Sinestro Corps

The Sinestro Corps, also known as Yellow Lantern Corps, is a group of fictional characters, a villainous analog to the Green Lantern Corps in the DC Universe, derived from the emotional electromagnetic spectrum. It is led by the supervillain Sinestro.
Publication history.
The Sinestro Corps first appears in "Green Lantern" vol. 4 #10 and was created by Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver.
Fictional history.
Before the Corps.
The Parallax entity is a space parasite that is the embodiment of fear that was imprisoned within the Central Power Battery on Oa. As time passed, the entity became known as the yellow impurity, the cause for the power rings' weakness to the color yellow.
Thaal Sinestro, at the time the universe's greatest Green Lantern, was sent to Earth by Supernova in a plot to erase Guy Gardner from history. Booster Gold was assigned to prevent this from happening. To do so, he convinced Sinestro to leave Earth, claiming that he was an admirer from the future, and that his yellow Legion of Super-Heroes flight ring was a tribute to Sinestro. When asked what Corps he belongs to, Booster ad-libbed, "The...Sinestro Corps", leading Sinestro to twirl his mustache in thought while mumbling, "Of course...Of course."
After Sinestro went rogue, he was banished by the Guardians of the Universe to Qward in the antimatter universe. When he returned, he wielded a power ring which used yellow energy. After various encounters with Earth's Green Lantern, Hal Jordan, he was imprisoned within the Central Power Battery. There he was able to use his ring, which uses fear, as opposed to willpower, as a power source, to awaken Parallax from hibernation. From there, Parallax and Sinestro were able to influence the fall of Hal Jordan and instigate the fall of the Green Lantern Corps, leaving one last Green Lantern: Kyle Rayner.
Recruitment drive.
After the Green Lantern Corps was restarted with the return of Hal Jordan, the Sinestro Corps began actively recruiting members, offering yellow power rings and a role in the Corps to those who can "instill great fear". Members of the Corps are immediately taken to Qward to "...be subjected to psychological and physical reconditioning". The members of the Sinestro Corps work in sectors, like the Green Lantern Corps. Qward also has a huge yellow Central Battery on its surface like the one used on Oa. Although the Sinestro Corps uses fear, and opposes the Green Lantern Corps and the Guardians, Sinestro has stated their goal is to bring order to the universe, which he claims the Guardians have failed to do.
Arkillo, a large and muscular vicious alien, is enslaving all the Qwardian Weaponers and forcing them to continuously build new yellow rings which are programmed to breach the barrier between the antimatter and matter universes to find and recruit new ring-wielders. Arkillo also serves as the Sinestro Corps' drill sergeant, similar to Kilowog's role in the GLC.
Members recruited include Karu-Sil, raised by animals; Despotellis, a sentient virus capable of attacking Lanterns from the inside; and Bedovian, the sniper of the Corps, capable of taking out a target from three sectors away.
During this time, the Sinestro Corps attempted to recruit Batman, known even to some alien races for his formidable ability to instill fear in others. However, Batman's willpower combined with his previous brief exposure to a power ring allowed him to reject the yellow ring before it took him to be properly trained and molded into one of Sinestro's soldiers. The yellow ring then sought a replacement and selected Amon Sur, the disgruntled son of Abin Sur, who was on Earth attempting to steal Hal Jordan's ring.
The prophecy.
It was revealed that after untold millennia, the Weaponers of Qward, Ranx the Sentient City, the Children of the White Lobe, and the Empire of Tears will rise united against the Green Lantern Corps. This was largely ignored up until upgraded Manhunters started to appear throughout the universe. Hal Jordan encountered one on Earth and, with Guy Gardner, followed their trail to Sector 3601. Hal and Guy found several Green Lanterns, all of whom were assumed to have been killed during the "Emerald Twilight" saga, and the Manhunters' new grandmaster Hank Henshaw, the Cyborg Superman. The Manhunters were defeated and Henshaw's head was brought to Oa. The Book of Oa has a forbidden chapter on cosmic prophecies, which includes the following:
After his interrogation, the Guardians learned that Henshaw is aware of the fifty-two parallel universes and that if New Earth was destroyed, the new Multiverse would collapse and the Antimatter universe would take its place. Two of the Guardians, Ganthet and Sayd, warn the other Guardians not to ignore the prophecy because it could destroy the Green Lantern Corps.
