Green Lantern Corps, Volume 6: Blackest Night

Green Lantern Corps (2006)

by Peter J. Tomasi (Writer), Patrick Gleason (Illustrator)

Writer Peter J. Tomasi and hot artist Patrick Gleason expand on the War of the Light as the evil Black Lanterns descend on all of the Corps throughout the universe in this must-read Blackest Night tie-in that features key plot points that are essential to enjoying the storyline to its fullest. Just when things couldn't look any darker, Green Lantern's Kyle Rayner, Guy Gardner, John Stewart join the rest of the GL Corps in the fight to preserve the Central Power Battery and the planet Oa from being consumed by the Black Lanterns. This deadly battle threatens to engulf not only the Corps, but the Universe itself!

Collecting: Green Lantern Corps 39-47

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Superheroes, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics, Science Fiction

264 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Peter J. Tomasi is an American comic book writer, best known for his work for DC Comics, such as Batman And Robin; Superman; Super Sons; Batman: Detective Comics; Green Lantern Corps; and Superman/Wonder Woman; as well as Batman: Arkham Knight; Brightest Day; Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors; Nightwing; Black Adam, and many more.

In the course of his staff career at DC Comics, Tomasi served as a group editor and ushered in new eras for Batman, Green Lantern, and the JSA, along with a host of special projects like Kingdom Come.

He is also the author of the creator-owned titles House Of Penance with artist Ian Bertram; Light Brigade with artist Peter Snejbjerg; The Mighty with Keith Champagne and Chris Samnee; and the critically acclaimed epic graphic novel The Bridge: How The Roeblings Connected Brooklyn To New York, illustrated by Sara DuVall and published by Abrams ComicArts.

In 2018 New York Times best-selling author Tomasi received the Inkpot Award for achievement in comics.

Reviews

[Alejandro · Rating 2 out of 5]

The weakest part of “Blackest Night” event.


I bought this in its single comic book issues, but I’ve chosen this TPB edition to be able of making a better overall review.


This TPB edition contains “Green Lantern Corps” #39-46. Featuring a part of the “Blackest Night” event.


Creative Team:

Writer: Peter J. Tomasi

Illustrator: Patrick Gleason


SO MUCH SHOOTING, SO LITTLE DRAMA

Well, it was a disappointing that while the main event of Blackest Night and the tie-in featured in Green Lantern were quite exciting and entertained…

…the tie-in part appearing here, Green Lantern Corps was quite tedious, showing only Green Lantern Corps members shooting (and without even making cool construcs but plain energy beams) against Black Lantern members, with some agents of the other Corps teams in the middle of the conflict.

So, eight issues of plain comic book brawl is just too much, without much character development.
There were some moments with Kyle Rayner and Guy Gardner interacting with past love interests, that they were now Black Lantern members, but still it wasn’t that rich at the end.

Of course, there is a very cool moment with Mogo, the Green Lantern living planet, but even that, not matter how cool was…

…we are talking about a whole tie-in arc, therefore, I was expecting a little less of massive fighting and a little more of creative character development.

If you haven’t read Blackest Night event yet, I can recommend you to stick only to the Main Event and the Green Lantern tie-in arc…

…you won’t get much additional with the arc in Green Lantern Corps here.

[Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, I can't believe I finally made it to the end of this humungous story arc. I read it piecemeal by suggested reading order, so it took forever to end this one volume. Same goes for a few other volumes.

What a ride. The Corps have the big action and the big sweeping stories tied down. Galactic, world-breaking stories. I could stare at some of that complicated art for along time, especially the really huge battles on Oa, Mogo, even the near eradication of all life on earth. It's pretty damn epic.

Guy and Kyle are starting to grow on me after all this. It's not all about Hal anymore.

I still don't give a shit about the bar, though.

Blackest Night kicked serious ass.

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the Black Lantern Corps was sacking Earth, what was going on back on Oa, and how were the Green Lantern Corps at large dealing with it? As it turns out, I didn't much care. No, it wasn't bad, just... lackluster. Especially compared with some of the strong writing this event brought out. The best issue in the lot was probably the post-disaster issue, showing the devastated planet and dealing with some Lantern politics that would probably mean a lot more to somebody who'd been keeping up with this stuff. Totally secondary to the Blackest Night storyline, and can be safely skipped.

[James DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Green Latern Corps is about to be infected with the Black Rings and shit is about to go down.

