Sinestro Corps Special # 1 - Prologue: The Second Rebirth

WOW. This book had it all...cover, story, art, and emotion and character development.

It looks like the future of the DC universe is bleak indeed. The Anti Monitor is back with his heralds Hank Henshaw, Parallax Kyle Raynor, and Superboy Prime. And his Sinestro Corps led by Sinestro. This is going to be great.

Zoom appeared too...that would have been great to have him on the team too. Oh well...the JLA were there too. I hate Guy Gardner but he was here with John Stewart. Man they killed off a lot of Lanterns in this issue. ANyways it is great and worth the read and money.

As a longtime Green Lantern fan, I eagerly awaited this crossover from the moment I read Johns and Van Sciver announce it. After One Year Later when it seemed like Johns was losing his edge, I started to be a little less hopeful. When I heard that Kyle Rayner, my single favorite super hero and a character that I don't have to emulate because we're basically the same man, was going to become Parallax, I was even more upset. By the time Sinestro's opening monologue was over, I was hooked.

The story is epic in proportion. This double-sized issue made it clear that Johns had planted seeds for this crossover since he took over the franchise in late 2004. It was truly a great payoff from years of setup, and seeing as this is only part one, I'd say there's payoff to come.

One of the main complaints I've had about Geoff's GL has been that it is too Hal-centric. John Stewart has barely appeared, and Kyle and Guy have both been appearing in their own lackluster titles, making it difficult to arrange guest-starring roles. I've always felt that Green Lantern should have an ensemble cast of all the Earth-based GLs and that the Corps title should be a rotating cast of other alien GLs like Kilowog, Salaak and now the "Lost Lanterns". This issue had great moments for Hal, John, Guy and particularly Kyle, whose transformation was terrifically done and totally believable.

I don't think I've said a word yet on behalf of Ethan Van Sciver. Let me say one, then: DAMN. I've always liked Ethan Van Sciver's art, particularly in GL: Rebirth issues 4 and 6 and in that one GL issue guest-starring Batman. But this issue blew all his previous work away. Props to Moose Baumann, whose coloring work doesn't receive nearly enough praise.

I don't know what Geoff and Ethan have in store for us, but I'll tell you this much, he couldn't have gotten this story off on a better start.

My childhood memories of The Green Lantern are slim. I only remember one GL in the Justice League. So for most of my life, I was under the impression there was one guy named Green Lantern. Later on in life someone asked me who my favorite Green Lantern was and I was dumbfounded. My reaction, "There was more than one? I only know of one guy in the League." Oooo, lots of geek demerits on that one. So I began talking to people about the GLC whenever I see someone in the logo t-shirt (I have one of my own now).

Everyone says "Hal Jordan" when asked which is their favorite. Well, except me. I would say John Stewart because that's who I knew. Besides Guy Gardner has really bad hair. I just can't pick him as my favorite. Stewart, especially in the cartoon, is a sexy beast. Then I saw a little with young Kyle Raynor and actually thought, here's a GL that I'd like to get to know.

With this special Sinestro Corps, I was like a pig in mud. I got the opportunity to get to know the personalities of so many Green Lanterns but especially those of sector 2814.

Plus, what my friends and I always thought was the hokiest weakness in the superhero universes, (the weakness to the color yellow!), is explained very well. In fact, I found I was so excited that something bright and sunny was considered evil! I'm honestly so SICK of the color black being the color of evil because (tangeant potential here...) black is historically a color used for protection, just as often as white. With this refreshing use of analogous color, black finally gets to be a solid base in the costumes while green and yellow are the power energies that battle it out. Seeing sunny yellow as a representation of a viral impurity may be weird but I'm impressed with how fear is gathered and manipulated with it. Against Sinestro's violet skin, the yellow makes it look an evil Easter Bunny on acid designed his character - and isn't that fun?

With Kyle's monumental transformation from Ion to Parallax, you can't miss this.

Definitely follow up your reading of this issue with GLC and GL. I hate what crossovers do to my filing system but you really can get drawn into this story.

The Guardians of the Universe are too arrogant for their own good...

The Corps is caught off-guard by a deadly threat...

Hal Jordan refuses the offered help of his fellow heroes...

A madman threatens the universe to forward his own twisted beliefs of what is right...

Kyle Rayner gets the shaft...

So what's new, right?

Well, having one of the best writers DC Comics has to offer, Geoff Johns, as well as one of the best artists in Ethan Van Sciver (anyone remember Cyberfrog?) on a Green Lantern story is certainly not new; but having them both appear to be at the very top of their game while on a GL story is, I think.

It's not often I'm motivated to go back and flip through a comic again immediately just to look at the imagery, but reading this special was one of those times. Often books that are set on a cosmic stage tend to bore me visually, but Van Sciver's backgrounds are gorgeously detailed. And if someone can pay that much attention to the stuff that's in the background, just imagine what he can do with the action in the foreground. And he does.

Characterization is great as well. Johns makes Sinestro a very interesting character and continues to move him away from the usual evil villain cookie-cutter shape into a very convincing man with a mission.

So did I close the book with a satisfied sigh and a smile? No way dude. I was seriously pissed. I'm not gonna say exactly why since I'd rather you read the book yourself, but the last 8 or 9 pages were terribly disturbing to me.

So why give it four stars? Because I was moved enough to be angry about the events happening there on the page. Evidence that this book is a product of two masters of their craft putting the best they have onto paper.

Can't say say I'm convinced this entire event will be as good as it's beginning, but boy what a beginning.