2009 is the year of the Blackest Night event and Johns is certainly ready to get things cranked up in anticipation of this cataclysmic battle. I loved The Sinestro War and I am excited about Blackest Night. I am confident that Johns will deliver an entertaining read with Green Lantern #36. Let’s go ahead and hit this review.
Writer: Geoff Johns
Artist: Ivan Reis
Inkers: Oclair Albert
Art Rating: 10 Night Girls out of 10
Story Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 9.5 Night Girls out of 10
Synopsis: We begin on Ysmault, the world of the Red Lanterns. We see Atrocitus having Sinestro crucified. Atrocitus exclaims that Sinestro failed Korugar, that he failed Abin Sur and that he failed himself. Laira then charges up at Sinestro. Atrocitus throws Laira to the ground and tells her that Sinestro’s flesh will not be consumed by her. Atrocitus continues that Sinestro’s muscles stay on his bones until every drop of his blood has been drained into Atrocitus’ rings.
Atrocitus tells Sinestro that all of the Red Lanterns are victims of Sinestro’s Yellow Corps. Sinestro calmly tells Atrocitus that he does not fear pain, death or Atrocitus. Sinestro states that he has no fear.
Atrocitus bellows that he is rage and that fear is not the most powerful force in the universe. That fear is inaction and cowardice. That rage is action. Sinestro replies that rage is uncontrollable. Atrocitus states that the Red Lantern Corps will kill the Green Lantern Corps and the Sinestro Corps. That the Red Lanterns will burn Korugar.
Sinestro states that Atrocitus’ pack of wild dogs won’t survive long enough to do anything other than beg for their lives. Sinestro says “Poor, deluded Atrocitus, you have no idea what you’ve just started.”
We cut to the Blue Lantern Saint Walker introducing himself to Hal Jordan. Saint Walker recharges Hal’s ring back to full capacity. We learn that the color blue represents hope.
Saint Walker detects some of the red flame of rage in the hearts of Hal’s fellow Green Lanterns due to their fight with the Red Lanterns. Saint Walker uses his blue power ring to extinguish the red flame in the Green Lanterns. When John is cured of the red flame in his heart he sees Katma. John mumbles how the universe says that he will see Katma once again.
Saint Walker explains to Hal that the blue power ring manifests its constructs in response to the target’s specific psychosis. Saint Walker then says that Hal Jordan must come with him. Saint Walker flies off and takes Hal with him. They arrive at Odym, the home planet of the Blue Lantern Corps. It is a lush, beautiful natural planet with a giant blue central power battery. Saint Walker says that Odym is life uninhibited and unrestrained.
We see Sayd and Ganthet talking with the newest Blue Lantern recruit, Warth. Saint Walker explains to Hal that it takes days to select a new Blue Lantern. Ganthet and Sayd state that Warth has heard their intentions over the last three days. We learn that to be a Blue Lantern means to give one’s self to the universe. That hope is the most powerful light. And some consider it also to be the most costly.
Warth says that he understands his ultimate fate if he is to join the Blue Lantern Corps and he accepts it. Warth then becomes the second Blue Lantern. Ganthet and Sayd then meet with Hal. Hal asks of this is what Ganthet and Sayd have been up to since abandoning the Green Lantern Corps.
Ganthet and Sayd respond that they were banished by the other Guardians. That they created the Blue Lantern Corps not to replace the Green Lantern Corps, but to aid the Green Lantern Corps. Ganthet and Sayd say that Hal must help them save Sinestro.
Hal says that he has no desire to save Sinestro. That Sinestro is long past saving. Ganthet replies that some said that about Hal. Hal responds that he is not hoping for Sinestro to see the light. That, unlike Hal, Sinestro has made all of his choices of his own free will.
Ganthet replies that he does not expect Sinestro to see the light and repent. That there is probably no power in the universe that could do that. However, that Hal simply must trust Ganthet and go save Sinestro. Ganthet says that he has been here since Sinestro’s fall guiding Hal and that Ganthet has always been honest with Hal. Ganthet says that he knows that Hal does not trust the Guardians, but for Hal to trust him once more.
Ganthet says that Sinestro is far more important than he realizes. And so is Hal. Hal responds “Like I haven’t heard that before.”
