Customer Reviews

Green Lantern: The Sinestro Corps War, Vol. 1

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I enjoyed the story for the most part, but two issues kept me from loving it. One, a hefty amount of DCU knowledge is required. If you don't know who Hank Henshaw or Ranx The Sentient City are (I didn't), be prepared to hit Wikipedia every few pages. Two, especially during the battle scenes (which are most of the story), the artwork is so dense I often had difficulty deciphering where the scene was taking place, much less what was actually going on. It got a bit exhausting and I found myself longing for an establishing shot. But on the whole I found it an entertaining tale, and I look forward to Part 2.

Ever since superhero writer extraordinaire Geoff Johns relaunched Green Lantern, and resurrected Hal Jordan, we've had some of the best Green Lantern stories that have ever seen the light of day in over a decade plus. Now, here comes The Sinestro Corps War, in which the classic GL villain has assembled his own regime to spread fear and terror throughout the universe. This includes taking on the entire Green Lantern Corps head-on and stripping Kyle Rayner of his Ion powers and using him as a host for the newly released Paralax. Things get even worse when Sinestro brings in new members Hank Henshaw, AKA the Cyborg-Superman, and even worse, Infinte Crisis mass murderer Superman Prime, and to top it all off, the villain behind DC's original Crisis, Crisis on Infinite Earths, the Anti-Monitor. As the body count rises, writers Johns and Dave Gibbons provide some of the most rip-roaring, action packed, and thoroughly engrossing all-out interstellar wars you'll ever see. The artwork from Ivan Reis and Ethan Van Sciver is spectacular, and even Patrick Gleason, whose work I usually don't find all that impressive, provides some solid pencils. By the time this first collected hardcover volume of The Sinestro Corps War comes to an end, you'll be salivating for more, as Johns and co. plant seeds for events that will go far beyond Hal Jordan and the rest of the GL's, as the prophesicsed Blackest Night looms ahead. When Geoff Johns relaunched the title, he said that he wanted to re-affirm the Green Lantern's place in the DC universe as a prolific superhero, and he has been incredibly successful. The proof of that is right here, pick it up.

This is volume 1 of The Sinestro Corps. War and collects Green Lantern # 21-23 and Green Lantern Corps #14-15. After years of defeat, long-time villain Sinestro has finally discovered how to harness the power of fear, and uses it create a Lantern corps. in his own image. Gathering some of the vilest creatures in the galaxy and big-time villains in the DC Universe, Sinestro sets out to crush the Green Lanterns and the guardians once and for all.

If you're looking for a story of good vs. evil to remind yourself why you ever got into comics, this is a sprawling, epic blockbuster that will satisfy all your requirements. The amount of pencil work on each page is breathtaking as armies clash in bright bursts of green and yellow energy, all gorgeously coloured and inked. The story, led by Geoff Johns and Dave Gibbons, utilizes all your favorite Green Lantern characters and more, digging deep into the mythology with references to DC Universe: The Stories of Alan Moore and Infinite Crisis. Where else can you see a sentient planet face off against a sentient city?

The volume ends on a great cliffhanger that concludes in Green Lantern: The Sinestro Corps War, Vol. 2. Not all comics are worth the hardcover purchase, but this is one that will leave you wanting more.

Geoff Johns is the current king of DC mythology. As he completes the second leg of his Green Lantern trilogy, it's obvious that Johns has learned from his mistakes in INFINITE CRISIS, because this book is the most accessable event to be written in years.

The only GREEN LANTERN book I'd ever read before this was Johns' excellent "Rebirth" arc from a few years ago. This is so much better. I had little knowledge of the Lantern Corps and its history going in, but coming out I felt like I knew everything there was to know. I was never lost, and no one should be when they read this.

Despite the contribution of four different pencilers, the art is good throughout and, like the writing, never confuses the reader. So, Kudos to Van Sciver, Reis, Gleason and Unzeta for a job well done.
The one qualm I have with this package is that this is only the first half of the story. You'll have to buy Volume 2 separately, and DC doesn't appear to have any 13-issue giant edition ("Absolute" or otherwise) on the horizon. Until that time, this is the best way to enjoy 2007's best comic book event.

Highly recommended for longtime readers as well as those just interested in reading a great comic.

THE SINESTRO CORPS WAR is not quite a masterpiece, but it contains a masterpiece. By this I mean that in the two volumes making up the story there is an absolutely brilliant story, but that a simple flaw keeps it from being as perfect as it should have been. Not everyone will agree with me, but for me the saga fell just short of perfection by not having sufficient contrasts in the narrative. The story ends up like a great symphony by Bruckner that consists exclusively of loud movements. Imagine only the final movement of the 8th Symphony for an entire hour, with no quieter movements. That is what THE SINESTRO CORPS WAR is like; all loud, no quiet. Or to shift the musical references to something more modern, there is a great documentary about the Pixies entitled loudQUIETloud, a reference to their popularizing in rock very loud passages following (or preceding) very quiet ones. But SINESTRO CORPS reads more like loudLOUDloud. The book is simply too busy and overstuffed with action for its own good.

