SINESTRO #5 by Cullen Bunn, art by Dale Eaglesham and color by Jason Wright is a surprisingly cerebral affair, one people should probably check out.
Now when I mean cerebral it’s weighty and conversational but not that much smarter than your usual superhero comic. But one thing I’ve noticed from this title is that it’s not, thus far, too heavy on action. The largest action this issue provides is a small attack on Hal Jordan by Sinestro Corps members and then later, Parallax itself is sicked upon Hal, Sinestro having essentially tamed the entity and can summon him at will. Sinestro and Hal more or less talk this entire issue; Hal has a problem with Sinestro as per usual though with some pretty valid reasons. Sinestro likewise throws some equal truths back.
POSITIVES
I think this is pretty solid. It’s a bit stoic, and Sinestro’s obsession with Hal Jordan, enough so that he thinks Hal is a vision until Hal knocks him with a construct until he’s basically “Oh, this is my Hal Jordan” is so slashtastically funny that I can’t really take him serious at first.
I’m not lying about thinking he was a hallucination.
But then I am quickly wiped clean of that dismissal. Sinestro’s obsessive tendencies and warped sense of justice that can teeter between chaotic evil to chaotic neutral to dare I say even chaotic good at times but his manner and how he acts is so…alien, it’s off enough and obsessive enough to truly seem alien and I like that about him. Either way Sinestro is so far away from his Silver Age origins it’s just a really cool feat for a character.
I think the art is okay here; it’s weighty with quite a lot of strong inking and dare I say even is rather beautiful at times, vaguely painterly, but their Soranik is not my favorite. Her low-cut neckline in her suit needs to change; just because she’s a “female” (alien…) that doesn’t mean she should have it. Like why? She’s a medic. Give her coverage on the battlefield. So yeah, I think while it’s not terrible a new costume for Soranik needs to happen as she is becoming unnecessary eye candy without having to be.
The story here is slow, but it’s working. Plotting itself at a consistent pace is good. It’s one thing to go too quickly. Warning, this could be too slow for some people. I can see why it would be, but I’m not entirely put off myself.
NEGATIVES
I’d say Sinestro is what makes his own title great and unsufferable. His convictions are high and he is written rather well but it’s also just “Oh god Sinestro just stop”. Hal does quite a lot of good reasoning and accusations here. I’m having a hard time with continuity in the Green Lantern world too; did Blackest Night sort of happen? Did the big fall out from all of that happen? Why does Parallax look different (sorta) again? (Actually one of the negatives was how Parallax was drawn, it did not look as scary as it’s been looking, looking more gremlin-ish than usual).
VERDICT
I think this is a solid title, not groundbreaking and not flashy, but still rather solid. It’s better than average. The art is solid and artful. But its nice. It’s a lot nicer than say, Brett Booth when it comes to drawing people (or aliens…or aliens that are basically people with different colored skin and ears oop). It’s a bit dialogue heavy so it requires some thinking too. I generally have little to talk about given the pacing is moderate and thus not much actually occurs rather than Sinestro demonstrating his ability to control Parallax (for the time being, never trust Parallax) like a Pokemon that comes from his chest. It’s shocking, but that’s the extent of the action. If you can handle something a bit less “black and white” when it comes to morality and enjoys conflicted personalities such as Sinestro, then really do check this book out. Soranik is an amazing character and anywhere she shows up you should support it so please do!