We cut to Zamaron. We see a bunch of Sinestro Corps members in violet crystals and being converted into Star Sapphires. We see the power ring for the Sinestro Corps member from Sector 1313 warning that it is being infected. We then see the Sinestro Corps member transform into a Star Sapphire. The violet power ring says “Conversion complete. Fatality of Sector 1313. Welcome to the Star Sapphires.
Fatality exits her crystal and tells her power ring to locate John Stewart. We cut back to Saint Walker, Warth and Hal Jordan trying to locate Sinestro. Hal is brusque with the Blue Lanterns. Warth reassures Hal that the Blue Lantern Corps members are Hal’s allies.
Hal snaps that he already has allies. Hal says he wants his allies accompanying them to Ysmault. Hal tries to contact John and Kilowog but gets no responds. Saint Walker states that their blue power rings can cause interference and make it difficult for Hal to contact his corpsmen. Hal asks if that is on purpose.
Hal’s ring then alerts Hal to a dying sun next to them that is about to destroy a planet of three hundred million inhabitants. The power ring tells Hal that the only solution is to evacuate the inhabitants. Hal tells Saint Walker to knock off whatever his ring is doing to Hal’s attempts to communicate with his corpsmen. Hal says that he needs to radio for back-up.
Saint Walker responds that the sun is within his and Warth’s emotional aura. We see the two Blue Lanterns meditating and focusing their energies at the sun. The dying sun is then reborn into a new young blue sun. Hal is stunned and stammers that the Blue Lanterns just turned back the clock on the dying sun about eight billion years.
The Blue Lanterns say that the young blue sun will burn as another symbol of hope eternal. Hal asks how much that drained the Blue Lanterns’ power rings. Saint Walker answers “None.” That the Blue Lanterns were fueled by the hope of the inhabitants of the planet in danger. That hope charges them as it will one day charge Hal. The Blue Lanterns say that Hal needs to learn about hope. Hal asks “Why?”
Saint Walker responds that it is obvious and that Ganthet made it quite clear to them. That Hal has been to the depths of darkness and back. That Hal is to discard his green power ring after Sinestro is rescued and become the leader of the Blue Lantern Corps.
We slide over to Ysmault. Atrocitus states that he will find something that Sinestro fears. Atrocitus tears open a corpse of a Sinestro Corps member. Atrocitus uses the blood to tell him what Sinestro fears. Atrocitus splatters the blood on the altar and it takes the shape of a female. Atrocitus then states that he now knows how to tear apart Sinestro’s heart. That Sinestro has kept it hidden well, but that Sinestro has a daughter. End of issue.
The Good: Green Lantern #36 was an excellent read. Johns delivers an engrossing issue that immediately captivates the reader’s attention and does not let go until the very end. This is exactly the type of imaginative issue that I love to read. Johns crafts an issue that fires the reader’s imagination and gets the reader excited about the potential of the Blackest Night event. And above all else, Green Lantern #36 was fun.
Johns is weaving a classic comic book tale where the reader feels that just about anything could happen nest. Green Lantern #36 was well plotted and paced. The story has an excellent flow as it nicely transitions between the various scenes. Johns keeps an even pace on the story as it never drags too slowly nor does it seem too rushed.
The plotting is impressive as the reader can begin to see how the various plotlines are going to connect with each other. Johns’ talent for crafting detailed plotlines and his keen long-range vision makes this story an intriguing read. And what is also enjoyable is the fact that every answer that Johns gives the reader simply leads to even more questions.
The character work continues to be well done on this title. Johns’ Sinestro continues to be such a fascinating character. I dig Sinestro’s unwavering confidence, coolness and haughty attitude that displays while being crucified and threatened by the Red Lantern Corps. Johns uses Sinestro in the opening scene to tell the reader that Johns indeed understands how one-dimensional and over the top the Red Lantern Corps is.
I am one of the people who have been critical of the Red Lantern Corps. But, Johns managed to get me to like the Red Lantern Corps more in this issue as Johns basically admits that the Red Lanterns are nothing more than blunt instruments and that their rage makes them blind and vulnerable. I have a feeling that Johns is setting up the Red Lantern Corps to be the first Corps to fall during the upcoming war.
