"That Yellow Batman."

While at KMart for this figure, a little boy was trying to talk his mom into getting a Batman figure, this one; and she had no idea why he had a yellow outfit. He still may've convinced her...

I wouldn't have planned on picking up the DCUC Sinestro Corps Batman, but with a coupon, and to get another piece towards Validus, I went in for him. I believe artist Ethan Van Sciver only drew a couple of panels for a scene where a Sinestro Corps yellow power ring, tries to make Batman a member; and Batman isn't having it. It's a cool moment, but it's barely a blink, yet it gets an action figure. (I was also almost positive someone else had done the joke in the third panel, but went on.)

And slapping this little strip together, I thought, maybe DC should've milked this one a little longer. It might've worked, if they didn't mind overriding Grant Morrison's work on Batman, and I don't know how many fans would've had a problem with Bruce wearing a power ring for six months or so. The plot pretty much writes itself, and would probably shoehorn into the larger Green Lantern storyline:

Instead of rejecting the yellow ring outright, Batman takes it, so he can find out what's going on. Upon arriving for 'training,' Sinestro recognizes him, and knows he won't be able to break or convert him for his new Corps; so he tries to take back the ring. Barely escaping, Batman gets back to Oa; followed closely by the full force of the Sinestro Corps.

After the Sinestro War, Batman not only has a yellow ring, but a few stragglers from the Sinestro Corps that have shifted their loyalties to him. Deciding the best thing for his new 'Batman Corps' would be work, he puts them to the task of cleaning up Gotham City, with mixed results. They barely grasp earth law, they're overzealous in bringing in criminals, and bringing in alien enforcers makes Gotham's criminals up the ante by calling up their own allies...(I haven't read it, but that idea may be stolen from Planet Hulk.)

Eventually, Batman realizes that the yellow ring isn't the problem, it's the fear: by embracing the power, he's become all about instilling fear and nothing else. After another big crossover or whatever, Batman accepts fear as a tool, but not the only tool in his arsenal, and becomes more of a hero than an avenger, at the cost of being able to use the ring. Some of his Corps also reject fear, and go home, while others stay bad. Back in black, Bruce becomes a traditional Batman again.

It would be fun to play with Sinestro Batman for a while, even if it would be pretty obviously not intended to be a permanent change for the character. Again, there's probably no way DC would be able to do it--Marvel might be able to do something like Franken-Castle for a while, but they also had the more traditional PunisherMax going at the same time, and even at the height of his popularity, the Punisher is no Batman.

Hmm. There's been a metric ton of Blackest Night figures, yet Wonder Woman's new costume hasn't even had a figure solicited yet. Not a good sign...and where the hell is the Justice League's headquarters now? I haven't read an issue in a month of Sundays.