Review: The Sinestro Corps War

I decided I wanted to review the war in retrospect of the entire thing, with its conclusion having come out last Wednesday. I've never hid my Lantern fandom, so expect me to suck Geoff Johns, Dave Gibbons, Pat Gleason, Ivan Reis and Ethan van Sciver's collective cocks as I look at it, while I am going to try to be negative when I see it as fit; for example, the Qward issues of GL. I apologize for my scanner.

Although the storyline officially started in the Sinestro Corps one shot, Green Lantern Corps readers would be wise to remember that it technically started with Despolites, the virus Sinestro, attempting to effect Mogo a few issues earlier, in an arc which introduced Bzzd, and dealt more with Mogo's actual abilities to make constructs. The overall things that arc did that had any bearing on the War were, A) wound Mogo, he got in the path of a meteor to get Despolites off of him! B) destroy Stel, the Robot Lantern, which led into the beginning of the Second Battle of Mogo, and C) Bring up the children of the White Lobe, necessary characters in the Battle and prophecy.

But, let's get into it. We start with the One Shot, with van Sciver's beautiful art, accept for one panel of Black Canary, Red Arrow and Red Tornado. I thought one of the best ideas in this issue was the focus on Kyle, whom many fans have feared would become a nominal background character upon Hal's return. I think he's kept in prominence, myself, although Hal's primary. Looking back, there are a couple of lines that show great importance, and make Cyborg Superman's survival an obvious choice.

SEE! His death lust is gonna come up.

Then the battle of Oa begins, with a Sinestro Ring snatching Kyle, as well as blasting through Tomar Re's ear, and one unfortunate, and oddly uniformed, hand. The splash pages never reach the level of being gratuitous, as common as they are, because the things that are splashed have impact because of it. Although, one of my favorite panels is this one:
It shows the cost without actually having to show it, like so many of Geoff Johns' books that border on gratuitous. Of course, then Kylellax, and the big reveal of the Anti-Monitor. First issue's a win.


Then we start Lantern 21, which is the "calm before the storm" issue. Probably the most forgettable, because of its extreme focus on Hal, and his past. I would have enjoyed seeing more from John and Guy's Parallax induced visions than a bit mention a couple issues later. Its a weak issue, with the most meaningful thing feeling like its the comments of Sayd and Ganthet, which show levity later on.

We can move forward, though, since that issue is forgettable, onto Corps 14. I like Soranik Natu, this is known, and her strengths, as well as Sinestro's are greatly noted by Dave Gibbons. Its a good battle, and a the art by Pat Gleason is solid. This issue's importance really is nominal, though, with Sodam Yat being the most important thing in the issue, as well as this being Sinestro's only real appearance in Corps. It does set a major tone though: Sinestro knows how to win by losing.

Back to the main books, which is, in fact, better with the larger picture. Pages that felt wasted (Superman-Prime on the moon), no longer do. This issue, the first in the battle of Qward isn't the most notable, though. Yes, Reis' art is amazing, but other than Boodika's los of her hand, and Jack Chance's death, not much happens. Also, the fighting isn't as interesting as Johns is capable of. We can slide this one back in its sleeve, though.

Parallax one-shot. Ron Marz has a hard-on for Kyle. He really does. Only other thing of note: this art is magnificent!

Corps 15 is where that books picks up. Arkillo of the Sinestros is officially Gibbons' to use for the rest of the story, and we get the first battle that feels massive, and feels like there's a real risk. On a character note, though, we get an interesting look at Salaak, with his mentioning the White Lobe being on Mogo, and the apparent tremble in his voice. It shows how much he knows. One thing I did love was that this issue showed Arisia as a strong character, something Gibbons does to great effect in this battle. Also, box Lantern.


Issue 23 of Green Lantern. Ugly Guy face.
The character moments in this issue are much better than in previous, with great dialog between the Earth Lanterns, and even the alien ones. Also: Yay consistency! I like the fact that we manage to keep Graff Toren's ring slinging the same spider-web. This is really the issue that Sinestro wins, though, with the new law put on the books. Good as the rest of the plot line is, remembering that kind of makes me go "oh... yeah... it was technically lost then". Hurts the overall arc on rereads although it hols up.

