DC Universe Online Legends #16

DC Universe Online Legends #16

The Brainiac-Sinestro Corps War Part I

Writer: Tom Taylor
Artist: Bruno Redondo
Colorist: Jorge Gonzalez
Letterer: Wes Abbott
Cover Artists: Doug Mahnke and Randy Mayor

I’m a fan of Tom Taylor’s Star Wars: Invasion comics, so when I heard Tom was going to be doing a Brainiac-Sinestro Corps War comic, I was intrigued. The beautiful artwork on the cover was a good indicator that this was going to be a gem. Now I’m not very familiar with the Green Lantern lore, but making the jump in wasn’t very difficult. One thing that I liked alot with the issue was the myriad assortment of aliens. As a Star Wars fan, this made me feel right at home. Tom delivered a nice little story that was easy to follow along, and Bruno Redondo provided some great artwork to bring it all to life.

The grim looking cover was the first thing that hit me when picking up the comic. I love it when a cover can snag my attention and lure me away from instantly plunging in. The startling imagery of black blood, flames, and the energies radiating off Sinestro’s power ring as if he’s going to blast the reader into cinders, make a good first impression. Take a look at Sinestro’s face. He’s staring at the reader not with angry vengeance or sly cunning, but tired determination. He looks like he’s been through a beating but he’s not done yet. He’s still alive, still able to fight, and if the last thing he does is kill you, so be it. This is fate.

Page one starts off as you might expect from the cover. The reader is subjected to a brutal scene of violence as Sinestro gets his face smashed in. Tom Taylor underlines the scene with witty prose. He also puts us in the driver’s seat for the victim. For that moment, the audience sees things from Sinestro’s point of view. A war in space unfolds with ships, hulking skull faced warriors, and dozens of black and gold suited aliens blasting away at each other. The forces of Brainiac and the Sinestro are at war.

The action then shifts to the good guys. The Guardians address the Green Lanterns and a hard choice is made to contain the battle. All of the Lanterns will be going. The planet Korugar is at stake. It’s during this scene that I started to appreciate the sheer variety of the characters. Take a look at the picture below. The Guardians are small, hovering, blue skinned species with white hair and stoic faces. The Lanterns range from human to bizarre. There’s a snake looking Lantern, a rock skinned being reminiscent of the Fantastic Four’s Thing, and some finned, beaked creature resembling a Star Trek alien or Godzilla monster. But it doesn’t stop there.

A scene introducing Kyle Raynar shows off a few more odd looking aliens. In the background is a hovering rodent, a sasquatch, and some sort of cephalopod.

Afterwards the Lanterns arrive at Korugar for the battle and get mobilized for action. There the full range of aliens is shown off in one very nice panel. From robots to cyclops squids, the Green Lanterns look like they mean business. Hal Jordan stands in front as their bold leader, preparing them for action.

Through the story, there’s a subtle morality play with the three different sides all conflicting against each other. Brainiac and Sinestro’s forces are slaying each other left and right. When the Green Lanterns show up, Sinestro’s people begin to wonder if they are there to help. With orders to simply contain the battle, the Lanterns find themselves watching a slaughter. Is there a right and wrong side when two of your enemies are fighting each other?

Well...it's not a moral dilemma for everybody. The popcorn reads "Death-to-our-Enemies-Popcorn! Not actually edible but oh so appropriate!"

I really liked this issue overall. It had beautiful artwork and an engaging story that provoked emotion, thought, and plain enjoyment. I give it five out of five metal bikinis and looked forward to the second part of The Brainiac-Sinestro Corps War.

Reviewed By: Skuldren for Roqoo Depot.