What is in the story is brilliant. I'm merely saying that the books would have been improved by the inclusion of more passages that contrast more strongly with the huge, epic panels that fill the two volumes. If ever there was a comic that suffered from having too much happen, this is it. The story, in fact, almost gets tiring so much takes place on the pages.

OK, that is the extent of my criticism. Everything else about the two books is just brilliant. Geoff Johns has done more for the Green Lantern series than any other writer in the history of the franchise. And if you take all of his Green Lantern tales as a group, the effect is that of a great epic, an epic that is ongoing and has every sign of, if anything, getting even better.

Count me as one of those who felt slightly disappointed with how the Infinite Crisis (IC) mini series went. It didn't quite compare to it's 80's predecessor Crisis on Infinite Earths (COIC) in both plot, characters and overall story line.

But out of nowhere you suddenly have the Sinestro Corps War saga. I had read a few issues when it was originally released but decided to just wait for the collections instead. I was not disappointed at all.

The plot was pretty straight forward and the action was non-stop. There are a ton of characters involved. Of course, there are Green Lanterns galore and plenty of villains: Sinestro (of course), Hank Henshaw, Superboy/Superman-Prime and the big baddie from COIC, the Anti-Monitor.

That is why it is too bad that the Sinestro Corps War couldn't have been the sequel to COIC. There are some things in IC that had to occur to bring the Anti-Monitor back to life. Regardless, it was great to see the Anti-Monitor back again.

A can't miss collection for any Green Lantern or COIC fans.

Welcome to the forbidden chapter of the book of Oa ! One of the most serious stories written by geoff johns and dave gibbons. The war is inminent and inevitable, every space sector are involved. The sinestro corps want to establish a new oder in the galaxy and the GL's are determined to win. The drawing art is the best and the colours are amazing . A big story...builds to an epic climax. Let the war begin !

Green Lantern: The Sinestro Corps War, Vol. 1

I am a Comic Book geek! I love a good story about heroes and villains. This is not a good story, it is an EPIC Masterpiece! What Geoff Johns has done with the Green Lantern mythos will resonate for decades. Since the "Rebirth" storyline, Johns has made Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps relevant again.

By playing upon themes of revolution(Sinestro's ultimate goal), police states(the GL Corp itself), and the failing of a smug and over-confident establishment (the Guardians), Johns has brought much needed intrigue and passion to the Green Lantern imprint and set the bar for the rest of the DC universe.

To fully enjoy Volume 1 you should read Green Lantern: Rebirth. Sinestro's master plan begins in Rebirth and the scariest part of the whole Sinestro Corps War series is in knowing that after the battle is done, thanks to Sinestro's plan, who don't know who is the hero and who is the villain.

Decades from now this graphic novel will rank up there with essential reads like The Watchmen, Grant Morrison's run on New X-men, and Crisis.

Do yourself a favor and pick this up, trust me I'm a geek.

Geoff Johns is possibly the best writer over at DC Comics. After a fantastic run on Teen Titans he wows us this year with 52, Justice Society of America, Green Lantern, Booster Gold, and Action Comics. I mean, Booster Gold? Who would have ever thought that a B-lister superhero like Booster Gold would ever not only have their own ongoing comic, but a really awesome ongoing comic? All of that was great stuff, but The Sinestro Corps War in Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps has just blown me away. I don't really even like Green Lantern. But this story is awesome. Nearly every character you know and love in the DCU will make an appearance here. And this run has one of the most satisfying endings I think I've ever read in a comic book. If you missed the comics, you owe it to yourself to buy this. This is universe-changing sci-fi superheroes at its very, very best. With this and the also excellent Annihilation series over at Marvel, fans of scifi supers have been having a field day! Previous knowledge of Green Lantern is not mandatory, I am not that familiar with the characters and still loved this.

Geoff Johns and the DC team have done it again. I'm a Green Lantern fan from the 60's, so I know Hal Jordan well. It is great to see him and the other Green Lanterns fighting Sinestro, the baddest of the bad and his own corps. I agree with a previous reviewer that the story is so deep and some pages are so richly done that I had to stop and check Wikipedia or one of the GL web sites to get more information. But, don't let that stop you if you've ever read Green Lantern or seen one or more of them in a TV cartoon, and liked what you saw. Trust the old Silver Age fan with matching silver hair, you will not be disappointed. My only caveat is, you most likely will have to come back and purchase volume 2; be sure to budget for that. Enjoy!