Who are the Guardians of the Universe? They are an alien race that have dedicated their lives to protecting the universe. They have taken it upon themselves to ensure the safety of all planets. In trying to govern the entire universe, they haven't always made the best decisions. It seemed their greatest accomplishment was the creation of the Green Lantern Corps. The intergalactic peacekeeping corps has survived many conflicts but soon they will face their greatest challenge, the Guardians themselves.
The Guardians are no longer content with the actions of the Corps. They have decided to begin preparations for their replacement. This has included taking drastic actions no one thought the Guardians were capable of. They are prepared to write off the Green Lanterns in favor of their mysterious Third Army.
The rise of the Third Army will result in major changes for the Green Lanterns and they will find themselves having to become allies with their greatest enemies. No longer will they be peacekeepers of the galaxy. They will now have to fight for their very survival.
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The big question is, who is the Third Army? We know that the Guardians' first army was the Manhunters, artificial beings whose lack of emotions caused them to become killers instead of protectors. The second army is obviously the Green Lantern Corps. The third remains a mystery but the Guardians are sure it will be more than enough to deal with the Corps and is one they should have brought about long ago.
It's hard to pinpoint when the Guardians decided to change their ways. During the War of Light, we saw the former Guardian, Krona, unleash his attack against the Universe. It was Hal Jordan who took it upon himself to put a stop to him. This meant using his power ring to destroy Krona.
Despite Krona's imprisonment for past deeds, the Guardians didn't take Hal's actions lightly. They stripped him of his ring and sent him back to Earth. At the same time, Sinestro, the Green Lantern Corps' greatest enemy was deemed worthy of becoming a Green Lantern once again during the fight.
Having Sinestro back in the Corps could be a good way to cause its self destruction but they were equally surprised over this event. It's been Sinestro's new role that has allowed Hal to become aware of the Guardians' past secrets. Somehow Sinestro uncovered a lot of information about the power ring and the Guardians. Recently gaining possession of the Book of the Black, Sinestro knows the Guardians need to be stopped.
When Sinestro obtained the book, he got a few glimpses of possible things to come. We've already seen Sinestro forced to become a member of the Indigo Tribe as well as Black Hand getting his mind back. There are a couple other images that are pretty interesting and could be a result of what's coming up.
All this is going on unbeknownst to the Corps. They are aware that Hal has been banished and Sinestro has been allowed to keep the power ring that chose him to become a member once again.
The Corps do not know that the Guardians are ready to discard them. They have no idea the lengths the Guardians will go to in trying to get what they want (like the Book of the Black).
The Third Army will be able to take the Corps by surprise unless Hal and Sinestro can get word to the others. Hal is slightly limited with what he can do since he is using a green power ring created by Sinestro and still hasn't been allowed back by the Guardians.
DC has recently revealed a little more information. In the October comics, we will see the rise of the Third Army. We will also see a new Green Lantern from Earth who "may have been wrongly chosen." Why would a new Green Lantern be chosen from Earth? The bigger question is where does all this leave Hal Jordan? Despite running around with a green power ring, he still hasn't been re-inducted into the Corps.
There's also the images that Sinestro saw from issue #6 (seen up above). Both Hal and Sinestro appear to be taking some fatal blows. Could this have anything to do with the need for a new Lantern from Earth? Also, how come the interlocking covers for the October GREEN LANTERN titles don't feature even a glimpse of the two?
The October solicits also do not contain any mention of either Hal or Sinestro. Obviously we'll have to wait until October to find out. The Third Army doesn't look too intimidating (if that is them in the image above) but we can assume there's more to them than it seems if this is who the Guardians feel can deal with the GL Corps. There was also mention of the "First Lantern" being the one to lead the Third Army.
It doesn't look like October is going to be a great time to be a member of the Green Lantern Corps. The last time we had a major event in the Green Lantern comics, there were big changes. We're likely to see more big changes this Fall.
Tony Guerrero is the Editor-in-Chief of Comic Vine. You can follow him on Twitter @GManFromHeck. He's never trusted little blue men since having a nightmare involving Smurfs.