Saturday, June 16, 2012

JT's Take: Green Lantern #10

Hey guys and gals, JT back once again with a new review, this time we're gonna check out Green Lantern. Now due to X's hatred of CHAIRMAN JOHNS (Dun dun dunnnnn!!!) there hasn't been any reviews of what I think are two of the best books currently coming out of the DC Reboot that aren't Batman, Green Lantern and Aquaman. So, consider that over, X still has beef with Johns but I do not, so I plan on reviewing Green Lantern and Aquaman from this point on. So, I know present to you, the first issue of Green Lantern written by Geoff Johns reviewed here since February 2011, Green Lantern #10!

Green Lantern #10

Quick Rundown: Just a quick catch-up for people that haven't been reading Green Lantern since the reboot. Following War of the Green Lanterns, Hal Jordan was stripped of his ring and title and they were awarded to Sinestro, who had helped the Green Lanterns become victorious. Hal moped for a while and his life sucked until he finally manned up and things started to look up for him, until he was recruited by force by Sinestro to help him take back Sinestro's home planet of Korugar from the Sinestro Corps. After defeating the Sinestro Corps, Sinestro seeks Lyssa Drak and discovers the plans of the Guardians third army to get rid of the Green Lantern Corps. Sinestro and Hal search for answers until they are confronted by the Indigo Tribe who make Sinestro join them as punishment. We then learn that the Indigo Tribe are a group of murderers and villains who were brought together by none other than Abin-Sur and a being by the name of Natromo, who create the Indigo Lantern and give compassion rings to the world's worst killers. This was done because Abin knew one day the Guardians would turn on the Corps and they would need help. The team was led by Abin-Sur's worst enemy, the woman who killed his daughter, Iroque, who would become Indigo-1. Upon finding out from Hal Jordan that Abin-Sur was dead, Natromo destroyed the Indigo battery, which not only freed Sinestro but also the murderers of the Indigo Tribe, and even our old friend Black Hand. There, now you're all caught up.


Summary: This issue starts with Hal grabbing Sinestro and running from the former Indigo Tribe, explaining why the Indigo Tribe are after them. We also see William Hurt, The Black Hand, wondering where he is, where his black ring is, and why he has on a Indigo ring, which he promptly throws off. (Keep in mind he's pretty much been out of it since Blackest Night, and now he finally has consciousness.) Sinestro decides he's going to stay and fight the Tribe but Hal forcibly takes him since Sinestro's ring is all-but dead and Hal's is running on fumes. While escaping they run into Natromo and try to convince him to restart the Battery, but he believes with Abin-Sur dead all hope is lost. After being persuaded by Hal, he agrees to try, and Sinestro goes to buy them some time by fighting the Indigo Tribe, that's right, Sinestro engaged in fisticuffs everyone! Back with Hal and Natromo, they try to reconstruct the battery but can't without any of the Indigo light, which is long gone by now. Surprisingly, they are approached by Iroque, the former Indigo-1 who says they must repair the battery. She says while she wore the ring it showed her how much she hurt Abin-Sur by killing his daughter, and while wearing the ring she felt sadness. The compassion she feels while recounting this causes her ring to spark, which is all Natromo needs to rebuild the battery, which brings the Indigo Tribe back online. All except The Black Hand, his ring seeks him and Black Hand continues to run from it and jumps from a ledge, falling to the rocks below which instantly kills him. The ring scans the bloody body of a now deceased Black Hand and flies off to find a replacement in the area. (Wonder who that will be...) Back with Hal, we see that Sinestro is back online too, and Hal has to ask the Indigo Corps to release him. Indigo-1 says she will release him if Hal believes he will find redemption without the Indigo Ring. She then asks Hal if he thinks Sinestro can become a hero again... Hal thinks and says he wants to believe he can. From there we cut back to the dead body of The Black Hand, as his body spits out a Black Lantern ring that flies out of his mouth and onto his hand, telling him to RISE. The issue closes as a Black Lantern Black Hand says he wants to go home.



Thoughts: See, it's issues like this that I still have faith in Geoff Johns after that Brightest Day debacle. I loved the reveal of the Indigo Tribe consisting of villains a few issues ago but the fact the rings actually work and helped changed Iroque for the better is a very interesting thing. I'm also wondering who that Indigo ring will go to, hopefully someone we know already because that will be interesting to say the least. Sinestro was awesome as usual here and I love seeing him and Hal play off of each other, with Sinestro clearly wanting to be more like Hal, even if he won't admit it. Add that in with the way Black Hand was written here, clearly showing that everything between Blackest Night and now to him was the equivalent of blinking was an awesome idea. I was wondering why he killed himself as opposed to being lobotomized by that ring but him having a trick up his sleeve is great, plus I can't say I mind having a Black Lantern ring or two around.


Score:  8.5/10

Sinestro: I'll hold them off.
Hal: WITH A POWERLESS RING?!
Sinestro: *whispers* It's what you would do.

4 comments:

  1. I think Black Hand didn't care if he was actually gonna die or not, he just didn't want to become a mindless drone again. And am I the only person that noticed that Sinestro's Indigo ring never actually left him at the end of the issue?

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  2. Yeah Caz, that was part of the cliffhanger since Hal never actually answered. He said he wants to believe, but never said outright, so that's kinda the cliffhanger, well that and Hand.

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  3. HA! I still DO have a beef with Johns too! Something about some speedster guy whose name has been struck from reality... Had a last name that had something to do with a direction... Oh well, I'm blanking on it. *shrugs* And you KNOW I skipped this post on principle, right, JT? :P

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  4. Well he had to X, you and I both know Kanye West was a horrible speedster. He was all, "Jesus walks.. But I run! "

    And yeah, you seem like the kinda jerk to skip my review :-P. Deep down you're tempted to read it.

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