The Rann-Thanagar War #1-6

The Rann-Thanagar War #1-6

Originally released in 2005

Written by Dave Gibbons

Art by Ivan Reis

I chose this for two reasons: I plan to read Strange Adventures (a Tom King series) focusing on Adam Strange at some point and I'd like some context for who he is (I've only seen him in the series 52), and I'd like to read Infinite Crisis at some point and this apparently leads into it.

As an act of defiance after being defeated, a rogue Thanagarian teleported Rann, a world which Adam Strange is randomly transported to, into orbit around Polaris, the North Star.  This is Thanagar's solar system, so her hope was that it would be seen as an act of aggression by the people of Rann and lead to an interplanetary war.  This backfires, as Thanagar is thrown out of its orbit and into its sun.

The people of Rann offer their world as a refuge, but there is distrust among the Rannians and Thanagarians alike.  Strange takes Hawkman and Hawkgirl to Rann, but they're met with scenes of devastation.

Given the premise, I thought that this story was going to pit two relatively obscure heroes (Hawkman and Adam Strange) against each other as their societies went to war, with each one mainly seeing their own world's side.  I suppose it's understandable that the war is caused by rogue elements and the majority of the populations are against it, with neither planet being in the wrong, though I figured that with neither one being particularly well-known, it could allow for some moral ambiguity to be introduced.

The Green Lanterns are also involved in this story, though surprisingly that involvement isn't advertised. (I'm surprised this wasn't called "Green Lantern: The Rann-Thanagar War", especially with it coming out shortly after Geoff Johns's "Green Lantern Rebirth" miniseries that started off his run)  In this case, it's Kyle Rayner and Kilowog who get involved, in spite of Adam Strange's view that they can handle it without the Green Lanterns or the Guardians of the Universe. (The Guardians of the Universe also don't want Green Lanterns to get involved for reasons unknown)

Given the focus, this does feel like an attempt to expand DC's cosmic side beyond Green Lantern and the New Gods, though there are times where it feels like getting thrown into the deep end. Maybe there are some tie-ins that I missed, or stories leading up to this that I should have read first, but instead of getting involved in the Rann-Thanagar War, Kyle is sent to the planet Ancar to stop a war between the forces of L.E.G.I.O.N. (I guess this is meant to be an imagining of the Legion of Superheroes from a thousand years in DC's future?) and the Khund. (not sure who they are) It's treated like we're supposed to know who they are; I suppose the case might be the same if I picked up a Marvel book involving the Shi'ar or Kree from the past twenty years or so, but as someone who's barely scratched the surface of DC's cosmic side, it can feel a little overwhelming.

A wide variety of alien factions are involved in this, with each of them wanting to take advantage of the conflict for their own ends despite being nominally allied with one side or another.  This includes Komand'r, sister of Starfire from the Teen Titans, and her people, the Tamaraneans, who are looking for a new homeworld and think that Rann will do just nicely.

Despite its apparent destruction, some people on Thanagar survived, using all of the death as a sacrifice to revive a demonic being known as Onimar Synn.  The cultists plan on going to Rann and throwing Onimar Synn into the fray as well, seemingly setting him up to be a big threat that both forces have to work together and put aside their differences in order to defeat. (that seems to happen a lot in fiction)

On Rann, Hawkwoman (Shayera Thal; not to be confused with Kendra Saunders, Hawkgirl, even though both are part of the same reincarnation and somehow coexist) thinks that Adam Strange is against Thanagar and attacks him, not listening to reason.

The Thanagarian forces are after Rann's Zeta Beam technology, which will allow them to teleport anywhere in the Milky Way galaxy. The plot jumps between a variety of locations, though ultimately, Hawkwoman is convinced to work with Adam Strange, and Komand'r takes advantage of the situation to lie about her goals and join forces with the heroes as they reunite with a Rann escape ship just as the situation is looking bleak for the Rannians.

By the time of issue 5, the various factions are united on Rann, where Onimar Synn is using Nth metal (the material that the Hawkpeople use) to become even more powerful than he already was.  As this story goes on, I'm noticing some questionable politics behind its plot. It feels like every Thanagarian refugee that we see is secretly a death cultist taking advantage of Rann's generosity, with the exception of Hawkwoman. (Hawkgirl is a human, and with Hawkman going by Carter Hall rather than Katar Hol, I'm assuming he's human too) It feels like the story is saying to not take in refugees because they could destroy society.  Maybe I'm misreading it, or reading too much into it, but the message of the story feels outright xenophobic even though a line of dialogue indicates that most Thanagarians are against the war.

The Green Lanterns work on making Thanagar inhabitable, moving it to an orbit that can sustain life along with restoring the plant life, atmosphere, and buildings. On Rann, an attempted prison break turns into a sudden but inevitable betrayal; Kommand'r switches allegiances again, killing Shayera and fleeing with the Thanagarian leader, the Grand Mol.

In the chaos, Hawkman, Hawkgirl, and Adam Strange retreat to a refuge that only the ruler of Rann, his daughter, and Adam know about, where said ruler and his daughter (Adam's wife) are hidden.  They try to track Onimar Synn, who is right outside with his army assembled, looking for the Zeta Beam technology stored in the place where the resistance is hiding.

The final issue is a battle against Onimar Synn and his assembled forces. Despite all of Synn's power, he still has a physical body, and his defeat is poetic in a way, with him being given exactly what he wants. (Though not in the way that he wants it)

However, even in victory, the heroes can't rest. Kommand'r manipulates the leader of Thanagar into resuming hostilities, Adam Strange was teleported back to Earth, various alien races are showing up to help one side or the other (or just take advantage of the conflict), and some kind of space-time event causes some sort of burst of light like something tearing its way into reality.  The last of those is eerily reminiscent of the antimatter waves from Crisis On Infinite Earths, and the series ends by saying that it will be continued in Infinite Crisis.

Dave Gibbons definitely seems passionate about the sci-fi side of DC, though I'm not sure if that's to this series detriment - it moves by at an almost breathless pace, seemingly assuming that you're familiar with the various alien races and not taking time to explain things for newcomers. It can be a lot to take in, and this is just one of three or four prologues for Infinite Crisis. (I'm hoping I'll be able to follow that once I get to it)