Comic Book Character Spotlight is something new I'll be trying over the next couple weeks. I'm not sure how people will react to it, but feel free to let me know in the comments whether you like it or hate it or what I need to change with it.
The basic jist of this column will be taking random characters and putting the spotlight on them. Generally speaking, I would like to keep this related to specific events coming up or the big reveal of a certain villain or even the debut of a brand new character. For this opening salvo, I decided to put the spotlight on Sodam Yat of the Green Lantern Corps. He had a huge presence in the most recent GLC issues, which you can see in last week's Comic Book Moments of the Week, and since he is a new character for most people, I wanted to give a little background information on him and explain what makes him the "Ultimate Green Lantern". Hit the jump to find out more.
Who Is Sodam Yat?
Name: Sodam Yat
Race: Daxamite
Sector: 3182
First Appearance: Green Lantern Corps #12 (cameo), Green Lantern Corps #14 (full)
Required Reading: Tales of the Green Lantern Corps Annual #2 (1989), Green Lantern Corps #15-16, Tales of the Sinestro Corps Presents: Ion #1
Sodam Yat is a Daxamite, hailing from the planet Daxam. Daxamites are the genetic cousins of Kryptonians, like Superman, who left Krypton eons ago to search the galaxy and, eventually, settled under a red sun of their own. They are an intensely xenophobic and secular race and typically stick to their own planet and have little interaction with other races. Under a yellow sun, they gain powers rivaling Superman, including strength, flight, invulnerability, speed and heat and X-ray vision. Daxamites are deathly allergic to lead and the slightest exposure illicits a response similar to kryptonite on Kryptonians.
The origins of the character, Sodam Yat, go all the way back to 1989 when the Alan Moore penned story Tygers, contained in the Tales of the Green Lantern Corps Annual #2, first saw print. This story introduced the prophecy of The Blackest Night, which is the focal point of Geoff Johns' current Sinestro Corps War storyline. This same story introduced Sodam Yat as the Ultimate Green Lantern who was destined to die fighting the Children of the White Lobe, although his name was spelled, 'Sodom', in this tale. The character depicted in this issue was a huge, hulking version of the Sodam Yat that we eventually saw introduced in Green Lantern Corps #14.
Pictured above is the current rendition of the prophecy of The Blackest Night with the current model of Sodam Yat being impaled by the Children of the White Lobe. As seen in Green Lantern #15-16, this prophecy did not come to pass as both Yat and Mogo survived the Battle of Mogo.
Why Should I Care About Him?
Sodam Yat's claim to fame came during the Battle of Mogo where, under the orders of Kilowog, he was sent with a small group of Green Lanterns to take down the sentient city, Ranx, from the inside. Once inside, Yat quickly took control of the group, showing excellent tactical knowledge and intuition, as well as leading the charge in most battle situations.
The Green Lantern, Arisia, was sent by Salakk to ensure Yat was not killed during this battle and to ensure the prophecy did not come to pass. While battling inside Ranx, Arisia arrives to see Yat take the full blunt of several Sinestro Corps members, which she feared killed the young Daxamite. To her surprise, Yat survived with nary a scratch on him, showcasing his Superman-like strength and durability.
Later, Sodam Yat opts to stay behind and detonate Ranx's core by himself so that the other Lanterns won't be killed in the ensuing explosion. Arisia is forced to leave with the rest of the Lanterns, fearing she has failed in her duty to protect the rookie Lantern. Moments later, Ranx detonates high above Mogo and wins the Lanterns the battle. Much to everyone's surprise, Sodam Yat survived the massive explosion and reports in to Kilowog nonchilantly after the battle, as if it was no big deal and he knew he'd survive all along.
What Does The Future Hold For Sodam Yat?
The future looks bright for young Sodam Yat. Rumours abound that he will become the new Ion in the near future, replacing Kyle Rayner, who is tied up in the current Countdown event. The cover of the upcoming Tales of the Sinestro Corps Presents: Ion #1 portrays both Kyle and Sodam reaching with outstretched hands for a floating Green Lantern ring. The Ion rumours come from the fact that Sodam is competing with Kyle on the cover of the Ion special as well as the fact that Sodam is wearing a version of Kyle's Ion uniform in the same image, which you can see to the left.
If he does, in fact, become the next Ion, Sodam will more than likely become the focus of the Green Lantern Corps comic and take up the position as the Torchbearer of the Green Lantern Corps in place of the Parallax tainted Kyle Rayner. This position almost guarantees more exposure for the relatively new character and should cement his claim as the Ultimate Green Lantern.
Conclusion
In closing, I hope everyone enjoyed this introduction to Sodam Yat. I'm curious to know what you think of this new character. Do you feel he is being "forced" onto us? Should he be the new Ion? Where do you see this new character in the next few years? Personally, I'm enjoying his character and wish Gibbons had started using him earlier in the GLC title. I can't wait to see what they have in store for him and this is definitely an exciting time to be a Green Lantern fan.
