Batman: In Darkest Knight

Cover Date: 1994

Story: Mike W. Barr
Art: Jerry Bingham
Cover: Jerry Bingham

Bruce Wayne mopes alone in his mansion, wondering how he can honor his parents’ death so many years ago. He’s suddenly greeted by a vision of a dying Abin Sur, whose ship had crashed outside. Wayne is given a power ring, and becomes Earth’s Green Lantern. He uses this to instill great fear in Gotham City’s criminal element, and soon, the Guardians force him to visit the planet Korugar to depose the rogue Green Lantern Sinestro. Once the villain was defeated, the Guardians exiled him to Qward, but Sinestro acquires a yellow power ring and returns to Earth. He does some digging in order to discover Green Lantern’s secret identity, and after scanning the mind of Joe Chill, the killer of Wayne’s parents, Sinestro develops a dangerous split personality. He creates more villains to help him, as well as damaging other planets, but Green Lantern is only focusing on Sinestro. The Guardians try to rein in the disobedient Earthman by sending four other Corps members after him, but they also give power rings to Superman, the Flash, and Wonder Woman in order to deal with Sinestro. The bad guys are defeated, but Sinestro escapes into space after causing Alfred’s death. Wayne takes off in hot pursuit, vowing to hunt him down wherever he goes.

Yes, Batman: In Darkest Knight is another Elseworlds tale. Most of the story is cleverly told through Wayne’s monologues, in the form of journal excerpts. This is a motif common to Batman comics, and it still works here with an radically different alternate universe Bruce Wayne who actually has superpowers.

In Darkest Knight reunites the creative team of Mike Barr and Jerry Bingham, who were responsible for the excellent graphic novel Batman: Son of the Demon. Barr in particular has a long history of writing top Batman stories, and his Green Lantern work isn’t exactly poor, either. He scripted such great stories as Tales of the Green Lantern Corps in the 1980s, which you may remember as being the first appearance of Nekron.

On the visual side, Jerry Bingham’s art has a clean look that evokes 1980s superhero design. His merged Batman/Green Lantern costume is not only effective, but it feels unique. A hero that looked like that wouldn’t be out of place even now in the modern DC Universe. (Fun fact: the Green Lantern symbol that Wayne adopts is the same as that used for the power rings in Green Lantern: First Flight.)

Unfortunately, the story isn’t without its problems. First of all, In Darkest Knight feels a bit short, even for a prestige format book. Doubling the size or expanding it into two 48-page volumes would’ve served the tale a bit better, I’d think. Turning Sinestro into the Joker was a bit of a stretch, but without it, the Batman connection wouldn’t make as much sense. In fact, not only was Sinestro never referred to as the Joker, but Wayne never called himself Batman! Finally, the Guardians’ methods were questionable: they sent a group of Green Lanterns to stop Wayne, and other superheroes after Sinestro and his lackeys. Why not just send a larger contingent of Corpsmen to help Wayne deal with Sinestro, then punish him afterwards? By the end of the story, it seems that Wayne chasing Sinestro across the galaxy was always their intention, but they could’ve handled that without all of the excess plotting, and certainly without the death of Alfred.

Overall, however, In Darkest Knight is a fun read for both Batman and Green Lantern fans.

Brightest Day #18

Release Date: January 19, 2011
Cover Date: Late March 2011

Story: Geoff Johns and Peter Tomasi
Pencils: Ivan Reis, Ardian Syaf, Scott Clark, and Joe Prado
Inks: Vicente Cifuentes and David Beaty
Cover: David Finch
1:10 Variant Cover: Ivan Reis

Carol Ferris, Hawkman, and Hawkgirl manage to defeat the Queen Shrike/Predator hybrid, forcing the entity out and causing the skeletons of Hawks past to encase the queen in crystal. The Hawks briefly become White Lanterns, and are told that their mission is accomplished, with their lives returned. With their curse broken, they can finally love each other in peace. Boston Brand’s white power ring finally reaches a full charge, but it has unforeseen consequences for the Hawks.

The opening sequence touches on other Brightest Day events panel by panel, but one that got its own page was the Rogues confronting Captain Boomerang after he broke the Reverse Flash out of Iron Heights (in The Flash [Vol. 3] #7). Why the spotlight on this one? Aside from the fact that both villains were White Lanterns, it’s also a subtle hint to the fact that the next big DC event is Flashpoint, in which the Reverse Flash is going to cause all sorts of trouble.

I think it’s a foregone conclusion that the unseen “big guy” to whom Deathstorm is offering the White Lantern power battery is the Anti-Monitor. While this makes sense given the villain’s beliefs, I still think it’s lame; the Anti-Monitor has been a common fixture in the DC Universe ever since Infinite Crisis, and someone we haven’t seen in a long time would’ve been a vastly superior choice of villain. (This same logic applies to the revelation of Krona as the primary antagonist behind Brightest Day, as I’ve already grumbled about.) Of course, if for some godforsaken reason Deathstorm’s boss turns out to be Nekron, that would be ten times worse.

