The Reach Strikes!
Just to inform, I do not read this title at all and I’m planning to do it when the trades come out (have way too many series right now so I’m cutting down some). But all I gotta say is that the only reason why I picked this was because the reach teased this invasion long ago in blue beetle. Now that it happened all I gotta say is that it delivers in epic proportions. A war between the blue lantern (Who I still dream for them to get an ongoing) and the reach is as good as it sounds? Who will prevail? The dudes powered by blue? Or the other ones powered by blue armors? Let’s find out!
The issue starts with Saint Walker who is alongside his fellow corps members recharging their rings in their home planet of Odym. He is welcomed with hugs by fellow lantern warth who tells him the new recruits were anxious to meet him (thank god this blue guys are finally having more than just 4 or 5 members…hard to call it a corps with so few). explains some of the current events of the book and about ganthet been turned again into an emotionless guardian by the blue headed bastards (read green lantern for more details). Everything turns bad when they find out that an invading fleet has found their hidden planet. It’s revealed that it’s none other than the reach. The scarab armored army quickly sends their troops to take over the planet and use it to feed their “hivemasters”. Their troops are leaded by Khaji-Kai, a scarab warrior who was first introduced in the first pages of blue beetle number 1 and respected among the rest of the soldiers as the one who has “251 planet kills”…..Judging on what I saw in blue beetle about this guy……our blue lantern friends are totally (censored). rallies and leads his fellow brothers and sisters to as the reach soldiers while entering the atmosphere, ordered by Khaji-Kai they all enter into various cool looking strike modes. Finally making contact and starting the awesome. Meanwhile, Fatality is informing the leaders of the star sapphire about current events in the book as she fears that other disasters to all the lantern corps are no coincidence (like the reds dying because their main battery got poisoned, the green lanterns almost been destroyed by the events of war of the green lanterns, the yellows been left with one member left and of course what we all came to read in this issue). She is suddenly called about the reach invasion as she quickly goes to help, ignoring her superior’s orders. Back in Odym, the battle rages on as Shon, a new recruit looks at the situation impossible and can’t fight back. quickly arrives and takes care of the enemy attacking the rookie with a blue powered karate kick….oh my that is awesome. He tells Shon about everything will be well as he explains that the aura surrounding them is not only to protect them but to increase their strength as he creates a large first with his aurora taking down another one with one punch….Why was I not been bathed in this awesome imagery before!? Khaji-Kai not pleased by the sight of awesomeness quickly charges at Saint Walker but the blue lantern quickly shows Shon how to be as cool as him as he easily stops him completely with one blast which in reality is healing him. learns that the one inside the alien armor is nothing but a victim who was enslaved by the scarab and forced to destroy his own people, deciding to release him from the damn bug. Unfortunately he is stopped by other reach warriors as the almost completely freed being inside khaji-kai falls down to the begging to be released of it because he doesn’t want to murder anymore, but quickly he’s taken over by the armor again. In the meanwhile the enemy troops start burning the forest, making the blue lanterns to fall back and orders shon to go find green lanterns to help them out release their full power. Little do they know that Kyle Rayner is heading right over to Odym in that moment as he calls forth to the rest of his gang of colorful ring users and they all respond to his call. Things of course do not get better in the battle as the blue lanterns gather around their main battery and create a shield around it. Shon as he flies to get help, finds out that the infantry is just a distraction as large cocconers start covering the planet and loses all hope. Out of nowhere the poor shon is abandoned by his ring as it considers him “hopeless”. The others back at the battery find out about this as his ring reaches back to them. Warth is saddened by this and felt that he should had trained him better as the others lament his demise. The issue ends with Khaji-Kai asking Walker to drop the shield since nobody will be there to save them, our hero agrees as he releases it and punches the scarab soldier right on the face as they make their last stand and charge believing “All will be well”…..Bless this issue and it’s awesomeness!
The Good:
The idea of the reach going to war against a lantern corps is just a great idea, it finally makes these guys the threat they are said to be since issue 1 of blue beetle. Also Saint Walker is kinda of a badass if you tell me, I always liked him as a character in general but here is the first time I actually see him be this awesome. Showing that he is definitely worthy to lead his corps now that they have no one to lead them anymore. We also get to see more about the scarab warrior Khaji-Kai who only appeared in the beginning of the blue beetle series. Gotta say I really feel bad for him since he is just a victim of the scarab inside him as well as most of the scarab warriors who were forced most likely destroy their own people in the name of the reach. Definitely a issue worthy to pick up in general and specially if you are reading blue beetle (that needs our support this days).
The Bad:
Nothing at all…sure there is that scene with the star sapphires talking about stuff that happened before who might confuse people who aren’t reading this series and picked this issue because they read blue beetle but it didn’t really affect anything to the story since it hints a very bad future to all the corps who are all suffering lately.
Overall: 4.5/5
A very enjoyable issue that enhances the blue beetle mythos and shows why it fits very well in the space side of DC. Also demonstrating how awesome is saint walker as well as how dangerous the reach could be to the DCU. To the ones reading blue beetle this is a good story to read and it's great overall to anyone who wants to see something epic and I hope it gets new readers for this series and blue beetle's. Of course of you are reading either one is good too
