Blackest Night: Green Lantern

"...and I shall shed my light over dark evil.

For the dark things cannot stand the light,

The light of the Green Lantern!" ~ Golden Age Oath

Even as his allies on Earth struggle to contain the newly awakened dead, Hal Jordan and his partner, John Stewart, have problems of their own to face - gathering the separate Corps for battle, as well as avoiding the wrath of their own hunters. Whilst Hal, along with Indigo-1, attempts to ensure co-operation between the opposed and confused members of each of the Lantern Corps, including Sinestro, Atrocitus and Larfleeze, John Stewart has encountered a much bigger problem - planet-sized, in fact. The dead world of Xanshi has risen again, but for what purpose?...

Dramatis Personnae:

Hal Jordan

John Stewart

The Justice League

Sinestro

Atrocitus

Saint Walker

Carol Ferris

Indigo-1

Larfleeze

The Black Lantern Corps

?????? (hidden)

Plot Summary:

After their battle with J'onn Jonzz, Green Lantern and Flash escape to the JLA Watchtower, where they attempt to safeguard the corpses of the villains they've faced. However, their efforts are in vain, as the black power rings enter the morgue and raise every villain stored there. Faced with such odds, it seems that Hal and Barry too will fall, until help comes unexpectedly; Indigo-1, leader of the Indigo Tribe, arrives, and uses the powers of her ring and staff to teleport Hal to safety. Once away from the Black Lanterns, Indigo informs Hal of their mission; the Black Lanterns can be stopped, but only with the combined force of all of the Corps.

Meanwhile, John Stewart has made a terrifying discovery - the planet Xanshi, which he failed to save, has returned, and with it another ghost from his past. However, when the night seems blackest, unexpected allies will appear....

Verdict:

Much like Blackest Night itself, BN: Green Lantern is a collected edition you would be a fool to miss. Though the events of this book are the same fundamentally as those of the main collection, it is told from the perspective of Hal Jordan, and as such the reader learns of the other battles in the Blackest Night, and how the rise of those long dead is affecting them all.

Of note, really, is the unlikely alliance between the aforementioned Corps, and their most prominent members. I have to say, this section once again reminded me of why I loved certain characters in the Preludes. Larfleeze, in particular, ends up showing his quality (though not exactly in a heroic manner) and amuses me no end with the dialogue and mannerisms he displays. His initial reaction to Atrocitus is particularly great; I can't help but laugh at the almost slapstick imagery of the skinny, frail Agent Orange squaring up to the hulking Red Lantern. The writing of Sinestro seems to have recovered from the oddity of Rage of the Red Lanterns, and he's back on form as the purple-skinned mastermind we all know and love, complete with some witty dialogue of his own; Sinestro's more serious and tactically-minded inputs complement the weirdness of Agent Orange's ridiculous demands and complaints well, and make for a good contrast when pitted together in the more hectic scenes. Atrocitus is, well, very angry, but that's no bad thing; he even gets a moment worthy of any action superstar when confronted by the resurrected Inversions, which I utterly loved. It's hard not to root for him in that scene, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who did. 

One of the more interesting character choices in the book is Carol Ferris reprising her role as the Star Sapphire; this time, though, as a member of a Corps of such females. Unfortunately, the "male gaze" in comics is somewhat evident in her costume, but at least Geoff Johns has the good sense to make fun of it in a tongue-in-cheek style. Her dialogue is, for the most part, sharply witty, especially when she and Sinestro face off on Zamaron. I don't know about anyone else, but I do so love it when a character has the keen wits to be able to take Sinestro's jibes and make him look like a twit. 

Hal Jordan and John Stewart are, as ever, just great. John Stewart in particular really shines in BN: Green Lantern. Even before we travel with him to the surface of Xanshi, we can see that Geoff has deliberately chosen the one thing that John Stewart feels guilty about most; he was unable to save Xanshi before due to his refusal of backup, and the failure has lived with him ever since. However, it is in this collection that Stewart shows his quality, and, in my humble opinion, dispels the nay-sayers who claim him to be inferior to Hal. John's fight against the vengeful Xanshians is easily one of the greatest heroic scenes I have ever had the pleasure to read, and I cannot stress enough how much I have been impressed by Geoff John's handling of it; it could very well be a rival to the ending of  Batman: RIP in my opinion.

