Green Lantern Corps #55

“The Weaponer” part three by Tony Bedard and artist Tyler Kirkham.  Green Lantern Kyle Ryner has recruited the help of the Honor Guard to help him rescue Soranik Natu who is a prisoner of the Weaponer in Qward.

Made an outcast by his own people for forging Sinestro’s yellow ring and bringing misery to Qward, the Weaponer seeks revenge against he who used to be the greatest Green Lantern.  To that end, the qwardian has kidnapped Soranik, Sinestro’s daughter; unfortunately for him, his quarry does not care for Lantern Natu and has refused to come to her rescue.

Honor guard members Ganthet, Boodikka, John Stewart, and Hannu attack the Weaponer but are quickly defeated because their contender is in possession of a powerful white ring construct Deadman left behind during his short fight against the Anti-Monitor in the pages of Brightest Day.

Is during this defeat that Ganthet starts vomiting blood, from which an image of Atrocitus forms mirroring the event that took place in “Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors”.  The former guardian is forced to explain to his companions the pact he and Guy Gardner made with the leader of the Red Lanterns.  By then, Kyle has rescued Soranik and the pair joins the fight just in time to witness the arrival of the Thunderers on one side, and the Sinestro Corps minus their leader on the other.  Things are heating up!

Variant Cover by Patrick Gleason

This Weaponer character is very interesting, because even though he is playing the role of the “bad guy” in this story, he is not truly a villain; circumstances and bad choices led him where he is now: hated by his own people and surrounded by enemies, tons of enemies, except the one he is truly after.  Also, his use of the white ring construct is different to what we have seen other rings bearers do.  He could easily become an important figure in the Green Lantern mythos.

As I had mentioned in my last review of “Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors”, the revelation of the pact with Atrocitus was handled much better here, which is ironic since said pact is the foundation of that title, not this one.  My only grudge with the current state of things in this series is the relationship between Kyle and Soranik; I don’t find it believable, and puts Kyle in a bad light given that both his former sweethearts Donna Troy and Jade are back in world of the living.

I like Tyler Kirkham’s art, although it is a little rough on the edges; I am sure that if he continues penciling this title, we’ll see great things from this artist by the time the “War of the Green Lanterns” arrives.  Also, the inks by Batt and the colors by Nei Rufino bring much more life and definition to the story.

Overall, the third chapter of “The Weaponer” is a good story with great art, nice fight sequences, a very informative twist of events, and a cliffhanger that will leave you wondering “Oh man! What’s going to happen next?”