Role reversal.
You know when you see Sinestro smirking on the cover with
Hal in the foreground that things are going to get messed up pretty bad.
Also, this is probably the issue that relies heavily on the
reader’s comfort with the relationships prevalent in this issue that have roots
in the deep DC mythology.
You need to know the years and years of DC comics to
appreciate the interactions presented here. But its okay even if you are a new
reader with limited DC exposure, then Taylor
still manages to arrange a compromise.
And that’s what this series has been about. Excepting for
Batman and Superman’s forces, all others are fair game – so you never know
which character is going to bite it on the next page.
Just like the previous arrangement, Millar takes care of the
first half while Redondo carries the next. Millar though has improved since his
last sojourn, and beside another ‘long’ face character, does remarkably well in
conveying the emotions amid a Michael
Bay explosion barrage.
Redondo himself is his reliable self as he marries the high
tension and inevitability well in some emotionally charged scenes.
SPOILERS FOLLOW……………
Catwoman informs Oracle of their success (Harley is so cute
as she tries to get in that she exploded!) and the Birds of Prey, primarily
Huntress, swing into action.
Sadly, they hijack Ferris aircraft, which brings Hal Jordan on the
scene though his love interest and Ferris Aircraft owner, Carol Ferris. Guy
Gardner follows, but Hal is in no mood to talk things out, brutally throwing
everything at Guy – who’s strangely calm even when Sinestro and two of his men
arrive.
And Gantlet reveals himself, as Sinestro throws the stolen
aircraft at the Guardian (with Huntress narrowly escaping) and in order to
avoid the debris, Guy attempts to relocate Carol – only to be met by an enraged
Hal.
Even as Guy is knocked out, Gantlet’s order for expulsion
leaves both Hal and Carol in mid-air. Sinestro’s impassioned plea to finally
give in to fear and use it to save Carol resonates with Hal and he becomes the
newest member of the Sinestro Corpsmen.
Now a little more info – Sinestro and Hal had a
mentor-disciple relationship since Hal’s introduction to the Green Lantern
Corps. And despite Hal being the one to incarcerate him for his dictatorship over
Korugar, he has always treated him as his friend (in a very broad definition)
who’s being used as a Guardian puppet like the rest of the Corps, despite being
a free-thinker like him.
Back to the war, Batman realizes that the Sinestro Corps and
Superman are drawing the Green Lanterns to populated areas, using innocents as
shields.
But his focus is dragged to Oracle’s frantic mentions that
someone is in the computer mainframe, tracking them – that someone being
Cyborg.
Thankfully for them, Jim Gordon arrives on the scene and
after taking a hit to the chest, manages to disable Cyborg (though not being an
emotional outburst revealing that Oracle is a woman and the trace going as far
as Gotham).
Lex mentions that the super pill he took accelerated not only
his physical abilities, but the cancer as well. As Lex teleports Cyborg back to
the Hall for collection, Jim spends his last few minutes with Oracle and
Batman.
Now comes the difficult part. Unless you are well versed in
Batman mythology, most of the talk won’t make sense, especially the Jim-Batman
one.
Firstly, when he addresses him as Batman and not Bruce, he’s
talking about the day of the Wayne
murder – he was the first cop on the scene and the first to talk with the young
Bruce. By saying that it’s always been Batman, he reveals that he knew that
‘Bruce’ died with his parents – a popular view in the
‘which-is-the-mask-Batman-or-Bruce?’ debate.
Next, Batman has a habit of disappearing on Jim
mid-sentence. That’s why the last statement is so poignant for Bat-fans – this
is one of the few times Jim gets the last word in.
Finally if you think of the theme of the overall issue, it’s
about a reversal of status quo. For a Green Lantern, it has always been about
overcoming fear so for Hal to give into it is the utmost shame for one of his
nature. And for Jim Gordon to manage to get the last word in and then die
signals the end of the natural order – the Injustice DC universe will never be
the same again.
SPOILERS END…………………
With some really poignant payoffs that set the stage for the
final assault, Tom has kept up the quality of this book.
It is helped by some exceptional artwork by Millar and
Redondo who manage to balance the emotional moments and the action packed
background very well.
So, I give it 9.5 out of 10.
+Some great emotional moments
+Excellent dialogue
+Big moments delivered
+Excellent artwork
-Payoffs depend a little on pre-existing DC knowledge
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