Another enjoyable aspect of Green Lantern #36 is that Johns is beginning to make a concerted effort to differentiate between the various colored Lantern Corps. We are seeing the unique features and customs of the various Corps. Yes, it is true that they are all utilizing a specific color of the emotional spectrum, but their structure and styles are beginning to become more original and unique.
We see in this issue how the Star Sapphire Corps creates their Corps members. Unlike the other Corps, the Star Sapphires utilize chambers where the main power batter for the Star Sapphire Corp “infects” the subject and transforms them into a Star Sapphire. I found this to be a pretty cool way to create new Corps members.
Johns surprises the reader by having Fatality from the Sinestro Corps re-made into a Star Sapphire. And on top of it, Fatality emerges from the Star Sapphire chamber all sexified and looking for John Stewart. Fatality is a long-time nemesis of John Stewart and she is the sole survivor of the planet Xanshi which was destroyed because John could not stop a yellow bomb. I am curious to see what this villain who hates Green Lanterns so much is going to do now that she is all about “Love.”
And speaking of John Stewart, Johns teases the reader with the fact that John Stewart will see Katma again. I would imagine that we might see Katma as a member of the Black Lantern Corps.
The best part of Green Lantern #36 is the Blue Lantern Corps. The Blue Lanterns take center stage in this issue as Johns differentiates the Blue Lanterns from the Green Lanterns. I thought the home planet of Odym was pretty cool looking. It fit nicely with the fact that the Blue Lanterns represent hope and life. I also like how the Blue Lanterns take days in order to pick a new Lantern. This is certainly in stark contrast with the rather rapid method that the Sinestro Corps, Green Lantern Corps and Red Lantern Corps employ.
I love the Blue Lanterns. They have quickly become my favorite colored Corps. I dig how Johns has made the Blue Lanterns so incredibly powerful in order to balance out the facts that they are more pacifistic than the other Corps and that they have far fewer numbers than the other Corps.
Saint Walker and Warth certainly flexed the impressive power of the Blue Lanterns by pushing back the clock 8.6 billion years on a dying sun and using the hope of the people on the doomed planet to power them so that they lost no energy at all in their power rings. That scene certainly hammered home the fact that the Blue Lanterns are extremely powerful.
I liked Hal’s distrust and brusque attitude toward the Blue Lanterns. This was a nice way to show how intensely loyal Hal is to the Green Lantern Corps. And this set the mood for the stunning hook ending. More on that in a minute. Johns did a nice job with the relationship between Ganthet and Hal. This was an awkward moment as Ganthet has been the only Guardian he has trusted, however, Hal is having a tough time not seeing Ganthet as abandoning the Green Lantern Corps.
I liked how Johns differentiated between Sinestro and Hal when he was possessed by Parallax. Hal’s flat refusal to save Sinestro was well done. It was refreshing to see Hal completely lacking in compassion or hope for Sinestro. It was in keeping with Hal’s personality to view Sinestro as an unrepentant villain who has no hope for every being reformed. This scene helped to give Hal that more hard-edged cop personality.
Ganthet and Sayd try to persuade Hal to help them rescue Sinestro by employing a predictable tactic of reminding Hal that people once viewed Hal the same as how Hal views Sinestro. Johns has Hal counter with the fact that Sinestro has made all of his choices out of his own free will while Hal was possessed by Parallax and made no choices of his own free will. This is part of Johns’ continual effort to further remove the stain of Parallax on Hal’s heroic character.
Johns ends Green Lantern #36 with an awesome double hook ending. My jaw was on the floor after reading the final two pages of this issue. This double hook ending hits the reader like a punch to the stomach and a punch to the neck. First, Johns reveals the surprise that Ganthet and Sayd have already targeted Hal to be the leader of the Blue Lanterns. It is almost impossible to imagine Hal slinging any colored ring other than a green power ring.
The second surprise is the stunning reveal that Sinestro has a daughter and that this is how Atrocitus will get to the “fearless” Sinestro. I definitely did not see this coming at all. It should be interesting to see where Johns goes from here.
Ivan Reis and Oclair Albert combine to deliver gobs of gorgeous artwork. Green Lantern is one of the nicest looking titles on the market. For my money, nobody can draw Lanterns like Reis. I love the incredible character designs that Reis keeps coming up with for the various Lanterns. Warth is a fantastic looking character. And I have learned that Warth is patterned after the Hindu god Ganesha which is fitting with the theme of the Blue Lantern Corps.
