Sinestro Corps Color Meandering...

Right after Sinestro Corps came out, this interview appeared on Newsarama. Of course, I'm always a little bit behind so I'm reacting to it now.

I think it's pretty nifty. I particularly like how Mr. Johns refers to the characters as "The Four Musketeers" and that they're all facing challenges. It makes it real clear that this Parallax thing is only temporary and that Kyle's still gonna be Kyle.

Which makes me hopeful as I really do have a fan-entitled protectiveness over the character.

I was initially skeptical about all this colors/emotions mumbo-jumbo, I like my Lantern more space opera than metaphysical, but I'm starting to get used to the idea. Especially if they involve aliens. I'm also interesting in the symbolic roles that the Earth Lanterns play. There really isn't a coincidence I think that there are four of them.

It also doesn't hurt that Johns's bit about emotions ties pretty much into my own ideas about how the rings/willpower stuff works. Hey, I'm a fan-brat. We always think we know more than the creators. I'm just glad he's smart enough to agree with me. :-P

This quote though amuses me for reasons that only make sense in my sick brain:

And like Sinestro said, willpower is the center of it all. It's a balance. To the left, you have fear, so you have yellow and then orange and red and the spectrum goes into the negative. Green in the middle. Then on the other side, blue, indigo and violet, and you get into the positive emotions. Violet we’ve revealed ties into the power the Star Sapphires.

Okay, so the warmer colors are the negative emotions. I'm going to make the assumption that red = anger. Since well. Yellow is fear and purple is love. It seems pretty natural.

Anyway, it's hard to explain, but I've always kind of seen the four Earth Lanterns as compass rose type characters. Each one representing a different face/aspect of a whole. I don't count Alan because he's old and Starheart and not-Corps. Alan Scott needs no metaphysics damnit.

Hal's pretty much standard will-power. He's determined and focused and his main flaw is pride. He doesn't waver in the face of better judgement or any judgement really and is awfully arrogant. It's part of his charm.

Kyle's been set up as the one who feels fear the most. Of course, this also means he can overcome it best. It took a damn lot of personal attention to weaken him enough to get him possessed. He's never had the yellow weakness. He's never let his fear stop him, even when it came to stopping a supernova or getting his heart ripped out.

Guy'd be the easiest choice for anger, but I don't think it actually suits him as well as it does John. Guy is obnoxious, irritable and an asshole, but even his JLI antics were more pride and buffoonery than they were genuine rage I think. They were a child's temper tantrums. John though. John has righteous anger. From his first appearance, he's been a crusader righting specific wrongs. Stepping in against injustice. When he's truly angry, he's a force of nature. And really scary.

Even Sinestro, when describing the Lanterns to Kyle describes JOHN as angry and Guy as dim.

Of course, this ends up with Guy as love. Which is patently ridiculous but it makes a lot of sense as well. Hal mentiones in Green Lantern that Guy was the first to forgive him, which he did, in Warrior. Before the space bug was revealed. Before Hal died to stop the Sun-Eater. When Arisia died, and Hal/Parallax wanted to pay his respects, Guy let go of his anger and let him. He also spoke at his funeral, in a suit no less. Even before that, in the Warrior tie-in to Emerald Twilight, Guy had gone to Oa to beat some sense into Hal and bring him back. Even after discovering Kilowog's skull. It was always about reaching Hal.

When the poor Firebrand kid died in Roulette's arena, he remembered Guy as the only hero to really even notice him. And really, even before that. In JLI, we all remember the temper, but which was the more important aspect of the character? The temper? Or the relationship with Ice?

There's a reason the man's never had a serious love interest after she died. (Martika was evil and mind-controlling, Veronna was platonic, and Fire was a single night that was more about Tora for both of them). Guy's also the one that in the end is far more entrenched in the group concept than the others.

(He's also a woman and thus automatically associated with the feminine trait. Heh. I'm not sure whether this is more evidence for that or that is more for this. But then this argument's pretty ouroboran* anyway.)

*Bearing the qualities of an Ouroboros. Yeah, I made it up. The English Language is no match for me!

Anyway, I'm not sure what this all means, but I definitely think it could spill in to a lot of different stories.

Of course, now I'm starting to think that at some point, Guy Gardner may end up possessed by the Star Sapphire. And while I'm all for equal opportunity objectification, let's all pray he doesn't end up wearing that costume.

That color would completely clash with his hair.