Sinestro Corps War

"I got a little teary-eyed reading a comic today," I said to Amy while we were waiting for an oil change in Lowell, Michigan. "You should have seen it. It was pretty funny."

"Oh yeah?" Amy inquired. "What were you reading?"

"It was this 'Sinestro Corps War' crossover in Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps comics," I said. I went on to describe a touching moment - which I won't describe in detail for fear of spoiling the story - which involved the people of Coast City showing great courage in a time of great fear. As I described the situation to Amy the tears start welling up again, more heavily even than before, climaxing when I choked out the words, "and then they called it the city without fear."

Green Lantern has been fantastic since Rebirth, but the "Sinestro Corps War" crossover marked the first sign of greatness for post-Recharge Green Lantern Corps. In fact, the storyline redeems any previous Green Lantern Corps story arcs that might not have stolen the attention of readers for whatever reason due to the fact that the entire series is a constructive response to an odd prophecy from an obscure Alan Moore story from the '80s. The story is both epic and incredibly personal, tying together decades of Green Lantern mythology in an entertaining and emotional way.

This story is collected sequentially in a two-volume trade paperback titled The Sinestro Corps War. Give it a shot. If you want the whole story (I believe that Geoff Johns considers the "Sinestro Corps War" to be the second part of a trilogy, of which I can only imagine Rebirth and Recharge are the first part) I'd read all of Green Lantern, Green Lantern Corps, and Ion since Rebirth and Recharge.

Batman: The Killing Joke

When Joker was first introduced to the world in the Golden Age of comics, he was a homicidal maniac who killed people with no apparent logic. After a faked death, he returned on the scene as a relatively harmless prankster. Though it was the work of Dennis O'Neil and Neal Adams in 1973 that returned Joker to his homicidal origins, it was Batman: The Killing Joke that ushered in, without doubt, the modern age of Batman comics.

Written by Alan Moore and drawn by Brian Bollard, Batman: The Killing Joke is a short story-line that explores the frail boundary between sanity and insanity. What is the smallest necessary amount of tragedy that it takes to drive someone over the edge? Reflecting upon the origin stories of both Batman and Joker, the answer appears to be that it only takes one bad day. Joker intends to prove this point by abducting Commissioner Gordon, the most upstanding citizen, and giving him the worst day of his life.

The reasons for reading Batman: The Killing Joke are many. I will list just a few. For fans of The Dark Knight, one will find that a great deal of the characterization of Heath Ledger's Joker comes from this particular volume. Furthermore, it is written by rock star Alan Moore, who has written such books as Watchmen and V for Vendetta along with personal favorites League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and Captain Britain. It is thoughtful and interesting as a stand-alone story. At the same time, it is incredibly important to Batman continuity, not to mention the evolution of the DC Universe and the art of comic books in general. It's also a short and accessible read, disturbing, but perfect for a reader who is not familiar with a great deal of comic books.