STERLING GATES ON THE ALPHA LANTERNS IN GLC

[MattBrady]

by Vaneta Rogers

As readers were introduced to the Alpha-Lanterns in last week's Green Lantern #27, one thing became clear: Being an Alpha-Lantern isn't everything it's cracked up to be.

Although it was difficult to discern exactly what was done to those members of the Green Lantern Corps who were chosen and agreed to become Alpha-Lanterns, it didn't look pretty. And what emerged from the surgery was a strange robotic, unfeeling shell of the former Lanterns, but with a whole new type of power.

Now writer Sterling Gates will be exploring what it means to be an Alpha-Lantern in a two-part story in Green Lantern Corps beginning with this month's issue #21. The two issues will focus on Boodikka, a member of the Corps who was among those chosen to become an Alpha-Lantern.

Introduced to the Green Lantern Corps mythos by Geoff Johns from an idea credited to Grant Morrison, the Alpha-Lanterns are part-person/part-machinery hybrids that were created by the leaders of the Green Lanterns – the Guardians of Oa. This new faction of Alpha-Lanterns serves as a sort of "internal affairs" arm for the Green Lantern Corps, and it's been implied that they combine a lack of emotion with an internal power level beyond that of a normal ring-bearing Green Lantern.

The two issues by Gates were recently added to the Green Lantern Corps title's schedule after the originally solicited two-part story by regular writer Peter Tomasi was shuffled to future issues. While Gates said he doesn't know why the change was made to the fill-in issues, he's obviously happy to get the chance to flex his writing muscles again after writing a Tales of the Sinestro Corps back-up story last year, as well his work on December's Green Lantern/Sinestro Corps Secret Files issue.

Newsarama talked to Gates about his story about Boodikka as well as the role of the Alpha-Lanterns – and we found out these new Lanterns will play what Gates is calling a "major" part in Final Crisis.

Newsarama: To start with Sterling, this is a little bit of a step up from a back-up story. How did you get this gig?

Sterling Gates: After the gargantuan amount of work that was the Green Lantern/Sinestro Corps Secret Files, our editor Eddie Berganza called me and asked if I'd be interested in working on two issues of Green Lantern Corps. Of course I said, "Yes!" I wanted to do something with the Alpha-Lanterns that Geoff wouldn't necessarily be covering over in Green Lantern, so I pitched a story that looked a little deeper into what it's like to be an Alpha-Lantern. The Alpha-Lanterns play a huge part in some upcoming DCU stories, including Final Crisis, so I wanted to point the spotlight at them even more.

NRAMA: What are you going to be focusing on in this story?

SG: In Green Lantern, we saw Boodikka's (which is pronounced Boo-DEEK-uh) transformation into an Alpha-Lantern. Our story follows her next steps. Within it, we find out that when her sector partner was killed in the Sinestro Corps War, their ring went out and found a replacement. Now that replacement isn't doing their work and is disobeying the orders of the Guardians by not reporting in for training, so Boodikka is sent to investigate.

Things take a turn, however, when she discovers the negligent Green Lantern is the sister she left behind to join the Corps. And she's not happy to see Boodikka. Or an Alpha-Lantern, for that matter!

NRAMA: We saw a little bit of what the Alpha-Lanterns do in Green Lantern. But can you elaborate on what role the Alpha-Lanterns play within the Corps?

SG: The Alpha-Lanterns act as "Internal Affairs" for the Green Lantern Corps. If someone isn't doing their job right, they get flagged, and one of the Alpha-Lanterns is sent in to see why they're not doing the job.

You know, Grant [Morrison] really hit on a wonderful idea and started the ball rolling with the Alpha-Lanterns, conceptualizing them, then Geoff developed the idea even further in Green Lantern. I'm focusing in on one of them in particular and really delving into her character and what drives her to be an Alpha. So as we follow Boodikka's investigation, we'll also be exploring her past and why she left her family behind. This story really serves as an origin story for Boodikka, looking back at her life while moving her forward as a character and an Alpha.

NRAMA: Can someone read this story without having read Green Lantern #27, which introduced the Alpha-Lanterns?

SG: Sure. The idea is that it's like Alpha-Lantern #1. If you've read Green Lantern, then you know what's going on. But in Corps, on page one, we give you an origin box of what the Alpha-Lanterns are and what they do to try to make it very reader friendly.

NRAMA: Are you going to explore what powers the Alpha-Lanterns have and what they can do that someone with a regular Green Lantern ring cannot do?

SG: Right at the beginning of the first issue, you'll see something that Alpha-Lanterns can do that Green Lanterns are not able to. In Green Lantern #27, Geoff revealed that they're part Manhunter, which puts a totally different spin on their powers and what their abilities are. As we saw with Laira, they're able to shut rings down, which, as an Internal Affairs officer, is important, because they need to be able to disarm Green Lanterns. But we'll see a little more about their powers in this story.

NRAMA: It was also implied in Green Lantern that the Guardians desired the Alpha-Lanterns to be free of emotion. Is that part of what you're exploring in these issues?

