Green Lantern #27 – Thoughts, Reviews….just Wow!

OK, I’ll do the Short Shorts later (complete with horrifying imagry) but first there are two comics which I feel that I must discuss in detail.  First up will be Green Lantern #27.

Yes, this will be chock-full of spoilers, so if you don’t want to be spoiled then by all means: DO NOT CONTINUE ANY FURTHER!

Green Lantern #27, written by Geoff Johns with guest-artist Mike McCone.  The Alpha Lanterns are here, and my god – could they be any creepier?  This title has not slowed down since the conclusion of Sinestro Corps War.  If anything, business seems to be picking up.  This issue moved several plot points forward, including, but not limited to:

1. The Ramifications of the First New Law of the Book of Oa.
2. The continuing dissolution of the Lost Lanterns.
3. The coming threat of the Black Lanterns.
4. Sinestro’s continued manipulation of the Guardians.
5. The continued threat of Sinestro’s Corps.
6. Moral and ethical division amongst the individual members of the Green Lantern Corps.
7. Growing doubt in the decisions of the Guardians.

We pick up where last issue ended (like you do), with the ring of Amon Sur looking for a new bearer.  It makes it’s way to Earth where it has selected one Jonathan Crane, aka the Scarecrow, as it’s new bearer.  That does not come to pass, however, as it is stopped by Hal Jordan and John Stewart.  We discover that some of the new duties of the GLC include preventing Sinestro Rings from finding bearers once they are detected.  Johns uses this situation to explore the characters of John and Hal.  He plays on both of their military backgrounds (the banter was very believable, from my experience) as well as show that they tend to spend their nights in very different ways.  Of course, once the rings are on they are both all business.

From their discussion we find out that the GLC has been rather pro-active in terms of dealing with the Sinestro Corps, with Volk leading a team into the Anti-Matter Universe to destroy their forgeries.  Upon learning who the ring belonged to, they take it back to Oa for destruction and walk into the Corps quarrelling amongst themselves over the actions of Laira, the Green Lantern of Sector 112 who killed Amon Sur in a fit of rage.  Johns quickly establishes distinct voices for several Lanterns (something he is very good at doing with a large cast) as we find ourselves in the middle of this discussion.

The truly shocking part of this for me occurred when the Lost Lanterns unamimously agreed that Laira’s actions were Murder and not Justice.  I cannot help but feel that Laira could become one of the coming Red Lanterns, as she seems to be full of anger and bitterness at this time.  She has definately fallen, and if the Red Rings are like I suspect, then they will only need a moment to get into her before overwhelming her.

Before we get there, tho, she’ll stand trial.  Our new judges are the Alpha Lanterns.  Amongst those chosen by the Guardians for this “Highest Honor” are old, familiar characters like Chaselon (the crystal guy…yes, he has always had a name!), Boodika (further splintering the Lost Lanterns), and Green Man.  Others chosen are new (or at least new to me) Lanterns, Varix and the absolutely intriguing Kraken.  They all accept the “Highest Honor.”  The only Lantern chosen who does not accept is John Stewart, which obviously displeases the Guardians.

It should be noted that of the 9 remaining Guardians only 8 are present for all of this.  The ninth Guardian, the female who was scarred by the Anti-Monitor, is far away, charging the Green Lantern, Ash, to track down the remains of the Anti-Monitor.  Ash seems to feel that she may be acting in secret from the other Guardians, which she denies, but her eyes show the image of Black Hand, which we know is the logo of the upcoming Black Lanterns.  I cannot help but think that the “Scardian” is not entirely right in the head.  Could she have been somehow infected by the Anti-Monitor’s power?

When we come back to Oa we deal with an escape attempt by Laira, who gets away from the other GL’s, but suddenly everyone’s power drains: the Alpha-Lanterns have arrived.  What we see are the grotesque remains of those chosen for this “Highest Honor.”  The Guardians have combined the technology of the Manhunters with these individual Lanterns, removing the stain of emotion which they feel hampers the GLC.  Underneath the “faces” of the Alpha Lanterns are the internal faces of the Manhunters, only with Green Energy coming out of them.  They have similar power-draining abilities that the Manhunters possess, obviously so that they can subdue any GL whom they have determined are not acting in accordance with the Book of Oa.