Like it's big brother series, the main Green Lantern series, the black rings are on the loose. Traveling the galaxy bringing back the dead to fuck with the living. Kyle, Guy, and the rest of the Green Lanterns now have to face the dead which consist of their friends, lovers, and family. If that's not bad enough someone in the crew goes Red and becomes a angry little beast. This action packed volume does not disappoint.

Good: Really loved the hell out of the pacing. High end action with tons of great character growth moments and fights to help boost it. The art is fantastic and showcases big battles and emotional moments alike. The death of someone is both emotional and powerful, and even the after effects of it are badass. The last great things I have to mention is the dialogue, very well done.

Bad: Feels slightly disjointed at moments, especially if haven't read any of the main series.

A very high 4 out of 5. High end action with great character moments, what we want in comics.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Not the best in the Blackest Night arc (my opinion, of course). Could be that I'm just burned out on Blackest Night, but this one seemed a little on the cheesy side.

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read collected, Blackest Night Green Lantern Corps may be the strongest tie-in volume to the DCU's undead event. It tells a linear story that is easy to follow, no matter what your previous knowledge is. Patrick Gleason, who is often overshadowed by his more prominent fellow artists on the GL titles turns in some of his strongest work here. His detailed splash pages are a joy to comb through, and nearly all his sketches feature creepy background images that suit this story well. Pete Tomasi continues to capture the relationships between Kyle Rayner, Guy Gardener, Soranik Natu, Arisa and more that he has so masterfully managed during this team's run on the title. The final issue is a fitting epilogue to this memorable run.

[Nico · Rating 4 out of 5]

The last volume I had to read in the Blackest Night Event. I'll admit I've put it off because this has become my favourite Event in DC Comics thus far. I'm glad it ended on a high note.

My favourite parts were easily the middle. Look, I love the relationship between Kyle and Guy, so those issues where Guy went Red Lantern was basically Nico-specific fan-service and I loved it all. That hug though - we all want hugs like that (specifically from Guy in my case, the man's an enormous angry and sarcastic loudmouth teddy bear softie in disguise). His relationship with Kyle makes him a better man and Lantern (and vice versa) and for all the shit they talk, we got to see how much they care about each other in pretty serious and heartbreaking detail. Good stuff.

The confronting old girlfriends got a bit tired by the time we got to Kyle and Alex at the end there, but otherwise I think it was pretty well done. Soranik was never my absolute favourite, but she was a strong-willed badass in this volume, and I appreciated that. I think my problem is I prefer seeing Kyle and Guy bantering and fighting things than dealing with serious relationship stuff (which was present in this a lot), but that's my preference and not a problem with the writing itself. That said, that's pretty much the reason why this lost a star in the end.

I liked the closure of the last issue [read: I liked watching Arisia punch a Guardian in the fucking face inside their most precious sanctum]. Between the bar, Salaak making it clear he won't play puppet, and the release of the rings it just felt like a decent wrap up. I was impressed that there wasn't really a "weak" issue, though the early "looking for my children" storyline wasn't my favourite, but it didn't take up too much time.

The art, as usual in the Blackest Night event, was fantastic with the blackness of space against the various coloured Lantern Corps. There were several full page spreads that were pretty damn awesome to behold.

Honestly I just love the Lantern Corps and I love Blackest Night, so this was made for me to enjoy. Peter Tomasi generally hasn't let me down, so that's one more in the win column for him in my "can count on" creators list. I'm sad I've finished this Event but it's definitely one I'll be enjoying multiple times over again.

[Eric Burton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another tie-in to the Blackest Night event, that actually adds a lot of great stuff. I loved everything with Guy Gardner, Kyle and Soranik. Good stuff.

[Wing Kee · Rating 4 out of 5]

THIS is what an ensemble event book should read like!

Wow this book is dense, there are so many character and so many things going on at once, but not once did I feel lost or that what I was reading meant nothing, this is a testament to the creative teams wonderful pacing and writing. Like Green Lantern this entire book is dedicated to the 'Blackest Night' event and it told in the point of view of the GL Corps members and it's fantastic.

World: The art is wonderful. I've said it so many times so I'll be brief, the art pops, the rings looks powerful the flight and sense of motion great. My God the splash pages in this book are stunning. The world building here is also wonderful, calling back DC history with each of the character Tomasi and Co. want to focus on. Yes, it's a formulaic plot structure that is being used again and again in 'Blackest Night' but it works, drawing up the past to make the present story so much more. So much of the time and effort that last couple of years of the GL books to build this world come to fruition and it's pretty fantastic, all the different lantern characters and locations come crashing together to world building goodness.

