I’ve been wanting to get to this for some time but I thought I would wait until a little bit more light was shed (no pun intended) on the Red Lanterns. However, with Final Crisis going now and Rage of the Red Lanterns only a couple months away. I thought I would finally do the profile on Laira. Since her return, I’ve felt there was more going on with her. After the Sinestro Corps War, I felt and from what Ganthlet said, that rage would fuel the Red Lantern. I put it together with Laira. She has felt such betrayal and seen those she loved destroyed in front of her. It was only a matter of time before her rage got the better of her. To quote Star Wars again: “Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate… leads to suffering.” That’s what has happened to Laira. She felt fear when she was originally left for dead by Hal Jordan when he was taken over by Parallax. Then her anger started to build from that and then she started to hate when Ke’Haan was murdered in front of her and to pour salt in the wound. See his his family dead before her by another Sinestro Corps member. The fact she is now a Red Lantern shows just how far she has fallen but like Darth Vader, will she see the light again?

Laira was born on the planet Jayd in space sector 112. She was trained by her father Kentor Omoto to take over his role as a soldier of the Guardians of the Universe as Green Lantern of her sector. Her training was also one strict with tradition and honor. During her training she became exceptionally adept at her native martial arts. Throughout his time with his daughter he never hid the fact that the ruling council of his planet were not doing things the way he would, he saw their rule as weak and disreputable. After the disappearance of her father during the Crisis on Infinite Earths and the proclamation by the Guardians that he was dead, she was considered for the post of ring bearer and Green Lantern of her sector. Her instructor turned out to be Ke’Haan of Varva, Kilowog’s second in command. Most would have thought her doomed to fail as Ke’Haan was renowned for his tough as nails training. More green lantern recruits flunked out or quit under him than anyone else. Eager to please and finding a kindred spirit of honor within her teacher, she became his prized pupil. To complete her training she was sent to the city of X’ol on her home planet. Her mission was to put an end to one who had become known as the ‘Golden Dragon’. When she used her formidable skill to infiltrate his Castle, she made a startling discovery. Upon coming face to face with the villain, he was revealed to be her previously thought dead father, Kentor Omoto. Discovering that her father had become a tyrant in X’ol, she was shocked and hesitated to attack him. He explained to her his return from the crisis and to his home planet, where the years of sitting idly by had finally broken him. He was disgusted by the behavior of the people of X’ol and had crossed the same ethical line as Sinestro, using his ring to influence the people’s behavior as well as that of the ruling council. When the guardians discovered his actions, he was charged with political interference and was stripped of his power ring and returned to Jayd. Once he was back home, the ruling council exiled him. Having lost everything he created the identity of the Golden Dragon so that he could remake X’ol in his image. Her father pled with her to forget the guardians and the things he had taught her about honor. Realizing her father endangered not just X’ol but all of Jayd she engaged him in battle and through her skills, coupled with the teachings of her mentor Ke’haan, she bested the fallen Lantern. Omoto defeated by his daughter asked her to kill him, as honor demanded his blood for what he had done. She however refused and he instead committed Hara Kiri.

Her mission completed, Laira returned to Oa angry at the guardians for hiding the true nature of her mission from her. The guardians impressed with her loyalty and skill, awarded her the title of Green Lantern of her sector and inducted her into the Green Lantern Corps, she had passed their test. She was known as one of the Corps’ fiercest warriors, and her martial arts skills were second to none. She is noted as never looking at her target, so that every attack is a surprise. Due to the amount of time she spent with Ke’Haan, many in the Corps thought that they had a relationship separate and apart from teacher and pupil despite the fact that Ke’Haan had a family.When word that Hal Jordan had gone rogue reached the guardians on Oa, they quickly sent word to their fiercest warriors. Laira and her mentor, Ke’Haan, engaged Hal Jordan but fell to his increased power and near psychotic rage. She and Ke’Haan were both stripped of their power rings and left for dead.
She was later discovered by a reformed Hal Jordan and Guy Gardner to be held captive by the Manhunters, along with the other “Lost Lanterns,” including Kreon, and Tomar-Tu, who had recently escaped to kill Jordan in revenge for his rampage. She, her mentor, and the others, with the help of Jordan and Gardner, put an end to the manhunter planet of Biot and returned to Oa where she resumed her duties as Green Lantern of her sector. Nevertheless, they could often be found together on Green Lantern Corps missions.

