War of Light: A Primer for the Uninitiated

by Shawn Lampron | Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Amongst the glut of Free Comic Book Day goodies, I came away with Blackest Night #0.  Unable to attend the event, it became a nice consolation prize for me.  I can see how it could be daunting for a new fan to the series, but please read this quick explanation of previous events and important characters to get a glimpse of why you need to be a reader.  Hopefully, you’ll find yourself inspired to pick up an issue or two.

The Blackest Night event is part of a comic trilogy created by scribe Geoff Johns, one that is several years in the making.  Before we get into that, let’s just get a quick look at the basics.  To be brief, a Green Lantern is a sort of intergalactic police officer. Any species can produce a candidate for the Green Lantern Corps. They are led by enigmatic blue aliens named Guardians who provide the future Green Lantern with a green ring that is powered by the willpower of the user.  Then, the user is given a quadrant, usually containing their homeworld, to patrol.  Some Green Lanterns are deemed Alpha Lanterns and given the job of patrolling the Corps, a sort of internal affairs division.  The major players in the Corps are as follows:

Hal Jordan: The most famous human Green Lantern, he experienced a fall from grace after being possessed by a sentient being named Parallax and wreaking havoc on the universe before apparently dying.

Kyle Raynor: Hal Jordan’s replacement, he became very popular amongst fans and still has a place in the Corps. He was eventually chosen to house the awesome power of Ion, a sort of living embodiment of willpower.

Guy Gardner: A notorious hothead, he gets himself into trouble, but is loyal to the Corps.

John Stewart: Another loyal member of the Corps and one of the first major black superheroes.

Kilowog: A brutish alien who trains the other Green Lanterns.

Now…here is how the events have played out:

Green Lantern: Rebirth: In short, Hal Jordan returns to his rightful status in the Corps. It is discovered that Hal wasn’t in control of his actions when he went on a rampage, but was under the influence of Parallax.  It’s revealed that Parallax is related to the Green Lanterns’ weakness to the color yellow.  Parallax is “yellow” in nature, the color representing the emotion of fear.  Parallax feeds off the fear of its host, ruling over it.  Sinestro, a fallen Green Lantern with a grudge against Hal Jordan, reveals that he has discovered the secrets of tapping into this new power source.  By the end of the storyline, Hal is back, Sinestro is imprisoned, and the Corps is being rebuilt after a few years in limbo.

Sinestro Corps War: An epic storyline, it concerns Sinestro’s escape and realization of the importance of his discovery of the power of fear.  Forging yellow rings to harness the power, Sinestro gathers a Corps to wield fear in an attempt to take over the universe, with the ultimate battle being fought on Earth.  Sodom Yat, a Green Lantern from the planet Daxam, is introduced, ultimately being granted the power of Ion as Kyle gratefully retakes his place as a Green Lantern after being possessed by Parallax.  After epic battles, the Green Lantern Corps emerges victorious at a heavy cost: many casualties amongst the Corps and dangerous prisoners.  In the end, the corpse of the Anti-Monitor, a destructive being with the power of death itself that was persuaded by Sinestro to serve as a power battery for their rings, is tossed into space. Ultimately it lands and is manipulated by an unseen character, forming a Black Lantern and showing undead hands wearing black rings.  The first hints of The Blackest Night were revealed.

Prelude to Blackest Night and Blackest Night #0: It seems that the powers of the yellow and black were just the beginnings.  In an interesting twist, various emotions are manifested as colors across the spectrum.

Red: Led by the Atrocitus, the Red Lanterns utilize the force of rage.  Left slaves to their emotion, they seethe to the point that they spit blood and fire as they pursue their enemies.

Orange: The Orange Lanterns are in reality one person: Larfleeze.  Fueled by avarice, he keeps his power for himself.  Using constructs, he slays others and consumes their essences, making them shadows to pursue his own goals.

Yellow: Still powered by fear, they are currently led by the world-conquering Mongul as Sinestro pursues personal matters with his daughter, now a Green Lantern. They currently occupy the home planet of Sodom Yat, the new Ion of the Green Lantern Corps.

Green: The Green Lantern Corps continues to suffer massive casualties as their willpower and emotional neutrality is challenged by the new factions of light.  Hal Jordan, a major leader among the Corps, is currently wielding a blue ring in addition to his green, unable to remove it.  Also, some Green Lanterns are unhappy at the Guardians effort to keep the Green Lanterns void of emotional conflicts.  One such rule is the law forbidding love for all Green Lanterns.

Blue: Fueled by hope, the Blue Lantern Corps is few in number, but powerful.  They are also the only other Corps to have been founded by Guardians; in this case, two renegade Guardians from the Green Lantern Corps.  However, a major weakness has been revealed: though immensely powerful, they need the presence of a Green Lantern to access their powers.  Apparently, without will, there is no hope.

Indigo: Though it is known this is the color representing compassion, the wielders have yet to reveal themselves.

Violet: The wielders of love have been very active.  In principle, the ring bearers are the Zamorans, a race of Amazonian women.  At this time, they hold an uneasy truce with the Green Lantern Corps.  The reluctance stems from the fact that the Star Sapphires, as they call themselves, have no problem with reforming past enemies, even genocidal ones, with the powers of love.

Black: Finally, we have the black.  Black Hand, an old enemy of Hal Jordan, has discovered the powers of death and hate.  Major hints have been dropped that Black Hand will be resurrecting dead heroes and villains alike and forcing them to his will.  Curious as to who will be chosen?  Such heavy and departed names as Martian Manhunter, Aquaman, Elongated Man, and even the Batman could find new un-life and hatred under the service of the Black.

Shawn Lampron wears his Green Lantern and Black Lantern shirts proudly and at least once a week. The Blackest Night and War of Light are coming!  Prepare!

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