These Alpha Lanterns have “Train Wreck” written all over them.  This can only end badly for them, the Guardians and the GLC.  This is on the level of “Hey – let’s keep the Cyborg-Superman and Superboy-Prime on Oa!” in terms of bad ideas.  One cannot help but think tha the Guardians have become perhaps to arrogant in their own powers that they keep making what appear to be horrible mistakes by everyone else.

Yes, the First New Law was needed to win the Sinestro Corps War, but in the long run can that be what defines the GLC?  The First New Law has had an incredibly profound effect on the GLC already, and one cannot help but wonder what Laws 2-10 will entail.

It is amazing enough when a writer puts out a comic this consistantly incredible, but what Johns is doing here, in the Justice Society of America, Booster Gold and Action Comics is simply mind-boggling.  I have been a fan of his for a long time, and he has only managed to get better and better.  I have always been a Green Lantern fan, but never moreso than now.  It’s hard for me to think that there was a point in time when I thought that Johns did not have his heart in this comic and possibly should step aside.  Yeah – I actually thought that.  We’ll chalk that one up as a mistake on my part. 

Next month is Part Two of this War Crimes arc, but it should be obvious to all that it is simply chapter 27 in what is shaping up to be a grand, cosmic tale.  Laira’s fate as a Green Lantern will be determined, but I think that her sad story is only beginning.  As for the other passengers on this coming train wreck: the Scardian; the 8; The Alpha Lanterns; John Stewart; Sinestro; the Green Lantern Corps; and of course, Hal Jordan…I wait with great anticipation to learn what the future has in store for each and every one of them.  I know that I sound like a gushing fanboy when discussing this comic, but in all fairness is there any other reaction?  This has taken the spot of my single favorite comic being published, and month in and month out I become more convinced that is well-deserved.

Short Shorts – Comic Book Briefs for the week of 1/5/2008 & 1/9/2008

oh no….this can only mean one thing…

 

AAAAAHHH!!!!  IT’S BACK!  KILL IT!  KILL IT!!!

I don’t know why I keep subjecting myself and all of you to that horrific image.  It truly makes one question the existence of God.  Look – I promise I will not use that image again…till next week.  On to the Short Shorts!  This is where I offer a brief set of comments about some of the comics I read.  These are not reviews: you can find reviews in many other places such as this place: http://forum.newsarama.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=30&f=9 .  Let us begin!

Annihilation: Conquest #3

I’ll lead off with a Marvel title for once.  While this still is not as mind-blowing as the original, I remain amazed and impressed with the fact that they’ve gotten me to allow myself to become completely engrossed in this aspect of the Marvel Universe.  This is so much better than the bigger “events” coming out of the Marvel place.  I still don’t know what’s up with Black Adam Warlock; nor do I particularly care that much about Quasar or the High-Evolutionary; but other than that this title has just been a great read which leaves me wanting more.  I was concerned that the lack of Nova (my favorite character of the first mini) and having no clue as to who the Phalanx are would hurt my appreciation of this comic; but like Giffen before them, Abnett & Lanning manage to make me care about characters I knew nothing about.

 Lord Havok & the Extremists #3

DC…seriously….I mean, come on….seriously.  DC….come on….like, seriously, DC.  WTH?  WHERE IS THE SILVER SORCERESS????  I’m liking the series so far, DC, but I’m starting to take the lack of the Silver Sorceress as a personal affront.  I mean, like….seriously.  I’m making my “mad face.”  Don’t make me resort to extreme measures…you know – like complain about it on the internet…because I’ll do it.  Seriously, DC…like, come on.

