Welcome to The Indigo Tribe’s Green Lantern: Circle of Fire event! How is this an event? Well, keep reading and find out…
Release Date: August 16, 2000
Cover Date: Early October 2000
Story: Brian K. Vaughan
Pencils: Norm Breyfogle
Inks: John Lowe, Ray Kryssing, Steve Bird, John Nyberg, and Keith Aiken
Cover: Cary Nord and Mark Lipka
A new villain known as Oblivion comes to the planet Rann, but Adam Strange cannot stop him before the Zeta Beam pulls him away. Back on Earth, Kyle Rayner struggles with deadlines, while Strange runs into Firestorm and the Atom. The JLA is summoned to the Watchtower, and Kyle is shocked when Strange describes Oblivion. Kyle created a comic book character named “Oblivion” when he was a child, and this new villain sounds and behaves exactly like him! The team takes off to confront this new menace, but Oblivion makes short work of the group. Kyle is sent back to find reinforcements, and he runs into Hal Jordan, the Spectre. He warns Kyle that this will be his biggest challenge, and that someone close to him will betray him. By the time Kyle gets back to the Watchtower, the JLA and Oblivion have both disappeared from sensors. Other supervillains worldwide are taking advantage of their absence by staging crime waves, so the only heroes left to help are Power Girl, Firestorm, and the Atom. Suddenly, a group of unknown Green Lanterns from the past and future appear within the Watchtower, claiming they’re responding to Kyle’s request for help. One of them is even an Alexandra DeWitt from a parallel universe! Kyle pairs a veteran hero with each of these new Lanterns, and the group splits up to find a way to defeat Oblivion.
For once, Kyle gets a chance to lead! His desire to live up the legacy of the Green Lantern Corps is brought up again, but in this case, he gets to put his money where his mouth is. Kyle’s always wanted to restart the Corps, and just look at those six new Green Lanterns! All of them are unique and interesting, especially the “Teen Lanterns” and Green Lightning, the Flash hybrid. Even the Manhunter’s a nice touch, since it doesn’t look like any other we’ve seen before. Of course, my favorite is the alternate universe Alex, which is a marvelous creation in and of its own right. Kyle’s had plenty of time to deal with Alex’s death, but this only brings up the pain all over again. And since she’s dealing with the loss of her own Kyle, it makes things all the more complicated.
With the world’s villains attacking en masse due to the JLA’s absence, I find it hard to believe that the small group Kyle collected are the only competent heroes available. Fortunately, the introduction of other superheroes into the story doesn’t feel forced, with perhaps the exception of Power Girl. In fact, Kyle himself is only brought up to speed on the impending threat because he’s a member of the JLA!
Norm Breyfogle’s pencils are always a treat; he’s most known for his Batman work, but he draws a pretty badass Green Lantern. His designs for the other Lanterns are excellent, and the sorrow evident on Alex’s face when she reveals her identity to Kyle is Breyfogle’s finest panel in the book. The shadowy form of Oblivion is a great design, too, especially when paired with young Kyle’s scribbles.
What will happen to Kyle and his team? The Circle of Fire story continues in five one-shot issues…and that’s where this blog’s “event” comes in!
Starting Monday, February 27, you’ll see a review of one of the five Circle of Fire one-shots every day. (Story-wise, they all take place simultaneously.) I’ll only be writing one of these reviews, however; the others will be provided by some very special guests! Joining me next week will be a group of top-notch comic book bloggers. Here’s the rundown of who’s reviewing what:
- Green Lantern and Adam Strange – Kelson Vibber (Speed Force)
- Green Lantern and the Atom – Frank Lee Delano (The Idol-Head of Diabolu)
- Green Lantern and Green Lantern – me
- Green Lantern and Firestorm the Nuclear Man – The Irredeemable Shag (Firestorm Fan)
- Green Lantern and Power Girl – Michael Bailey (Fortress of Baileytude)
I’ll update this list with the correct links as the reviews go live. The whole thing wraps up on Monday, March 5, with my review of Green Lantern: Circle of Fire #2! In the meantime, check out my guests’ blogs! You won’t be disappointed, and you might just learn a thing or two about their favorite characters.