During the Sinestro Corps war, Laira and the Lost Lanterns came to Hal Jordan’s aid on Qward. the group then split up, with Laira, Ke’Haan and Boodikka searching for Ion, and Hal, Graf Toren, and Tomar-Tu looking for John Stewart and Guy Gardner. Laira’s group would then run into the Anti-Monitor, who slaughtered Ke’Haan, but they were able to recover Ion and return to Oa.
After preventing the invasion of Coast City by the Sinestro Corps, Laira visited the Crypt of the Green Lanterns to mourn Ke’Haan’s death. Hannu reveals to Boodikka that the two had been attracted for some time, but that Ke’Haan had refused her because he had a family on his home planet. Laira and the Lost Lanterns set out to his homeworld to deliver news of his death, only to find that his family has been murdered by Sinestro Corps member Amon Sur. Enraged by this act, Laira ignores Sur’s requests that he be taken into custody (to which he had willingly submitted), and the Lantern murders him. Afterwards, Laira is held in custody on Oa, while her fellow Lanterns who were with her at Amon Sur’s death all testified that she murdered him. She was placed in the custody of the newly founded Alpha Lanterns, and then tried by the Guardians, who found her guilty and stripped her of her power ring.
After her trial, Laira was supposed too be transported back to her homeworld Jayd by Hannu, until a red power ring attacked their ship and chose Laira as its bearer, making her the second person to become a Red Lantern.

The Green Lantern who gave into her hate, like Sinestro gave into his fear. They are more alike then either one of them want to believe. We’ll find out more as Atrocitus and the origin of the Red Power Lantern unfolds in the next couple of months.

Ring Quest part 4

On the Black Mercy Planet, Mother Mercy erupts in pain as her “children” have been killed by the Green Lantern Corps. Kyle Rayner says they need to make contact with it but Soranik Natu reveals that Mother Mercy is acting out in rage and pain. Isamot Kol says: “If it’s reading my mind, it’s not going to like what it sees.” As the Green Lanterns continue to struggle, the skies of the planet start to grow dark and soon the gravity in their area starts to increase so much, the Green Lanterns can’t stay afloat. They soon hit the ground hard and look into the sky and see all the dead bodies that were in orbit of the planet are crashing down towards them. Isamot realizes that Mother Mercy is trying to feed and draw both the bodies and them into her. Mother Mercy then speaks: “You dare invade my world and seek to incinerate my children.” Vath Sarn and Iolande try to move out of the way but they are stuck to the ground. Vath creates a bomb shelter construct to shield them from the debry but it still hits them hard. Stel tells them that the increased gravity will soon take out their shields and they will be drawn in, with no way of escaping. However, the injured Sodam Yat tells Natu to throw him in.

On another side of the planet, Mongul and Duel notice that Mother Mercy is feeding a bit too early but usually the gravity pull is planet wide. Back at Mother Mercy, Natu tells Guy Gardner that Yat wants to be thrown into Mother Mercy, which Guy agrees is probably not a bad plan. Kyle tells Stel to help Natu with Sodam and soon Stel creates a rocket propulsion system to launch Yat into Mother Mercy. Natu straps him on and Stel finds the center point and launches Sodam into the center of Mother Mercy. Inside, Sodam Yat unleashes his Ion power and blows Mother Mercy from the inside and knocks himself out of her as a result but still has a Black Mercy attached to him. Mother Mercy starts retracting in pain and Vath, Isamot and Iolande jet forward to finish her off, Despite the fact that Kyle keeps telling them not too. Soranik Natu soon creates an isolation sphere around Mother Mercy, causing her three fellow lanterns to bounce off it and onto the ground. Natu tells them to: “Cease and Desist. This creature is grieving.” Vath and Isamot tells Natu to step aside but Guy Gardner tells them that he thinks Mother Mercy wants to talk to them but approaches Yat. Kyle appears with the injured Arisia in his hands and tells Natu to release the force friends around the two. Mother Mercy then reaches out and the Black Mercies around both Yat and Arisia come off. Natu sees if the two are all right but Arisia yells wanting to kill Mother Mercy. She goes no to explain that it made her worse fears come true. Mother Mercy tells them they weren’t meant to do this. Arisia still upset lights up her ring but Sodam Yat comes to her side and tells her not to. He then tells of his friend, who was an alien that was hated and killed because he was from another world. He tells her that Mother Mercy is the same way and despite the fact that Arisia lived her worse fears, she will be stronger because of it.

