Guy Gardner: Reborn, part Three

Hang in there, we are into the home stretch now!

As you all recall, Guy managed to invade Qward with the help of Lobo, and after a LOT of pummelling and various other shenanigans, he's ended up on Oa. Unfortunately, he inadvertently brought an entire army of Qwardians with him, all hell-bent on wiping out the Green Lantern Corps.

Oops.

Needless to say...but I'm going to say it anyway...the Guardians are NOT AMUSED! Unfortunately for them, this is at the point in time when they have just returned from hanging out with the Zamorans, are in the process of rebuilding the Corps, and they aren't quite up to snuff yet. Is it me, or did the Guardians spend a LOT of time rebuilding the Corps? Usually, because they had managed to wipe it out through their own stupidity, but that's just my point of view. Stupid Guardians.

So anyway, there is (naturally) a lot MORE fighting. Guy figures that standing around beating up Qwardians isn't going to get him any closer to Sinestro's ring, and he's trying to sneak out of the fight, when he's nabbed by Lobo. They're arguing, when they are once again attacked by the Chief Weaponeer,and then...HooHah! The rookie Green Lanterns finally show up! Boodikka in particular is having a lovely time. Typically, Guy is completely ungrateful for having been saved, especially by the Corps. The rest of the bunch shows up, but still being rookies, aren't really doing that well, plus Kreon and Boodikka just can't help bickering amongst themselves in the middle of all the fighting. Guy actually finds this rather hilarious, and keeps making comments about how he left just in time, which is putting an interesting spin on events. This all leads to him musing about Hal Jordan, and my absolute favorite picture in the entire series. It shows a Green Lantern version of DaVinci's Last Supper, with Hal in the center spot, and the rest of the Corps as the Apostles. Guy is Judas of course. In fact, as he's thinking about it, he admits that he'd have sold the lot of 'em for thirty bucks, which just makes me laugh and laugh.

Considering this is still during his brain-dead era, Guy actually does a good job of using the other Lanterns, and yells for their attention. Brik is furious, Kreon is suspicious and Tomar is confused. Guy cons them into summoning Kilowog, who listens to his cunning plan. Kilowog is a little bit skeptical, but Guy just makes his big puppy-dog eyes at him, and he melts. Exactly as Guy knew he would. Heh. He buffaloes Kilowog into sending him directly to the Guardians, which of course Guy uses as an opportunity to sneak into the old abandoned GL quarters.

Guy uses his knowledge of the layout to get in and head for the crypts. He also regrets having to bamboozle Kilowog, but swears to himself that he'll make it up to him. It's rather fun seeing Guy try and convince himself that it's all for a greater good, and being decent is all well and good when you have the chance, but being tough and hard is the only way to be. We all know that he's just trying to fool himself, but still...it's interesting.

John Stewart eventually shows up, helping in the fight against the Qwardians, when he saves Tomar from going splat, he tells him all about Guy's "Plan". John being John, doesn't buy Guy's benevolence and takes off after Guy. There is also a mysterious red ghostly figure that seems to be following Guy as well.

In the meantime, Guy has finally found the crypt and after a nice little tour of all the dead Green Lanterns, he finally spots Sinestro's body, and is beside himself with joy. That is, until he realizes that he can't get the coffin open. Poor Guy. He's made it all this way, and finally found what he's looking for, and now that it is almost in his grasp, he is thwarted. Then John shows up, and MAN, is he cranky. Guy of course just shrugs it off, and when John demands an explanation, he grins and says he got lost. It takes a minute for John to realize just WHO is in the coffin behind him, and only another second for him to realize just what it really is, that Guy is after. Then he goes bonkers, and THEN he gets "zapped" by a weird red glow (interestingly enough, it turns to yellow flames around his body) and his eyes start to glow yellow and he blasts Guy with a nasty energy bolt.

Yes, Sinestro's soul, or spirit or ghost, or whatever, has possessed John's body, and blasts open the coffin in order to retake his own body. Guy is lying there, pulling shards of crystal out of his body and bleeding copiously, as he reflects upon how he's just been screwed again. As "John" reaches for the ring, Guy musters up enough strength to get up and grab his wrist, and there they are, both holding Sinestro's hand.

Sinestro of course is busy talking trash to Guy, telling him that he's a loser, and that he doesn't deserve the ring, and so on and so forth. Guy's had just about enough, and can't help thinking back on his own life, and how he's been kicked around by just about everybody, and By God, he's had ENOUGH! And Guy's willpower is stronger than Sinestro's.

Guy thinks to himself..."Yeah Sin. You got the experience. You got the brains. You got the control. But I got something you ain't got...I got your RING!"

And just like that, the tide of battle turns, and a whole lot of YELLOW constructs start showing up, pummelling the Qwardians. It also helps that the Qwardians recognize Sinestro's ring, and their superstitious respect for it aids in their defeat. The rest of the Corps helps in the mopping up, and everything is just fine and dandy. Oh, except for one little detail. Remember how Guy had promised the ring to Lobo for his help? When Lobo comes over demanding the ring, Guy comes up with some VERY twisted logic, and claims that Lobo didn't live up to his side of the bargain. When Lobo objects, Guy points out that the deal was...Lobo trash Qward and he gets the ring. But they are on Oa, not Qward, and he never hired him to trash Oa. Hee hee! Guy has the ring, and there isn't a whole heck of a lot that Lobo can do about it, but it is pretty obvious, that Lobo is pissed as hell, and that he has a loooong memory.

So Guy flies off, free as a bird, and gloating just a little bit to himself, and really, who can blame him? Unfortunately, he flies directly into a giant glowing green wall headfirst. Just like Hal would have! John is back, and he's still cranky, and declares that there is no way that he or the Guardians are going to allow Guy to have Sinestro's ring. Guy says that's no way to thank him for saving the whole bunch of them, but John's not backing down. So...Guy just feels that he has to point out that Green Lanterns are vulnerable to one thing...YELLOW...and whips up a Baltimor Slugger that knocks John clear across the battlefield, into the tower and onto all the Guardians, taking them down like bowling pins. The Guardians pick themselves up and admit that they are grateful to Guy for helping to save them, but still..."What has been unleashed here this day?"

I'll tell you what has been unleashed! Guy is BACK, and he's got some serious power this time! Take THAT, Hal!

I really did enjoy this, because it did so much to make up for the whuppin' that Guy endured at the hands of Hal. And thank goodness for the big yellow Space Bug, because that's about all that makes up for Hal being a douchebag. Once again, the art is fun, and the dialogue is funny. Gerard Jones had a very good handle on Guy, I've always thought. So, if you can find this, be sure to get it.