Hope Is Within Your Reach
There is SO MUCH packed into this issue, I hardly know where to begin. Being a HUGE fan of the current Blue Beetle, seeing The Reach show up was an absolute delight, Tyler Kirkham draws The Reach REALLY well, almost as good as Ig Guara does. Plus we got to see more of how they function, the different modes they can go into, the difference between commanders and soldiers, all sorts of stuff. The Reach are just so awesome.
Like last issue's highlighting of Arkillo, this issue focuses A LOT on the general workings of the Blue Lantern Corps. Since we last saw them, their ranks have certainly expanded, and they've got a ton of variety among them. We learn what specifically Blue Rings can do without a Green Lantern around, and it makes a lot of sense. Not only that, but the intricate uses demonstrate why St. Walker is THE Blue Lantern, and its not just because he was the first one. A lot of this issue keeps going to a new recruit, who pops in to force well utilized exposition from the rest of the cast. Plus we get to see that Blue Rings require more constant fueling of Hope to properly function and stay on the wearer.
It appears, just as I predicted, The Weaponer is sticking around with Arkillo. The Yellow Lantern Corps is reaching the new stage of rebirth.
Is this the catalyst for the Blue Lantern Corps to become the fourth Phoenix? I'm pretty sure they didn't need it, and at the moment it's hard to say if this IS happening. But the Star Sapphires have become aware of this Phoenix Effect, so maybe its happening to ALL the corps, which, frankly, I like less. Time will tell.
In Conclusion: 5/5
This is a slightly biased score. I just loved this issue from beginning to end. Well, except the three pages done by fill-in artist Tomas Giorello. They weren't 'bad,' but they looked DRASTICALLY different from Tyler Kirkham's pages. This issue was straight up awesome from beginning to end, but more than that it was an exploration of the workings of the Blue Lantern Corps. And it's a treat for Blue Beetle fans.