 Countdown #17 & #16

Stuff…..happens?  Yeah, it does.  Wow – this actually kicked into a higher gear in these past two weeks.  I am digging the Monarch-Monitors war, and am assuming that the being who was pulling Monitor Solomon’s strings was Darkseid.  I am not happy that Ray Palmer took the opportunity to take his grief and become an utter wuss.  I know that people react to different things differently, but come on….seriously, DC – WHERE IS THE SILVER SORCERESS??? Wait – sorry, that was the last brief.  Back to Countdown: the Mary/Jeclipso bit has dragged on waaaaaay too long, but it finally seems to be going somewhere.  Jimmy has a revelation which a lot of us have anticipated from the get-go.  All in all, I’m more hopeful for this title in the coming weeks moreso than I have been in past weeks.

 Salvation Run #3

This comic could either sink or swim at this point.  I like the premise behind it, and I like the mystery guest who is revealed at the end.  Can’t say that I care for the bits about Luthor saying he hates the Joker, when guys like Geoff Johns showed in Infinite Crisis just how well those two clowns work together.  We do see the tribal lines being drawn (Jewelee on Joker’s arm made me laugh – I loved that recent Checkmate issue updating her marital status), and we see Catman for the first time in several months.  I’m liking it enough to keep getting it, but I’ll be honest – this has the feel of a “set-up” comic.  Interested to see what it could be setting up, tho.

 Green Arrow and Black Canary #4

Yes…I am enjoying a Judd Winick comic!  4 issues in and I am totally sold on this.  Ollie’s “paging” system was a well-thought-out idea, and it’s execution was done well.  Ollie freaking out throughout the issue was completely believable and didn’t suffer from a lot of the over-exposition or uncomfortable dialogue I’ve seen in so many of Winick’s other comics.  I’m of the opinion that the story of the hospitalized character in this comic is far from over, so I’ll reserve judgement on that.  I’m giving them the benefit of the doubt at this point because this has been one damned fine comic.

Detective Comics #840

Ugh…now I am even more upset at not skipping the Ra’s al Ghul storyline after reading this issue.  It told me everything I needed to know, and it did it better than the crossover did.  Much better.  Confirms what I was thinking about it, tho – too many cooks spoil the broth.  In this issue, Dini is back to doing what he does best: tell kick-ass Batman stories which, while self-contained, manage to further underlying plotlines.  I really did enjoy this issue, even if it made me like the crossover even less.  The best part of the issue was the “next issue” box.  Yay, Zatanna!

Nightwing #1….ok, #140

But it should be issue #1.  Tomasi, Morales and Bair have my eternal gratitude as they have given us the best issue of Nightwing in the 140 issues of this title.  I am so happy that the man who should be one of DC’s elite heroes is finally getting treated well.  The issue was fun, lots of geek-out moments, and best of all: Nightwing is being used in the DCU!!!  For too long it seems like they didn’t want him playing with the other heroes, but to instead remain in the shadow of the Bat.  Here it appears that he will get a chance to shine like the wonderful character that he is.  Interesting villains, super-grave-robbing, and a visit from the big, blue boy scout at the end.  I’m excited about Nightwing again, and possibly for the first time!

Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters #4

It seemed a bit disjointed at times, but remains a good read, regardless.  The infection of the Red Bee is looking more and more dangerous, and I can’t help but wonder how Doll-land will play into the story.  Palmiotti & Gray always manage to get some good character moments in, and the highlight here was Phantom Lady and Firebrand playing video games.  They just rang as real people having a real conversation.  The sense of camaraderie building amongst the team is fun to watch.  Looking forward to seeing how Uncle Sam gets them out of this scrape.  Oh – DC where’s the Sil….err, I mean: when is this becoming a monthly?  I think that after two miniseries they’ve shown that they can handle it.

Suicide Squad #5

My god, this comic is just too good.  This has all of the hallmarks of a great Squad mission: betrayal; secret agendas; and of course, lots and lots of potential cannon fodder.  I want this to become an ongoing so badly, but only if Ostrander is on board for it.  He still has the magic with these characters, and he’s managed to translate the team well into the current DCU.  Sadly, while I love seeing Windfall again, I cannot help but think that she’s a red shirt.  Her recent history has been brutal, and wither Ostrander is sewing the seeds for a great character to use for a long time to come; or he’s building up sympathy for the character in the event of her eventual whacking.  Hoping for the former. 

