Is it just me or do you think that the current issues of green lantern just a little frightening? If Kyle Rayner gets this much controll he will be hard to stop. And with paralax out of the way not many people hve the powere to stop him. This could effect the whole entire DC universe!!!
I suspect he won't keep this power for long, and him losing it will lead to the return of the Corps. That being said, the only problem I have with Ion is that they are making him out to be more powerful than Parallax, or are hinting at that, and it simply makes no sense. Kyle merged with a portion of his own power (Oblivion) and the remnants of Hal's (Parallax's residual energy in the Sun), and I can't understand how those small portions of each character's powers could merge into a more powerful force than either ever controlled individually.
I believe that the reason why Ion is more powerful than Parallax is that while Hal Jordan absorbed the power of the central battery, Kyle has become one with it.
No one should possess this much power (especially not someone like Kyle Rayner). I mean just look at what Superman went through when he tried to get too involved in the lives of those he's sworn to protect. And let's not forget the old adage that "absolute power corrupts absolutely." Aside from all that, let's face it: it's not very interesting reading about a character who's nearly omnipotent/omniscient. Here's hoping Kyle gets his comeuppance sooner (rather than later).
At the same time, look at the reasons behind Hal's and Kyle's power change... Hal was devoted to the idea of changing the universe so he could save his hometown. Kyle more or less backed into his powerup. While Kyle has some significant heartbreaks in his past that he might like to change, he is too caught up in being a hero to worry about himself. Fact is, it can be argued that he was always this powerful with this ring, he just never realized it before.
I agree, though... I think the culmination of this storyline will end up in the recreation of the Corps...
Let's look at all that's happened recently. Kyle's power upgrade, for one, I feel is long overdue. Although the degree to which it's grown is staggering, I don't see how anyone can find it uninteresting. What exactly can he do? I've been hoping for ages to see him perform some of the acts Hal was capable of towards the end of his career as GL; phasing through solid objects, teleportation,... reading books without picking them up. The fact is, with a GL ring, it's bearer is capable of anything they have the willpower for. Think of how broad the possibilities must be. Make no mistake, Hal is and always will be my favorite, but any hardcore GL fan must've been won over by Kyle even slightly by this point. He's a hero through and through (Costume kinda sucks, though). But HE IS GREEN LANTERN. He's earned it. Just like John Stewert and Guy Gardner have earned a place in our hearts. I'm sure the idea of the return of the CORPS seems more likely now than ever before. Kyle sure seems capable of making it happen. But who will be GL?
As a die hard Hal fan, I'm choking on the words, but I hope he never becomes GL again. He's become god's spirit of redemption. He's not even alive any longer, and his mission is much greater and more glorious than a galactic peace keeper. He's transcended the CORPS (I'm sure he'd watch over them, though). John Stewert seems a shoo-in to take some part in what's coming up. He's healing mentally and physically from the fractured hero he'd been before. His will is stronger than it's ever been, having overcome his emotional shortcomings. As the GL of the JL cartoon, it's not likely DC is going to neglect his charcter in the comics. Guy Gardner died last summer, right? Who knows? Other than a small panel of his impalement and a declaration by Booster Gold that "they killed Guy", nothing has been mentioned of his fate until a few weeks ago when he made an appearance in Adventues of Superman as some sort of quasi-demonic being. No one ever seems to doubt that Guy could be capable of great evil. I doubt it, though. Yeah he's an ass, but how many times has he proved his heroism? I think some mistakes have been made regarding the progression of his character (oh, by the way, Guy's half Vuldarian so he doesn't need a power ring), but he's a part of the GL legacy. I don't think he'll play a part in the return of the CORPS, but I think it would be logical to see the The Spectre help him face whatever demons Guy must contend with. Now there are dozens of established former GLs running around the DCU. Some we know have lost their lives either to Hal's betrayal of other Alien menaces. I'm sure the subject of who yet lives will be addressed upon the inception of a new CORPS. That leaves Alan Scott, Jade, and Kyle Rayner. The idea of Alan and Jade as GLs have been touched upon in the Kingdom Come series. Seems plausible, but not likely considering the way the story has been building up. Kyle is the best likely candidate. I can see him being horrified by his omnipotent reflection in the mirror. He might seek the consel and aide of other former GLs in dispersing his powers among those worthy, in effect reinstating the Green Lantern Corps. This is what I hope for, in any case, because it seems the likely direction to be taken by the characters involved. I hope to see Kyle and John undertake the grand task of GL recruitment. Perhaps even a search for Ganthet. But until May 8th, my thoughts are merely conjecture.
Excellent summary and thought provoking analysis. I find that I agree with you whole-heartedly, except for a few minor details.
I'd like to see Kyle retain the Ion persona (but please, in a different outfit - ugh). Not at the current power level, of course, but I think it would be very interesting from a story aspect if he were to use the power of Ion (sounds like a cheesy 80's cartoon phrase, doesn't it) to recreate the Corps. Having Jon Stewart lead the new Corps would be the perfect placement as far as I'm concerned, particularly since I can get my Hal fix over in The Spectre (and hopefully, much more often in the JSA - I think that Hal/Spectre would be a perfect addition to the ongoing story over there).
Also, there's the nice thread to consider - Ion was formed out of the residual power from Parallax, amongst others - and Parallax's power came from the battery - so in a way, this would be the full circle of the Corps, having the power from the original Corps returned to them via Ion in the reformation.