“Is this all?  You’ve allowed my arm to defeat your army.  You should be ashamed of yourselves.”

Ladies and Gentlemen, THAT is how you write an opening line.

I sometimes feel like I’ve been playing the same tune for about a year since this book started, but this really is a great book that I anticipate every time it comes out.  Just as much as Geoff Johns has done in the main book, Tomasi is really building this fantastic bridge to the Blackest Night and in this issue is where a lot of things have come to a head.  Something that’s been building over in Kyle’s personal story as a slow boil since the Ring Quest arc ended finally hit as turning point in this issue.  Seeing as Kyle is my favorite Green Lantern, I do appreciate what they’re doing in this book to build him up as one of the greats in the Corps. 

There’s also something else within that scene that comes that later gets fleshed out in a secondary story in the back that I really like.  It highlights not only a lot of what Kyle Rayner has become but also a lot of the unity and brotherhood of the Corps which is nice to remember as the Guardians all fall apart at the seams.

Also, we’re now seeing the ramifications of Mongul’s bid as leader of the Sinestro Corps which should prove to be interesting in upcoming issues.  Since Mongul’s bid for that first power ring, it’s been something of a mystery to how the rest of the Corps will take it, let alone to his ambition to rule them.  That finally was touched upon here, if only briefly.  It remains unclear whether Mongul will have that epic confrontation with Sinestro himself yet, though I certainly hope so.

There was also a nice interaction between the Lantern Saarek and Sapphire Miri that well highlights the differences and similarities between the two factions.  It’s a well-dialogued, pleasant exchange that could have fell flat, but worked very well.  Also, he’s standing on the Anti-Monitor’s severed hand.  That’s going to mean something later.

Overall, this book is really good, and if you are wondering whether to read it or not, I can say it’s certainly worth the cover price.  The writing is quite good and the art is well-paced and wonderfully drawn. I see that more and more people pull this book all the time (407 over the 167 this time last year) and I find that exciting because this is really one of DC’s unspoken gems of this time.