The art, really, is of the same good quality as Blackest Night, and I'd be wasting time really to go over it once more; suffice to say that it is consistently good quality, and I was happily engrossed by it throughout, especially given the scope of some of the centrepiece pages of the collection. 

Overall, then, I hold Blackest Night: Green Lantern in the same high regard as the central collection itself. It's about £18.99 in stores, but a canny shopper could find it for £12.99 or thereabouts on Amazon or sites like it. Easily a must-have for any DC fan.

Rating: 

9.2/10

Blackest Night

"The Blackest Night falls from the skies 

The darkness grows as all light dies

We crave your hearts and your demise

By my black hand - the dead shall rise!" ~ Oath of the Black Lanterns

Finally, the Blackest Night is upon the universe. Black Hand, the newly revealed Herald of the Black Lanterns, has defiled the grave of Bruce Wayne, known far better as the Batman. With the dark knight's skull in his possession Black Hand has unleashed a plague upon life - the plague of the Black Rings. From Mars to Earth, from Oa to Ysmault and beyond, they seek out the dead. 

Now the deceased rise once more, and the end of the universe seems nigh...

Dramatis Personnae:

The Justice League of America

The Green Lantern Corps

The Sinestro Corps

The Red Lantern Corps

The Blue Lantern Corps

The Star Sapphires

Agent Orange

The Indigo Tribe

The Black Lantern Corps

Black Hand

Scar

?????? (hidden)

Plot Summary:

Hal Jordan and Barry Allen, visiting the grave of Bruce Wayne, are reminiscing about the fallen heroes they have known. It is a scene taking place all over the world, as masked avengers take time out to honour the superheroes who were killed in the line of duty. However, their day of peace will soon be turned into a nightmare.

Black Hand locates the grave of Batman, and, digging it up, steals the former Dark Knight's skull for his diabolical ritual. With the cadaver in tow, he recites a new oath, and brings about the release of thousands of black power rings. On Oa, and in the various graveyards of heroes in the universe, these rings seek out the dead, and resurrect them for a new purpose - to take the hearts of the living.  As Hal and Barry fend off the body of their old friend J'onn J'onzz and the surviving heroes find themselves attacked by their own loved ones, now in the guise of Black Lanterns, all seems lost to the darkness...

Verdict:

 If there is to be an apocalypse-based story published by any other company, it had better take note of DC's crossover here. 

Blackest Night is, simply, magnificent. I couldn't believe how well all the hints and nudges we've seen and all the Preludes have been sewn into this rather epic final stand for the universe. Everything, from the references made to this event as far back as Green Lantern: No Fear, to the destruction of Xanshi has it's place in the telling of Qull's doomsday prophecy.

Some history, for those who don't know. This Crossover has it's roots in an Alan Moore story, called Tygers, in which we see Abin Sur as he encounters the prophetic Qull. Of the three questions asked of the demon, one concerns the ultimate threat faced by the Green Lantern Corps in the future. What Abin Sur is told is the infamous Prophecy of Blackest Night. This short story was published in 1986, and this makes the book I'm looking at now 24 years in the making.

The characters involved here are fascinating to watch. The story is centred around Hal Jordan, Barry Allen, Ray Palmer and John Stewart of Earth, and how they react to the rising of the dead and the attacks on both Earth and other planets. Our first encounter is with a Black Lantern Martian Manhunter, and believe me, the scenes with him in are just fantastic. The threat emanating from the Martian is palpable, as is the shock and confusion of the Flash and Green Lantern. This is, of course, quite understandable, as after all he's meant to have died, and seeing him return would be a shock to anyone, but here's where Blackest Night gets a little clever, in the vein of Marvel Zombies. The Black Lanterns aren't just shambling zombies, or even fully animate puppets; they take on the exact personality, mannerisms and speech patterns of their living counterpart. In effect, Hal and Barry don't end up fighting a monster, they end up fighting J'onn J'onzz as he was in life, except more corpse-like in appearance now. This injects the action with even more tension than before; after all, J'onn has fought alongside the Justice League for many years, and as a result, he knows all their tactics. Who better, then, to beat them?

