Review: Sinestro Vol. 3- Rising

Quick Summary

Pros: The main narrative is interesting and stays exciting through several tense situations. The Lobo chapters are good for over-the-top action. Most of the characters continue to be well-written. Most of the volume features great artwork.

Cons: The Lobo issues are not as strong as the rest of the book. Bekka is not written as well as other characters.

Overall: This is another solid entry in the Sinestro series. It has plenty of action and suspense to keep any reader entertained. Meanwhile, the development of the characters and the comic’s overall narrative is enough to add additional interest in the series as a whole. Anyone who has enjoyed the previous volumes in this series should keep reading with this volume.

Story

Sinestro Vol. 3: Rising, by Cullen Bunn, feels similar to its immediate predecessors in that it is not quite as explosively positive as the series’ first volume but is still a joy to read. This comic follows Sinestro and his Yellow Lanterns as they deal with several threats, most of which create tense and interesting situations. It also features some incredibly action-packed crossover chapters with the Lobo series. Throughout all of these issues, the characters and situations are always strong and maintain high-interest levels. The only problems are pretty minor and may not even impact many readers. In the end, this is a solid continuation to the Sinestro series.

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The main narrative in Rising is able to instantly capture the intrigue and suspense that has made this series great thus far. It starts out with New Korugar on the verge of explosion but shows Sinestro seemingly unconcerned with the situation. He is then able to sacrifice a huge piece of his power in order to stop the explosion at the last second, making for a tense read up to that point. Later on, the general sense that Sinestro is positioning his Corps to be the next major power in the universe adds even more tension to the narrative and helps set up the next volume. 

In addition, the characters continue to be a strong asset to the series as a whole. Sinestro obviously maintains his characteristically evil charm, where you hate him but can’t help be impressed by everything he is doing. Meanwhile, Soranik experiences some interesting development as she more fully transitions to the Yellow Lanterns, Lobo develops a unique relationship with the Corps, and Lyssa’s schemes continue to make her an enigma. The only character who ends up being poorly written is Bekka, as her reasons for joining the Yellow Lanterns have still not been elaborated upon and her fear of Sinestro’s anger seems completely unfounded.

However, my biggest gripe with the collection as a whole is that the Lobo issues don’t stand out quite as well as the other chapters. These issues mostly focus on over-the-top feats of violence and destruction, rather than Sinestro’s clever mental manipulations. Many of them also feel inconsequential by the end, as the Red and Indigo Lanterns are mostly unaffected by Lobo and Saint Walker could have been captured by any of the Yellow Lanterns.

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Art

The majority of the artwork in Rising meets the high expectations set by previous volumes. Robson Rocha’s visuals are gritty and realistic in a way that really suits this series. They make the comic’s dark atmosphere and serious nature come through, making it obvious what kind of book this is. This is particularly true in the Lobo chapters, where colors from Blond help capture this dark aesthetic even further.

However, the rest of the visuals in this collection are a bit mixed. Both Brad Walker and Ethan Van Sciver’s work is less appealing than it usually is. There are places where character expressions come across as too exaggerated or where bodily proportions feel off. These chapters still look good overall but are not quite as good as one would hope.

Continuity

Sinestro Vol. 3: Rising continues the story from Sinestro Vol. 2: Sacrifice (Review)

The story here continues in Sinestro Vol. 4: The Fall of Sinestro (Review).

This volume also references other comic books, detailed below:

• The disappearance of the Green Lantern Corps was initially revealed in Green Lantern #41, collected in Green Lantern Vol. 7: Renegade (Review).
• The Lobo chapters, collected here, take place after the events of Lobo Vol. 2: Beware His Might and somewhat continue the story from that comic. See our “Lobo (New 52 Version) Reading Order” for more information.