Start here without the ending: The premise and reading plan below avoid the resolution. Plot history and later continuity changes are in a closed section.
At a glance
Core issuesSinestro Corps Special #1; Green Lantern (2005) #21–25; Green Lantern Corps (2006) #14–19, including epilogue
Publication2007; later issues carry 2008 cover dates
WritersGeoff Johns, Dave Gibbons and Peter J. Tomasi
ArtIvan Reis, Patrick Gleason, Ethan Van Sciver and others
Read after Rebirth and the early Green Lantern (2005) run. Sinestro has already returned before this event; the new development is an organized army powered by fear.
Why read it?
Sinestro recruits ring-bearers chosen for their ability to terrify. Hal’s series follows the central confrontation, while Green Lantern Corps makes the war a struggle involving the wider Corps and its home. Reading both strands gives the event its scale.
Watch for: Sinestro’s argument that order depends on fear. The conflict tests the Guardians’ rules as much as it tests individual courage. This is also where the idea of rival corps becomes a sustained challenge to the Green Lantern institution.
Before, during and after
- Before — recommended: Green Lantern: Rebirth #1–6 and Green Lantern (2005) #1–20. The shorter route is the premise recap above plus the opening special.
- Core: read the special, then alternate the two series using our issue-by-issue Sinestro Corps War order. Green Lantern #25 is the climax; Corps #19 is the epilogue.
- Optional: the Tales of the Sinestro Corps one-shots deepen individual opponents and allies. They do not replace the two ongoing series.
- Next: Green Lantern #26–28 and the Alpha Lantern aftermath, then Secret Origin and the road toward Blackest Night.
Check edition contents: Green Lantern by Geoff Johns Book Three includes earlier #18–20 and some extras, but lists Corps only through #18. A book with “Sinestro Corps” in the title can therefore overlap your earlier reading or omit the epilogue.
People to follow
Story history and aftermath — major spoilers
What the war changes
The opening attack strips Kyle of Ion and makes him a host for Parallax. The Sinestro Corps fields threats including the Anti-Monitor, Cyborg Superman and Superboy-Prime; its attack eventually reaches Earth. Hal and the other Earth Lanterns help free Kyle, while the wider Corps fights for its survival.
The Guardians authorize lethal force against the Sinestro Corps. Sinestro loses the immediate battle but treats that change as an ideological victory: he has made the Green Lanterns more willing to govern through fear. Read the parallel finales in Green Lantern Corps #18 and Green Lantern #25, then the quieter aftermath in Corps #19.
The closing material points toward the War of Light and Blackest Night. The next stories develop the Alpha Lanterns and the consequences of the Guardians’ changing rules, rather than resetting the war’s effects. The combined DC collection is the primary story source; the Tales collection supplies additional character history.
Green Lantern: Sinestro Corps Special (2007) #1 — second-printing cover. Ethan Van Sciver (cover art). Artwork source & details.
Reading priorities and commentary are our editorial guidance. Issue ranges and publication context are checked against the linked publisher records. Reviewed November 4, 2026.
Artwork credits (5 images)
Credits refer to the illustrations shown here. Open a record for sources, adaptations and unresolved details. Some artwork and source pages contain story spoilers.
- Scw — Green Lantern: Sinestro Corps Special (2007) #1 — second-printing cover. Ethan Van Sciver (cover art).
- Hal Jordan — Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #45 (2018), Tyler Kirkham variant cover, cropped detail. Tyler Kirkham (cover pencils and inks); Arif Prianto (cover colors).
- Sinestro — Green Lantern (2011) #52 (2016), New 52 homage variant cover artwork. Billy Tan (variant cover pencils and inks); Alex Sinclair (variant cover colors).
- Kyle Rayner — Green Lantern (2023) #33 / legacy #600 (2026), David Nakayama variant cover, cropped detail. David Nakayama (cover art and colors).
- Guy Gardner — Artist credit unconfirmed.
