Another big change to the mythology of the Green Lantern Corps hits, and it’s followed by something even bigger.
Green Lantern 2
Written by Geoffrey Thorne
Pencils and Inks by Marco Santucci and Dexter Soy
Colors by Alex Sinclair
I’m starting to wonder if anyone actually likes or has any respect for the legacy of the Green Lantern Corps. Every since I started reading comic books regularly, back in 1994, it seems like there’s always some major change to the status quo. And the tumultuous nature of the character has its roots even further than Kyle Rayner becoming the one and only GL.
But the number of times that the Corps has been intrinsically changed – or nearly destroyed – over the last 30 years or so is astonishing. And it seems as though we’ve reached that point again.
When DC Comics caught up to the Green Lantern Corps in FUTURE STATE earlier this year, the Corps was – not surprisingly – no more. The Central Power Battery on OA had gone out, leaving Lanterns across the galaxy completely stranded. Instead of building to that fateful day once the publisher began the INFINITE FRONTIER last month, we seem to be getting right to the point.
In the midst of a gathering on OA to receive the Guardians and the Corps into the newly-formed United Planets, and to eulogize a Guardian killed in the first issue, the Guardians make a major change to the way the Lanterns patrol the universe. Instead of 3600 sectors, the Guardians agree to cede one-third of their coverage area to the United Planets, leaving all of those Lanterns needing a new assignment. The Guardians task John Stewart with taking 1,000 Lanterns to examine the Dark Sectors that OA has never been able to explore.
And then the Central Power Battery exploded.
If this was meant to lead into the Lanterns’ fate from Future State, the story isn’t going to have a real happy ending for John Stewart and the rest of the Corps. Things are a little better for the Teen Lantern introduced in Brian Bendis’ YOUNG JUSTICE and for Jo Mullein, the Green Lantern from Far Sector. On the whole, though, Future State had a bleak outcome for the Lanterns.
Will Geoffrey Thorne’s story in Green Lantern move the Corps away from its terrible fate, or are we just slouching towards Bethlehem with this latest incarnation?