Saturday, May 09, 2009
Comic Art
SO BAD, THEY'RE GOOD
The Green Lantern family of comic books is rapidly becoming one of the most popular and well done in the DC line. GL has always been a staple of the DCU, but Hal Jordan et. al. seem to be taking over just about everything right now.
The renegade lantern Sinestro lies at the heart of this surge of all things Lantern. Reading through the last few years of Lantern titles is a lesson in watching a staple villain emerge as a superstar. It really started with the death and resurrection of Hal Jordan and the discovery of the real source of the "yellow weakness" suffered by bearers of the ring. Since that time Sinestro has emerged as a complex and richly motivated foe for the Guardians and their Corps of do-gooders.
Sinestro has alternately been pure evil and opposer to the rather overbearing Guardians that created the GLC. He has been a catalyst for the Guardians to discover their own flaws and served as a constraint on the near-god-like status of the Guardians and the power bestowed on the Lanterns. A really good villain shapes the hero(s).
As a former Lantern himself, the parallels to the fallen angel Lucifer are also fascinating with this character - though a point can be stretched too far, for the Guardians are not God. Where Lucifer cannot shape God for God is pure good, Sinestro has indeed helped the Guardians see their flaws.
This one supplies me with insight into modern culture, for I have heard comic geeks draw this comparison and use it to illustrate the supposed less than perfect nature of what they perceive as the Christian God. While the writers have been careful, if subtle, to make sure that the comparison is invalid, Sinesror has provided this writer with some interesting insight into how popular culture can affect religious thinking.
The Green Lantern family of comic books is rapidly becoming one of the most popular and well done in the DC line. GL has always been a staple of the DCU, but Hal Jordan et. al. seem to be taking over just about everything right now.The renegade lantern Sinestro lies at the heart of this surge of all things Lantern. Reading through the last few years of Lantern titles is a lesson in watching a staple villain emerge as a superstar. It really started with the death and resurrection of Hal Jordan and the discovery of the real source of the "yellow weakness" suffered by bearers of the ring. Since that time Sinestro has emerged as a complex and richly motivated foe for the Guardians and their Corps of do-gooders.
Sinestro has alternately been pure evil and opposer to the rather overbearing Guardians that created the GLC. He has been a catalyst for the Guardians to discover their own flaws and served as a constraint on the near-god-like status of the Guardians and the power bestowed on the Lanterns. A really good villain shapes the hero(s).As a former Lantern himself, the parallels to the fallen angel Lucifer are also fascinating with this character - though a point can be stretched too far, for the Guardians are not God. Where Lucifer cannot shape God for God is pure good, Sinestro has indeed helped the Guardians see their flaws.
This one supplies me with insight into modern culture, for I have heard comic geeks draw this comparison and use it to illustrate the supposed less than perfect nature of what they perceive as the Christian God. While the writers have been careful, if subtle, to make sure that the comparison is invalid, Sinesror has provided this writer with some interesting insight into how popular culture can affect religious thinking.
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