Green Lantern Corps #20

Tomasi strikes gold twice this week, as GLC, like Green Lantern, has not only not let up since Sinestro Corps War…they have stepped on the gas.  The Guy and Kyle stuff…we’ll see where that goes, but it makes sense that they made that decision.  The phone call between them was perfect in dialogue, and it was some of the most realistic dialogue I’ve ever read in a comic.  The star, of course, is Mongul.  Now armed with the Yellow Ring of Sinestro he seems to want more.  Judging from the “Domination” house ads which have been running he should get some more…and a green ring, and a red ring…I cannot help but think that Mongul will be the Orange Lantern referred to in GL #25.  He seems to be on this path, wanting to collect as many Yellow Rings as possible for himself.  Last year was the year of Sinestro to stand up and take his place amongst DC’s great villains, and I’m getting the feeling that 2008 could belong to our greedy, bitter, evil Mongul.

 

Short Shorts – Comic Book Briefs for the week of 12/28/2007

AAAAARRRGHHHH!!!!!  WHY DOES IT KEEP COMING BACK?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Oh, this is just horrendous.  I am truly, terribly, absolutely sorry that this horrible, horrible image has once again burned itself upon your poor, innocent retina.  I promise not to subject any of you to this horror again for at least another week.

 On to the Short Shorts.  This is where I offer some comments, briefs if you will, on the various comics I read each week.  These are not reviews – you can find plenty of places that offer reviews on the internet (and porn…that’s right!  I have recently discovered that there are some dark corners of the internet where porn exists…uncanny!), so instead I will say what comes to mind.  Even if my thoughts do not always have anything to do with the comics in question.

Green Lantern #26

Yeah, like I’m not beginning with Green Lantern.  I have officially decided that 2007 was the Year of Green Lantern, and I have written letters to the Pope and the estate of former President Zachary Taylor to see if I can get this made, like, official and stuff.  I was a bit concerned that after the incredible Sinestro Corps War that the title might take a breather; but that didn’t happen.  Instead of taking his foot off of the accelerator, Geoff Johns pushed it down harder, but only after adding rocket fuel to the tank.  The ramifications of the first new law of the Book of Oa are put to the test by one of our Lost Lanterns, and it has led to the freakish creation of the Alpha Lanterns who are supposed to play a role in the definition and application of the law.  A couple of familiar faces have undertaken this surgery (one which may upset fans of early English tribal queens).  The scene of the issue (and of the week in all comics) had to do with John Stewart.  I got chills when I read “Willpower exceeds Ring Limitations.”  Wow.  Full speed ahead, GL!

 Countdown #18

Anti-climatic.  I want so badly to love this title like I loved 52, but it just isn’t happening.  After all of this time with the “mystery” of Ray Palmer’s disappearance all I can think is “That’s it?  Are you kidding me?”  Not even the “cliffhanger” at the end made me feel anything other than “What the hell is going on here?”  And not in a confused way, but rather a “why do I keep buying this?” way.  I’m using way to many quotation marks in this Brief, so I’ll try not to use any more.  I just don’t know what else to say.  I’m frustrated by this comic.  I know that I shouldn’t compare it to 52, but I kind of have to.  52 was amazing week in and week out: this…I feel like they’re jerking my chain here.  I like all of the creators involved, and I’m not holding this against them in future projects; but I really wish that this could have been better.

Ultimate Power #9

Congrats, Countdown – you weren’t my least favorite comic of the week.  What was the freaking point here???  OK, we have a couple characters trading universes and we learned that superheroines make total orgasm faces while fighting (not to mention striking incredible bunny-mag-type poses in the oddest situations).  Bottom line is – this 9-issue miniseries ran about 6 issues too long.  I can’t believe that they put Squadron Supreme on the back burner for this. 