SG: Yeah. Part of their "programming" suppresses their emotions for justice. And whether or not Alpha-Lanterns' emotions can emerge from underneath that programming remains to be seen.

NRAMA: Did you have to do a lot of research for this, or had you already done all the research you needed when you were working on the Secret Files issue?

SG: You know, I did so much research for Secret Files. But that research paid off, and I knew exactly what scenes from her past we'd seen before that I wanted to use – specifically Emerald Twilight, where Hal Jordan and Boodikka square off and she loses her hand. That causes a whole rift between her and Hal, and she's unable to forgive him. And we'll touch on that in this story.

But her past besides that is almost entirely unexplored. She shows up in Green Lantern and just says, "Hi! I'm this totally bad-ass warrior chick. Ha-Ha! Make me a Green Lantern!" I really wanted to find out why she even wanted to be a Green Lantern in the first place, and what happened to her family after she left.

NRAMA: As you said, an important part of her past is that she was one of the Lost Lanterns. Is her relationship with the other Lost Lanterns going to play a part in this story?

SG: Absolutely. I think that relationship was really important to her before she became an Alpha-Lantern. And once she becomes an Alpha-Lantern, the Lost Lanterns feel she's become something different, something they can't identify with.

NRAMA: It was kind of creepy, the way they became Alpha-Lanterns.

SG: Oh, it was disgusting! And I've had talks with Geoff about this. To me, the morality is a little shady – the ethics of what the Guardians do. Because they essentially gut them, and take their hearts out and replace them with power batteries. And the question is, does that constitute murder? That's something that will be really interesting to look at later. But that scene was as disturbing as it was completely disgusting.

NRAMA: So, she's not just the Bionic Woman with a few robotic parts.

SG: No, she's now something... more.

NRAMA: What's it been like working with Nelson?

SG: Nelson's incredible. And he's extremely talented and extremely fast. As soon as I would turn something in, he'd have a rough version, and a finished version within days. His work has a very classic feel, yet he does a really good job of marrying it with a very modern look.

NRAMA: This is a pretty big break for you, isn't it? The back-up story you did in the Superman Prime one-shot and the Secret Files were first steps, but this is your first work on a monthly title, and your first story going more than one issue.

SG: Yeah, I can't wait to actually go to a store and see it on the shelf!

NRAMA: Is there anything else you want to tell people about the issue?

SG: I just hope people pick it up and give it a chance. The Alpha-Lanterns are such a great idea, and they're going to play a major part in Final Crisis.

[MrToady12]

Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps- hands down DC's best and most consistent comic book franchise out there right now (outside of Batman of course).

The thing that strikes me about the Alpha Lanterns is more regarding the depths the Gaurdians will go to, to achieve what they see as "justice" and safeguarding the universe. Sinestro's claim that he had "won" the war seems to be coming true as the Guardians appear to have essentially become (or are certainly on that downward spiral) exactly that which they claim to oppose. I was shocked to see how they were willing to subject the Green Lanterns to such depravity to create a "perfect" lantern. Almost as shocking was how niave and "easy to volunteer" the lanterns were to trust the Guardians to undertake such a procedure - I think this may lead to the eventual downfall of the Green Lantern Corps and perhaps a total revamp of how the Corps exists - is the end in sight for the "omnipotent" Guardians who are less than pure and selfless?

Whatever the result, I am eagerly waiting to see where these two series head in the next couple of years...

Cheers

Oh... and the obligatory "First Post!" Wahoo!

[Shoeface]

I'm liking the Alpha Lantern idea. Will be interesting to see how they play a role in Final Crisis too.

[Upercrazy]

I honestly can`t wait to see what happens with the Alphas.. they are such an interesting concept. It should be interesting to see just how much of the oridiginal lantern is left at the end!"

[Slick]

Lookin forward to it

[KoozyK]

SG: Oh, it was disgusting! And I've had talks with Geoff about this. To me, the morality is a little shady – the ethics of what the Guardians do. Because they essentially gut them, and take their hearts out and replace them with power batteries. And the question is, does that constitute murder? That's something that will be really interesting to look at later. But that scene was as disturbing as it was completely disgusting.

my first thought as well. i'm glad john didn't take the offer to become one. i got the feeling they're more like marvel's omega sentinels now.

the story seems to be interesting, although i'm more intrigued by mongul right now in gl.

[ljacone]

Very interesting, indeed. The last few years of GL and GLC have really explored and expanded the mythos without totally breaking from what was already there. I like that progression -- if you're dealing with the vastness of the cosmos, your heroes should run into more than the same dozen people all the time.

[Grievous]

sounds decent,

It is a good time to be a green lantern fan.

who is nelson tho?

[patoliver]

I think this is how something gets out of control!! I mean now we have alpha lanterns and all the other colours and all that stuff going on, I think this is far too much and it souds too silly and obvious. I wont follow it, it has negative appeal to me.

[Excelsior!]

