Green Lantern #56 [2010] by Geoff Johns

GREEN LANTERN #56

Hector Hammond is shown to be communicating with someone on the Planet Ryut. A possible Shadow Guardian who has claimed to have written the oath of the Green Lanterns long ago and once protected the universe. This person is currently collecting the entities that power their respective corps. The entity of fear the Parallax is shown imprisoned on the Planet Ryut after the Blackest Night.

The Shadow Guardian travels to Space Sector 1760 to retrieve Ion and brings it back to the Planet Ryut. In the process of retrieving the entity Ion, the Shadow Guardian also frees Green Lantern Sodam Yat who was attached to Ion from within the Daxam star. The star changes from yellow to red and depowering the citizens of the Planet Daxam.

On Ysmault the Red Lantern Atrocitus has agreed to return to Earth due to the secret pact between Guy Gardner and Ganthet. Atrocitus makes his arrival known to the commuters of the New York subway system. He discovers the other entities to be scattered across the United States however Ion and Parallax are missing.

Sinestro discovers a White Lantern on Earth and has called both Hal Jordan and Carol Ferris after they all agreed on an intergalactic truce between the corps after Blackest Night. They all arrive at the location of the White Lantern and it tells them to find the other entities: Ion, Predator, Ophidian, Adara, Proselyte, and the Butcher. The White Lantern teleports them to Atrocitus.

Hal Jordan finds Atrocitus and a fight ensues between them however it is interrupted by Lobo. Atrocitus explains that the entities are on Earth and an evil has already collected both Parallax and Ion. The combined might of Atrocitus, Sinestro, Ferris, and Jordan hold Lobo at bay and he leaves. However we find out later the fight was staged by Atrocitus so the other Lanterns will side with him. As payment Atrocitus gives Lobo a Red Lantern Ring.

The Shadow Guardian is on Earth and continues to communicate with Hector Hammond revealing he is conducting an experiment to change how the universe feels. He frees Hammond from his prison and sends him on a mission. Meanwhile the Blue Lantern Saint Walker is in Nanda Parbat and discovers the entity of the Blue Lantern Adara is on Earth.

Jordan investigates a disturbance in North Branch, Minnesota and discovers Larfleeze is on Earth. Larfleeze explains the planet’s insatiable appeitate for greed through commercials and the gift giver Santa Claus. Jordan explains the threat of someone taking the entities including his Ophidian the Tempter and wants to know how to imprison the other entities.

However Hector Hammond arrives and wants to know how to break Ophidian the Tempter out. Hammond instead swallows the orange lantern and becomes the host for Ophidian. Like the stories before Geoff Johns delivers and gives the reader their money’s worth of stories. Johns presents Hal Jordan as what he really is a cop on the beat when dealing with Larfleeze. The momentum within the New Guardians story arc enhances the overall Green Lantern universe.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED – 5 OUT OF 5