In "Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps" #4, Robert Venditti and Ethan Van Sciver continue their rebuilding of the GLC, with a second Green Lantern encountering Sinestro even as the villain's plan unfolds. But while Hal may still be down for the count, this book reminds us why this book isn't just titled "Hal Jordan" #4.

Feeding the Fear Engine

After claims that the Sinestro Corps existed to bring law and order to the universe -- in other words, that they were the good guys, honest -- "Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps" #4 belays that once and for all. Having gone on a rampage last issue terrifying the populations they claimed to protect and then snatching people up, "Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps" #4 follows through with the revelation that the scared people being stolen are going to be thrown into the Fear Engine. The exact mechanics of just what the Fear Engine is are still to be determined, but it's easy to imagine that it's connected to the fear entity Parallax (currently inhabiting Sinestro and keeping his body young) and perhaps fueling its own energies.

At the same time, the uncontrollable nature of the Sinestro Corps is most definitely on display. Sinestro directly murders one member (Strafe) for disobeying an order to bring Hal Jordan directly to him. We're also reminded on just how creepy a lot of these Sinestro Corps members are as the child-kidnapping alien Kryb is tasked with bringing a snatched child back to its home planet, rather than getting sacrificed to the Fear Engine. But while it sounds like a good call on Sinestro's part, the response from Kryb bodes poorly for the child, a reminder that Kryb is many things, but trustworthy is not one of them.

Finally, the one member of the Sinestro Corps that you can depend on for good things is Soranik. Considering she was a Green Lantern who was shanghaied/forced into being a member of the Sinestro Corps (right before the Green Lantern Corps vanished), she's at best an unwilling ally, at worst a captive. As she continues to disobey her father Sinestro, her exact role going forward is certainly up in the air. Will she be able to rejoin her original Corps? Or will she be able to start remaking the Sinestro Corps from within?

Green Lantern Corps Rebirth

Soranik's current betrayal is centered on Hal Jordan, who's still badly hurt from his fight in the previous issue. That said, his death would have been a certainty if it wasn't for Soranik, who used a combination of her medical training and her Yellow Lantern Ring to literally stitch him back up. Hal's wound looks rather horrific even after she's done with him, though. If he's to be mobile again, we'll either need to discover an actual healing property of the yellow energy, or some other technology will need to get wheeled out.

With Hal Jordan out cold, it's now up to Guy Gardner to not only confront Sinestro but hear about his schemes. In many ways it's Guy's issue to shine. Venditti gives us a Guy Gardner who is openly defiant and dismissive of Sinestro. It's a good depiction of the long-time Green Lantern; over the years many depictions have made Guy an out-and-out jerk, but this hard-nosed, sneering Guy makes more sense, allowing readers to cheer him on while giving him an edge. First and foremost with this depiction of Guy Gardner is his unyielding willpower, something that reminds us on why he's such an effective choice for the Green Lantern Corps.

Speaking of the Green Lantern Corps, this issue targets the rest of the Corps for finally heading into action. After keeping them lost in space while Guy Gardner went on a recon mission, it's a relief to see the rest of the GLC doing more than biding their time in a random corner of the universe. This storyline is clearly aimed at firmly establishing the Green Lantern Corps as a force in the DC Universe once more, along those lines their confronting the Sinestro Corps must be imminent. With Hal Jordan and Guy Gardner both in the hands of various members of the Sinestro Corps, we're one small step away from the entire Corps being re-formed. It's been a while since the Green Lantern Corps was the premiere intergalactic police force of the DC Universe, but "Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps" #4 is clearly part of the plan to fix that once and for all.