Things get worse in "Green Lantern Corps"

Father may know best, but when your dear, old dad is Sinestro, doing the exact opposite of what he says may not be the worst idea. In the climatic pages of "Green Lantern Corps" #55, Sinestro's daughter - the Green Lantern Soranik Natu - has her weapon aimed at killer Qwardian the Weaponer -and it's not set to stun.

Sinestro crashes the scene in "Green Lantern" #56 - released today by DC Comics - and it was Kyle who asked big, bad dad for help. So if you thought Sinestro had it in for Kyle, you can only guess what Sora's going to think of him after she finds out it was Kyle that let the Dex-Starr out of the bag.

And if you think that trifecta makes for a delectable three-headed monster, wait until you read more about what's going on between Guy Gardner, Ganthet and Atrocitus.

With all that and more in today's issue alone, it goes without saying that Tony Bedard ("R.E.B.E.L.S.") is delivering a heart-racing story in the pages of "Green Lantern Corps" each month.

So as the Green Lantern books race towards "War of the Green Lanterns," CBR News checked in with the fan favorite writer for this installment of TOTAL RECHARGE. Bedard shared his thoughts on the title's major players, what's ahead for most of them and even teased what readers can expect from the upcoming Green Lantern crossover, including the tale of the tape for the battle between Kyle and John Stewart.

"Green Lantern Corps" #56 is

on sale now

CBR News: You're winding down your second arc on "Green Lantern Corps" next month with the finale of "The Weaponer" in #57. Are you having us much fun writing these epic stories as we are reading them?

Tony Bedard: It's been a dream of mine to write Green Lantern for years, so I'm sure I'm having more fun than the readers. I've always been a big GL fan, loved watching Geoff [Johns] restore the character and the Corps to a preeminent place in the DC pantheon, and couldn't believe my good fortune when Geoff invited me to join him and Pete [Tomasi] on the GL writing team. Now my biggest worry is trying to play up to their level.

Is that one of the great things about writing the tales of the Green Lantern Corps - the sheer scope and size of the intergalactic force (and the franchise)?

Yeah, my love for Green Lantern has less to do with any one character like Hal Jordan and more to do with the overall concept. It's the gift that keeps on giving, with so many different Lanterns representing a multitude of alien cultures. You can never run out of stories to tell about these guys.

I was going to ask you about Kyle Rayner stepping up to the plate in this arc but maybe I should first ask you about the climax of the last issue with Soranik holding the Weaponer at gunpoint with one of his own weapons. Do things get worse for Natu before they get better? And what about for the Weaponer?

Well, things will just keep spinning out of control in ways Soranik can't foresee. And, of course, Sinestro's part in this tale isn't over yet. As for the Weaponer, he's a guy who is trying to figure out his own motivation. Is it simply revenge against Sinestro? Is it really to win back the respect of his people? Or is it something else? It's the Weaponer who will end up with a big decision to make by the end of this arc.

Will Soranik's decision affect how others, particularly Kyle, view her moving forward?

Actually, it's Kyle who should worry how she views him. After all, she is really not pleased that he went to her father for help. And of course her father, Sinestro, doesn't approve of her dating such an unworthy 'alley rat' as Kyle. There are issues between those three that will carry forward far beyond this story arc.

That was my next question.

I'm really intrigued by Kyle's relationship with Sora. I just generally like how Kyle is the one GL who actually manages to have relationships. Lots of them. I mean, Hal's with Cowgirl now, but you sense he should really be with Carol, and yet that possibility just seems increasingly remote. Guy's too boorish to manage a decent relationship and John just doesn't get any play at all. So Kyle's the one who actually has a personal life, and I love him for it. He's probably the most well-rounded and well-adjusted of the four human GLs.

You've been able to play with some interesting sets of bedfellows. Kyle reaching out to Sinestro is an obvious one but I really enjoyed the reveal that Guy, Ganthet and Atrocitus are somehow connected, as well. How do you approach these evolving dynamics and what makes linking characters that (at face value) are polar opposites so compelling as a writer?

The Guy/Ganthet/Atrocitus thing is really going to pay off in our upcoming GL crossover, "War of the Green Lanterns." It seems with the New Guardians over in Geoff's book and Red Lantern Bleez tagging along in "Emerald Warriors," now's the time for strange alliances. But of course that just keeps things interesting.

In fact, the whole point of our upcoming three-series crossover is to shake up the relationships within the Corps and come out with our characters' status quo redefined. I think it's safe to say that your perceptions of who all the characters are will really be thrown for a loop, and part of that is teaming them up with the unlikeliest people.

Covers to "Green Lantern Corps" #57-58

Ganthet and Guy are both suffering physically. Any chance they'll make a deal with the devil (read: Atrocitus) for salvation? Or perhaps they already have?

I don't want to give away too much, but suffice to say that they and pretty much everyone else will be put through the wringer.

You mentioned Sinestro a few answers back and he was noticeably absent from the last issue, but with him gracing the cover to this week's issue is it safe to say he'll be a major player in the series for the foreseeable future?

Yeah, he'll get back in on the action. There's no way he'd miss this whole showdown on Qward. I always liked him, but Geoff tapped something in that character and he's become such a great noble monster -- a Doctor Doom-type character. He's totally the hero of his own tale as far as he's concerned, and that makes him a magnificent villain.

Hannu is a character that has been stealing scenes since you took over "Green Lantern Corps" from Pete Tomasi last year. What is it about the character that you think readers have responded to so well?

Hannu's just plain fun. He's totally aggressive, lives to fight, has a deep sense of honor - you can't help but be drawn to things like that. And while he'd be the scariest guy to fight, you also sense that he'd be the truest friend you could ever have. And in a group that seems defined by their weapon, the power ring, his disdain of using the ring sets him apart. He's not a hero because of his ring. He's a hero who happens to have a power ring.

Don't want to get to far of ourselves as we still have to wrap up this arc but that cover for "Green Lantern Corps" #58 looks like things go sideways for Kyle and John. Any teases about what's ahead between those two and how it ties into "War of the Green Lanterns?" And what about a tale of tape on Kyle and John? Which GL is stronger? Which one is the better tactician? Which one has a glass jaw? Or does that title belong solely to Guy?

John and Kyle are such different characters that putting them at odds against each other is just a natural thing to do. Kyle wears his heart on his sleeve. John is much more turned inward. Kyle's a dreamer, John's a pragmatist. Kyle's a lover, John's a fighter. And the thing that I like best about playing up some friction between them is that I really want to explore John's character. He can seem a bit flat sometimes, but still waters run deep. We have some really great John/Kyle moments coming up and I can't wait to get them out there and shock a few readers.

This may be a no-brainer but is this a special time to be a part of the Green Lantern creative team? Because with the movie and everything else going on with the character, GL has never been bigger.

Thanks to Geoff, Pete, Eddie [Berganza] and Adam [Schlagman], Green Lantern has never been a hotter character or more central to the DC Universe, so yeah, this is the time to be working with Green Lantern characters. I'm lucky to be on the team and I'm determined to be a playmaker before my run is done and my story is told.

"Green Lantern Corps" #56, written by Tony Bedard and featuring art by Tyler Kirkham & Batt, is in stores now.