Corps 16, with the conclusion of the Battle of Mogo. Chthos dies. He will be missed in his ugliness and vague sexist attitude. Go Arisia! You tell them boys! The arts impressive in that it manages to stay even, despite the noticeable two artists. I cannot claim to find Unzueta's art nearly as good as Gleason's. This does, though, conclude the risk to the Corps, thanks to it ending the Alan Moore prophecy of the fall of the Corps.

Cyborg Superman. While most of this issue is a retread of his origin and motives, we get an interesting panel, in that its a stark anachronism in DCU, with George Bush, the 9/11 attacks, and Middle Eastern War.


Other than the rampant "LOL Marbel" through out (Henshaw's origin, the Skrulls in panel), not much happens. Still, weird ass panel that makes this one interesting.


And now the last actual Green Lantern book for FIVE ISSUES. The beginning of the battle of Earth has this pretty spread.

Just look at how angry Sinestro is. I enjoyed this one, for the way it bring the war home. It makes it seem like there's a cost to us and not just this comic universe. It was one of the best ideas they had to bring it to Earth, and the issue's great. This is the first issue of Lantern that it feels like shit happens. Good stuff. And John Stewart is black, in case you missed it.

Blue Beetle, the only tie-in outside of the Green Lantern books and one-shots. I would care more if I'd been read the series, but I have not been, and thus, I lack the vested interest in Peacemaker, Jaime, and this overall story. Unfortunate, I feel like I could have if I had been reading it. This issue does have Hitler, though. Still less of an anachronism then the Cyborg page.

Green Lantern 17: I miss Gleason... The dialog is great, though, especially Guy and Natu. She hates Guy, its awesome.

Still, on the record we have for the law:
Boodikka
Hannu
Sodam Yat
Salaak (ish)
Vath Sarn
Isamot
Brikk
Laira
Raker
Kraken (not a surprise, since they're from Apokolips)
and Guy probably would if he had to

Against:
Arisia
Soranik Natu
Kilowog

Unknown:
Hal
John
Kyle (okay, we can really presume they'd go against)
Iolande
Graff Toren
Tomar Re
Bzzd
Mogo


And you have now enjoyed Andrew shows how many Lanterns he can name! The fight between Kilowog and Arkillo's good, and I really did love that he let him live. I like when characters show restraint like that.
Best line: "Poozers! No!" I love Kilowog. Also, Ion's new costume's one I like, since it's primarily green. Its distinct.

Superman-Prime. Mmm... Pete Woods art. "LOL stupidest boy dead LOL". I'm gonna go on the record as saying that I LIKE Superman-Prime as a villain. He's compelling to me, since he is an indignation of fans who have a sense of entitlement. He's like the Forum Trolls who say "This sucks because it isn't what I'm used to!". He's a brilliant pastiche of the worst fans, who are common in this small medium. Part of me thinks he's Geoff Johns' way of keeping himself in perspective, as a fan with godly powers over the medium.

And onto Corps 18. The fights good, Yat's deal-with-able. This issue, though, feels out of place. It feels like, thanks to the delay on Green Lantern, they shoehorned this in. Again, it isn't bad, but its utterly forgettable, and the first Corps issue to really disappoint me. I could give or take it.

Then we get the big one, the grand finale, the battle to end all battles, until 2009! GREAT issue. Ivan Reis really comes into his own, at times surpassing van Sciver, the commonly thought better artist of the two. His splash pages are rich, with little nuggets through out them. The two week delay was well worth it just for the beauty of this issue. Reis shows that he is one of the best artists in the market.


Van Sciver, meanwhile, gives it his all too, really showing the individual batteries as something to behold. And then his splash page is amazing in itself, giving the varied corps as sense of identity, between the vomiting Red Lanterns, the healing Indigo, and what looks like it should be a fantastic war. Side note: if I ever say that again, kill me.
Coast City is given character too, as cheesy as the whole thing feels. Its my one complaint about this book. Seriously, why did we need green Coast city. The Guardians join the battle in a big way, taking on the Anti-Monitor, getting scarred, and dying. They're still sniveling cowards, but its almost redeeming to see them fight and sacrifice. Sinestro reveals his win, looking deliriously evil in this panel:


Guy really wins, though. He's getting increasingly ill and he still manages to come up with the idea to defeat the Anti-Monitor. It doesn't actually work, but still. And we get a touching moment with Hank Henshaw, making him infinitely sympathetic. One thing that I really did like, was how unimportant the other heroes felt, because it drove home with is a Green Lantern book and story-arc. Its interesting to note that no one that is not involved in either corps has a single line.

