Sinestro #2 – Review

By: Cullen Bunn (story), Dale Eaglesham (art), Jason Wright (colors)

The Story: Sinestro retakes his position as president of his fan club.

The Review: In my blessedly brief, somewhat humiliating, always entertaining time doing stand-up, I learned that half the secret to getting up into the spotlight and getting out without a beer bottle thrown at you is to proceed as if everything is going extremely well, even you’re dying inside. When it comes right down to it, a person’s charisma is almost always a byproduct of how much they always seem to be in control, which is why presidential approval rates always plummet as the term goes on.

This also explains the great appeal of Sinestro, a man who’s always in control of all parts of his life, even “his legendry.” Yeah, he’s more than a little bit of a sociopath, but that air he gives off, as if nothing or no one can ever touch him, is amazingly attractive. Throughout his nearly one-man battle with his usurped Corps, he remains undaunted, his attitude being of one dealing with a tedious task, but by no means a very difficult one. This alone would make him seem like a stud, even before he slays a Lantern without turning his back and then melting the ring before it can find a replacement. And then his parting line: “Does anyone else wish to register a grievance?”

Not openly, anyway, and not that it matters. Sinestro’s too smart not to recognize that any compliance he’s won by defeating Arkillo is too fragile to be trusted. “For now, I don’t need loyalty,” he tells Lyssa, “I need control.” In other words, this isn’t about egomania; this is about using the Corps as a tool to achieve his own ends, of which he gives a remarkably clear statement here: “to bring order…to enforce justice…through fear! …The Sinestro Corps does not start a war—against the Green Lanterns or anyone else—for anything so fleeting as revenge.”

That mission will undoubtedly afford “opportunities for kingliness or hideousness in equal measure,” perpetuating his mixed image and standing in DC continuity. It’s doubtful that anyone, even his own daughter, will ever be able to squarely place him on one side of the moral compass or the other, but that’s what keeps any interaction with Sinestro interesting. And any interaction between him and Natu has to be interesting, given the many points of contention between them: their family history, his crimes toward Korugar, their opposing cosmic loyalties, etc. All this must play against their mutual concern for their race, and these competing forces will make their relationship a very intriguing thing to watch.

At any rate, you’re much more interested in these developing tensions than anything to do with the anti-emotion Paling, who make only a brief appearance in the issue and whom Lyssa strives in vain to trump up as a serious threat. As I said last month, the Paling’s similarities to past Lantern antagonists make it hard to concern yourself too greatly with them, and Bunn won’t help matters the longer he waits to clarify who they are and what they want.

Eaglesham is clearly enjoying stretching his artistic legs through more vicious territory than we’re accustomed to seeing him wander. The amount of detail he puts into every baleful, predatory expression in the issue shows how much he’s relishing the series, and in certain close-ups, the sharp, pointed features of the characters, including the most horrific, call to mind Ethan Van Sciver’s work. Credit also goes to Wright, who uses the yellow hues of the Sinestro Corps like the flickering glows of firelight, giving you the impression that as dangerous as it is to be seen in that light, it’s even more dangerous to stray away from it.

Conclusion: A mostly productive issue whose greater purpose, which it accomplishes beautifully, is to remind you that its star is indeed a badass.

Grade: B+

– Minhquan Nguyen

Some Musings: – I’m sorry to see Robot Yellow Lantern destroyed. He bore an uncanny resemblance to Rosie from The Jetsons.