In Geoff John’s opening salvo to the War of the Green Lanterns we have to take a step back before we can move forward. In Green Lantern #63 Johns answers one of the lingering questions for GL fans everywhere… Why did the Manhunters massacre everyone in Sector 666? The answer… Krona.
Krona the rogue Guardian is finally revealed as the villain in this newest crossover. Ever wonder what the Guardians looked like in the early days of the universe? We get a look-see in GL #63, they are dressed up in White Lantern-y looking robes (and still blue). We also see what Krona was up to before his infamous and illegal attempt to look at the moment of creation, breaking the universe into the Multi-verse.
We are at the beginning of another all new Green Lantern War, this time it is the Green Lantern Corps at war with themselves. I am personally getting a little tired of all of these epic Green Lantern events, this book is no exception to that fatigue. However, I am interested in the other Corps, and I think the War of the Green Lanterns will lead into the recently announced Red Lantern Corps ongoing series written by Peter Milligan featuring the titular Corps of blood-spewing, anger-driven baddies.
In this issues we are treated to the Book of the Black, the redacted pages of the Book of Oa. The Book of the Black seems to be a living and breathing history, and even a little chatty as it shares the history of Krona and the Manhunters without hesitation. In the history of Krona we see him for the first time harness the awesome power of Will and create a weapon that will eventually become the Green Lantern Ring of Power. This is where the Prologue gets good, as he re-programs the Manhunters to kill everyone in sector 666. He also let’s the Guardians in on a little secret, the colors of the emotional spectrum can be harnessed and used as a weapon pretty much creating the Green Lantern Corps.
So, past Green Lantern events have started with much more of a bang than the War of the Green Lanterns. However, getting a look back at some of Krona’s more heinous transgressions is a great treat. Geoff Johns does a great job telling the story, but without his regular artists Doug Mahnke and Christian Alamy everything in the book looks a little off and a little cheap. Thankfully, the War of the Green Lanterns is not a summer long event (we have Flashpoint to look forward to for DC’s big summer crossover event).
I’m still very interested in seeing where this story will go and how Green Lantern, Green Lantern Corps and Emerald Knights will all converge into one storyline. So, even though Green Lantern #63 isn’t perfect or even the best example of Johns work it is worth a buy if you are going to continue on with the War of the Green Lanterns.