Story: Packed densely and moves super briskly. It's a roller coaster ride much like the rest of this series, but with 'Blackest Night' the stakes are high indeed. There are so many characters in this tale but for some reason each of them gets some development and time and that's because Tomasi is a great writers. The entire middle section with Kyle, and Guy was absolutely incredible and full of emotion, it was a ride. I can't say anymore cause I don't want to ruin anything but man this is just non stop but also hits emotionally.

Characters: There is a surprising amount of character development found in this arc, this is because the plot structure of 'Blackest Night' lends itself to character moments and dialog. The best is found in the middle with Kyle, Guy, Natu and Co. It's great. But that's not all, Vath, Cribb and others all get stories and it's a wonderful thing when Tomasi juggles all of it so well. The characters make this event something more than just the explosions and cool visuals, you care, and you feel for them.

Wonderful! This is a hell of a ride and one with a strong emotional core, I think this one is even superior to the main GL series in terms of tying into 'Black Night' the middle section is simply so good. Read it!

Onward to the next book!

[Karli · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love the team of Peter J. Tomasi and Patrick Gleason. They work so well together. Not only on Green Lantern Corps, but they're also killing it on Batman and Robin right now.

What I love about the Green Lantern Corps comic, even outside the Blackest Night event, is that it doesn't always focus on Guy, John, or Kyle; it'll have side-stories about Isamot Kol and Vath Sarn, or Iolande and Soranik Natu, or whoever. I really loved the ending part with Isamot and Vath.

As with the other BN tie-ins, this adds so much to Blackest Night and I think it's essential to read along with it. Here's a link to a list of the correct reading order. It should be noted that not all of the issues listed are collected in the BN books. Most are, but the Booster Gold, R.E.B.E.L.S., Solomon Grundy, Outsiders, Doom Patrol, Teen Titans, Suicide Squad, Superman/Batman, and Secret Six comics are not. Also, the prelude stuff isn't necessary, but it's some good stuff.

Also, one of the BN books is titled "Blackest Night: Tales of the Corps." The issues collected in this book aren't listed in that list I linked to, with the exception of Adventure Comics #4-5. This book should be the first of the BN books you read.

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

What doesn't work here are the members of the Indigo Tribe, Mogo (once a fun supporting character now seemingly a deus ex machina piece), Miri, and the screwing with Guy Gardenr's character (why make him a ticking time bomb?). What does work are the efforts to add some character depth (note I say some) to Corps members Salaak, and the feuding (they are such a slash couple) partners Isamot and Vath. Also points for trying to poke good natured fun at women in refrigerators.

[Austin · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was a great book I have read a few of the green lantern book and that were really good this one was graphic but not as much. I liked it because it was a great read and kept my attention throughout the whole book

I gave this book a 3 star rating because it was good but I am not really interested in these book but I enjoyed it a lot it is like the other books there is 3 story's in it and the stories are all very colorful and I liked it a lot.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though it does not have the widescreen appeal of the main Green Lantern comic, this one really goes to the heart of the characters, helping it rise up to the next level.

[Brandt · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I recently reviewed the DC "event" book Blackest Night and the corresponding Green Lantern: Blackest Night collection, I argued that both collections were pretty much essential to understand the whole Blackest Night narrative, since the "event" had its origins in Geoff Johns' run on Green Lantern and had really started to pick up steam with The Sinestro Corps War . Since there are many more Green Lanterns than just Hal Jordan, of course any story line that involves Green Lantern (and the fact that there are other colored Corps) would also spill over into Green Lantern Corps. The problem I've had up to now is that whenever I felt like Johns was going to throw GLC writer Peter Tomasi a bone and let some of the Blackest Night lead up take place in this book, instead it appears that Tomasi treads water, allowing Johns to finish whatever plot point needs to be resolved to continue the path to Blackest Night. The best example of this is the looming conflict between Sinestro and Mongul, who takes over the Sinestro Corps after The Sinestro Corps War. Mongul takes over the Sinestro Corps in the pages of Green Lantern Corps, and Sinestro does make an appearance in GLC after the events of Rage of the Red Lanterns , but the showdown happens in the pages of Green Lantern and not here. Yes, Blackest Night is Johns' baby, but this sort of thing makes Green Lantern Corps feel superfluous.

