Space Adventure Meets Horror and Mystery
Over all, I have to say that this is a very solid issue for the introduction of the Indigo Tribe story arc. It finally allows us to delve into this mysterious and little known collection of Lanterns, after years of focusing on the Green, Yellow, and Blue Corps. Not much happened action-wise in this issue, but that is very understandable given that Johns is trying to set up the story for later issues. And he does so very effectively.
While part of me wants Sinestro to go back to being a villain already, the other part of me is certainly enjoying the dynamic that's developing between Sinestro and Hal. I like what Johns is doing by making the Sinestro appear more human and making it seem as if maybe he was right about the Guardians all along. I think that it'll all come to a head when this "Third Army" story arc comes to fruition. And when Sinestro inevitably is the villain again (I mean, his name is Sinestro after all), I think that this relationship that is forming now can be looked at as having sufficiently deepened the relationship between the hero (Hal) and the villain (Sinestro). For a little while, Hal and Sinestro had the opportunity to recapture their past relationship of student and mentor. An opportunity that was lost (we have yet to see how), but one that makes their rivalry deeper and more complex.
I have to commend Johns for inserting a little bit of horror and mystery into this series. Green Lantern, up until now, has pretty much been about adventure and direct conflict. I haven't really seen as much of a mysterious feel come from this series before. It is the combination of Johns' story and Mahnke's art, which is breathtaking, that takes the story into a creepy and dark place. I have to say that this issue is one of my favorites from the New 52 so far and I cannot wait until next month to see what happens.
