Green Lantern Corps #12

Well this is just swell.


Guy and John have just gotten themselves into a peck of trouble.  John kills another Green Lantern, the Alphas find out about it...set up by the Guardians, John is condemned to death, the Guardians manipulate the Alphas into performing the deed,  John is so wracked with guilt, that he's ready to BE executed.  Fortunately for him, he has Guy Gardner around to do his thinking for him, and naturally, Guy busts him out.  When the Alphas go bananas, they start attacking ALL the Lanterns, and all hell just breaks lose. 

So Guy and John sneak down to the basement of Oa, and set lose all of the Guardians former mistakes, and now the Manhunter thingies are attacking the Alphas, and gosh, but life is just fabulous!  There certainly is never a dull moment when you are a Lantern.

Well, the Alphas, as crazy as they have become, are no pushovers, and they do manage to shut everyone else down, including Guy and John, and then having one-track minds, they get ready to start executing again.  If there is one thing that an Alpha seems to enjoy, it is a good execution.  All, that is, except for Varix, who is the one Alpha Lantern, who hasn't gone completely bonkers.  So, he manages to help Guy and John get lose, and the first thing our intrepid duo does...is rip the Lanterns right out of the chests of some of the Alphas!

That had to hurt. 

It certainly gets everyone's attention though, including the rest of the Alphas, who are still trying to kill somebody...anybody.  Fortunately for Guy and John and the rest of the Corps, Varix is on their side, and helps take out the rest of the Alphas.  But he's sad about it, and before Guy or John can stop him, he blows off his OWN head!

Sheesh! 

It's starting to look like the final scene from Hamlet on Oa.  Guy and John  have had enough,and they gather up ALL of the Lanterns, who's rings were drained, and scoop them up to fly them up to the main Battery to recharge...when they hear a Voice...demanding to be let out...and their rings suddenly conk out and they all start to fall!  Fortunately, their rings get power back after a second or two, but it is an odd moment, and the rings cannot identify the voice.

Then Morro presides over a nice ceremony in the crypts, and all of the Alphas, who after all, were pretty fabulous Lanterns before they got screwed by the Guardians, are honored.  There is a rather interesting moment when Guy points out that there are an awful lot of their old buddies floating around in effigy over their heads, and John agrees.  I can only presume that this is one of those cunning little clues that Geoff  Johns and Pete Tomasi like to sprinkle through the books.  I think that this may have some significance due to what is happening over in Green Lantern...but I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

So...that is that.  And naturally, it is all going to the Guardian's own nefarious plans.  The Alphas have now been taken off of the board, so they can't interfere with the Guardian's plans.  Meanwhile Guy and John have gathered up the remains of the Manhunters and such, an dumped them back into the catacombs, with the comment that the Guardian's mistakes seem to be piling higher and higher and who is going to be next?  And it that isn't an ominous observation, then I don't know what is! 

The art was lovely as usual, Guy kicked butt, John kicked butt, the other Lanterns didn't kick quite as much butt, but did cheer them on, and the Alphas are no longer around to annoy me.  On the other hand, I can't help feeling sorry that Boodikka is now gone again, not to mention Green Man, and Chaselon and several others.  There aren't a whole lot of survivors from the Lost Lanterns anymore.

This whole new story, of the Third Army and the Guardians getting evil is starting to really pick up...and it looks as though it will be the usual exciting ride.