How Firestorm is going to stop a titanic force like the Anti-Monitor is beyond me, but I really hope it’s not cheesy. However, the group of Green Lanterns dealing with the Weaponer on Qward will be teaming up with Firestorm in upcoming issues of Brightest Day and Green Lantern Corps (Vol. 2). Perhaps that will shift the odds in the Nuclear Man’s favor?

The battle between the Hawks and the possessed Shrike ended far too quickly, but at least the main part of their story is now complete, and we can focus on the rest of the Brightest Day cast. Don’t worry, we know the Hawks will be just fine; they may have been reduced to white powder, but they were rewarded by the Entity with newfound life, so they’re clearly still alive in some form. (Just don’t let the Mirror Master anywhere near ‘em.)

While we’re meant to feel bad for Hawkman and Hawkgirl as they’re once again ripped away from one another, the one who really deserves our sympathy is Brand. Just when he thinks he’s getting a handle on things, the white ring pulls him away, and he’s powerless to do anything while two of his friends are turned to ash. He also mentioned that things are starting the feel the way they did before he died; sounds like foreshadowing to me. I still maintain that Brand will not survive the ending of Brightest Day.

Green Lantern Corps (Vol. 2) #56

Release Date: January 19, 2011
Cover Date: March 2011

Story: Tony Bedard
Pencils: Tyler Kirkham
Inks: Matt “Batt” Banning and Rob Hunter
Cover: Tyler Kirkham and Matt “Batt” Banning
1:10 Variant Cover: Patrick Gleason and Tom Nguyen

The Sinestro Corps tries to take down the Weaponer, but the Qwardian proves to be more than capable of holding them off. The Yellow Lanterns turn towards the natives, and the Weaponer reluctantly frees his Green Lantern captives so they can help protect the populace. They have to be extremely cautious not to fire directly at the Sinestro Corpsmen due to the truce, but Kyle Rayner tells Hannu that hand-to-hand combat is still an option. Sinestro himself finally shows up to engage the Weaponer in battle, but is soon interrupted by John Stewart and a contingent of Thunderers wielding the Weaponer’s finest armaments.

Almost this entire issue was a battle sequence, which was brilliantly illustrated and scripted by the creative team. While the action was top-notch, I did notice a major problem, though. Sinestro was adamant in his refusal to go to Qward in past issues, and now all of a sudden he feels his “dignity” is being threatened? We actually see him contacted by Romat-Ru and leave for Qward in Green Lantern (Vol. 4) #60, but even then, he was dismissive of Soranik Natu’s plight. He already considered the Weaponer beneath his notice, and Sinestro is not one to give a shit about what others think of him. His change of mind happened far too quickly. Sadly, we know how this will end: Sinestro will defeat the Weaponer. This doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, since the Weaponer was able to defeat Ganthet rather quickly, and he’s got far more experience and power than Sinestro could ever hope for. This storyarc overall has been great, but barring a shocking twist, the ending will unfortunately be generic.

Some readers have felt that Kyle’s been getting the shaft lately. For multiple issues in a row, Kyle has either gotten his ass kicked or simply sucker punched. I sympathize with the fans to a degree; it’s annoying, but not altogether unexpected, given the general distaste for Kyle by the higher-ups at DC Comics. Kyle getting the short of the stick is practically an editorial mandate in modern times, but his heroism and character does manage to shine through quite often as well. At the same time, some of the complaints lately are a bit of a stretch; for example, in this issue, Kyle got hit in the back while trying to keep Boodikka out of the fight. I don’t think that technically counts as losing a fight, as it was merely a surprise attack. Besides, other Lanterns have fared far worse in the battle department lately, such as Hal Jordan getting the tar beat out of him by Flash/Parallax in Green Lantern (Vol. 4) #60, and Zardor mopping the floor with Guy Gardner in Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors #6. Kyle’s combat situation is not entirely unique, but I do understand fans would be be oversensitive to the back seat the character has taken overall. Yes, it sucks, but it’s something we have to live with until the inevitable editorial shift at some point in the future.

Green Lantern (Vol. 3) #90

Cover Date: September 1997

Story: Ron Marz
Pencils: Chris Batista
Inks: Chip Wallace
Cover: Chris Batista and Chip Wallace

Kyle Rayner sits at the bar, remembering about how he received a Green Lantern power ring, and the upheavals his life has gone through as a result. He’s also depressed over the fact that his girlfriend Donna Troy lost her son and ex in a horrible auto accident, and he’s not sure what it means for their relationship. As he ruminates, his friend Tyler shows up, and the two catch up. Kyle notices that Tyler’s drinking harder than usual, and when he tries to broach the subject, Tyler reacts angrily. Kyle just wants to help, but Tyler storms out. The drunken fool eventually gets behind the wheel and smashes his up his truck, but Kyle saves him as Green Lantern. Later on, in the hospital, Tyler finally realizes that he could’ve killed himself, and vows to get sober and fix his broken life.