The Bad: I have no complaints with this issue.
Overall: Green Lantern #36 was an exciting and imaginative read. This title is one of DC’s most entertaining comic books. Johns is crafting a classic tale that should appeal to many fans of the super hero genre. If you enjoyed the Sinestro War then you will most certainly like the current direction of this title. And if you like cosmic characters and universe spanning stories then I would certainly recommend giving Green Lantern a try. On the other hand, if you still have not warmed up to the different colored Lantern Corps then I would recommend avoiding this title.
4 thoughts on “Green Lantern #36 Review”
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I said it before and I’ll say it again…Geoff Johns needs to have some involvement with bringing GL to the big screen. I think he would write an amazing story that could be adapted into film.
Other than that, although I am looking forward to the upcoming Rainbow Wars, I am a bit cautious that this story will not offer anything very new. I feel it may try to follow the forumla established by the Sinestro Corps War two years earlier since that was such a success. I loved the Sinestro Corps War story, but feel a rehash may not be good. If it wasn’t Johns writing this, I don’t think I would have faith. I also, Im not sure how the War of Light will fit the DCU post-final crisis…I guess we will have to wait and see.
With regards to this past issue, I thought this was a great read. It seems like its been a while since we had a real issue of Green Lantern come out. I don’t think the Final Crisis Rage of the Red Lanterns was technically considered a GL issue, and I hated the fact that Johns did the secret orgin issues right in the middle when he had great mommentum in the wars story. So it was great to pick this issue up and catch up.
Keep up the good work Rokk! I love your site!!!!!
The big question here is will Hal Jordan become a Blue Lantern once the War of Light is over?
Well I’m torn. On the one hand, this is supposed to be the final saga of Johns GL trilogy, and what a way of ending the trilogy by having the lead character leave the Green Lantern Corps and become the leader of the new Blue Lanterns.
However, on the other hand, Hal Jordan lives for excitement. Since the inception of the character, Jordan has always been a daredevil pilot who loves danger. I don’t see the slower and more philosophical way of doing things under the Blue Lanterns very appealing to Jordan. I don’t think it fits his character at all. So another obvious outcome is for Jordan to refuse membership, but promise to be an ally to the Blue Lanterns.
Since the Blue Lantern’s constructs come from the subject’s mind, is there a chance that it is a false hope it delivers to John? The ring gave him what he wanted. The object was to wipe the rage from him, and it worked, but that may be all that comes of this.
I thought there were a number of hints that we would be seeing “The Dark Side of Hope” as this story goes along. Perhaps I’m just morbid, but I actually suspect that the Blue Lanterns are told that they will sacrifice their lives for the greater good if they join. So far, two have agreed.
There’s something about the idea of the Hope battery sitting there waiting to make a Green Lantern’s ring and hand explode if he gets too close…maybe it is just a lack of control or restraint (to match the Rage guys?) but this Blue Lantern corps makes my Spidey-Sense tingle.
@heffison: I can see where you’re coming from, and it’s a legitimate speculation, but I frankly believe the opposite.
The Green Lantern rings were simply not made to contain the power of the Blue Lantern’s battery–that is a design flaw in the Green Lantern ring’s part, rather than malevolence within the Blue Lantern’s power. And, in any case, the Blue Lanterns warned Hal Jordan about the problem so he could avoid it and not get his hand blown off.
I think Ganthet and Sayd are enlightened in that they know everything is fallible; that is why they departed from the Green Lanterns and their fellow Guardians in the first place. I think they know that for all their precautions, something will go amiss, but they can only hope–the running theme, here–that all will be well. But they do take extensive precautions: the careful selection (by members of the Corps themselves); the days-long process of testing and questioning; their specific and (apparently) honest explanations.
I think people might be inclined to think there’s a “dark” side to hope because people have become so jaded that pure good–not even a good like hope (which, really, is believing that no matter how bad things get, good can still happen) can exist. My opinion is: the Blue Lanterns were formed to hope and to bring hope because everyone else in the universe so readily gives in to despair. I’d say they’re the real deal.