Meanwhile in Green Lantern [spoiler + pic heavy, 56k beware]

[mr friendly guy]

So in Green Lantern #9 we learn a bit about the secret of the Indigo tribe and what that Abin Sur was afraid of a big bad threat. Who is this threat that is greater than the Blackest Night, and also the threat that arguably is stronger than Krona?


The Guardians are the big threat? Ok, that isn't so bad in itself. This type of plot where their is a traitor in the upper echelons of the organisation the heroes belong to isn't new. The Avengers did it in the 90s with Avengers : The Crossing where it turns out Iron Man was a traitor, being manipulated by Kang. Then years later (in real world time) we find its not really Kang, its Immortus pretending to be Kang.

Ok, having the Guardians as the bad guys doesn't necessarily warrant a provided if its done right. However.... the Guardians didn't seem so tough against Nekron. They were over powered easily enough by Scar, who served as a minion of Nekron, albeit an important one. They were again dominated by Krona. Both of these threats were defeated by the Corps, Hal Jordan personally killing Krona. So it seems a bit of a let down to have Abin Sur saying the dead from the Blackest Night could be defeated, but the Guardians are a tougher breed. Say what?

I sure hope its not one of these storylines were people totally ignore the continuity of power levels in favour of whatever the plot dictates. At least have the Guardians being somewhat more powerful than their two previous performances either by individual power ups or they create a new corps, or at least have the Guardians a threat because of manipulation, or better yet, a combination of the previous.

[JME2]

Abin's concerns make sense if you remember that post-Infinite Crisis, the Oan rings can't harm the Guardians. That was the key plot point of "War of the Green Lanterns". Hal doing it was a fluke because his willpower overrode the programming. They were also only able to kill Scar since she was technically dead. An alternate ring based off of Oan tech, but different enough isn't a bad idea.

Abin's predictions and fears of the Guardians' actions should they survive the War of Light have also been justified. Whereas Hal and Sinestro have changed and grown as a result of the last few years, the Guardians haven't. They've remained stagnant and made the wrong choices again and again. We knew they were not happy with the cease-fire and their attempts to destroy the emerging Corps only accelerated the Blackest Night.

The Guardians also know that dissent is growing like crazy in the GLC, that their officers are suspicious and distrustful. What's to say one of the other Earth Lanterns or another GL like Sinestro couldn't do the same. Now, I've been predicting an internal schism in the GLC since SCW, but the Third Army's debut may finally trigger it.

Now is also the perfect time for the Guardians to make one last effort at wiping out the competition. Sinestro and Natromo have dismantled the Sinestro Corps and Indigo Tribes. The Red Lantern civil war is tearing Atrocitus' army apart. Bleeze suspects the Star Sapphires of poisoning their Central Battery and is preparing an assualt on Zamaron. The Blue Lanterns in turn are about to face an invasion of Odym from the Reach, which will surely deplete their forces. And Larfleeze is being pursued by the powerful entity Invictus.

These developments -- along with the return of Ethan Van Sciver in Green Lantern Annual #1 in August -- makes me wonder if Johns is setting up an endgame for his 8-year run on Green Lantern. Granted, this is where I thought this would happen after Blackest Night and even last year's "War of the Green Lanterns". But if this is the case, then Van Sciver's return would have a wonderful symmetry to it, of launching the final story of a narrative the two set in motion in 2004.

[Ahriman238]

They've been pushing the corruption, isolation and stagnation of the Guardians for some time. Giving them a sense of compassion would help with this problem of being coldly logical, incapable of understanding people, and all to willing to sacrifice pawns.

According to older, Silver Age fluff each Guardian is as powerful as a hundred Green Lanterns, they wield the most advanced technology in the universe, and they can cut off the Lantern's power supply anytime they want.

Plus in the new series they apparently can't be harmed by the rings at all.

[JME2]

Exactly.

As I said, Abin's concerns about the Guardians' long-term behavior was spot-on. Even Krona and Sinestro have made valid points about that cold logical approach, insanity and fascism aside.

The Earth Lanterns also aren't doing to hot. Hal's back in, but unofficially and essentially under Sinestro's thumb. Kyle has been banished for his association with the New Guardians. John's been arrested on the charge of murder during the Keepers incident. That leaves Guy as our first line of defense when this shit goes down -- and while I have more confident in Guy now than pre-2004, he's not going to last long.

[mr friendly guy]

So the Guardians beat the other corps due to the infighting between themselves. I wonder how they imagine they will do when the next big threat comes along given they haven't been to crash hot against Nekron or Krona? Presumably their new army they are creating might help with that.

[JME2]

Probably. Or they're arrogant enough to think they can handle it, that the problem has been the other Corps.

I'm very curious what kind of power the third army will wield. It can't be a Manhunter/Lantern hybrid because we already got that with the Alpha Lanterns. Based on Sinestro's visions from issue 6, it looks like they'll be weaponizing the White light.

[avatarxprime]

I just wonder if all of this means we're going to see the resurrection of Abin Sur.

[JME2]

I just wonder if all of this means we're going to see the resurrection of Abin Sur.

Not likely, given Abin's remains were obliterated when Hal destroyed the Black Lantern Abin. But you never know...