Sinestro #4 (DC)

writer: Cullen Bunn
artist: Rags Morales

via Comic Vine

That quote on the cover comes from Green Lantern #20, the final Geoff Johns issue, which I reread recently in The End collection.  It's a standout line and immediately eye-catching to be quoted for the new Sinestro series.

Tiny problem, however, in that it's not hugely relevant in the comic itself.

I really wanted that to happen!  A whole issue where Hal Jordan and Sinestro hash out their relationship, something Johns worked on a lot during his last few years, a major legacy of the New 52 to date.  Instead, we get an issue with Sinestro...demonstrating his strong will, and Hal popping up, officially, on the final page.

It's just not what I wanted to see.  Cullen Bunn is one of the "it" writers at the moment, and seems to be getting a lot of these the-main-character-is-usually-known-as-the-villain comics assignments lately.  But I don't think he's to par with what Johns was doing.  It's great that this series exists, and certainly with the perfect synergy that came to Red Lanterns later in its run with the debut of Charles Soule as writer there's always hope things will work out, but it's disappointing that they didn't get it right first shot, especially given that Johns, who is such an important DC guy, didn't merit getting Sinestro done right first shot.  Even Larfleeze was pitch-perfect (although sadly, I didn't read it any more faithfully than anyone else, and that one's gone now) from the start.

The artist is Rags Morales, who has a lot of big credentials to his name, including Identity Crisis with Brad Meltzer and Action Comics with Grant Morrison.  Fans sometimes question his work.  I don't think there's any cause for that here, although it's such a different setting than I personally am used to seeing Morales tackle that most of what I know about his work slips into the background.  This is mostly a good thing, I guess, but it's always odd for an artist who has a distinctive style to do work that isn't immediately identifiable to that style, except in the odd image here and there.  But on the other hand, his presence on art duty in Sinestro must surely be considered a vote of confidence in the series from DC.