The Sinestro Corps War.
Following his defeat in "", the events of "Green Lantern: Sinestro Corps Special" #1 Sinestro retreats to the planet Qward in the antimatter universe. There he amasses an army, the Sinestro Corps, that he selects based upon their ability to "inspire great fear". Each member is armed with a yellow power ring, mirroring the green ones of the Green Lantern Corps. Amongst Sinestro's allies are Parallax and the resurrected Anti-Monitor. The Sinestro Corps then launches an all-out assault against the Green Lantern Corps and the universe itself. During the assault on Oa, the Sinestro Corps manages to inflict heavy casualties and free Superman-Prime and the Cyborg Superman from their imprisonment. Kyle Rayner is captured and transported to Qward, where Sinestro manages to separate Rayner from the symbiote Ion allowing Parallax to possess him. Hal Jordan, John Stewart, and Guy Gardner return to Earth to warn the Justice League of the Anti-Monitor's return.
As the Sinestro Corps spreads out to ambush Green Lanterns across the universe, "Green Lantern" vol. 4 #23 sees the Guardians deciding to rewrite their sacred text, the Book of Oa. They add 10 new laws, the first of which authorizes the use of lethal force against the Sinestro Corps. As the Green Lanterns gather on Oa in preparation for a Sinestro Corps assault, the Sinestro Corps teleport themselves and their Central Power Battery instead to a new Warworld, their objective revealed to be Earth. Events in "Green Lantern Corps" vol. 2 #16 show Hal informing the Green Lantern Corps of Sinestro's plans.
"Green Lantern" vol. 4 #24 continues the story, with Green Lanterns and Sinestro Corps members battling across Earth. Hal manages to free Kyle from Parallax before the entity is imprisoned in their power batteries by Ganthet and Sayd. After John and Guy arrive, the former Guardians reveal to them the prophecy of the "Blackest Night", seen in "Green Lantern" vol. 4 #25. It foretells of five more Corps arising, each based on a different color and emotion. After the five corps are established, a "War of Light" will ensue, in which all the corps are destroyed, leading to the "Blackest Night".
The Guardians arrive on Earth and appoint Sodam Yat to be the new Ion. After a lengthy struggle in New York City, the Sinestro Corps are defeated by the overwhelming numbers against them. One of the Guardians sacrifices himself to send Superman-Prime to an alternate universe, while Hal and Kyle subdue and arrest Sinestro in Coast City. In the aftermath of the battle, seen in "Green Lantern" vol. 4 #25, the Guardians decide to bring the second of the new laws into effect. After realizing that the "Blackest Night" prophecy will come to pass, Ganthet and Sayd depart after creating a blue power ring with the intention of creating their own Corps, based on the spreading of Hope to the rest of the universe. The Anti-Monitor, having been blown across the vacuum of space at the battle's climax, finds itself on a dark planet. There it is transformed by an unknown force into a Black Power Battery.
Blackest Night.
Following the Sinestro Corps War, the Green Lantern Corps tracked down the abandoned Sinestro rings and prevented them from finding new bearers. Among these is Amon Sur's ring, which attempts to recruit the self-proclaimed "Master of Fear", Jonathan Crane. The surviving members of the Sinestro Corps continue to try to bring fear to the Green Lanterns, in part by murdering the family members of Green Lanterns. Meanwhile, Mongul (who had since obtained a yellow ring in the aftermath of the war) begins his quest to take command of the Sinestro Corps in their namesake's absence. After obtaining an additional five rings by killing corpsmen who refused to follow him, Mongul takes over the planet Daxam and then a large contingent of the Sinestro Corps, after besting Arkillo in one-on-one combat, he becomes the new leader of the Sinestro Corps. In "Rage of the Red Lanterns" #1, a group of rogue Sinestro Corps members still loyal to Sinestro release him from Green Lantern custody as he is being transferred for execution. Their rescue attempt is temporarily spoiled by an attack from Atrocitus and his newly formed Red Lantern Corps.