So this is one of Morrison's ideas? Makes sense - my 'spider-sense' went off when I first read about the Alpha-Lanterns, and now I know why...

[durkadurka]

Thanks to Geoff Johns, Green Lantern has become extremely interesting. For a guy who grew up on Marvel, I am extremely impressed.
And Green Lantern Corps continually amazes me as well. It's a title that you could just shrug off as a side title to Green Lantern, but it's just not at all. I like how all Earth lanterns are currently in play (Hal in GL, John in JLA, Kyle and Guy in GLC) and how much they have built up all these other lanterns. I really have to hand it to these guys, using so many characters that all have essentially the same powers. I guess that frees them to be really creative with the characters themselves, and they are doing it really well.
Plus the Alpha Lanterns...of course that was Grant Morrison's idea! That crazy kook.

[NormanB258]

Originally Posted by patoliver

I think this is how something gets out of control!! I mean now we have alpha lanterns and all the other colours and all that stuff going on, I think this is far too much and it souds too silly and obvious. I wont follow it, it has negative appeal to me.

If an intricate, cosmic storyline rife with sweeping mythological changes isn't your style, there are plenty of other books to select from.

Response to this direction has been OVERWHELMINGLY positive, and I don't see it reversing anytime soon.

Which, for the record, I think is a great thing!

[Da_Black_Goku]

I might have to get back on GL again... I hear and see nothing but good stuff from those titles....

[HomerCow]

When I first heard about the alpha lanterns, I thought "I wonder if they're going to police the green lantern corp".

I never expected them to start draining rings like a manhunter though. When I saw that, I got a chill, like something was really wrong with that picture.

Just shows that the GL creative forces (Johns, Morrison, Reis, Van Sciver, Gates, Gleason) are all doing a great job!

[superluminal]

I don't remember all the details (I'm sure someone does though), but isn't this Alpha Lantern internal affairs concept a rehash of something that was done back in the early 90s?

I don't remember the specific comic (maybe vol 2 #195?), but wasn't there an arc about Hal and Guy running into some robot green lantern police? The important part of the story is that they had the same costume Guy Gardner had, and the implication was that Guy chose his costume in order to be like those guys.

[SpyGuy]

Shouldn't they be called Cybermen-Lanterns instead?

[GodAMongMen]

Is it just me or did anyone else think "bionic manhunters" when these guy made their debut?
I mean dont the guardians ever learn form their mistakes?

[durkadurka]

Originally Posted by SpyGuy

Shouldn't they be called Cybermen-Lanterns instead?

Oh man, can you imagine a Dalek with a Sinestro Corps Ring? That would be some scary sh*t.

[Kevin T. Brown]

Alpha Lanterns have a role in Final Crisis, hm?

That "confirms" it for me. Krona must be involved and we're probably getting the true infinite multi-verse back.

[rans]

Originally Posted by superluminal

I don't remember all the details (I'm sure someone does though), but isn't this Alpha Lantern internal affairs concept a rehash of something that was done back in the early 90s?

I don't remember the specific comic (maybe vol 2 #195?), but wasn't there an arc about Hal and Guy running into some robot green lantern police? The important part of the story is that they had the same costume Guy Gardner had, and the implication was that Guy chose his costume in order to be like those guys.

You're talking about "The Fists of the Guardians" and they appeared in Emerald Dawn 2.

They did appear to be a very similar concept, but with ED2 likely getting retconned out with the upcoming Secret Origins arc in GL, I guess it doesn't matter anymore.

[VocalMan81]

Originally Posted by Kevin T. Brown

Alpha Lanterns have a role in Final Crisis, hm?

That "confirms" it for me. Krona must be involved and we're probably getting the true infinite multi-verse back.

Here's hoping!

[sooperman]

Does that constitute "murder?" Interesting question. God, I love the GL books these days...

[DruZod]

Originally Posted by superluminal

I don't remember all the details (I'm sure someone does though), but isn't this Alpha Lantern internal affairs concept a rehash of something that was done back in the early 90s?

I don't remember the specific comic (maybe vol 2 #195?), but wasn't there an arc about Hal and Guy running into some robot green lantern police? The important part of the story is that they had the same costume Guy Gardner had, and the implication was that Guy chose his costume in order to be like those guys.

Your memory does not fail you. That was in the second "Emerald Dawn" mini-series, where Sinestro comes to Earth to train Hal.

[C20Percent]

Originally Posted by MattBrady

The two issues by Gates were recently added to the Green Lantern Corps title's schedule after the originally solicited two-part story by regular writer Peter Tomasi was shuffled to future issues.

Agh! Why would this happen?

[vfxdammerung]

What's to differentiate "The Corpse" (the SAS of the Green Lantern Corps) from these Alpha Lanterns in terms of power/skill?

And for those who read manga--

Doesn't the whole idea of the multi-colored emotional spectrum (Red, Blue, Green, Orange, Indigo, Violet, Yellow, and finally Black), and now Alpha Lanterns seem a bit familiar to Saint Seiya and Fist of fhe North Star?