would make a certain amount of sense in terms of the story, but I am not sure if the history of these two characters support this idea. 

While I liked the moment of flashback to Sinestro and Hal’s past, I wonder if it will make any sense to someone reading the collected trade without reading the "Secret Origins" trade paperback. 

I wonder how and why the decision came to put Laira on the cover.  There are others, such as Atrocitus that would fit the cover as a “face of evil” better than Laira, who is not really a villain per se, just more of someone who is a troubled soul.  I get that she is killed in this issue and bears a hatred for Hal, but her role is small and she is not the instigator of the events that are happening in this book. 

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