Sinestro is abducted by Atrocitus' forces and brought to the Red Lantern base planet: Ysmault. Planning to use Sinestro's blood for their own means, Sinestro's faction of the Sinestro Corps eventually arrive and liberate him from the Red Lanterns. After their escape, Sinestro and his faction of the Sinestro Corps return to Qward, revealing that there is a backup Central Power Battery. Sinestro orders his men to free the Sinestro Corps members imprisoned on Zamaron by the Star Sapphires and meet him on the darkside of Daxam's moon. After Sinestro attends to "family business", they will retake the Sinestro Corps from Mongul. In addition to those members imprisoned on Zamaron, Sinestro Corps members are also being held prisoner on Oa. Their power rings are held in containment along with other rings (abandoned due to casualty in war) that were prevented from finding new bearers. When Red Lantern Vice is freed from confinement in his sciencell, he attacks the Green Lantern jailer. Though the imprisoned members of the Sinestro Corps initially cheer him on, they find that he is just as likely of attacking them in his rage. During the jail break, Scar frees the yellow power rings and they find their bearers in the sciencells. Upon being reunited with her ring, Lyssa Drak claims to once again be able to feel the Book of Parallax. Now armed with their rings the Sinestro Corps join in the battle with the Green Lanterns and Vice.
The faction of the Sinestro Corps led by Sinestro are planning an invasion of Zamaron, homeworld of the Star Sapphires, in order to retake the female Corps members being held prisoner there. After being repelled from Daxam, Mongul's faction (which he has renamed as "The Mongul Corps") invades Korugar. Sinestro's rescue attempt is interrupted by a Black Lantern attack, which he only survives through the arrival of Hal Jordan and Indigo-1, leader of the Indigo Tribe. Indigo-1 brings Sinestro to Korugar, so that he may finally confront Mongul. After a fierce battle, Sinestro activates the override systems in Mongul's rings, using them to imprison him inside the Sinestro Corps Central Power Battery, thus overthrowing Mongul,taking control of the Mongul Corps,and renaming it "The Sinestro Corps" after himself. When he departs with Hal Jordan's group of light-wielders, he commands his Corps to gather at Korugar and protect it while he is away.
In the aftermath of "Blackest Night", the Sinestro Corps and Green Lantern Corps maintain a fragile truce where neither will attack each other. However, while helping Hal Jordan and the ring-wielders of the other five corps investigate the abduction of the emotional entities, Sinestro is separated from his ring and imprisoned in the Book of the Black, along with the other five members of the group, with Hal only just managing to escape with their rings. When Sinestro and the others escape, renegade Guardian Krona takes command of their rings, prompting Sinestro to attack Krona on his own, with the unexpected result that he is once again chosen as a Green Lantern.
The New 52.
Returning to Korugar after the Guardians decide to leave him with the ring, Sinestro learns that his Corps have reverted to their brutal methods, terrorising and slaughtering the people of Korugar rather than ruling it, Sinestro creating a new Green Lantern ring for Hal Jordan albeit one that he can shut off at will so that Jordan can help him retake control of the Sinestro Corps, who now want him dead in the belief that his killer will become the new Sinestro Corps leader. After turning various Korugarian prisoners into a temporary Green Lantern Corps using short-lived duplicates of Sinestro's ring, Sinestro and Hal are able to hold off the Sinestro Corps long enough to drain the power away from the Central Power Battery of the Sinestro Corps, de-powering all of the Corps members on Korugar, although those more distant from the battery will still have access to their own power supplies. Later all Lanterns' rings registered that the Sinestro Corps have disbanded with 98% of all known Corpsmen dead or incarcerated, requiring Arkillo, who was cut off from the other Corps in the Orrery with the during this attack, to use a new, independent power battery forged by the Weaponer from the fear of the Korugarians. It has since been revealed that the Guardians were responsible for Sinestro acquiring a Green Lantern ring in an attempt to undermine the Sinestro Corps as part of their future plans to destroy all seven Corps. During the conclusion of the "Wrath of the First Lantern" storyline, Sinestro becomes once again a member of the Sinestro Corps and after bonding with Parallax, he reactivates the yellow rings and releases all the Sinestro Corps members who were incarcerated on Oa.