 Countdown to Adventure #5

Toyota Forerunner is really growing on me. Didn’t think much of her when she was first introduced, but she is an interesting concept for a character.  Excellent move dealing with the space pirates.  As for the lead story: I’m enjoying it.  They don’t have the same charm as from 52, but Beechan is doing a good job with these three characters as they deal with the returning Lady Styx.  Fun scenes; good teamwork; and even the totally-unnecessary-Ellen-jealous-of-Kory bit wasn’t too bad.  The bond these three characters share (even if Adam Strange isn’t with Animal Man and Starfire) makes a lot of sense considering what they went through together.  Years from now you could see them sitting around Warriors late one night having a few beers and not talking too much about what happened.  This title has become a pleasant surprise for me.

 Brave & the Bold #9

Possibly my least favorite issue of this title so far; which of course means that it is still better than most other comics out there!  Waid and Perez just continue to deal the comic book crack which is this title.  It was a sheer joy to see these characters again (many not seen in a long time); and using them to further the Megistus plot was wonderfully entertaining.  My favorite part was the team-up with the All-New Atom and the woefully-underused Hawkman.  Why he has been swept under the rug in favor of the complete bore that is Hawkgirl is mind-boggling.  I loved the Atom’s assessment of Carter Hall at the beginning of the tale; and Waid showed the respect Hawkman has for his friend, Ray Palmer, by accepting his friend’s protege by simply calling him “Atom.”

Countdown: Arena #4

I bought this series for one reason, and one reason only – to show DC that as a reader I want to see Keith Champagne given more writing opportunities.  It turned out to be a fun read, for the most part.  I enjoyed the different worlds and the different possibilities of these characters.  I’m not sure what more they could have done to make this comic better, but considering what he had to work with, I think that Champagne did a fine job.  We’ll see how this plays out in Countdown when Monarch finally takes on the Monitors.

Captain America #33

I do not read a lot of Marvel right now, but I’ll be damned if this is not one of the best titles in comics.  Brubaker has managed to put such an amazing human face to the “events” of the last couple years in this title.  Characters like Bucky, Iron Man, Black Widow, Falcon, Agent 13, Red Skull….I didn’t care a lick about any of them…until reading this title.  All too often we have a “OH MY GOD!  In this issue, _________ DIES!!!!” and people hem and haw about the death, and the moment…but we don’t see a lot of the fallout or the ramifications.  In this, over the past several months, we have seen what the death…and indeed, the life, of Stever Rogers meant.  How he inspired and touched the people who knew him; who respected him; and who loved him.  Much like the Flash at DC, I think that Brubaker is creating the central “legacy character” of the Marvel Universe.

 Gotham Underground #3

Three issues in – still thinking that it is the best Bat-comic being published right now.  Brutal fight between “Matches” and Mr. Zsasz – honestly, I’m surprised that it saw print.  I’m so used to “Uber-Bats,” that seeing him in a very real fight against an opponent, whom while inferior, had an advantageous drop on him and took advantage of it came as a breath of fresh air.  The current events of the DC Universe play heavily into this title, but rather than be bogged down by them, they just run with it and give us a nice, entertaining comic.  We have an old friend (possibly) return; and we see that while they are learning to trust in one another, the remaining criminals of Gotham still carry mistrust as a central key to their character.  Good story; good art; no complaints.

Legion of Super-Heroes #37

So, no more “Supergirl” in the title, and seeing as how they’re going back, they decided to go waaaay back and bring Jim Shooter back on board!  Let me tell you, I was concerned about this move.  I am a long-time, loyal Legion fan; but I was concerned that perhaps Shooter was merely a nostalgia move…and maybe that’s true on some level, but it doesn’t change the fact that he wrote an entertaining story which seamlessly weaves in with the NewBoot Legion.  Good characterization with Lightning Lad, Light Lass, Karate Kid and Phantom Girl.  He has not lost his knack for giving different characters different voices quickly for a new reader.  Not too sure about the art yet (what the hell is up with neckless Colossal Boy (err…Micro Lad) on the cover?  That just looks like bad 90s stuff), but that’s just a minor quibble.  I can see this artist growing on me, and it didn’t distract from an enjoyable “first issue” for one of the legendary names in the Legion universe.  I’m sticking with this….yeah, yeah – big surprise, I know.