Where are the supervillains? Or space battles? Or crazy ring-slinging against dangerous foes? Sorry, you won’t find any of that stuff in this issue. This is another one of those down-to-earth “human” stories, and that’s just the way I like it. Now, Green Lantern (Vol. 3) #90 may have addressed the serious problem of alcoholism, but it never felt preachy. The conversations between Kyle and Tyler should sound quite familiar to anyone who’s known someone with a substance abuse problem, and this kind of natural dialogue makes the characters seem much more realistic.

This issue and the one preceding it are infamous for splitting up Kyle and Donna. The in-universe reason was the death of Donna’s family, of course, but the editorial reason was that John Byrne was writing Wonder Woman at the time, and he “claimed” Donna as she had always been a big part of the Wonder Woman mythos. Ron Marz was forced to write her out of Green Lantern as a result. Everything was handled quite abruptly, but I guess Marz did the best he could with what he was given.

The art in Green Lantern (Vol. 3) #90 was provided by guest penciller Chris Batista. While he’s drawn many massive battles, alien technologies, monsters, and other superhero tropes in the past, Batista’s work here showcases his ability to illustrate convincing everyday characters. Kyle may be Green Lantern, but the focus of this story was Tyler, and Batista’s visual depictions of Tyler’s alcoholic mood swings dovetailed with Marz’s script perfectly.

In the interest of full disclosure, I should mention that I know Batista personally; I actually own two pages of original art from this issue, which I purchased directly from him. (Sorry about the crappy quality of the pics; these pieces were to big to scan!)

Green Lantern (Vol. 3) #90 was yet another issue of the Kyle Rayner era that melded superheroism, real-world problems, and strong characterization in a near-perfect manner. That’s something that’s been missing from superhero comics in general and Green Lantern comics in particular for years now, and I definitely long for its return.

Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors #6

Release Date: January 12, 2011
Cover Date: March 2011

Story: Peter Tomasi
Pencils: Fernando Pasarin
Inks: Cam Smith
Cover: Rodolfo Migliari
1:25 Variant Cover: Felipe Massafera

Guy Gardner finishes telling Arisia and Kilowog about his visions and the pact with Ganthet and Atrocitus, and the other two Green Lanterns fly off in disgust. Bleez stays behind, though, and journeys to Kralok with Guy. Meanwhile, Sodam Yat seems to be supercharging himself in a trancelike state, but he does not remember it. When fighting off creatures violating the tombs of the dead rookie Lanterns, Sodam falls under Zardor’s control. Guy and Bleez manage to infiltrate Zardor’s sanctum, but the villain ambushes them and handily defeats both Lanterns. Guy keeps struggling, but the timely arrival of a mind-controlled Sodam makes his fight much harder.

Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors #6 was good, but it seemed like more of a bookend to the previous issue than a fluid continuation of the story. Sure, the overall plot moved forward, but the most important scene in this issue was Guy finishing up his tale of the pact and his friends leaving him behind. That could’ve been handled in the last issue, and this one could have entirely focused on the Kralok mission and Sodam’s problems. I suppose that’s a minor complaint, but it’s still a valid one.

Anyway, while most of this issue focused on Guy, what we really need to pay attention to is the Sodam subplot. When he was becoming supercharged, Sodam’s ring clearly stated “power ring consumption in progress.” Since when can a Green Lantern ring consume others? I’m assuming this is part of Krona’s plan somehow, and he had purposefully hidden that information from Zardor. (I sense that Krona’s going to kick Zardor down a few notches for scheming behind his back.) At least now what the source of the power drain is, but what is it that makes Sodam so special that he (and his ring) can absorb so much energy? My first guess would be because he was a former host for Ion, but there’s plenty of other characters who have hosted emotional entities. They’ve never shown that capability before. Even if you assume that Sodam was chosen because he’s a rookie Lantern, and his inexperience makes him easy to manipulate…then why not pick a previous entity host who wasn’t a Lantern? Wouldn’t they be even easier to control?

The fight sequences looked good, and Guy slowly being worn down by Zardor’s telepathic assault was convincing. Bleez doesn’t seem to be doing shit right now, but Zardor did mention that she was harder to control due to her rage; I bet she’ll break free and really do some damage in the next issue. There was a problem with too much yellow shit floating around in Zardor’s cavern, making the fights appear bland at times; this is exactly what happened with the battle on Zamaron in Brightest Day #17. Still, here things are a little better, as there’s some environments to move around in; not everything is coated with a golden glow.

One last artistic nit to pick: the first page. Kilowog’s yelling in Guy’s face, and we get to see it all in first-person perspective…but Kilowog’s eyes are way too small. I know he’s supposed to have beady little eyes, but on this page, they’re completely out of proportion to renditions of Kilowog in the past. They were tiny on the following panels, too, but his eyes were still larger proportionally than those on the first page. It was immediately noticeable and distracting.