Back on Oa, at the Guardians Citadel, the Guardians of the Universe see that the Star Sapphire Corps is starting rise. They have picked up another violet energy signature in Sector 1416 on Zamaron. It’s proof that the violet surge was not an aberration. The scared Guardians tells them that the power will not stay confined to one sector. It spreads and if they don’t act soon, the War of Light will burn away all they know. Back on Mother Mercy’s planet, Guy Gardner has all the Green Lanterns assembled and Kyle then asks Mother Mercy what is truly going on. She tells her story: “Since time immemorial there has been a ‘Mother Mercy’ here on this planet.” She goes on to tell her story of what the Black Mercies truly are and what she is. She was the first birther of mercy. She is the very planet, she lives inside the center of it and hundreds of years ago, a lone space traveler crashed down on the planet. Injured and dying in great pain. She launched onto the survivor and stimulated his thought process and made him live out his wildest dreams as he slowly died. After he passed and he was ingested by the planet. She felt there was great pain in the galaxy and she had to relieve it. Hence, the Black Mercy was born. She seeded the surface with her “children” and when they reached maturity she would send her children to the stars to relieve pain on hundreds of worlds to people who needed it. However, there was one problem with such a family and that was feeding them. She soon learned how too but tapping into the planet’s gravity field and bringing down deceased beings so the planets could feed off them. She also used the ability to call down ships and other beings to take her children off world but one day, she brought the wrong kind, the original Mongul. Not wanting to show her existence, she let Mongul take several of her children off the planet, where he went on to use them against his enemies. Things took a turn for the worse years later, when his son came to the planet and redesigned the Black Mercy with his Sinestro Corps power rings and made Black Mercy bring people’s worse fears alive and launched them across the various sectors but didn’t know where. Her children were never meant for this, Guy Gardner soon lights up his ring telling his fellow corps members that hey need to fan out and collect all the Black Mercies and return them to the planet. However, he is soon fired upon by Mongul and Duel and attaches Black Mercies on all of them. Mongul smiles and says: “I see we have visitors.”

What a great issue, finally we learn the truth behind the Black Mercy after all these years. I remember first reading about them back in the day during Alan Moore’s run on Superman. I thought they were a great idea and over the last few years, Black Mercy has shown up in various books. Having the current Mongul recreate a plant that was meant to relieve pain into something that delivers pain and sorrow is a great idea. What better way to spread fear across the universe by having something tap into your worse fears and making them real. Mother Mercy’s story is a sad one but you understand both her mission and her pain. She just wanted to bring peace in her own form but others manipulated her over all goal. She is more the victim then the oppressor. I’ll also leave it up to Tomasi and Gleason, they never back down during this entire story. Even the nods to the rising Star Sapphire Corps and the War of Light is starting to take shape in this book besides the main title. However, you know there is more going on with the scared guardian, since the Black Lantern Corps symbol keeps showing up in her eyes. A great book and I can’t wait to see how Ring Quest ends next month.

Ah, Wizard World Chicago 2008 is only three weeks away and my brother and I can’t wait to go. We’ve been going since July 1998 and the last four years have been the best with our Comicbloc.com lunch ins. You see, every Wizard World Chicago, a bunch of us Geoff Johns fans get together and we all go to lunch with the Green Lantern writer and other comic creators, we’ve had the pleasure of Ethan Van Scriver, Don Kramer and many others join us for our yearly lunch. My brother and I were unable to go last year because of several problems, including going to my ex’s family reunion, which was the week before. All my money went towards the trip and considering what happened in the end. I think I would have rather gone to the comic book convention. I’ll have several blogs dealing with before and after the con this year, so stay tune.

Artist Ethan Van Scriver came up with an art commission if Zoom of the Rogues joined the Sinestro Corps. It’s a very cool visual and I have to say, Zoom on the Sinestro Corps would be a very bad thing but you have to admit he can create great fear.

DC Comics has released their solicitations for July 2008. Here is what is coming up for Green Lantern and Final Crisis.

GREEN LANTERN #33

Written by Geoff Johns
Art by Ivan Reis & Oclair Albert
Cover by Reis
“GREEN LANTERN: SECRET ORIGIN” Part 5 of 6! Hal and Sinestro continue to battle Abin Sur’s killer, but will these two Green Lanterns become enemies before they become friends? And what strange secrets within Abin Sur’s power ring concern the massacre of Space Sector 666?
On sale July 30 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

GREEN LANTERN CORPS #26

Written by Peter J. Tomasi
Art and cover by Patrick Gleason & Drew Geraci
It’s the action-packed conclusion of “Ring Quest”! Kyle, Guy, Sodam Yat, Arisia, Soranik and other members of the Green Lantern Corps wage an all-out battle against Mongul and the mysterious Mother Mercy.
On sale July 9 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

