DC Relaunch: Green Lantern: New Guardians

At a point in time where the Corps was devastated, all the other Guardians were dead, and some hope was needed to stay alive in the universe, the last Guardian, Ganthet, fled from to find someone to take on the mantle of the Green Lantern. While it may have not been the choice the ring would have made on its own, Kyle Rayner, a struggling artist, was the person who Ganthet found. And since then, Kyle Rayner has proven himself worthy multiple times, as a member of the JLA, as Ion, the torchbearer of the embodiment of will, and as Green Lantern Honor Guard.

Now, in Green Lantern: New Guardians, Kyle stands with representatives of the other Lantern Corps as a symbol of unity and to guard against the largest threats the universe holds. And while Kyle has proven himself a capable leader within his own Corps, the other members may prove testy. Now, the image we’ve been given is deliberately obscured, but most of the other members appear to be clear. I won’t get much into them, but I will talk about each group. From left to right: Bleez of the Red Lanterns, Arkillo of the Sinestro Corps, a member of the Star Sapphires who I think may be Fatality, Saint Walker of the Blue Lanterns, and in the top corner Munk of the Indigo Tribe, and one of Larfleeze’s (Agent Orange) constructs, Glomulus.

All the Corps in some way create the energy constructs like the Green Lanterns. It gets a bit fuzzy from there. The Red Lanterns are driven by rage. It seems that many of them reach this point by experiencing great tragedy and lashing out against the injustice. Their rings are tied directly to their heart, and removing their ring can kill them. Their power often vomits forth from their body like blood. It’s a very intense event. The Sinestro Corps are made up of members who are able strike great fear in people. However it becomes complicated in that these are not the most savory or clever of folks. The Star Sapphires are powered by love, in a variety of forms (including love lost, in some cases). Their powers are interesting in that someone’s one true love can be shown to them, and the powers of their rings are distilled from a mysterious crystal. The Blue Lanterns were started by Ganthet, and instill great hope. They feed off the energy of the Green Lanterns, and can overcharge their rings beyond 100% just by being in the same proximity. However, there is little they can do without the Green Lanterns being nearby. The Indigo Tribe are still very mysterious, but they are driven by compassion and channel the powers of other Lanterns through their staffs. Finally, Larfleeze has created constructs of those who tried to take his power from him. They act on his behalf, almost without his notice at times.

All together, there is much more conflict than there are alliances, and for them to be working together will be interesting to see how it all works out. Tony Bedard is writing this along with his partner from Green Lantern Corps, Tyler Kirkham. Tony Bedard has been in the industry for some time, and has written for Exiles, Birds of Prey, R.E.B.E.L.S., and Legion of Super-heroes. Kirkham got his start through Top Cow studios, and has worked on Ultimate Fantastic Four with Mike Carey and X-Men—Phoenix: Warsong with Greg Pak.

Here’s a few Kyle Rayner trades that I enjoyed, as well as the "New Guardians" storyline that recently ran in Green Lantern, showing the various Corps working together for the first time. You can also check out his adventures in the various Green Lantern Corps trades by Dave Gibbons and Pete Tomasi that I’ve mentioned already:

Green Lantern: Emerald Twilight by Ron Marz and Daryl Banks
Ion: The Torchbearer vol. 1 by Ron Marz and Greg Tochinni
Green Lantern Corps: The Weaponer by Tony Bedard and Tyler Kirkham
Green Lantern: The New Guardians by Geoff Johns & Doug Mahnke

And tomorrow, the first of the new corps to have their own book! Red Lanterns! Be.. here.

Also! Welcome, visitors from Germany! I appreciate you stopping by.