Green Lantern #17

We are apparently heading into the final storyline, by Geoff Johns, and Peter Tomasi and Tony Bedard.  Although I have griped sometimes, I have to say that I have by in large, loved just about everything that these three have done in the past few years...and that I am going to miss them all terribly.  Same for the artists.

We are now into the story with the Wrath of the First Lantern, which is where the cliffhanger from LAST month's Fall of the Third Army, and The Guardians Get Their Asses Whipped theme. 

We open, with a blast from the past, on Maltus, showing Krona, and his fixation on witnessing the creation of the Universe.  I'd like to see that too, but I DO have other interests.  They must not have had television or comics on Maltus.   And once again, there is that big hand...which I've always considered to be quite a cool visual.  But this one is wearing what appears to be...A Green Lantern Ring! 

Whoa.

Then there is an explosion and  a modern-day figure in what appears to be a Nasa Space Suit shows up.  This is apparently Volthoom, but I can't help but think that he actually looks like Captain Shinypants, before he turned into Captain Atom!  And wouldn't THAT be a kick in the pants?  But I don't think that is really very likely.  He does have a crazed look in his eye however, but I suppose  travelling across Space and Time will do that to you.

Then we jump forward to Simon Baz, who is soliloquizing like mad.  He and Bd'g have managed to trap themselves in the original prison of the First Lantern, and are stuck with none other than Black Hand. They...don't like each other very much right from the start.  The adorable little Non-Guardians are freaking out a bit, because they know that somone is out there...but who could it be? 

The First Lantern is busy wreaking havoc.  He does manage to melt away the Third Army zombies, which I guess is a good thing.  And he has imprisoned the crazy Guardians, which they richly richly deserve.  He decides to go picking through Ganthet's brain, since he wasn't orginally as nutso as the others, and learns a few things, but Ganthet isn't much use to him, since the other Guardians destroyed his emotions.  So Volthoom seems to rewrite their past.  Volthoom can DO that sort of stuff I guess.

There is a lovely scene with Black Hand and Simon, that suddenly becomes William Hand and Abin Sur for just a few seconds...but it must have happened, because it leaves both Black Hand and Simon shaken.    Then Simon breaks down the wall separating him from the Maltusians just as Black Hand decides to send him off to join Hal and Sinestro.

The coloring on this final page is gorgeous.  All the other pages are saturated in beautiful color, in all the emotional spectrum, but where Hal and Sinestro and all the other dead people are, is always coldly in blacks and grays, and it's quite effective.  Naturally Simon is startled.  Naturally, Sinestro is sarcastic.  God, I love Sinestro. 

Interesting...very interesting.  This is setting up all sorts of things for the future of the Green Lantern Corps.