Yesterday, I predicted that ‘Justice League of America’ #60 was only the first of a series of bittersweet farewell issues this month as DC Comics approaches the relaunch of their comic book universe. This issue of ‘Green Lantern Corps’ has proven me correct.
The stark black and green cover to ‘Green Lantern Corps’ #63 is the most depressing cover I’ve seen so far in what I’ve begun to think of as the ‘goodbye issues’. The cover, by Tyler Kirkham and Batt, shows the main Corps members of the past year looking pretty grim. Notably absent from the cover is Hal Jordan as he was booted from the Corps in the wake of ‘War of the Green Lanterns’.
[Warning: mild spoilers below.]
The issue, is broken down into four chapters, each showing how a particular Lantern (or in one case a pair of Lanterns) is dealing with the status of the Corps. Alpha Lantern Boodikka is looking inward and wondering what she is to do now that her Alpha Lantern programming is broken and she has her mind back. Two new Lanterns, Voz and G’hu, questioning the return of Sinestro to the Green Lantern Corps, abandon their post to visit a suffering friend before being called back to action by Tomar-Re. Kyle Rayner struggles with a mob of Lanterns led by Turytt that have decided that humans aren’t worthy to be in the Corps. All the storylines are tied together when Tomar-Re calls the Lanterns into action to assist in a planet-wide evacuation. As the issue comes to a close, though individual Lanterns are struggling, they prove themselves worthy of the intergalactic peace-keeping Corps by putting aside their doubts and differences and joining forces in this time of need.
The final issue of this volume of ‘Green Lantern Corps’ is a good closing tale in that it wraps up many of the loose ends of ‘War of the Green Lanterns’ while setting the stage for the new Green Lantern books coming out of the ‘New 52’. DC has revealed that, after the relaunch, Sinestro will be the main Green Lantern of Sector 2814, Kyle will team up with guardians from the other Corps to form ‘The New Guardians’ and, as this issue shows, the Corps will go on. Ooo-rah!
GREEN LANTERN CORPS #63
Written by TONY BEDARD
Art by JOE PRADO, SCOTT KOLINS, FREDDIE WILLIAMS II, and DANIEL HDR
Cover by TYLER KIRKHAM and BATT
