Green Lantern Corps #17 Review

GREEN LANTERN CORPS #17
Written by Dave Gibbons
Art and cover by Pat Gleason & Prentis Rollins

The Sinestro Corps War is building up to its conclusion and the war has finally hit Earth. After last month's Battle of Mogo, the GLC shows up on Earth, ready to put a stop to the Sinestro Corps. This issue was good, but not quite as good as previous parts. I think it might be the disjoint nature of having several parts of the story taking place in different issues, such as the Cyborg Superman or Superman Prime stuff all happening off panel in other books that makes this issue feel like it's missing something. On top of that, there's like 4 or 5 different artists on this issue and some of the transitions are just brutal to see and that Superman Prime at the end is just horrible. It looks like a female transvestite version of Prime.

The contents of this issue deal with the GLC spreading out over Earth to combat the Sinestro Corps' incursion. With lethal force enablea, it appears the GLC is just too strong for the Sinestro Corps lately, which seems to conflict with how overpowered the Sinestro's were earlier in the war. It's still awesome to see many of the Lanterns I know kicking ass and taking it to the Sinestro Corps, but the writers seem to be undermining the entire threat of the SC through the dominating presence of the GLC as of late.

On the GL front, I was glad to see Natu back. She's received a lot of face time in this book and I've missed her since her last appearance when she met up with Sinestro on their homeworld.

The Kilowogg / Arkillo fight was similar to their previous encounters in that it just didn't have enough space devoted to doing it proper justice. It was badass when he dropped the aircraft carrier on him though.

As for Sodam Yat, he continues to impress in this issue. He reminds me of Hal Jordan when he first became a GL with his cocky, "I can do anything" attitude. It was interesting to see him try and take it to the Anti-Monitor when he had no clue how powerful he really was. Having him keep getting up after each assault was pretty good showing his determination in the face of such an overwhelming threat.

The biggest happening this issue, though, is the return of Ion. The Guardians decided they need a new Ion now and speed up their plans. Their choice? Sodam Yat. I honestly wasn't expecting it this soon. I expected post-SCW he would receive the power up in honour of his deeds and actions in the war. Aside from the prophecy, the Guardians have never shown any interest in Yat and there has been no real reason to give it to him in particular. I have no problem with Yat getting it and look forward to his fight with Prime, but it just didn't seem like the time or place for his receiving it.

Verdict - Must Read. Even with the problems dealing with the various plotpoints happening in tie-ins and other books, this is still an awesome addition to the SCW. Action packed and a key moment in GL history with Yat becoming Ion make this a Must Read.

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