Unfortunately, it's more of the same here. While Green Lantern: Blackest Night is essential reading when reading Blackest Night, this volume is not. In Blackest Night there are essentially two fronts for the action--Oa, home of the Guardians of the Universe, creators of the Green Lantern Corps and of course Earth. Surprise, surprise--it turns out Earth is the more important of the two fronts, and that front is heavily addressed in Blackest Night and the corresponding Green Lantern volume. The "bone" here is the action on Oa, and Tomasi tries his best to work with a B team version of the different Corps members that appear in the other books (with the exception of Larfleeze, since there can only be one Orange Lantern.) But the fact is that Blackest Night is not Tomasi's story and he's taking his marching orders from Johns. In the process he basically covers previously covered ground (Guy Gardner has an encounter with a red ring...unfortunately Jordan had already had one in Rage of the Red Lanterns) and just keeps the tempo until all of the Corps show up at the end of Blackest Night. At that point, the story belongs to Johns again, and he finishes it up.

I would be interested to see what Tomasi could do without some umbrella story arc overshadowing his work. There are always little glimmers of something bigger in Green Lantern Corps but when the big stuff goes down, it always happens in Green Lantern. That makes sense to a degree, but it is a bummer for other creative teams that need to fall in line and aren't given the freedom to do what they want.

[Rihards Husko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of the three central books of the Blackest Night event (this, BN, and BN:Green Lantern), this is the weakest and least vital, emphasising action over drama. But my personal investment in these characters and some great ass-kicking scenes kept me well entertained nonetheless.

Being a Green Lantern is a dangerous job, one that almost certainly ends in death. The Corps has buried many of their own, and now their buried are coming back to drag the survivors down with them.

The heart of the book is the Corps members’ relationships with one another and the precarious fate of the shiny green space cops as an organization. If you don't care about any of that, there isn't much in this book for you, as all the important developments happen in the other two books.

But seeing Guy Gardner, of all people, break down after personal loss was incredibly endearing (and his going absolutely apeshit afterwards is in equal parts terrifying and thrilling). Watching Kilowog have every poozer he’d trained and lost throw his supposed failure in his face is painful. Witnessing Kyle and Natu reaffirm their love for one another is great (and badass). Even Vath and Isamot have their moments. Mogo is the MVP (though his abilities seem to grow with each passing GLC event).

Patrick Gleason does some of his best work on the series here. His slightly cartoony style might not sell the horror as strongly as Reis’ hyper-detailed work on the main series, but it works great for a bombastic action series, which is what this mainly ends up being anyway.

While not as amazing as its two counterparts, I found Blackest Night: Green Lantern Corps to be an immensely enjoyable, fun read nonetheless.

P.S. For some reason, this was the sole book of the lot on Kindle that had full-resolution scans and normal formatting for spreads. So weird, but a nice change.

[Carl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This will serve as my review for all of the "Blackest Night" graphic novels as a collection.

I feel that someone needs to do a list of in what order to read all of this. Because . . . it's a lot. And when you read the individual stories from the various points of view, there are chapters missing that are filled in by reading a different story. Only when you've read the entire collection can you see how all the pieces fit together, and that wasn't super fun for me. But it's still a fun read. I almost decided to call these "comic books" but there was enough depth and commentary on the human condition that I think they qualify as "graphic novels." The idea that there are these 7 emotions present in basically all sentient life across the universe I find interesting, as well as the idea that combining the emotions all together is, in the end, the healthiest way to exist.

Of note were three individual stories that I found myself moved by:

1. The story of Saint Walker becoming the first blue lantern moved me quite a bit. The "religion" he espouses is a little cliche, but I was glad to see it represented. He may be a fictional character, but that attitude of "all will be well" is one that I still aspire to.

2. The story of Wonder Girl having to kill the Black Lantern versions of her dead husband and dead infant son was heartbreaking.

3. The story of Wonder Woman and the guardians at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington was pitch perfect. Those two soldiers, wearing dress uniforms and with no real weaponry, absolutely would stand up and continue to guard the Tomb against all of the risen Black Lanterns from the rest of Arlington National Cemetery and yes, would be pure will.

Enjoyed the series. Might enjoy a re-read now that I have all the parts (and I did go back to re-read some of it, and yes it made more sense with all the puzzle pieces). 4 stars overall.

[Adam Stone · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you've been reading the Green Lantern Corps volumes leading up to this event, then this is the gentlest transition of all the Blackest Night sidebooks. It's the natural continuation of the the tales of Guy Gardner, Kyle Rayner, Soranik Natu, Mogo, Saarek, Sodam Yat, Stel, Salaak, and everyone else featured in the ongoing series. The chemistry between the characters continue to build, even as the book seems to launch from action scene to action scene. The first four issues are a satisfying story. The epilogue is....fine.

