Green Lantern Annual #1 (2012)

The world of the Green Lanterns turns upside down as Hal Jordan & Sinestro have fallen at the hands of Black Hand, while the Guardians judgment has taken a turn for the worst, as they create the Third Army!

The Team

Written by Geoff Johns (Flashback, Aquaman, Justice League), illustrated by Ethan Van Sciver (Flash : Rebirth, Green Lantern : The Sinestro Corps Vol. 1, Superman/Batman Vol. 5 : Enemies Among Us) & Pete Woods (Superman : The Black Ring Vol. 2, Legion Lost Vol. 1 : Run From Tomorrow)

The Pros

Warning! Warning! This annual is packed with several OMG moments and is not completely spoiler free. You’ve been warned. After almost a year of teasing the reader with only slight mentions and a few glimpses of the Third Army event, it’s finally here, as the first GL annual starts with a bang. This comic has 3 stories in one gargantuan issue, which means more bang for your buck and at 4.99$ it better be! It’s the last round of Hal & Sinestro VS Black Hand and it’s something out of zombie horror movie, as Hal is forced by Black Hand to deal with some family issues and Sinestro saves Hal’s ass once again. The second simultaneous story takes place in deep space as a new chapter of the Green Lantern mythos is revealed when the Guardians, now completely mad, release the being known as the First Lantern out of his energy cell to manipulate as they see fit. The third and final story involves the Guardians playing Doctor Frankenstein, as they create and mould the first 2 soldiers of their twisted new Third Army. These mindless & soulless automatons serve the Guardians without question, without emotions and most importantly, without free will.

Like all the past major crossover events like the Sinestro Corps War, Blackest Night & Brightest Day, writer Geoff Johns pulls no stops when it comes to stories involving cosmic altering cataclysms and the Third Army is no different, plus it looks fantastic! The event ties into all 4 Green Lantern universe New 52 monthly titles (Green Lantern : New Guardians, Green Lantern, Green Lantern Corps & Red Lanterns) and promises to be very exciting. Now I’m a huge fan of the Green Lantern series and I haven’t decided if I will get all the tie ins, because I think you can follow the story of the Third Army without collecting all 4 titles, we’ll see.

The biggest moment of this annual takes place within the first story, without any spoilers I’ll just say that it’s extremely epic and just leave it at that. Illustrating this annual is none other than Ethan Van Sciver who is an old pro at drawing Green Lantern. Having pencilled is fair share of Green Lantern events ( The Sinestro Corps War, Blackest Night), Van Sciver knows the heroes & villains of this universe like the back of his hand. The best moments from this comic are from the cemetery battle. Pouring rain comes down hard, as Black Hand literally comes apart at the seams as he gets bashed & slashed by Hal & Sinestro & it looks ghoulishly beautiful.

The Cons

Not here

The Outcome

This annual delivered in spades and will satisfy any Green Lantern fanboy out there. Make sure you get this one, as its required reading that kicks off the Third Army event in a big way.