Revolt of the Alpha Lanterns: Green Lantern Corps

After the lukewarm effect and occasional and varied Geek peak of emotion that I got recently from watching the Green Lantern flick with Ryan Reynolds, I wanted something more substantial and a real green fix to lay a hold on me.

Luckily I spotted the recent compilation of Green Lantern Corps at my local bookstore. It is the Brightest Day tie-up and entitled Revolt of the Alpha Lanterns. Now for most of those familiar, the Lantern Universe was rocked to the core most recently with, Blackest Night and altered further with the events of Brightest Day. But for this compilation, the Lantern Corps are fighting something not bound by prophecy but one that came from their ranks.

What I speak of are the altered Green Lanterns, cosmetically and physically made to become part Green Lanterns and part Manhunter machines. Literally they are more machine now than human and have embedded in their chest their very own Lantern that needs not to be charged and provides them with unlimited source of will. Should you prove a threat, they can also drain the energy of your ring by lifting their face plate like that of a Manhunter. It is the police force that polices Lanterns themselves and carries out further the will of the Guardians.

This compilation comes in the wake of Blackest Night with most of Oa still recovering from the assault of Black Lanterns. The Guardian Ganthet who headed his own Blue Lantern Corps after having been booted off the “Council” for showing emotion has now officially resigned from being a Guardian and wills himself to become a fellow Green Lantern guarding Sector 0, which is Oa, and with him toiling in the foundry to make his own power ring. This he does just after going to Ysmault with Lantern Guy Gardner to meet up with Atrocitus, head of the Red Lantern Corps whose primary ruling emotion, is nothing but Rage. Something Guy understands completely after having been affected and succumbing to his own anger. Ganthet proceeds to make a proposal to Atrocitus but one that requires sacrifice and for the reader a little bit of secrecy. We are not aluded as to what the conversation was but whatever new and veiled threat Ganthet has uncovered it has prodded Guy to agree as well as Ganthet to make a sacrifice and resign from his post. The sacrifice for us readers on the other hand to make, is to be more patient, and follow the beat of the plot as the story arc is played out.

Back on OA, some of the Lanterns, as well as the recuperating ones after the battle, are starting to go missing. As per monitoring, they are still active and their rings have not sought out a replacement but are not on duty and cannot be reached. Alpha Lantern Boodika together with John Stewart, Earth’s other Green Lantern are asked to go to the Planet Grenda, home planet of Lantern Stel, the latest to go Awol, and a machine who has proven worthy to be part of the Corps.

This hardcover compilation also includes the 2 part Curse of the Alpha Lantern which gives us the life of Boodika before joining the Corps, during the Corps when Hal Jordan went rogue and cut her hand off till her assignment that brings her to her homeworld of Bellatrix after becoming an Alpha Lantern.

If you want non-stop action then the Corps is the way to go. Add into the mix the return of our favorite nasty Cyborg Superman and the appearance of a mysterious benefactor, this compilation not only bridges the events following the cataclysmic events of Blackest night but also plants the seeds for the next GL event, which is War of the Green Lanterns. Bring It On.