The Good
Last issue left us a gloriously suspenseful cliffhanger that even Thaal Sinestro himself has trouble believing is happening. Once it’s confirmed that Hal Jordan is, in fact, facing him down (which has the other meaning of confirming his daughter’s betrayal). The two go ‘round and ‘round until they realize the futility of that at which point they go verbally ‘round and ‘round about the fates of the rescued Korugarians. Cullen Bunn continues to completely redefine Sinestro as a sympathetic, yet deeply flawed, character and this issue gives us a development or two that makes him still MORE intriguing. He strikes a great balance between making Sinestro’s motivation grounded and real while not making Hal Jordan at all unreasonable or overly stubborn to try and conjure unearned sympathy for the guy who’s name is on the cover of the book. Nor does it have Sinestro try to act radically out of character to a similar end, the way he got here and the things that brought him are all believable from a character perspective, making this a villain solo book that has boundless potential to continue.
Dale Eaglesham returns on linework and, while I didn’t dislike his previous work on this title, when Rags Morales stepped on, I thought it was a much more appropriate style. I was reticent when I saw Eaglesham’s name on the cover but, whether intentionally or not, his style has gone from the old-school strongman style to a much more sleek, gaunt style of character much more apropos of the Corps that brings fear to the universe, particularly with the current lineup on the team. I love the juxtaposition that Eaglesham brings to each member of the Sinestro Corps: each one having physical attributes that are appealing while their personalities, and other parts of their physicality, are horrifying and unpredictable. Jason Wright is on colors and here too we have a change: previously I found his colors to be a little TOO sharp and crisp, a feeling that was at odds with the tone of the book, but here we see them toned down and subtle. There’s an almost sketchy quality to some panels that communicates the chaos and unpredictability of this cast.
The Bad
As great as this new direction is, the newest recruits into the Sinestro Corps are still mostly faceless (no pun intended) and devoid of strong personalities. We’ve got a great, solid base for Sinestro to stand on, but it feel like we know next to nothing of the other members of his Corps. These characters are new to comics in general and there’s a ton of potential for interesting, fresh support characters that hasn’t yet been tapped.
The Verdict
I haven’t even mentioned one of my biggest previous gripes with this series that this issue handles quickly and effectively (it’s a spoiler, so I won’t get into it), adding to its list of accomplishments. I was a fan of the title previously, but this issue elevates it in so many ways and so effectively that I’d say it’s on the track to being a must-read. Villain books aren’t easy to pull off, Bunn just makes it look that way.
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