Forced to wear the green ring by the guardians, Sinestro recruits his foe, Hal Jordan to liberate his home planet and destroy the organization he created, Sinestro Corps. With no other choice, Hal accepts the offer. The New 52 first Green Lantern storyline, Sinestro officially published in 2011-2012. It earned praise from critics, fans and readers alike. As I’ve mentioned on my previous reviews on Action Comics and Detective Comics first storylines within The New 52, I’m planning on reading and reviewing characters and teams of the aforementioned relaunch to celebrate DC Comics’ milestone that happened in 2011-2016.
One more thing, Aaron Pierre & Kyle Chandler will portray John Stewart & Hal Jordan in an upcoming HBO series titled, “Lanterns” set in James Gunn’s DC Universe. It’ll air sometime around 2026. Before it airs in the future, I wanna share my thoughts on this storyline.
Today’s review contains no SPOILERS whatsoever. I’m giving you fellas a chance to read this gem.
Light & Dark Elements
Light: Former Chief Creative Officer of DC Entertainment, Geoff Johns did a decent job writing all six issues.
Doug Mahnke’s artwork is really good. A billion times better than Ryan Reynolds poorly rendered Green Lantern suit.
Mike Choi is a guest artist in issue #6. His artwork didn’t look cheap. Not too shabby.
Action Sequences display Hal & Sinestro’s power of the ring.
Hal’s unlikely partnership with his nemesis, Sinestro serves as the main highlight.
Random Thoughts
- Hal’s modern appearance reminds me of Tom “TC” Cruise. Whenever I read Hal’s dialogue, I can already hear TC’s voice.
- As for Sinestro, I read his dialogue with Ted Levine’s voice. He voiced him in Bruce Timm’s Superman and Justice League cartoons. This time, I hear Buffalo Bill in “The Silence of the Lambs.” I’ve yet to hear what Ulrich Thomsen’s iteration of Sinestro will sound like on Lanterns.
- Hal Jordan’s not my favorite Green Lantern. My personal pick’s John Stewart. I grew up watching him on the Justice League cartoon. He’s more interesting than Hal. I think Aaron Pierre’s gonna nail it.
Like Batman, Green Lantern doesn’t have a full-on reboot within The New 52. This storyline takes place after Geoff Johns’ ten-part story arc, “War of the Green Lanterns” If you’re new to Green Lantern like me, it’s not necessarily required to read previous comics. You’ll be absolutely fine.
Thank goodness, nobody got struck by an object with the color yellow. It’s a lame weakness from the classic comics. Heck, Alan Scott’s weakness is wood. Not kidding. Look it up. You’ll be rolling your eyes.
A likable antagonist, Sinestro’s goal is to liberate control on his home planet from the organization he founded. Some kinda quest for redemption.
Issue #6 sets up the next story arc, “The Revenge of Black Hand.”
Dark: Pacing felt fast. There are only six issues in one storyline. Not enough material.
The Final Verdict: A-
Although a short start, “Green Lantern: Sinestro” is a near-perfect story arc. I didn’t expect this one to be well-written focusing on an unlikely dynamic between Hal Jordan & Sinestro. If you wanna read some Green Lanterns comics before the HBO series airs sometime in 2026, I highly recommend Green Lantern: Sinestro. Which comic book series within The New 52 should I read and review next? Please leave a comment.
Nickthemoviecritic.com 