What is more interesting, for me, is the way the Black Lanterns are expanded upon as the plot progresses. Two key hints are given that the Black Lanterns are not all that they seem; Deadman's corpse rising without him, leaving him as a ghost, and the Spectre's host body taking on the form of the Spectre as a Black Lantern, despite the Spectre being still inside it. Essentially the idea being alluded to here is that it is the rings wearing the people, as opposed to the people wearing the rings, which both ties in with the overall climax of the series and also, in the case of Deadman, makes the events of the book even more tense, as he is forced to fight to repossess his body before it can do anyone harm. 

Now, no great collection is complete without some great art to go along with it, and I'm glad to say that Blackest Night does not disappoint. Throughout, the artwork is stylistically rendered and utterly crisp to a fault, and I cannot really fault anything I saw in there. Black Hand looks horrifically sinister, even more so now he is a Black Lantern herald, and Guardian Scar just terrifies me to look at. Seriously, she's like some kind of horrifying sentient zombie dwarf, which is somehow the scariest thing I've seen bar the "familiar faces" that attack Atrocitus in this. Many of the Black Lanterns have slight costume redesigns in order to fit in with their new corps, and I'm glad to say that these redesigns are just excellent. The central feature of each character, of course, is their shiny new Black Lantern symbol, and it's often interesting to see how these are applied to the characters in question. Some of them are obvious, some are subtle, but either way all of them are inspired to some degree.

Overall, then, I am delighted to be the owner of this collection, and strongly advise people get it. It's about £18.99 in stores, but it's much cheaper on the internet if you know where to look.

Rating: 
9.2/10

Preludes: Emerald Eclipse

"In days of peace, in nights of war,
Obey the laws forevermore
Misconduct will be answered for
Swear us, the chosen - The Alpha Corps!" ~ Oath of the Alpha Lanterns

With many of the Sinestro Corps rounded up and kept safely in the Sciencells on Oa, the Green Lanterns have earnt the right to feel at ease. However, for Sodam Yat, the new Ion, things are about to take a turn for the worse; Mongul has invaded his homeworld of Daxam and taken it as the new home of the Sinestro Corps, now that he is leader. As Yat and Arisia leave to combat this menace, the deceptive Guardian Scar begins the next phase of her manipulation; a riot in the sciencells. With the prisoners attempting to slaughter their way out of Oa, things look very dark for the Green Lanterns...

Dramatis Personnae:
Kyle Rayner
Guy Gardner
Sodam Yat (Ion)
Arisia
Kilowog
Salaak
The Guardians of the Universe
Guardian Scar
Voz

Red Lantern Vice
Bolphunga the Unrelenting
Kanjar Ro
Lyssa Drak
Sinestro Corps prisoners

Mongul
Arkillo
The Sinestro Corps
The Daxamites

Plot Summary:
Sodam Yat, still getting used to his new powers as Ion, is confronted by a shadow from his past; his mother, riding in the spaceship he had originally created to escape Daxam, has arrived on Oa, bringing with her desperate news. Mongul has attacked and enslaved the Daxamites, and is turning Daxam itself into a new homeworld for the Sinestro Corps, which he has assumed command over after beating down his rivals, including the Corps' drill instructor, Arkillo. Though he states categorically that he hates his homeworld and it's extreme racism towards aliens, Sodam agrees to help it in it's hour of need; for him, his oath to the Green Lantern corps overrides his personal feelings. Accompanied by Arisia, he prepares to remove Mongul from Daxam once and for all, no matter the cost.
Meanwhile, Guy Gardner and Kilowog have a new resident for the Sciencells; Vice, a Red Lantern captured during the attack on Sinestro. Though he is imprisoned within the supposedly inescapable prison complex, Guardian Scar has other plans; she triggers the releasing of Vice's mouth gag, allowing him to utilise his napalm-like vomit, and causes the unthinkable; a mass breakout in the Sciencells. As the Lanterns struggle to regain control of the situation, Scar begins work on her ultimate aim; to truly bring about the Blackest Night, and release the Corps that is fuelled by Death itself...

