[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Writer: Tom Taylor
Artists: Daniel Sampere & Juan Albarran
Colors: John Kalisz & Rex Lokus
Letters: Wes Abbott
Summary
As the homeworld of the Green Lantern Corps faces attack from Atrocitus and the Red Lanterns, the Titans along with Booster Gold, Blue Beetle (Jaime Reyes) and Lobo (Lobo?!?!?!?) arrive to assist in taking the Reds down. The Red Lanterns have recruited Starro the Conqueror into their ranks and apparently Jaime as host of the Blue Beetle Scarab is the one being in the universe capable of stopping Starro. Or, so, Metron has led Jaime to believe.
As the fight goes poorly for the Green Lanterns, Hal Jordan pleads for a ring in order to be useful in the end, knowing redemption is beyond him. Having seen Soranik Natu, a Green Lantern, taken over by Starro, the Guardians of the Universe relent and allow Hal to have a ring. Hal, seeing a bit of himself in the also imprisoned Sinestro, convinces the Guardians to let him have a ring as well. Sinestro is completely transparent as he professes his main goal to be that of saving his daughter Soranik.
Meanwhile, Jaime realizes that Starro, himself, has evacuated towards Earth to fulfill his hate against our planet. Booster stops Jaime long enough to join him, vowing to ensure he’s not alone and validate that Ted Kord (Blue Beetle) did not die in vain. Oh, and Lobo gets a Green Lantern ring in a “scraping the bottom of the barrel” moment for the GLC!
Positives
People are human. They make mistakes. Seeing characters get a chance or at the very least find an opportunity for penitence or thechance to do the right thing in the end is always gratifying. In the world of Injustice, there’s a lot of opportunity for such things. Hal Jordan knows he’s beyond any sort of redemption, but he knows he can at least be useful in this fight. He see’s the same thing in his old enemy Sinestro Thal. Sinestro exhibits another familiar trait- the love for his daughter, Soranik Natu.
These moments are incredibly powerful as the bridge the gap between super-hero/ sci-fi and the real world emotions to which readers can relate. It shows the humanity in characters who are traditionally villains. While Sinestro may not find true redemption or conversion of the heart, at the very least he feels the love in his heart for his daughter. This elevates the comic to another level. This isn’t simple super-heroics or over-the-top costumed battle, but rather a true emotional connection. This is not unique to this issue, but rather exemplary of this title.
Negatives
I’ve never been a fan of Lobo, and his inclusion feels more like distraction than a necessary story element. It’s probably appropriate that he is cloven in half and spends the bulk of the issue regrowing everything below his waist. Czarnians have the most bizarre attributes!
Verdict
While some of this issue is epic space battle, it is grounded in some very relatable human emotions. This really takes the issue to another level. Isolating these moments make this an incredible experience. It’s not often that such emotions come to the forefront with such insight and sensitivity to the human condition. For regular experiences like this, read Injustice 2 each issue!
