Warning! Spoilers ahead for Green Lantern #5
In the latest issue of DC Comics' Green Lantern, a hybrid between the Lanterns' technology and Marvel's Iron Man armor is revealed, as Simon Baz wears an impressive suit in the new issue. Due to the destruction of Oa's Central Power Battery in previous issues, nearly every single Green Lantern has no power or charge left in their rings, leading to many becoming stranded and/or killed by their enemies. However, the young and impulsive Keli Quintela (whose unique Green Lantern gauntlet still has power) goes up against the Yellow Lanterns on her own as she believes them to be the culprits, leading to Simon Baz and his new armor being called upon to stage a rescue.
In prior issues of DC's Green Lantern from writer Geoffrey Thorne with artists Tom Raney, Marco Santucci, and Andy MacDonald, the Green Lantern Corps invite the entire United Planets coalition to gather and meet, bringing worlds together to foster a greater peace across the universe. However, this leads to the surprising assassination of one of the Guardians and the destruction of the entire Central Power Battery soon after that, leaving the Green Lanterns powerless with the rest of the Guardians being trapped in some sort of quantum state. As a result, only a few Lanterns still have power in their rings due to extenuating circumstances, such as Green Lantern Jo Mullein and the young Teen Lantern Keli Quintela.
Having a dead ring hasn't stopped Lantern Simon Baz from doing his part, and earlier issues see him with a brand new cybernetic arm and energy gun that really packs a punch. However, it seems as though he's taking things to the next level in Green Lantern #5. After hearing that Sinestro and his Yellow Lanterns are the most likely culprits for the attack on Oa, Keli rages and rushes off to face them on New Korugar before Jo can hardly blink. After she unleashes her power on the Yellow Lanterns with some truly impressive constructs, a mysterious yet well-intentioned Yellow Lantern shuts Keli's mind off away from her fellow Lanterns, as she rightly sees that the Teen Lantern is struggling to keep her power contained. At that very moment, Simon arrives to rescue Keli and take her back to Oa, though it's clear that he has gone way beyond a simple arm and gun and created a whole set of armor and weaponry looking everything like Iron Man with a Green Lantern twist.
While the enigmatic and hooded Yellow Lantern gets the better of Simon in his first outing with his suit, she proves herself to be a potential ally who makes sure that the Green Lanterns escape before Sinestro and the other Lanterns arrive. That being said, Simon's armor looks to be quite impressive, featuring all sorts of weapons and high-tech upgrades that also make him look similar to James Rhodes' War Machine version of the Iron Man armor as well.
While Simon doesn't get a chance to unleash the full power of his new suit, it seems likely that his time will soon come to do so. It's certainly an impressive new look, and as acting leader of the Lanterns, Jo Mullein is going to need all the help she can get. Here's hoping Simon Baz will get his second chance to suit up with his Green Lantern/Iron Man armor in future issues.