Green Lantern

Green Lantern #1

/ / Comics

green-lantern-v5-1-coverI was a little reluctant to pick up a Green Lantern comic where Sinestro was the hero of the book. Although Hal Jordan gets plenty of pages here, he’s no longer the Green Lantern of Earth. That responsibility has fallen to his former mentor (and deadly enemy).

The first issue of Green Lantern proves to be one of DC’s better #1’s of the recent reboot. The focus is split between Sinestro (and the Guardians of the Universe) coming to terms with a ring choosing the Lanterns most hated foe and Hal Jordan’s life which has quickly fallen apart since his ring was stripped from him following the events of War of the Green Lanterns.

We’re reminded once again, the only thing Hal Jordan ever did well (other than flying jets) was being a hero. Seeing him stuck in a purposeless rut, without a job, cash, car or even a relationship (Hal proves once again he’s not a great date) writer Geoff Johns reminds us just because someone is a great hero doesn’t mean they’re a great man.

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Green Lantern #1 Read More »

If I Rebooted the DCU (Part Three)

/ / Top Tens & Lists

With DC Comics reboot of their entire universe with 52 new first issues now underway I continue to take a look at what I would do if I rebooted the DCU.

Where I could I kept ideas DC wanted to explore in the relaunch (when not incredibly stupid like Voodoo), and even included titles I’m personally not all that high on but characters I know have a devoted fan base. You’ll find I’ve also kept far more of the current titles than DC’s proposed reboot, and brought back a few personal favorites as well.

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If I Rebooted the DCU (Part Three) Read More »

Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors #13

/ / Comics

green-lantern-emerald-warriors-13-coverEmerald Warriors closes its run with a team-up with Guy Gardner and Batman aboard a space station. Fans of Justice League International will get the reference (especially after writer spells it out for them in the completely unnecessary final panel).

Even if Batman and Guy aren’t the same characters they were during Keith Giffen‘s glorious run the pair work well together (though it certainly helps if you were a fan of Giffen’s League). The mystery itself isn’t explored very well (Batman solves the case off-panel while Guy grills the suspects), and, as I’ve already stated, the comic ends with a panel that (with all the subtetly of a Michael Bay action flick) directly references one of the most memorable moments from JLI.

Since it’s creation this comic has been hit-and-miss for me from month to month. The last issue works well-enough (even if its somewhat hamfisted), but if you don’t have nostalgia for JLI I’m not sure the story is going to hold up on its own. Hit-and-Miss.

[DC, $2.99]

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If I Rebooted the DCU (Part One)

/ / Top Tens & Lists

In a couple of weeks DC Comics will be rebooting their entire universe with 52 new first issues. Some of the new comics intrigue me, but quite a few do not. This starting me thinking, what if I rebooted the DCU?

To keep each post a reasonable length, and to mirror DC’s own announcement structure, I’ve split the reboot into four posts each covering 13 issues. Where I could I kept ideas DC wanted to explore in the relaunch (when not incredibly stupid like Voodoo), and even included titles I’m personally not all that high on but characters I know have a devoted fan base. You’ll find I’ve also kept far more of the current titles than DC’s proposed reboot, and brought back a few personal favorites as well.

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If I Rebooted the DCU (Part One)Read More »

If I Rebooted the DCU (Part One) Read More »

DC Retroactive: Green Lantern – The 70’s

/ / Comics

green-lantern-70s-retroactive-coverGiven the fact that I’ve been less than impressed so far with DC’s Retroactive titles maybe I should have been prepared, but this is a 1970’s Green Lantern story told by Dennis O’Neil (although drawn by Mike Grell instead of Neal Adams). After the overall meh-ness of the Batman title (don’t even get me started on the crappy Flash one) my expectations were set pretty damn low for this one. Turns out, I was still expecting too much.

We get two separate stories here. The first has Hal Jordan discovering a relative of Abin Sur in a crashed spaceship in the middle of a war zone. The second involves a kid traumatized by seeing Green Arrow kill which has inexplicably morphed him into a world class archer and killer. Both stories go nowhere and are hastily wrapped up in a single page.

If disappointment has a face it very may well be the cover of this issue, or the entire DC Retroactive experiment. Other than the proposed Justice League International issue I’m done with spending $5 a pop on these poorly executed tales that actually make me like the source material a little less. Pass.

[DC, $4.99]

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