Green Lantern: The Sinestro Corps War (vol. 2)

Green Lantern: The Sinestro Corps War

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WOW-o. This is the end of the Sinestro Corps plot arc, but what an end it is!

Plot Summary:
The attacks of the Sinestro Corps, powered by the entity of Fear and direct antithesis to the Green Lantern Corps' power of Will, have sundered the titular heroes, forcing them into a defensive strategy owing to the fact that they cannot use lethal force, whereas the Sinestro Corps can. Mogo, the living planet, has been besieged by Ranx, a sentient spacegoing city and it's Fear-powered allies, whilst in Mogo's airspace the battle for the future of the Green Lanterns is being fought out. Meanwhile, Sinestro, the former Green Lantern and now leader of this new Corps, begins his plans to capture the greatest prize of all, the entrance to the multiverse - located on Earth. 

Dramatis Personnae:

Green Lanterns:
Hal Jordan
Kyle Rayner
Guy Gardner
John Stewart
Kilowog
Sodam Yat
Mogo
the Lost Lanterns

Sinestro Corps
Sinestro
The Anti-Monitor
Parralax the Fear Entity
Cyborg-Superman
Superman-Prime
Ranx the Sentient City
Arkillo


Verdict:
A very well-written and exciting end to an epic storyline. This is pretty much the "final showdown" in comic form. Everything is here; the Green Lanterns being pushed back, knowing their efforts are futile due to their non-lethal responses, what seems like a final stand, only for a HUGE turnaround - The Lanterns are suddenly authorised to kill by their commanders and their rings are reprogrammed to act this out - and the REAL final showdown on Earth itself. The use of villains in this is excellent too. There is a real sense of hopelessness throughout, especially when it is revealed that all of the greatest of the Lantern's enemies have joined forces with Sinestro (as shown in the Dramatis Personnae) and are set on tearing Kyle Rayner and co. a new ring of a different sort. This, of course, makes the ending even more exciting and awesome, even if you did see it coming. Some interesting issues explored here - the use of fear as a method of control being the primary one - and some drop-dead gorgeous fight scenes.

Excellent stuff!
By the way, highlight the black text to read the spoiler at your own risk.Rating: 8.7/10

Green Lantern: The Sinestro Corps War (vol. 1)

The infamous traitor Sinestro returns, and this time he has his own corps! But will the Green Lanterns "burn like his power" and succumb to the yellow light of fear?

Plot Summary:

Having found a new homeworld on Qward, the anti-matter planet, Sinestro begins the forging of 7200 yellow power rings - rings powered by the fear the user can inflict on other people. One of these rings is intercepted by Kyle Rayner, the first Ion, and is captured, but it turns out to be a trap - Rayner finds himself fighting for his life against the newly recruited Sinestro corps, their evil namesake and the living embodiment of fear itself, Parallax. 

Meanwhile, the Green Lanterns come under attack all over the universe as this new corps begins it's murderous campaign for control of the universe. As the light of willpower fades, whilst the light of fear grows, can anything halt Sinestro's ambitions?

Dramatis Personnae:

Green Lanterns:
Hal Jordan
Kyle Rayner
Guy Gardner
John Stewart
Kilowog
Sodam Yat

Mogo

Bzzd


Sinestro Corps
Sinestro
The Anti-Monitor
Parralax the Fear Entity
Cyborg-Superman
Superman-Prime
Ranx the Sentient City
Arkillo

Others:
The Justice League of America (briefly)

Verdict:
An excellent start to a fantastic series. Of most interest is the fight on Qward between the trapped Kyle Rayner and Sinestro's minions, and the gradual wearing-down of the hero until his eventual defeat. Sinestro is really given a great role here as the smooth-tongued torturer, breaking down Kyle's resistance with his revelations to do with the death of Kyle's mother; trust me, it's easy to see why Kyle breaks and is susceptible  to Parallax in this.
The role of the Lost Lanterns, too, is well done in this. These guys know too well what Parallax can do, and their efforts to prevent him returning to the universe are easily identifiable with, especially when you consider their personal stake in it all.
Overall, this is truly an excellent first half, and trust me when I say it gets better from here.

Rating: 8.5/10

Heroes Reborn: Captain America

Rob Leifeld, you are SO not an artist.

Plot Summary: Captain America has been retired by his country, and is living a normal suburban life in the city, oblivious to his former nature. Meanwhile, his arch-nemesis the Red Skull has rounded up the rest of the Third Reich and is brainwashing the youth of today in Pennsylvania. In order to remove the threat once and for all, the Red Skull sends his agents to kill Cap once and for all - but they bargain without the intervention of one of Cap's old friends, and Captain America is reborn once more!