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The basic jist of this column will be taking random characters and putting the spotlight on them. Generally speaking, I would like to keep this related to specific events coming up or the big reveal of a certain villain or even the debut of a brand new character. For this opening salvo, I decided to put the spotlight on Sodam Yat of the Green Lantern Corps. He had a huge presence in the most recent GLC issues, which you can see in last week's Comic Book Moments of the Week, and since he is a new character for most people, I wanted to give a little background information on him and explain what makes him the "Ultimate Green Lantern". Hit the jump to find out more.
Who Is Sodam Yat?
Name: Sodam YatRace: Daxamite
Sector: 3182
First Appearance: Green Lantern Corps #12 (cameo), Green Lantern Corps #14 (full)
Required Reading: Tales of the Green Lantern Corps Annual #2 (1989), Green Lantern Corps #15-16, Tales of the Sinestro Corps Presents: Ion #1
Sodam Yat is a Daxamite, hailing from the planet Daxam. Daxamites are the genetic cousins of Kryptonians, like Superman, who left Krypton eons ago to search the galaxy and, eventually, settled under a red sun of their own. They are an intensely xenophobic and secular race and typically stick to their own planet and have little interaction with other races. Under a yellow sun, they gain powers rivaling Superman, including strength, flight, invulnerability, speed and heat and X-ray vision. Daxamites are deathly allergic to lead and the slightest exposure illicits a response similar to kryptonite on Kryptonians.
The origins of the character, Sodam Yat, go all the way back to 1989 when the Alan Moore penned story Tygers, contained in the Tales of the Green Lantern Corps Annual #2, first saw print. This story introduced the prophecy of The Blackest Night, which is the focal point of Geoff Johns' current Sinestro Corps War storyline. This same story introduced Sodam Yat as the Ultimate Green Lantern who was destined to die fighting the Children of the White Lobe, although his name was spelled, 'Sodom', in this tale. The character depicted in this issue was a huge, hulking version of the Sodam Yat that we eventually saw introduced in Green Lantern Corps #14.
Pictured above is the current rendition of the prophecy of The Blackest Night with the current model of Sodam Yat being impaled by the Children of the White Lobe. As seen in Green Lantern #15-16, this prophecy did not come to pass as both Yat and Mogo survived the Battle of Mogo.Why Should I Care About Him?
Sodam Yat's claim to fame came during the Battle of Mogo where, under the orders of Kilowog, he was sent with a small group of Green Lanterns to take down the sentient city, Ranx, from the inside. Once inside, Yat quickly took control of the group, showing excellent tactical knowledge and intuition, as well as leading the charge in most battle situations.
The Green Lantern, Arisia, was sent by Salakk to ensure Yat was not killed during this battle and to ensure the prophecy did not come to pass. While battling inside Ranx, Arisia arrives to see Yat take the full blunt of several Sinestro Corps members, which she feared killed the young Daxamite. To her surprise, Yat survived with nary a scratch on him, showcasing his Superman-like strength and durability.
Later, Sodam Yat opts to stay behind and detonate Ranx's core by himself so that the other Lanterns won't be killed in the ensuing explosion. Arisia is forced to leave with the rest of the Lanterns, fearing she has failed in her duty to protect the rookie Lantern. Moments later, Ranx detonates high above Mogo and wins the Lanterns the battle. Much to everyone's surprise, Sodam Yat survived the massive explosion and reports in to Kilowog nonchilantly after the battle, as if it was no big deal and he knew he'd survive all along.What Does The Future Hold For Sodam Yat?
The future looks bright for young Sodam Yat. Rumours abound that he will become the new Ion in the near future, replacing Kyle Rayner, who is tied up in the current Countdown event. The cover of the upcoming Tales of the Sinestro Corps Presents: Ion #1 portrays both Kyle and Sodam reaching with outstretched hands for a floating Green Lantern ring. The Ion rumours come from the fact that Sodam is competing with Kyle on the cover of the Ion special as well as the fact that Sodam is wearing a version of Kyle's Ion uniform in the same image, which you can see to the left.If he does, in fact, become the next Ion, Sodam will more than likely become the focus of the Green Lantern Corps comic and take up the position as the Torchbearer of the Green Lantern Corps in place of the Parallax tainted Kyle Rayner. This position almost guarantees more exposure for the relatively new character and should cement his claim as the Ultimate Green Lantern.
Conclusion
In closing, I hope everyone enjoyed this introduction to Sodam Yat. I'm curious to know what you think of this new character. Do you feel he is being "forced" onto us? Should he be the new Ion? Where do you see this new character in the next few years? Personally, I'm enjoying his character and wish Gibbons had started using him earlier in the GLC title. I can't wait to see what they have in store for him and this is definitely an exciting time to be a Green Lantern fan.
Interested in Sodam Yat or Green Lantern, in general? Check out these various Green Lantern related trades from Amazon.com and help support The Weekly Crisis!
Green LanternGreen Lantern Corps
- Green Lantern: Rebirth
- Green Lantern Vol. 1: No Fear
- Green Lantern Vol. 2: Revenge of the Green Lanterns
- Green Lantern Vol. 3: Wanted - Hal Jordan