The best fight, though, is Sinestro, Hal and Kyle. Fun stuff, if only for the 2x4 to the head of Sinestro. Bastard deserved it.

Then we get the epilogue of the story, with the formation of the Blue Lanterns of Ganthet and Sayd, and the reveal of the Black Lantern build up. Alli describes that as DC Zombies, I describe it as foreshadowed in issue 6, and the return of Nekron of the Undead, more on that later. I look forward to the Blackest Night, though. I have high expectations for it.

In the epilogues for the other books, though, Ion was forgettable, and I really enjoyed the Corps epilogue. Yay Gleason art! The individual moments were amazing, be it the mourning of Vath Sarn, Kilowog's r & r, Isamot's deiance, Iolande's boredom or Sorank returning to the one thing she loves the most, doctoring.



Then we have a lot of set-up for the Alpha Lanterns, I'm assuming, and the arc v. Mongul.

Great story line, with some great character nuggets hidden in the storyline. Good stuff. Escapism like this is why I'm a comic fan.

Happy Christmas, the war is over

Andrew's Webcomic Review

Alright, so, as an avid Webcomic reader, I decided I'd review a few of 'em. By that I mean probably around ten, depending on how bored I get or don't get.

Obviously, we must first start with the perennial webcomic: Penny Arcade.

Its a damn fun read, usually hitting the mark with humor and a vibrant art style. The characters are likable, albeit under-characterized. If you like video games, it'll hit the mark, if not, the vast majority of the humor and jokes will miss you completely. Most of the jokes are a dialog between Gabe and Tycho, with Tycho usually playing straight man to Gabe, and it usually works, although they'll occasionally need to bring in another character, like Gabe's girl friend in the comic above, to get the joke through. Recurring plot is minimal, so don't expect to get too attached. Still, there's a reason its been going on this long: its good. Not a must read, but one to check out weekly.


Stiptease



A comic about making comics (sort of), hence the name. Its Soap Opera story telling, with about as deep of plot and characters. The arts nice, but the characters border on unlikeable for the most part, with sexism pretty rampant in this one. Take on recent plot line: there's a misunderstanding over whether Max (the main character) had sex with the resident Lady Dragon, Kim. His girlfriend, Alli, meets an old friend (implied to be without Max's knowledge, seemingly for a triste until we find out otherwise), and learns that Max might have had sex with Kim, whom she hates. We learn that yes, they did, but its because Kim was doing for revenge for Max's ex (now a lesbian and a main character). When they confront each other, she comes off as being the bitch, and he as just being frustrated with her. Its a taut comic, the character's shallow, and the plot lines have pulled the "Evil Twin" concept. I shit you not.


Questionable Content

One of my personal favorites, Questionable Content has interesting, and likable characters. One of the longest running comics, its also one of the few that supports its creator. Its pretty damn brilliant, although it has high and low points where the plot line suffers and succeeds, depending on the level of conflict. The art has changed greatly, as the archives chronicle well. Its good, usually a joke a day, and has shown great evolution in writing. I recommend it to anyone looking for a good slice-of-life read.


Multiplex

Damn is this good... One of the comics that has gotten even better over time, while starting with a high standard. I tend to like the more dramatic story lines (which its quite good at), better than the one and done joke strips (also quite good). Its a good read, with good art, but there are times when characters come off as mildly unlikeable. They aren't bad, but there are things they do that have rubbed me the wrong way. Still, check it out, see if you like it.


Penny & Aggie

This is quite possibly one of the best comics on the internet. Seriously. The plot lines are smart, the characters varied, and the art fantastic. Its gotten increasingly better over time, and while the core plot line of the beginning (Aggie v. Penny) has disappeared, it is a comic that should be held to a higher standard than most. The only real complaint I have for it is that the plot lines occasionally come off as pandering to the Forum audience. Other than that, it does things that seem almost outlandish in the common webcomic, such as cohesive plotting, and symbolism. Check it out, damn good read. Again, one of the best.


