I can’t even imagine reading “The Sinestro Corps War” as a monthly (or biweekly). Sitting down with it, I only intended to read the first half, but there’s no nature stopping point midway, so I just went ahead and read the whole thing. The story has a twelve issue momentum unlike any other I can think of in a mainstream superhero book–even with my paltry knowledge of Green Lantern, Johns and Gibbons made me feel right at home. I understood–more in the Corps issues–there was something going on I didn’t know about, but Gibbons never focused the issue on those items, just had them in there and let me pick up on it (probably turning me into a Corps reader… have to hit the back issues, I suppose).
“Sinestro” turns the DC universe into a Green Lantern story–referencing the major events in recent history (was Anti-Monitor in Infinite Crisis too or is he an old school Crisis reference?) and bringing them into a galaxy-based perspective. What should be unimaginably big is it (conveniently, both the good guys and the bad guys have a limited number of planets they deem important–I think “Sinestro” probably only has four or five main fronts–the rest are just brief panel shots to add texture).
There’s some rather amusing stuff here too. Both writers characterization of Guy Gardner is great, but Johns goes further showing Kyle Rayner as quite the jackass. Not exactly an intentional one, but certainly a callow hero. Hal Jordan’s big personal conflict–I can barely remember it–the awesome conclusion to the war, with Jordan and Rayner, sans power ring, versus Sinestro, also sans power ring, is particularly cinematic. Ivan Reis, for all his detail, sort of misses the blockbuster quality to the conclusion, which sort of plays like “Lethal Weapon” for Green Lanterns.
Also amusing is the word-play with Superboy-Prime. For the first few issues, he doesn’t have a name and is just referred to derisively; then he gets the Superman-Prime label. Guess DC hadn’t made a decision yet. I’m sorry, not DC… Warner Bros. I guess Warner Bros. hadn’t made a decision yet.
Lots of scenes owe everything to Star Wars. Much of the story is space battles, only with Green Lanterns instead of ships (think the end of Return of the Jedi). There’s a big rip from Empire too and the approach to the prophecy and the golden boy hero, all very Star Wars influenced. But it works great.
“Sinestro” isn’t artistically relevant, but it’s a great time.
B+
Recommend on Mahalo
2 responses so far ↓
1 north shore comics dealer // Apr 28, 2008 at 6:30 am
Yeah, this was truly a fun comic geekfest, as this crossover had a success that outshines all of the others DC & Marvel have attempted. I prefer GL Corps, as the cast is larger and stays truer to the sci-fi leanings of the intergalactic Corps, I thoughtlessly picked each chapter of GL, an effect the comic schmoes haven’t had on me in years. It was either that, or the LSD flashbacks the finale gave to me.
Now if we could only get it in trade paperback!
2 Marionette // Apr 28, 2008 at 12:12 pm
I liked it. Limited amount of crossover but enough to make it a big story.
Didn’t spot the Star Wars stuff, but I’ll keep an eye out for that next time I read it. Only slight irritant for me was the epilogue/prologue for the Darkest Night event that they are going to spend the next year building towards. Wish I could read a story with a beginning, middle, and end occasionally.
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