Green Lantern: New Guardians

Green Lantern: New Guardians

Cover for Green Lantern: New Guardians #1 (November 2011). Art by Tyler Kirkham,
Batt and Rod Reis.
Publication information
Publisher DC Comics
Schedule Monthly
Format Ongoing series
Genre
Publication date September 2011 – March 2015
Main character(s) Arkillo
Atrocitus
Carol Ferris
Larfleeze
Kyle Rayner
Saint Walker
Creative team
Writer(s) Tony Bedard, Justin Jordan
Penciller(s) Tyler Kirkham, Amilcar Pinna, Andrei Bressan, Aaron Kuder, Andres Guinaldo and Brad Walker
Inker(s) Matt Banning and Andrew Hennessey
Colorist(s) Neil Ruffino and Rod Reis
Editor(s) =

Green Lantern: New Guardians is an American comic book series originally written by Tony Bedard[1] with art by Tyler Kirkham and Batt[2] and published by DC Comics.

The team consists of representatives of each of the Corps that tap into a particular portion of the emotional spectrum. Its original members were Kyle Rayner (Green Lantern Corps), Arkillo (Sinestro Corps), Bleez (Red Lantern Corps), Glomulus (Orange Lantern Corps), Munk (Indigo Tribe), Saint Walker (Blue Lantern Corps) and Fatality (Star Sapphires). The group disbands in issue #0 (September 2012), and reforms in issue #13 with Kyle Rayner, Arkillo and new members Carol Ferris and Atrocitus. Larfleeze joins in issue #15.

Publication history

Green Lantern: New Guardians debuted in September 2011 as part of the "Green Lantern" family of titles in The New 52. Other titles initially included in the family were Green Lantern, Green Lantern Corps and Red Lanterns. Larfleeze was added to the group from August 2013 to June 2014, and Sinestro was added in April 2014.

The series crossed over with Blue Beetle (vol. 9) #9 in May 2012, and was part of the "Rise of the Third Army" storyline running through the Green Lantern titles from October 2012 to January 2013.[3]

Andrei Bressan and Amilcar Pinna handled the art duties from issue #13 to #20. Beginning with issue #21 in June 2013, the creative team became Justin Jordan and Brad Walker.[4] The title also was part of the "Lights Out" crossover.

Plot

After Lanterns from various Corps are suddenly and mysteriously decommissioned, their rings seek a replacement. They fly to Earth, where Green Lantern Kyle Rayner is selected by the rings to join the six other Corps. He is immediately attacked by Red Lantern Bleez, Yellow Lantern Arkillo, Indigo Tribesman Munk and Star Sapphire Fatality, who think Rayner is a "ring thief."[5] Blue Lantern Saint Walker arrives and aids Rayner. The two flee to Oa seeking answers, and they are pursued by their attackers. Assuming he acquired the rings by foul play, Rayner is attacked by the Guardians. He briefly holds them at bay by utilizing the power of his new rings, but is only able to escape with the aid of Saint Walker, the Lanterns who had been pursuing him, and Orange Lantern Larfleeze.[6]

The group recovers at Larfleeze's home, where he tells them he identified the source of the rings' attraction to Rayner. Bleez returns to the headquarters of the Red Lanterns, and the other five leave Larfleeze to investigate, accompanied by one of Larfleeze's constructs. They locate a space station the size of a solar system, and during their investigation they are attacked by Archangel Invictus, the ruler of the space station. He accuses them of conspiring with "the Beast," referring to a statue of Larfleeze.[7]

As Saint Walker faces him, Invictus reveals that he is the last of a species of angelic beings who sought to bring the light to the universe before Larfleeze attacked them. Unable to absorb the rapidly ascending spirits of the angels into his Corps, Larfleeze hunted Invictus's race to extinction, subsequently trapping him on the other side of the other-universal portal that Invictus sought to use to banish Larfleeze. Having returned, Invictus intends to kill Larfleeze and destroy the Vega System, replacing it with the Orrery he has constructed, containing duplicates of the worlds that were lost and "corrupted" by Larfleeze (He also reveals that he had nothing to do with their vanishing rings, suggesting that Larfleeze set the event up to trick the other Corps into doing his work for him). Despite Kyle Rayner protesting that Larfleeze alone wasn't responsible for what has happened to the Vega System since Invictus's time, citing the current teamwork of the seven ring-wielders as proof that miracles can happen, Invictus only agrees to let the 'New Guardians' go if Kyle kills Larfleeze.[8]

