Emerald Warriors #3

Things kick into gear a bit this week in Emerald Warriors #3. With Guy, Arisia and Kilowog now off of Oa, we get a lot of action and some revelations on Odym as they face off against Red Lantern Bleez.

We also get to see a little more of Sodam Yat, who awakes on Daxam to find he’s being sheltered by a church that’s sprung up around him, and that he’s also being hunted by his father and the rest of Daxam, who are keen to fling him back into the sun and regain their powers. Charming.

Actually, the development of the church around Sodam will be an interesting one. I’m expecting the Daxam plot to be resolved in the next issue or so once Guy and co arrive, however at least it’ll let us see a more balanced view of Daxam. Until now they’ve all been a nasty bunch of xenophobes who, to be honest, got what they deserved when the Sinestro Corps turned up on their doorstep. Its nice that Peter Tomasi is going to give us a look at some of the general population who are hopefully more moderate than Sodam’s father. Of course, the fact they’ve formed a church around Sodam could just mean they get portrayed as crazy in a different way, with Sodam ending up abandoning the planet in disgust again. But hopefully it’ll be used to add some new depth to the Daxamites.

The conflict on Odym provided some good moments as well, as Bleez intercedes in Guy’s attempt to be purged of his Red Lantern infection.  What I loved was Warth’s reaction to the whole thing, standing by the sidelines, suggesting everyone should calm down and talk it out, before finally getting involved, pinning Bleez and using his ring to allow her to speak to the group.

The idea that Guy’s red ring infection may actually be of benefit while in the uncharted territories is an interesting one, but also seems very dangerous.  If Guy does get to the point where he has to rely on the red lantern power, they don’t have any way to undo it.  I was slightly disappointed when Warth didn’t join the group, as I feel the Blue Lanterns have been pretty underused, and having him along incase of issues with Bleez (or even Guy) would’ve seemed like a natural step.

Also interesting is the idea that something is tapping the power of the central battery on Oa, leaving the Green Lanterns slightly depowered.  I’m assuming its our usual mysterious friend who’s been grabbing the entities, and who makes his first appearance in this book as we discover he’s also in cahoots with the series new villain.  Of course, it also puts the Guardians back to being either ignorant of threats, or concealing things from the Lanterns, so I really have to wonder if they’ve learned anything at all by the events of Blackest Night.   The Guardians remain a source of frustration in this franchise, as we don’t ever really see them learning from their mistakes.  Instead they just remain an obstacle to the Green Lanterns.  I’d hoped some of the Blackest Night fallout would see their attitude addressed, but I now have to suspect they’re going to be carrying on as if they didn’t nearly get the universe killed by Necron.  A few scenes focusing on them would be one of my wishlists in terms of things that have been glossed over recently (such as Ganthet’s powers, and the Blue Lantern’s reactions to suddenly having lost both Guardians).

Of course, Guy’s also a hub of conspiracy on his own.  Again we’re teased the fact that whatever pact he’s got with Ganthet and Atrocitus is likely to bring him into conflict with the other GLs (teasing the upcoming War of the Green Lanterns which I should probably jot down a few feelings on), and he’s also keeping secrets from his immediate companions.  Conspiring with Bleez that he may have to kill Sodam Yat, as they suspect he may linked to the energy drain.  I’m sure Arisia’s going to be thrilled about that.   I can’t help but think Peter Tomasi’s working his way through a mine field at the moment.  In the interests of building mystery, the nature of what Guy’s up to is being hidden from us.  But by doing so, we the readers aren’t allowed to understand why he’s suddenly keeping secrets and plotting against his own allies.  Its working out fine for now, as we see Guy’s turmoil over what he’s doing, but there’s also the danger of painting the character into a corner and making him unlikeable if they’re not careful with how this is handled. I think we’re supposed to find out more about the pact in a few months though, so hopefully it won’t ever get to that stage.

Overall though, probably the best issue of Emerald Warriors yet.  For the first time, there’s a sense that things are moving forward, rather than just setting up the characters.  The confrontation on Odym was a great action scene, and there’s plenty of mystery as to what’s actually going on.  I’m looking forward to next issue to seeing how the various plots on Daxam are resolved.