Verdict:
Although not as good as Agent Orange, in my opinion, Emerald Eclipse does have a lot going for it.
Firstly, it's one of the rare collections in which we get a bit of focus on the newest Ion, Sodam Yat. This character, though introduced as an actual character in Sinestro Corps War, actually had his roots in a story by Alan Moore, known as Tygers, in which the prophecy of the Blackest Night first appears. As such, despite his sideline appearances (with the exception of part II of Sinestro Corps) he is actually one of the most important people in the DC Multiverse. Therefore, it's actually great that we get to see him in the full, as it were; we watch as he struggles with the feelings of antipathy towards his people, whose actions resulted in the murder of his alien friend and the mental torture of Sodam himself, and the sense of duty towards the Corps and his commitment to helping those in need, no matter who they are. It's an element of story-telling I love to see in comics and films generally; the conflicted hero, his past demons returning to haunt him, has a choice to make - allow hatred and resentment to cloud his life, or rise above it, no matter how difficult, and reveal his true colours. Really, what this did for me was to cement Sodam as a credible hero, and indeed earned him a great deal of respect and liking from me as a fan of the Green Lanterns.
In general terms, the plot here is a lot grimmer and darker than the previous issues. Though the Green Lanterns do triumph, it comes at a heavy cost; though I can't say what it is without ruining the whole collection, it cements fully the idea that the Guardians have gone too far in their quest to prevent the end of Life itself, and that they have never really learnt from their mistakes. In a way, their actions in Emerald Eclipse are far more satisfying than the petty bickering we've seen in previous Preludes; for once, the Guardians are acting on their fear, and the result is horrifying. Viewing it, the reader really does end up questioning whether the Guardians do know what is best for the universe, something the previous scenes of their plans (bar the end scene of Agent Orange) failed to achieve.
And now the artwork. Overall, the art is good guality, with some interesting character designs and stupendous backgrounds. Oddly, Vice's uniform changes halfway through the collection, but that's not a huge issue. Occasionally, there are some dodgy pieces of art; Sodam Yat confronting his mother is one such piece, and made me wince slightly as to how badly it was done, but that is redeemed later on through the really quite excellent scenes on Daxam. I'm pleased to note that Arisia's costume seems to have been made less revealing than before (I swear, I thought her boobs were going to fall out at one point in Sinestro Corps War) and her attractiveness implied than overt. In addition, the fight scenes on Oa are beautifully rendered, with huge amounts of action going on at every turn, though there's always a central conflict, so the reader never seems lost in all of this. Personally, I liked the fighting with Vice best; there's something about trying to stop a berserk madman that spews napalm at anything that gets too close that screams "heroism!"
Overall, then, a solid thumbs-up for Emerald Eclipse; the mere fact that it raises the reputation and character of Sodam Yat, whilst at the same time exploring his motivations was enough for me, but with the additional bonus of some great fights it really is something I'd reccomend be bought by anyone who doesn't have it already; at £11..99 from Amazon, who wouldn't?

Rating:
8.5/10

Preludes: Agent Orange

"MINE!" ~ Most common word used by Larfleeze

For millennia, the Guardians of the Universe have brought justice to all sectors of the galaxy - except one. The Vega system is the only place in the universe where these immortal beings have no authority, and as a result, it is a haven for those fleeing the reach of the Green Lanterns. Now, however, the Guardians are attempting to stem the rise of the new Corps, and the orange light of the Vega System can lo longer be ignored...

Dramatis Personnae:
Hal Jordan
John Stewart
Kyle Rayner
Guy Gardner
The Guardians of the Universe

Agent Orange
The Orange Lanterns

Fatality

Ganthet and Sayd
The Blue Lantern Corps

Plot Summary:
The Controllers, a sub-tribe of the same race that evolved into the Guardians, have been searching for a method of supplanting the Green Lanterns as the dominant police force of the galaxy. Their journey has taken them to Okaara in the forbidden Vega system; there they discover an orange power battery, and attempt to take it for themselves. However, they are attacked by the mysterious owner of the battery, and though they are as powerful as the Guardians, they are killed. The Orange Lantern sees this as betrayal by the Guardians (not realising they no longer work with the Controllers) and makes plans for retribution.
This comes to a head as the badly damaged Green Lantern Stel, who was pursuing an opponent in the Vega system despite the Guardian's edict, arrives at Oa bearing a glowing and (for the Guardians) horribly familiar symbol; the owner of the Orange battery is finally revealed as Larfleeze, who demands that the Guardians recompense him for his near-loss. This triggers the writing of the Fourth New Law; the Vega system is no longer off-limits to the Corps, and the Green Lanterns go to war with Agent Orange to end the threat of the orange light once and for all...

