There Will Be Only Three!

The final setup issue to the War of the Green Lanterns is out, but the only part I find remotely interesting about this event is that the Book of the Black has teased that by the end of the event, there will only be three Earth GLs remaining.

That means either John Stewart, Guy Gardner, Kyle Rayner, or Hal Jordan will no longer be a Green Lanern. One could imagine that one will die, but I'd hate to restrict the possibilities so obviously. Also, "dead means dead" now in the DCU, so killing a character is a huge deal since (for now) there are no take-backs. I could see one retiring from the Corps. Perhaps one will jump ship to another colored Corps? Probably not, since Corps intermingling has been restricted purely to Hal Jordan, who has been every color lantern except violet (since he's not a woman) and Indigo (because he hates walking sticks), but I wouldn't be surprised if he eventually found a way around that in order to make more action figures.

He would be so pretty in pink.

So let's run through each Earth GL and explore the possibilities.

Hal Jordan - Geoff Johns has spent years rebuilding, refreshing, and reinvigorating the character of Hal Jordan, so to off him at the height of his popularity, especially with a movie on the way in June, would be an awful idea. He has already gone the self-destructive route once and died for his sins, so to retread that ground would be an insult to the character and a borefest to the fans. Hal will remain alive and green, if only for financial reasons.

Guy Gardner - Guy is the one character who is hot-headed enough to make a decision that would get him killed, but that's what makes him so interesting, and it always pays to keep characters like that around. Besides, he just got his own book, Emerald Warriors, so unless DC wants to cancel that series right as it is getting off the ground, Guy most definitely isn't going anywhere. There is a possibility that he could join the Red Lantern Corps. Everyone seems to love the Reds and they are by far the most popular of the new Corps, so much so that there is going to be a new Red Lantern Corps book coming out later this year. But like I said, this would deter from EW and make having two books about a Red Lantern redundant. Guy isn't going anywhere.

"I finally got my own series and you want to kill me? NEVER!"

John Stewart - John has sadly become nothing more than a supporting character in the GL books. Kyle manages to outshine him even if they have the same amount of on-page time in the GL Corps book. This doesn't bode well for his chances since a character who isn't pulling his weight is most assuredly more intersting dead. If he were to become another colored Lantern, I'd have trouble believing it, since he more than anyone else embodies pure willpower (yes, even Hal).

Did I mention he killed all these people?

Kyle Rayner - Kyle's romance with Soranik Natu and the excellent tension that Sinestro puts on their relationship is a highlight of the GL Corps book. Also, because he is the youngest of the Earth GLs, he is a constant joy to read because of how he is always learning and growing. Even though he has accomplished more than any of the other Earth GLs put together (becoming Ion, re-building the GL Corps), lately he has not been at the forefront of any big GL stories due to Hal's re-emergence. That hurts his chances of surviving. But he did already die for a hot second during Blackest Night, so to kill him again for real would just be outright character abuse. Now, if he were to join another Corps, I would buy him joining the Indigo Tribe or the Blue Lanterns, since he embodies compassion and hope moreso than any other Earth GL. Kyle's future is uncertain.

One can only hope. (Art by *1314)

Kyle or John is going to be ousted from the GL Corps by the end of War of the Green Lanterns, either to the grave or to another role entirely. I am eager to see who winds up where, since Krona has proven to be as interesting a villain as Shark.

Yeah, I went there.