I'm so glad that Ivan Reis had that extra month to work on the art, because, as always, it is simply gorgeous.
We begin with Nekron having some of his dead minions drag forth a passl of Guardians. There is a light behind him, and it casts some ominous...and very intriguing shadows. As Nekron is getting his jollies from threatening a Guardian, Hal and the rest of the ring-bearers are busy pouring light and energy into him...with NO effect whatsoever...a point that Sinestro points out in a suitably sneering manner. And in the middle of all the commotion, Black Hand runs into Atrocitus, and it is an interesting moment when they...recognize each other.
Then Lex goes a little nutsy from the power of the Orange ring. Did I say nusty? I mean nutsier! Guess he wants ALL of the rings. Heck even Larfleeze is startled! Oh, and he really really wants to be Superman.
Meanwhile, far above Coast City, poor John is busy holding off a couple of billion Black Lanterns. And Black Lantern Air Wave shows up! Wave to all of the nice people! But in a two-page spread that I would LOVE to show if only my furshlugginer scanner worked, Guy and Kyle and Kilowog and Warth and Fatality and ALL of the Green Lanterns, Star Sapphires, Indigoes, Red Lanterns, Blue Lanterns and Sinestro Corps show up! It's one helluva panel. There is a slight misunderstanding with the Rage Lanterns, and Air Wave tries to eat Guy, but once they get that cleared up, a dissembodied voice begins to exhort all the assembled Corps, telling them to work together. It's rather a nice conceit, as each word ballon has a different background color, and finally it ends with "all will be well." Oh, and SOMEthing...or someONE is really trying to get out of the Black Battery.
Nekron gets bored with torturing his little Guardian, and slits his throat, and out pours his guts. His multi-coloured guts. Black Hand has some fun playing with them on the ground...there's that symbol again, and then Nekron commands the Trespasser to...RISE!
And in a brilliant flash of light, there is the Entity of Life itself. Just as Parallax is the entity of Fear, and Ion of Willpower, and the Predator of Love, and so on and so forth, there is an Entity of Life. And finally then Ganthet spills the beans. Life first arose in the Universe on Earth, but they suppressed that fact, and kept the Entity hidden. That's why they never chose any Earth people as Green Lanterns. Sinestro is beside himself at this point. He realizes that Abin Sur was the one to figure this all out, and that the Guardians were responsible partly for his death. Needless to say, he's not pleased. And now finally, I understand why Abin Sur gave that little smile just before he died, when the ring picked Hal...and he said basically...and Earth Man...who'd a thunk?
Oh the irony.
So, Nekron is torturing the Trespasser Entity, and everyone still alive is reeling, since they feel it as well. It finally dawns on Hal, that in order for it to fight back, it needs a pilot. And since he had such fun with Parallax, he decides, what the heck, and tries to do it again. Except THIS time, Sinestro is way ahead of him.
And I got chills up and down my spine.
