Hey, look, I read a Trade!

It happens sometimes. I stumble upon a Trade paperback at the local libs and decide to fill in some gaps in my comics knowledge. I actually love Trade Paperbacks, but as I'm 8 kinds of broke at the moment (with 2 more kinds in development), I can't afford them so often. And the library near my parents' house wasn't always the most up-to-date. Hopefully the local one now will be better.


Before a couple months ago, my only real knowledge of Green Lantern came from the Justice League cartoon. Sure, I knew who Hal Jordan and Kyle Rayner were, but the only heavy exposure I had was from John Stewart in the cartoon. Then, and I honestly don't remember why, I decided to start reading Blackest Night. I'm a sucker for events, I guess. Because of that, I figured I'd go back and catch up on random things.

But in the spirit of all the Green Lantern love going on in these parts lately, I decided to read Green Lantern: Secret Origin and Green Lantern: Sinestro Corps War (parts 1 and 2, and Tales of). And since is, y'know, a comic blog, I figure let's write a review. Also, not gonna lie, I'm giddy that I'm more or less up-to-date and that work is slow. And I feel a rush whenever I get to create a new Tag.

I think Sinestro Corps War came out before Secret Origin, but this is the order I read them in.

Green Lantern: Secret Origin (****)

Again, thanks to a passing knowledge of Green Lantern (aided by Green Lantern: First Flight), I sort of knew how Hal Jordan came to be the Green Lantern. Abin Sur crashes and the ring chooses him, and no one can believe a human could be a lantern. What I found interesting about this was all of the set-up for Blackest Night. Now, I realize this was a ret-con of sorts (although I'm not sure the full extent) and to be honest I hate ret-conning in general, but I think it would have been cool to read this last year and be teased with all this BN stuff. Seeing Atrocitus pre-Red Lantern, and watching Sinestro clearly heading towards Crazy, it's all kind of filling in gaps.

Green Lantern: Sinestro Corps War (****)

I've been debating with myself if I should do one longer review for all three books, or a smaller review for each, and I think I'm going to stick with the longer one namely because I don't have that much to say. Overall I enjoyed the Sinestro Corps War books, mainly because I like war and I like power rings. I'm a little hazy on how exactly Sinestro came to not only have a yellow ring but control a whole army, but I get enough of the gist to follow that this is not a group that should be fucked with. I think I was most interested in three things in this whole story:

1. Cyborg Superman wanting to die but being denied time and again, and doing all of this random shit just so the Anti-Monitor would kill him. Tragic Villains are so much more compelling. Look at Atrocitus as well. It's not easy to feel compassion* for the bad guy, and I appreciate when writers can make me feel that.
2. The Guardians, just in general. I really don't see these little men (and women; who knew the women were the bald ones?) as good guys, and I love that Ganthet and Sayd were like "You bitches are CRAZY." Their new laws authorizing Lethal Force? Isn't compromising your principles like a universal sign of the End? Just look at the Republican Party. I'm excited to see what the other six new laws are, since I reckon the Guardians have completely lost their minds.
3. The Antimonitor turning into the Black Lantern. Namely because I love all Blackest Night stuff.
   

I think both Sinestro Corps War and Secret Origin are pretty important parts of the GL continuity, and while they're not required reading for Blackest Night I definitely think they're worth picking up if you've got some time.

* Am I the only one who, after reading Blackest Night, now thinks in colors rather than emotions? "Gee, I feel a lot of Indigo for him after his wife got sick."