Ctrl+Alt+Del

This is one of my least favorite Webcomics, I would call it the Family Guy of webcomics, but that might be a little harsh to it. Its still bad, mind you. The characters are unlikeable, and, while not as overtly so as Striptease, its still not exactly flattering to its female characters. It takes the same formula of Penny Arcade, and shits on it with annoying characters, meaningless and stupid plot, and a robot that is directly a take off of both HK-47 and Bender, and is just as annoying as the humans he supports. Ethan, the main character, is a psychotic, while Lucas, the next main character, is merely boring and uninteresting, and the main female character, Lilah, is nothing more than one of them with a vagina, who apparently doesn't know anyone other than the two of them and her male pro gaming partner, while also enabling Ethan's addiction and insanity. Maybe I expect more, but this has a huge readership, so maybe you'll like it. I don't. At all.




That's enough for now. I promise it won't be a month before I post again! Still, if you need a daily dose of me, I have two other blogs. If you disagree or want to recommend anything, e-mail me at hopesoftrying@aol.com, or leave a comment.

Al's Book Review

Al Reviews... Neil Gaiman's American Gods

This book was awesome. Go read it. Even if you can't identify most of the Gods in there (must be hundreds), it doesn't end up mattering that much.

A few complaints- There's so much symbolism and deep forboding-ness in this book that you might get bogged down in the first few chapters. If you don't keep in mind that everything in this book is in there for a reason, you're gonna get confused and frustrated real quick. But trust me, EVERY THING MATTERS. In fact, you're introduced to the three most meaningful characters within the first two chapters- one of which you have no idea is important until you get to the end. So stick with it.

Two, I never really got a good visual of Shadow. MAybe I just personally lack the great imagination, or maybe I somehow glossed over the stunning description of him- but I think there's a reason I can't "see" him in my head to well. You're not supposed to. He's Joe-blow. So think of Joe-blow... except taller. Personally, everytime Shadow did something, I was reminded of the picture of Neil Gaiman on the back cover. So Neil Gaiman was riding a crazy carousel and running playing checkers with gods. but that's just me.

About that carousel. You might think- Wow, that sounds crazy... I just can't believe a place like that exists. Well, I did a little research. I figured it was a real place, but I just didn't think it could live up to Gaiman's description. I thought if I went and found some pictures of it I may be able to make it more real in my brain. Boy was I ever wrong. After looking up the House on the Rock, and the World's Largest Carousel pictures, I was even more amazed than I was by reading it. THERE REALLY ARE MERMEN! It was more surreal looking at the pictures than it could be in the book- and the book was pretty dark and well... surreal. Don't believe me? Check out HouseOnTheRock.com and view their picture gallery. There are even pictures of the Whale in the Walk-way and the Christmas room, and the doll room and the orchestra room etc. etc. etc. It's freaking crazy!

Now, if there's one thing I usually bash a book or movie about, it's the "surprise" ending or the "surprise" plot twist. I can usually spot 'em a mile away. I was tickled pink with this book- I didn't get the big SURPRISE until about a chapter before it was actually revealed (line: "It's a two-man con." That's when I knew). So... There you go. An actual surprise. And I was kickign myself for not seeing it sooner. At all! You'd think... when everyone meets up in the "neutral" place.. you'd think I'd have fingered that damn chauffer a mile away. Nope. Not til the end.


SPOILERS

Complaints from other people:
Some have said they really didn't like the part where Shadow took his Dead Journey while holding Wednesday's vigil and skimmed right through it. Personally- that was my favorite part. So dark and creepy and totally out-of-this-world, literally. I thought the real dragging part was in the middle... all the crap about living in a little bitty town- I was tempted to grumble and flip a couple pages to get back to the good parts- BUT I DIDN'T! And neither should you! BECAUSE IT ALL MATTERS!! THERE'S A REASON JOE-BLOW LIVES IN NOWHEREVILLE! BELIEVE IT.




NO MORE SPOILERS

And we're done now. I'll be reviewing William Goldman's The Princess Bridge, Abridged (The Good Parts) and giving a brief comparative study between it and the cult classic movie anyone who was a child in the 80's absolutely obsessed over. Then hopefully Good Omens.

Oh, and if you're interested, Jim Butcher's newest addition to the Furies of Calderon series came out this week- called Cursor's Fury. It's on hold for me at the Library. Check it out.

And as always, PLEASE email me some suggestions for books to read and review. Really, I'll respond to any emails (I get so bored during finals). So heres' the address again in case you forgot Rosewilsonworth@aol.com.

Do it. Now.