FINAL CRISIS #3

Written by Grant Morrison
Art and covers by J.G. Jones
Batman missing in action! Superman immobilized! Green Lantern on trial for his life!
A shadow is falling across Earth’s super heroes — and now it’s Wonder Woman’s turn to face the Evil Gods!
What bizarre warning from beyond awaits Frankenstein, The Question and the agents of S.H.A.D.E. in the shadows of the Dark Side Club? What grim fate lies in store for The Human Flame? What happens when the Anti-Life Equation hits the internet? Can the Fastest Men Alive outrun The Black Racer — Death himself? And who are the Justifiers?
The answers are all here as the unstoppable rise of evil continues in FINAL CRISIS #3 by Grant Morrison and J.G. Jones.
Retailers please note: This issue will ship with two covers by J.G. Jones that will ship in approximately 50/50 ratio. Please see the Previews Order Form for more information.
On sale July 30 • 3 of 7 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US

Ever since the “Lightning Saga” in both Justice League of America and Justice Society of America. Something big has been brewing with the Legion of Super Heroes. Superman’s original friends and teammates from the 31st Century. Now, in the wake of defeating Earth Boy and his version of the Legion. Superman finds himself face to face with his dark double from another Earth, Superman-Prime. The villain that tore apart the Teen Titans during Infinite Crisis and helped to wipe out large members of the Green Lantern Corps during the Sinestro War, returns. He has the Legion of Super Villains on his side and he wants to destroy Superman’s legacy forever and be the one true Superman. With the Fatal Five on his side plus the dark alternate future version of the Legion of Super Heroes. Superman-Prime is ready to rock during the Final Crisis and the only thing in his way is Superman himself and the last two members of the 31st Century Green Lantern Corps. There will be a war that only Brainiac 5 holds the key to everything. In August it all happens. Click on the site link to read the interview with writer Geoff Johns on the book. I’m looking so forward to the mini series.

I’m sad to report that the wedding has been officially called off. We talked yesterday and despite everything. We have broken off the engagement. She’s moving out this weekend, which she said she was going to do. I just brought the decision up faster. For almost two and a half years I put her first in our relationship but like all relationships. Problems happen and while you try and work through them and even in fact have some work out. Others can’t be. It’s going to be a long road ahead of us for both. Our families, friends and wedding parties have already been contacted.

DC comics has released it’s previews for June 2008.

GREEN LANTERN #32
Written by Geoff Johns
Art by Ivan Reis & Oclair Albert
SECRET ORIGIN PART 4! Sinestro has been sent to Earth on a sacred mission, one that this new rookie Hal Jordan is getting in the way with. Plus, one of Hal Jordan’s first enemies is born as a bizarre experiment backfires and another is unknowingly stalked for his connection to the Blackest Night!
On sale June 25 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

GREEN LANTERN CORPS #25
Written by Peter J. Tomasi
Art and cover by Patrick Gleason & Prentis Rollins
The epic battle against Mongul begins here, as the true origin of the Black Mercy is revealed! The Green Lantern Corps find itself pitted not only against Mongul to save Sodam and Arisia, but an entire planet made of Black Mercys that seem to be under the control of a quite possibly darker and more disturbing force. This creature the Corps will come to fear is known simply as Mother Mercy — and it has no plans of showing any now or ever.
On sale June 11 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

Even better news, Manhunter returns in June.

MANHUNTER #31
Written by Marc Andreyko
Art by Michael Gaydos
Cover by Liam Sharp
The fan-favorite series returns! New series artist Michael Gaydos (New Avengers, Alias, Nightmare Factory) and cover artist Liam Sharp (COUNTDOWN PRESENTS: LORD HAVOK AND THE EXTREMISTS) deliver a stunning new look for the continuing adventures of the DCU’s most human hero!
Los Angeles is Manhunter’s town — so when Kate Spencer learns of the disappearance of hundreds of women along the Mexican border, she’s on the case both as law-breaking D.A. and costumed vigilante.
Meanwhile, Kate’s bloodline tie to the JSA returns to haunt her — and it looks like her sidekick’s most notorious supervillain ex-boss is doing the same to him.

I have to say they all look freaking sweet! I’m really interested in Mother Mercy. Could this be the threat that the Guardians wanted to keep sealed in the Vega System? It’s also great to have Kate Spencer return and hopefully the series will make it to issue 50 now. Great stuff still coming with Secret Origins. Can’t wait.

On sale June 4 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

Just released yesterday is the full length animated feature based on Dawyne Cooke’s DC New Frontier comic. This movie re-imagines the DC universe, especially the Justice League of America and the Legion Doom. However, it doesn’t stray away from the origins of the characters at all. In fact, this probably has the best incarnation of Hal Jordan from origin to status as Green Lantern that has ever been done. I’m getting my copy later this week and I’ll post a full review later on here at the Spotlight.