Verdict:
Agent Orange is, without a doubt, an absolute delight to read.
In this collection, a lot is revealed about the Guardian's past, and the reasoning behind the immunity of the Vega system builds up the mistakes that the Guardians have made over the years yet further; once again, they short-sightedly create another enemy in the long term in the form of Larfleeze. All of these mistakes, of course, will be exploded and shown for what they are in Blackest Night, but the build-up to that realisation is tense and nerve-racking.
Now, let's talk about the characters. Let's talk about Larfleeze.
Far and away, Larfleeze is my favourite Green Lantern villain. There have been many attempts to create a petulant character whose motives are primarily selfish (such as Superboy-Prime, damn his whining) and I would think it's fair to say that not many of them have been successful. Larfleeze is that success. He is, of course, powered by the orange light of avarice, and as such his character pretty much has to be self-centred in the extreme. This has the potential to go badly wrong, as I have explained, and yet it has done quite the opposite. Larfleeze's dialogue, in a similar fashion to that of Atrocitus', manages to be both very eloquent and yet delightfully immature, in a strange combination that appeals greatly to many readers. One moment he's indulging in a serious monologue about his past conflicts with the Guardians, the next minute he's screaming at Hal Jordan for "stealing my idea!"  A lot of what he says is intended to be amusing or even outright funny, yet at the same time he's clearly a very sinister character; his method of recruiting people into his Corps is to kill them and create an identical construct of them so that he doesn't have to share out his power rings. This almost brings to mind necromancy, which is an undoubtedly dark and monstrous act in any context. In short, he's awesome and I love him, messy eating/paranoia over his possessions and all.
Now, another interesting aspect of Agent Orange is the return of Fatality, now a Star Sapphire. Originally, this character hunted John Stewart for his failure to save her homeworld of Xanshi; now, she has a new quest, to find and forgive him, and more importantly to help him forgive himself. Though a minor part of the story, really, I still kinda liked this, if only because there are hints of John Stewart finally moving on from Katma-Tui, which the big guy kinda deserves, as well as the idea that Stewart has lived with the burden of Xanshi for too long.
Plot-wise, Agent Orange ties in neatly with the events of the preludes, with none of the relative confusion where Sins and Rage were concerned relative to each other; the story moves quickly and easily along, even fitting in a flashback scene with ease, which is something comics have had a bumpy history doing in the past. The actions of the Guardians and the consequences those actions have are explored even further here, with the ending (which I will not reveal - Comic nerd's honour!) showing just how desperate and wrong-headed the Guardians have become in their quest to prevent the Blackest Night from occurring.
In terms of artwork, Agent Orange does not suffer from the fluctuations that Rage of the Red Lanterns did; the art is crisp and clear pretty much all the way through. The design for Agent Orange is very cool; he resembles a humanoid boar, although I think Hal Jordan was tripping on something when he said he could see a resemblance to Gonzo of Muppet fame in him. Unfortunately, Fatality suffers from Star Stripper Syndrome, but that's really just a minor quibble as opposed to a major issue. Overall, the art is a treat to look at, and Stel has been given a pleasantly Transformer-esque new body, which I thought looked pretty damn awesome.
So there you have it; Agent Orange gets my full seal of approval, and probably the highest level of support for any of the Preludes. Get it now, if you haven't already, it's about £12.99 in hardback.

Rating:
9/10

Preludes: Rage of the Red Lanterns

"With blood and rage of crimson red,

Ripped from a corpse so freshly dead,

Together with our hellish hate,

We'll burn you all--That is your fate!" ~ Oath of the Red Lantern Corps

With the Sinestro Corps on the run and their namesake held within the Sciencells on Oa, the Green Lanterns seem to have emerged triumphant. However, the Guardians grow ever more paranoid about the forbidden prophecy - the Blackest Night - and so create the Alpha-Lanterns to watch for disloyalty in the ranks of the Corps. Meanwhile, on the planet of Ysmault, the last of the Five Inversions, Atrocitus, begins the formation of a new Corps, one powered by the crimson light of hate...