If you haven't been reading the Green Lantern Corps books, this is probably a huge, confusing mess of too many characters, and not enough breathing room to figure out what's going on.

It is unnecessary if you just want to read the Blackest Night book. And it's not as accessible as the Batman, Superman, or Green Arrow side-stories because holy Oan clusterfluff are there Too Many Characters.

But, again, if you've been reading and enjoying the regular Green Lantern Corps title, this doesn't feel like one of those event books that distracts from the overall story. This has been the goal for the ongoing story since Johns took over Green Lantern, and it slides perfectly into the larger event.

[Seth Abernethy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Arguably some of the best Green Lantern Corps issues to date, Gleason does it again here with the Blackest Night. Tensions within the corps are building up against the Guardians leadership, Guy Gardner and Kyle Rayner's bond strengthens even greater than before, Arisia Rrab hits her stride, and we get the team up of the century with a spectrum-wide Corps army. These are only naming a few of the best moments in volume 6. There are no bad issues, and each one is full of heart-pounding action, intrigue, and the occasional heartbreak. This volume is a shining example of why Green Lantern Corps is one of the best series published during this time. If you have been reading up to this point, don't stop now. If you have never read GLC before in your life but you're going through Blackest Night, do not skip this. If you just love Guy Gardner and/or Kyle Rayner and want to read something with them no matter the order, absolutely read this. There is no bad reason to pick up this volume and you will not be disappointed.

[Chuck Ventura · Rating 5 out of 5]

This trade works better when read alongside the main Blackest Night event, so make sure you have that trade at hand too.

That aside, Tomasi ties up all loose ends to the final part of his GLC run. Every (main) GLC member gets a complete and satisfying character arc, especially Kyle Rayner. From a personal perspective, I was afraid he'd gotten shunted to the side after Hal Jordan came back as the main GL. But Kyle still grew as a character here, alongside his fellow corpsmen, who all got their respective hero moment in this trade.

[Russell Pearce of Sector 2814 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of the stories in the Blackest Night this is probably my favorite one. I Have always been more of a fan of the other Green Lantern's that aren't Hal Jordan and this centers around those. Tomasi does a great job of weaving his plot threads from previous books into the dialogue of this one which is great for the world building and characterizations of lesser GLs

[Graham Blair · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fills in the gaps of what the rest of the Green Lanterns are doing during Blackest Night.
There are some really heart warming panels in this such as the friendship between Kyle and Guy and the relationship between Kyle and Natu.
Definitely worth a read if you are reading the Blackest Night Event and wanting more background on what the other Corps are doing to help save the universe.

[Clive Barnard]

Story wraps round Blackest Night fine but disappointing art

I enjoyed the story, not as good as the main story but fine. I was taken out of the story plenty of times by the art. Bodies twisted in angles that would kill anyone and inconsistent look for the main characters. Filled some gaps in the main story but not needed. Get it cheap if you must.

[Umair Sial · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not a regular comic book reader, however I do read sometimes. I was disappointed in this collection. It has far too much action to effectively communicate the situation in the different areas. The illustrations seem to make things even more confusing.

[Zachary Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not into it as GL, but it gave me more appreciation for the rest of the GLC. The storylines and characters were worth it considering I came into it not caring for any of them and expecting this to be a chore.

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read by mistake thanks to a bad title. Blackest Night is extremely well regarded but this isn’t that - it’s a companion story of what’s happening elsewhere in the universe at the same time. As such, it’s really only interesting if you’ve already read the original.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

I liked this volume, but it did get overwhelming at times since almost the entire volume was a space battle filled with a bunch of pretty colors. It did help flesh out the Blackest Night story, but we already knew how a lot of this ended, so to speak.

[Julius Cavira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blackest Night is one of the best sagas that DC has put out over the years. The great unknown of the universe have many sinister threats that grow and fester into monumental proportions to the point of no return—- Bringing a new era into existence! But don’t take my word for it!

[Trey Kennedy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a decent tie in to an incredible series. It’s not necessary to enjoy Blackest Night, but it does fill in the background of what’s going on in that series well.

[Ian · Rating 1 out of 5]

No one should ever have to see that much exposition per square inch.

[Hannah Stranex · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it. I haven't read much Lantern stuff, and this made me interested enough in some characters that I would like to read more. The art is lovely - I really enjoy this style.