Action Comics #860

Sigh…..I’m so torn about this comic.  Incredible story, great art and tons of potential…but there is one little thing that Geoff Johns seems to be determined to do here that is just ruining all of the good stuff in this story for me.  I’m not commenting on it yet, as I will wait to see how it plays out, but if Johns goes in the direction I fear that he is, then I will be very disappointed with him as a writer.  Enough of that, tho – we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.  The Rejects have come home to Roost in the future, and what better character to offer some perspective on the jerks than the one Legionairre who’s name was synonymous with “rejection” for so long?  It was great seeing him and so many other character whom we haven’t seen in far too long.  One of the great things about the Legion is that these characters have such varying and specific powers, so working together comes up with interesting possibilities.  Case in point: Shadow Lass and Night Girl – that just makes sense!  I can’t help but feeling that this story will not just be contained in the pages of this Action Comics storyline, but instead we’re being set up for something big…and who’s 50th Anniversary is 2008???

OK – that is more than enough for now.  I’ll cover Jack of Fables in it’s own post, of course, and I may have some more comments on these issues, issues raised by these issues, and other issues unrelated to these issues.  Oh, and GL/Sinestro Corps Secret Files deserves a topic in and of itself.

Short Shorts – Comic Book Briefs for the weeks of 12/12/2007 & 12/19/2007

GAHHH!!!!  IT’S BACK!  IT’S BACK!!!!

Run for the hills, kids, and don’t stop until the water subsides….

 

Sorry about that.  That horrifying image can only mean one thing – it’s time for some Comic Book Short-Shorts, where I just comment on thing that go through my mind with some of the comics that I read each week.  I don’t do reviews – you can find plenty of those at places Like This: I missed last week, so there will be a few mixed in from both weeks.  I will also be commenting on Fables, but in a separate post a little later on.

Booster Gold #5

Jeff Johns and Geoff Katz…err, switch those surnames…continue to dazzle with the Greatest Hero You’ve Never Heard of!  For all the talk about “DC hates Giffen’s League!” (guilty myself of some of that early on) and “Didio wants to kill off the late-80s using a death-ray powered by little, cuddly kittens!!!” that era sure does seem to be doing well these days.  Booster Gold and Blue Beetle (albeit a new one – more on that later) have titles; Checkmate is back, as is the Suicide Squad (with freaking Ostrander!  More on that later); Fire is a member of the aforementioned Checkmate; Ice is back from one of the worst, most pointless deaths in comics; the Rocket Red Brigade is back; the Crimson Fox is back from two of the worst, most pointless deaths in comics); the Extremists are back with a vengeance (where’s the damned Silver Sorceress??? GRR!!!); there is a Manhunter ongoing (allegedly); and Guy Gardner is doing what he does best – kicking ass, taking names and copping a feel.   This group at DC, for all I can see, do not “hate” that era at all; but rather they seem to be quite fond of it.  Oh yeah – and in addition to this rant, Booster Gold #5 was a great issue with Booster trying time and time again to prevent the Joker from shooting Barbara Gordon.  Rip was trying to teach him that some things can’t be changed, but man…he could have been a little less of a dick about it!  Of course, that was the only way to get through to s stubborn dude like Booster.  Issue sets up some excitement for the Blues and the Gold.

Checkmate #21

As many of you who know me are already aware…I tend to become hopelessly devoted to the oddest, most obscure comics characters.  Silver Sorceress; Crimson Fox; Sensor Girl; Snowbird; Mademoiselle Marie….Hey!  That’s her on the cover of the new Checkmate!!!  I’ve been looking forward to this ever since it was announced, and as much as I like self-contained stories, I was pleasantly surprised to see that this story would continue and that we’d get more Mademoiselle Marie goodness!  Rucka (and Trautmann – where do I know that name?) continue to delve into the deep, wonderful treasure trove that is the DC Universe, and the newest toy they’ve pulled out is the former Negative Woman, Valentina Vostok.  It makes sense considering her history with Checkmate and The Agency.  Good to see her again, and it was kind of weird seeing the two Queens getting along so well.  I can’t think of a single time that the Wall and Sasha got together for tea, and to discuss their tastes in man-candy.  Oy vey….sexual harrasment suit just waiting to happen in that Checkmate Castle!