Dramatis Personnae:

Hal Jordan

John Stewart

The Guardians

Salaak

Kilowog

The Alpha-Lanterns

Sinestro

Romat-Ru

Atrocitus

Laira

The Red Lantern Corps

Ganthet and Sayd

Saint Walker

Warth

Plot Summary:

Due to the First New Law implemented by the Guardians, Sinestro has been sentenced to death. As a result, Hal Jordan finds himself questioning the edicts of the Guardians, and whether what they are doing is right. Meanwhile, the Lost Lanterns, dealing with the death of Ke'haan, take his body back to his family, only to make a horrifying discovery - Ke'haan's wife and children are dead, and his house burnt. When Laira discovers that the culprit, Amon Sur, is still at the scene and attempting to surrender, she rips him open, killing him. This triggers an internal investigation, and Laira is exiled from the Corps in disgrace. However, on her trip home, a red ring locates her, and she is possessed by it.

Meanwhile, the Green Lanterns are escorting Sinestro, when they are ambushed by the Red Lanterns. Sinestro is kidnapped, and Hal Jordan is wounded by the actions of the enraged Laira, a solitary figure appears to revive him; Saint Walker, the first Blue Lantern. After a conversation with Ganthet and Sayd, Hal reluctantly agrees to journey to Ysmault to rescue him, as it becomes apparent that Sinestro has a role yet to play in the Blackest Night...

Verdict:

Oh, Atrocitus, how angry you are.

Rage, although not as good as Sins of the Star Sapphire in my humble opinion, is still a very solid series, and ties into the whole prelude plotline well. Let's start with the characters. The main focus of the series, of course, is the last of the Five Inversions; Atrocitus. Here, we see his plans come to fruition, and his hate for Sinestro and the Guardians becomes, if anything, even more apparent than it was before. Personally, I love this character; he manages to be simultaneously eloquent and unnerving whilst retaining the obvious physical scariness of a giant hate-filled red alien. His dialogue is, for the most part, very good, and although it can be over-the-top, it's in such a way as to be very effective and actually quite enjoyable to read as opposed to cheesy. Sinestro, the other main villain, is as you'd expect him to be; arrogant and snobbishly intellectual, and completely sure of himself, even when he is at the mercy of the Red Lanterns. Admittedly, you are meant to hate this character, but at the same time it is not perhaps for the reasons the writers intended. It almost seems like they're pushing the "Sinestro is eeeeeevil" idea a little too much, especially when he reacts with near-idiotic arrogance after Hal Jordan finds him on Ysmault. Otherwise, he's still Sinestro, and for the most part that's no bad thing.

Now, the two wild cards in this collection are Saint Walker and Warth, the two Blue Lanterns. Their characters respectively come across as very zen, much like two buddhist monks who have spent years at their temples learning the ways of their religion. Indeed, the light of Hope is supposed to be strongly linked to faith (there are several hints and clues that this is the case) and so this totally fits what a Blue Lantern should be like, in my opinion.

I've always liked Hal Jordan, and I'm happy to say that he doesn't disappoint in Rage. Throughout, Hal finds himself questioning the new approach the Guardians have taken to policing the universe, from the creation of the Alpha-Lanterns through to militarising the Green Lanterns into the beginnings of an army. We also see a great deal of personal guilt , especially over the fate of Laira; clearly Mr Jordan has a chip on his shoulder left over from Parallax, and this helps to humanise him in the eyes of the reader. Of course, he still pulls off levels of coolness which we deserve from a mainstay of the DC universe, although I can't reveal too much as that would venture into the realm of the spoiler.

The art in this collection is somewhat hit and miss. The first half is lavish and very slick, with Atrocitus looking as intimidating as you'd expect him to, being Atrocitus. However, for some strange reason, the artist redesigns him for the second half of the collection, and the result... well, let's just say it reminds me of a red, anthropomorphic whale. Goddamnit. 

