Read: Rann-Thanagar Holy War #3

Issue: Rann-Thanagar Holy War #3
Title: "Restoration"
Published Date: Sep 2008
Generation: Modern Carter
Retcon Status: In Continuity

Summary: Prince Gavyn intercepts a gigantic fleet heading straight for Throneworld -- and then has his flagship attacked by said fleet, which carries the mark of Lady Styx.  Meanwhile, following the temporal craziness last issue, Adam Strange and Hawkman have to put their plans against the Thanagarians on hold for the moment.  Comet is disturbed to hear that both the Universal Truth Corporation and Lady Styx are involved, since he has had bad experiences with both of them as of late!  Strange decides to take Comet, the Weird, Animal Man, Starfire and Tigorr with him to Hardcore Station (which Sardath has triangulated as the center of the time anomolies), while Hawkman stays on Rann to head off any further time-displaced beasties.  

On Hardcore Station, Chief Justice Max is investigating temporal disturbances of his own, and has to rebuff Vril Drox's efforts to score a LEGION contract for the Station.  But while he investigates, Deacon Dark and his two cronies, Seek and Find, are actively messing with the timestream, and pull the tyranical Synnar, servant of the Nameless, into the present!  Our heroes arrive on Hardcore Station, and encounter Deacon Dark -- but he quickly counters with several war mechs!

Back on Rann, the fervor of the faithful to Lady Styx is stoked when a Rannian soldier is found hung upside down wearing an amulet of the UTC -- causing them to turn on the "Thanagarian" Hawkman!

Review: More space opera fun from Starlin and Lim.  We see the emergence of Big Bad Synnar, although now he is in the form from the previous Hardcore Station (which I totally need to track down), as well as a rising tide of religous lunacy from both sides of the fence.  Lim's pencils are strong and dynamic, and he handles all of the characters well, giving them their own stances and gaits.  I especially like the touch (which Starlin uses a lot) of having each caption box start off with a symbol of the character and then continue to be colored consistantly, so we know who of the large cast is speaking.  

Starlin is not breaking the mold here for cosmic comics, but what he is doing is concocting a lot of enjoyable adventures, with lots of characters and lots of locales.  Maybe I am just prone, but I really dig this sort of stuff.  Re-reading this series (I read it in about two days when I first got it) has been a blast and I am really looking forward to each "new" installment.

Note: The oft-refenced Hawkman Special was released after this issue, but chronologically occurs during this issue, after Strange and company leave for Hardcore Station but before Hawkman is captured.

Image: Rann-Thanagar Holy War #3, 2008, Jim Starlin.