Dramatis Personnae:
Captain America/Steve Rogers
Red Skull
Master Man
The Falcon
Nick Fury
Baron Zemo
Assorted racists
Doctor Doom
Some superheroes

Verdict:
...
Well, I'm gonna be fair to the comic and start with the positives. The storyline is pretty good, with quite a bit of suspense generated as we view Cap's transformation from good ol' normal guy to the hope of America. There's also quite a bit of character development with the eponymous hero; Captain America finds that the U.S.A has moved on since the Second World War, and is questioning his role in a country that no longer shares his values. All very good stuff, and in any other comic this would get quite a favourable review.
BUT THE ART!
Rob Leifeld is the sole reason many Nineties comics sucked. His art is god-awful. Literally. I just looked at one panel and Cap's chest is three times the size of his body. His hands are twice the size of his head! As a result, I hate this damn comic, all the more so for the fact Leifeld took the story and made it over-violent, stupid, and full of nonsensical stuff, such as a racist southern cult (who bear a suspicious resemblance to Cobra from G.I Joe) being able to afford a huge futuristic fortress. All Marvel had to do was hire someone competent. Jeeeezus.
I would still advise reading it, as it's not too bad (Falcon is freakin' badass) but do not pay money for it. Hire it from your local library. That way you won't have to keep it.

Rating: 4/10 (saved by the very basic plot)

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The Programme (Vol. 1)

A promising start to a two-part collection, this was a very fun little read. Peter Milligan is a decent writer, and he manages to generate an interesting story whilst the art of C.P Smith is really quite interesting, by which I mean it brings to mind the sixties due to it's almost psychedelic colour schemes in some places. 

Plot Summary:

The Cold War is over, and with the U.S.A established as the dominant power in the world, peace seems secure. However, in a forgotten state of the former USSR, a secret weapon of the former Soviet Army

has been activated - a genetically modified superhuman soldier. As the creature begins to lay waste to the U.S army there, the government desperately seeks out a way to stop it; a long-forgotten American equivalent to the Russian being. Enter our main character, Max, a failed folk-rock singer and bar owner. Can this unlikely superhero defend his country?

Dramatis Personnae:
Max
Spirit of Lenin (that's the villain, by the way)
Pravda (another villain)
Stalingrad (The third villain)
Revolution (the fourth villain)
Special Agent Chivers
Special Agent Blake
Professor Korovin

Verdict:
Although not a great comic series, The Programme is still quite enjoyable, with some good character buildup and decent storytelling. Max, as the protagonist, is likeable and easy to identify with; he's essentially the representation of the average Joe, a guy who finds the motives of his country hard to understand or like, but still has a streak of patriotism. He's introduced well, in the setting of a psychiatrist's lounge trying to solve a minor issue, and develops into a reluctant but ultimately determined national hero.
The villains, too, are well-thought out and developed. At first, the Spirit of Lenin is shown through the eyes of the American public and Army, as a monster whose actions are psychopathic at best. However, as he "rescues" his comrades from their hiding areas, Milligan explores the other side of the Cold War; how the Russians viewed it all. As a result, the villains become, well, not exactly likeable but at least understandable.
Overall, then, the plot so far is good, the character development is good and it all ends on a cliffhanger that really makes you want to get the next part of the collection. Good job, then.

Rating: 7/10

Batman: The Long Halloween

A very superior read, this one. It definitely showcases the writing/artistic talents of Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale, both of whom have created in The Long Halloween an excellent example of the crime noir genre.

Plot Summary:
Set after the events of Batman: Year One, the Long Halloween series is centered around the activities of a mysterious serial killer known only as Holiday, so called due to his habit of killing on important days of the calendar. We follow Batman, Harvey Dent and Commissioner Jim Gordon as they try to unravel Holiday's identity, using another famous villain known as the Calendar Man for help, whilst at the same time bringing to justice the Mob families of Gotham, who too have an interest in Holiday...

Dramatis Personnae:
Batman/Bruce Wayne
District Attourney Harvey Dent
Police Commissioner Jim Gordon
Carmine "The Roman" Falcone
Julian Day (a.k.a The Calendar Man, imprisoned within Arkham)

Verdict:
A very excellent series of comics, if you ask me. The two things that impressed me most were the construction of both the characters of Harvey Dent and Julian Day. Harvey is, of course, better known as the villain Two-Face, but here we see his life and motivations before that fateful court case which scarred him. He comes across very two-sided (of course he does), on the one hand seeming to care greatly about justice in Gotham, and willing to risk his life to make sure it happens, and on the other he is a ruthless hunter of the mob, often displaying a mild approval of Holiday's activities.
Julian Day was the biggest surprise of the series, I felt. The Calendar Man had previously been a "joke" villain, and as such was never taken seriously due to his second-tier standing in the rogue's gallery.  This series completely re-invents him to great effect; far from being a pushover or minor consideration, he is now a main mover in the plot of The Long Halloween, with a new Hannibal Lecter-esque personality. His motivations are made clear from the beginning; he is annoyed at the Holiday killer for apparently stealing his personal modus operandi, and has indeed figured out the identity of the Holiday Killer, but wants to use this as leverage to escape Arkham. I loved this new imagining of Day, as I felt for the first time in a long while that he was a major villain and not a side-piece to amuse the kids.

As to Holiday's identity, well, that would be telling - but it was a wonderful twist at the end, and a credit to the ingenious nature of Loeb that he managed to create such a fantastic ending.

Thus I heartily endorse Batman: The Long Halloween. Give it a go; it's about £12-£14 in bookshops for the entire collection, and is well worth a look for both Batman fans and casual readers alike.

Rating: 9.2/10