With their power running low after they depart the Orrery, the 'team' split up to recharge. Bleez accompanies Rayner to Earth to recover his power battery, wondering at his continued ownership of a green ring and access to the Green Lantern database despite his "expulsion," while Fatality and Walker return to their Corps' respective homeworlds. Meanwhile, Munk is recalled to the Indigo Tribe, leaving Arkillo, now one of the last Sinestro Corps members after Sinestro captured and destroyed the Central Power Battery, to receive an independent but potentially unstable new battery from the Weaponer of Qward.[9]

While Rayner recharges his ring on Earth, he and Bleez are attacked by a bounty hunter who is trying to collect a reward the Guardians have put on Rayner. Although Glomulus is apparently destroyed, Kyle and Bleez are aided by Blue Beetle, who tells them Odym, the homeworld of the Blue Lanterns, is under siege by the intergalactic army The Reach.[10] Saint Walker rallies the other Blue Lanterns to repel The Reach while Rayner contacts the other New Guardians for help.[11] Despite aid from Kyle, Fatality and Arkillo (Bleez having returned to the Red Lanterns and Munk being presumably occupied back on Nok), Odym falls to The Reach. Saint Walker believes its secret location was revealed to The Reach by Larfleeze, and the New Guardians go to confront him.[12] However, upon confronting Larfleeze, who has just regenerated the previously dispersed Glommulus, he reveals that he had no part in the attack on the Blue Lanterns, before attempting to consume the New Guardians himself. Fortunately, Munk is able to disrupt the Orange Lanterns by tapping into the Orange light, but the fight is ended when Invictus attacks the Vega System, forcing the Guardians to focus on the more immediate threat.[13]

They defeat Invictus by relocating his ship while he is fighting them on Vega, depriving him of his power source. Sayd reveals she was responsible for the rings of weaker Lanterns abandoning their bearers to travel to Kyle Rayner, intending for Kyle to unite the Corps to save Ganthet. Sayd claims her actions were performed in a moment of stress-induced insanity. The team disperses, digusted by her method to unite the Corps.[14]

Reception

New Guardians was ranked as the eleventh best selling book in September 2011 by units, and received mostly positive reviews.[15][16]

Collected editions

References

  1. ↑ Doran, Michael (June 3, 2011). "DCNu Title & Creator Reveals Day 2: GREEN LANTERN Family". Newsarama.
  2. ↑ Goellner, Caleb (June 12, 2011). "Who Are DC's 'The New Guardians?' [Exclusive Teaser]". Comics Alliance.
  3. ↑ Salvatore, Brian "Rise of the Third Army to enlist the Green Lantern titles in October", www.Multiversitycomics.com, 3 June 2012
  4. ↑ Exclusive: DC Announces New 'Green Lantern' Creative..., MTV Geek 20 February 2013 (accessed 20 February 2013)
  5. ↑ Green Lantern: New Guardians #1 (Sept 2011)
  6. ↑ New Guardians #2-3 (Oct-Nov 2011)
  7. ↑ New Guardians #4-6 (Dec 2011 - Feb 2012)
  8. ↑ New Guardians #7 (March 2012)
  9. ↑ New Guardians #8 (April 2012)
  10. ↑ Blue Beetle vol 6 #9 (April 2012)
  11. ↑ New Guardians #9 (May 2012)
  12. ↑ Green Lantern: New Guardians #10 (June 2012)
  13. ↑ Green Lantern: New Guardians #11 (July 2012)
  14. ↑ Green Lantern: New Guardians #12 (August 2012)
  15. ↑ Issue 1 review, comics.ign.com
  16. ↑ Issue 1 review, Comicbookresources.com
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