SPOILER WARNING: The following article contains major spoilers for Superman #29 and #30 by Keith Champagne and Doug Mahnke, on sale now.


As readers saw in Superman #29, a couple dozen of Metropolis' children have been abducted by the living entity of fear known as Parallax in order to lure the Man of Steel into a conflict that would allow the demonic being to take over his form. Of course, where goes Parallax, so eventually goes Sinestro, the Yellow Lantern who long wielded the entity's power by way of his power ring, who does indeed confront a Parallax-possessed Superman in Keith Champagne and Doug Mahnke's current issue.

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The ever-stoic Big Blue, though, isn't about to let himself serve as a weapon for either Parallax or Sinestro, and in standing up to them, may very well have officially gained himself a new enemy.

Is Hal Jordan's Ultimate Foe Now Also Superman's?

No sooner do Sinestro and Super-Parallax engage in battle, though, then they are transported to Sinestro's base of operations on the world of Qward (freeing the children of Metropolis from Parallax's thrall). Sinestro's own Weaponers, acting on his orders, transport the duo and subsequently take down and imprison the Parallax-controlled Superman. Seeking to regain control of Parallax and reestablish the Sinestro Corps, Sinestro attempts to exorcise the creature from Superman's body by stoking the Man of Steel's deepest fears, only to discover that Parallax had already relinquished his grip.

Sinestro then battles the formless being to a stalemate before Superman takes possession of the weary Sinestro's power ring, and placing it on his own finger, overcomes his fears as well as Parallax himself, imprisoning the entity back within the confines of the yellow ring. With the power that Sinestro himself had sought now safely contained and incapacitated, Superman refuses to return his yellow ring to him. Knowing he hasn't the power to defeat Superman, Sinestro transports himself away, but not before swearing to the Man of Steel that he's made himself a new enemy – Sinestro himself.

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Sinestro Needs To Be A Bad Guy, Not A Supporting Character

Of course, it's not like Superman and Sinestro were ever pals, or anything – they've always been ideological enemies, just not each other's direct adversary. Supes has always been content to let Hal Jordan and fellow Green Lanterns deal with Sinestro's antics, with The Man of Steel ready to lend a hand if asked. Hal might have likewise provided some aid to Superman, had he asked when Parallax came to town, but Sinestro's subsequent arrival in Metropolis, and the nearly immediate disappearance of all parties involved, meant that Superman had to deal with Green Lantern's arch-foe all by his lonesome. Such confrontations can breed their own animosity, and by dealing Sinestro's plans such a crippling blow, Superman learns that he's earned the wrath of Sinestro just as much as Hal Jordan has.

In recent years, Sinestro's presence in the Green Lantern mythos has been so prolific that the villain has become more of a supporting character in the Green Lantern titles than a true foe, despite his villainous deeds and ways. His evil arrogance has always made him enough of a scumbag to easily be the kind of bad guy readers love to hate, and he could all but twirl that mustache like a top hat-wearing serial villain. Sinestro needs to be an outright supervillain, and if it can't be in Green Lantern, well maybe he can truly reclaim that role within the pages of Superman as part of Supes' rogues gallery.

In fact, does Superman even have a decent rogues' gallery right now, or at least one as cool as his peers? Batman has long had The Joker, The Riddler, Catwoman and countless other colorful villains to tangle with. Flash has Professor Zoom, Captain Cold, Mirror Master and many other baddies to duke it out against. Superman, meanwhile, has Lex Luthor, sure, and maybe Doomsday, but beyond that, who else in the Man of Steel's roster of villains can be taken seriously? Bizarro is largely played for laughs. Mr. Mxyzptlk has never really fit well within a modern context. Who's left? Toyman?

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No, if after decades of existence Superman truly had a gallery of foes worthy of Batman and his colleagues, General Zod wouldn't have had to be rescued from obscurity to be featured as the main villain in Superman II. And even with foes like Brainiac and Parasite, Superman's primary enemies have collectively never been as memorable as those of DC's other heroes. If existing and newly-created villains alike don't seem to stick, then maybe one borrowed from another franchise can, and Champagne certainly establishes why Sinestro could be that villain.

Superman's Courage vs. Sinestro's Fear Is A Natural

Yes, Superman really has Sinestro ticked off, but Champagne puts forth more than just that as a basis for true acrimony. Always a source of inspiration, Superman turns to Sinestro's Weaponers and encourages them to demonstrate the same kind of courage he had, to reclaim their brave heritage and stand up to Sinestro's tyrannical ways upon his inevitable return. While their eventual decision remains a mystery, The Man of Steel's pep talk stands to emotionally strengthen the Weaponers, potentially removing them from Sinestro's arsenal and further weakening him.

Even if there is discord among the ranks, the lack of solidarity will undoubtedly prove problematic to Sinestro, the next time he seeks to use the Weaponers of Qward to serve his own ends – certainly something else Sinestro could readily hold against Superman. Conceivably, the Weaponers could even prove themselves to be Superman's allies against their former oppressor. Superman #30 also proves that tracking Parallax's yellow fear energy is within the capabilities of Superman's powers, albeit with some difficulty – giving Superman a unique power that's detrimental only to Sinestro and Parallax.

A footnote in the final panel of Superman #30 promises that the fate of Parallax will begin to unfold in Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #30, on sale October 11.