Overall, however, Rage of the Red Lanterns is really something any Green Lantern fan should have at least read. It's about the same price as Sins of the Star Sapphire, and this makes it worth buying in my book.

Rating:

7.7/10

Preludes: Sins of the Star Sapphire

"For hearts long lost and full of fright,

For those alone in blackest night,

Accept our ring and join our fight,

Love conquers all-- with violet light!" ~ Oath of the Star Sapphires

The Green Lantern Corps have, despite the odds, emerged victorious from a war with the wielders of the yellow light of fear, the Sinestro Corps - but at a price. Hundreds of Lanterns are dead, and the scattered members of Sinestro's band of terrorists wreak havoc on the loved ones of their willpower-wielding adversaries. Meanwhile, the Guardians of the Universe, in their attempt to prevent the passing of the Prophecy of Blackest Night, journey to Zamaron, the home of the Star Sapphires; a corps of ring-bearing women who draw their energies from the power of Love. 

Dramatis Personnae:

Kyle Rayner

Guy Gardner

Soranik Natu

Amnee and Matoo Pree

Arisia

Sodam Yat

Queen Aga'po

Miri Riam 

The Zamarons

The Guardians of the Universe

Guardian Scar

Mongul 

Kryb

Plot Summary:

After the events of The Sinestro Corps War, Green Lanterns across the universe are engaged in huntng down and capturing the remaining members of the Sinestro Corps. One such wanted criminal is Kryb, who has gained a terrible reputation for murdering married Green Lanterns and kidnapping their children. Kyle Rayner, now a simple Lantern once more, is aiding two such Lanterns, Amnee and Matoo Pree, capture her before she can do any more harm. 

Meanwhile, Newly-weds Kered and Miri Riam are attacked by Mongul, who has escaped from the Mercy Planet; in the ensuing confrontation, Kered is killed. Miri is utterly submerged by her grief, but before she can commit suicide and join her husband in death, a violet ring locates her and offers her a choice: die, and fade from the universe, or accept the ring and the powers that go with it, and devote herself to protecting love from those who would destroy it.

Verdict:

Sins is a very brave and worthy addition to any Green Lantern fan's collection, in my humble opinion. 

One of my favourite things about this collection is that it is brave enough to deal with some very dangerous issues; the role of parenting, and the kidnapping of infants is always shaky ground, and if this had been mishandled it could have been disastrous. As it is, however, Sins has delivered well using these topics, and has done so in a way that does not cheapen the themes or events. That, in itself, is quite an achievement, and I remain impressed with it even now.

On to the characters. We see the development of the Guardians as they plunge further into their paranoia over the Blackest Night, and as a result, they begin to make ever more radical decisions over the Book of Oa, and the laws of the Green Lanterns. This, again, impressed me a great deal; the value of emotion and what emotion truly means is often questioned in this series, and it opens the reader to the debate; do emotions really cause chaos?

Miri Riam is a great new addition to the Green Lantern mythos, and is a very appealing and likeable character. Like all Sapphires, she is motivated by love, but hers is a love born out of tragedy; unwilling to allow anyone else to suffer in the manner that she did, she becomes a Sapphire simply to protect love. It's hard not to like such a character, even if some of the things she says sound naive now and again. 

And the Green Lanterns? Well, they're as cool as ever. Guy always has some solid dialogue, no matter the situation, and let's face it, he's just an all-round badass. It was interesting to see the return of Soranik Natu, whose role has increased dramatically in importance since the Sinestro Corps War, and her growing association with Kyle Rayner, hinting at things to come. Well, not quite hinting as much as out-and-out declaring at the end of the series, but hey; it's not as simple as you might think at first.

Throughout, the art is of good quality; if anything, it's actually slightly superior to Sinestro Corps War, in that it is more consistent in quality. The character designs for both Miri and the Zamarons are excellent, with Miri avoiding the stripperific look of some of the earlier Sapphires, which, as appealing as it may be to the male demographic, gets a bit tiresome in the end.

Sins of the Star Sapphire is, as I said, a very worthy addition to any Lantern Fan's collection, and at £11.99, there's plenty of reasons to buy it.

Rating: 

8/10

The skies are Blackening...

...and all across the universe, the dead shall rise.

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