In the aftermath of the war with the New Gods of New Genesis, Sinestro has created Warworld into the new base and headquarters of the Sinestro Corps, after the Green Lantern Corps have vanished into another universe.
DC Rebirth.
Subsequently, in "DC Rebirth", Sinestro uses the opportunity to establish the Sinestro Corps as the new force of 'order' in the universe, albeit through imposing fear rather than inspiring faith, with Soranik joining her father out of a lack of perceived options. However, as they establish a presence where Oa was once located, Hal Jordan forges a new ring for himself as the rest of the Corps return to this universe.
Sinestro then sends out his enforcers of his Corps to control the new order of the universe with fear. The Sinestro Corps attacks a planet, but soon Hal emerges and returns of being Green Lantern in the fight. Hal attacks with his full powers causing the Sinestro Corps members to flee as Hal pursuits them. He follows them on the planet, as all the Sinestro Corps are to restrain him. While Hal tried to battle them, the Sinestro Corps gain the full power of fear throughout the universe to defeat him, and were ordered by Sinestro to bring Hal alive. The Sinestro Corps return to the base with granting to Sinestro with the captured Green Lantern, who they thought was Hal, but is actually Guy Gardner instead. Furious, Sinestro demands where Hal is. A Corps member mistook that rebel of being Soranik Natu, who has secured Hal safely. The Sinestro Corps are used to capture the people of the universe and imprison them in Warworld's engine to increase the power of fear.
When Hal has recovered, he invades Warworld and attacks the Sinestro Corps. They were about to attack, but their leader Sinestro appears and orders his Corps to stop so that he and Hal can go face to face in battle. Before Sinestro attacks him, he discovers too late his powers are decreased due to Soranik rescuing people from being imprisoned and escapes with them. Hal then uses his energies as a living construct to incinerate the Fear Warlord, apparently destroying the Sinestro Corps' leader.
Prominent members.
Like the Green Lantern Corps, the Sinestro Corps has 7200 ring bearers, two for each of the 3600 sectors of space.
Oath.
When recharging their power rings, members of the Sinestro Corps recite the following oath:
Entity.
As the embodiment of fear which is connected to the yellow light of the Emotional Spectrum, Parallax is revealed to be the emotional entity for the Sinestro Corps. Born when one of the earliest life forms first felt terror, it is insect-like in appearance. Parallax was the first of the seven entities to be captured by a still unknown person and currently is held captive in Ryut. The Sinestro Corps insignia is based on drawings created by life forms who looked into the mouth of Parallax, and lived to tell the tale.
Book of Parallax.
This book apparently holds in its pages all the history of the greatest Sinestro Corpsmen histories. For unknown reasons the book was chained to Lyssa Drak with yellow energy from Sinestro himself. This was possibly for the need to have a historian for his Corps and a way for Sinestro to revisit his Corps' success. Lyssa Drak is quite loyal to Sinestro and highly devoted to updating the Book and keeping it safe. A power ring is needed to translate the Book's text into words familiar to the ring wielder. Before a candidate of the corps enters a fear lodge, their power rings are drained by the Book of Parallax. Recently, Lyssa Drak has become the embodiment of the book.
Weapons and equipment.
Members of the Sinestro Corps use yellow power rings built on Qward. Though functionally similar to a Green Lantern's power ring, yellow power rings are fueled by fear instead of willpower. Members are selected for their skill at intimidation and terror. The ring amplifies the aggressive tendencies of the wearer. The yellow rings are charged by yellow power batteries, which are in turn linked to a yellow Central Power Battery based on Korugar. Aside from the recharging limitations common among the various Corps, their only known weakness is that their power can be drained by a Blue Lantern's power ring.