Justice League of America #16

This series continues to get a lot of flak from people who are upset that Brad Meltzer is no longer on the title…but you know what?  I heard those same complaints after Waid followed Morrison; after Morrison followed Giffen/DeMatteis (because nothing happened in between those); and so on and so forth.  People who seem to think that the 12 issues Meltzer did deserve to be treated like the bible need to remind themselves that the writers will always change, and with them so will the League.  It is a fluid concept, and I, for one, don’t want to read McDuffie telling Meltzer’s stories anymore than I’d want to read Morrison telling Giffen’s stories.  I want to read McDuffie’s version of the JLA.  A shot that he has earned, many times over.  That said, I still don’t think that it has hit the “awesome” level yet, but I’m not in a rush.  With so much of the DCU seeming to be driven by editorial edicts this year I’m not going to huff and harumph just yet.  McDuffie has been telling good, solid, fun superhero comics, and this issue was no exception.  Black Canary & Guy Gardner’s exchange alone made it worth the price of admission.  Now, I’m not a big fan of “Tangent,” but I’m willing to see where this goes.  Oh, and no blurb about McDuffie can go without me again stating my hope that one of the 52 universes will be home to the likes of Static, Icon, Hardware, Kobolt and of course, the Blood Syndicate.

Batman & the Outsiders #3

I’m really digging this title right now, and will admit that I had a fanboy moment when I got to the panel with Geo-Force, Katana, Metamorpho and Black Lighting all together.  I still can’t say that I am a fan of Thunder and Grace, but mostly that is on the shoulders of Thunder.  I think that Grace will be a good character in this, but she needs to ditch the whiny significant other.  They cannot rely on Batgirl Nudity to bail them out of all of their eye-bleeding-inducing scenes.  Other than the usual complaining about the lineup – loving the Brother Eye and OMAC/REMAC presence in the title, as well as the inclusion of Dr. Langstrom as a supporting character.  I am really thinking that this title could be the unexpected breakout comic of this year for DC if they keep going in this direction.  Good to see Geo-Force on the team, even if his “transfer” was rather goofy.  The more original Outsiders the better!  Give us Looker, Halo and Windfall next!

Birds of Prey #….114?  I need to check the issue number later.

YAY!  McKeever is on the title!  I’ve been looking forward to his take on this comic ever since he was announced as the writer.  That there boy done gone good, I tell you what!  First off, Gail Simone (previous writer before Bedard) has this annoying habit of introducing/re-introducing characters who annoy the hell out of me…but grow on me when I’m least expecting it.  Apparantly that happened again with Misfit; whom I am reasonably sure I could not stand, but for some odd reason I was pleased when McKeever used her.  Good issue with the makeup of the new team, and this had a great, old-school “Suicide Squad” type feel to it – things can…and will go wrong.  McKeever has set up a sort of grey cloud that it appears this team will be operating under, and I for one am looking forward to it.  Good moment with Superman at the end.  I don’t know if they’re going to add any new members to the team, but at least to me the lineup of Oracle, Huntress, Lady Blackhawk and Misfit could still use a little “oomph” added to it.  Normally at this point I would suggest the Silver Sorceress or the Crimson Fox, but beyond making me completely giddy I don’t think that they would provide that “oomph.”  Manhunter?  Firehawk?  Zatanna???

OK, I’ll try to add more in later, as well as touch on the Keith Giffen and Suicide Squad topics.

Green Lantern #25: War is Over….If you want it….

Geoff Johns promised an epic; and sure enough, he delivered an epic.

I am not going to do a review of GL #25 here…do yourself a favor and read it if you haven’t!

There is simply too much going on in this comic for my extremely tired brain to try to coherrently piece together.  For a while now the existence of other Lanterns has been hinted at; and not long ago it was confirmed that the color spectrum of the Rainbow: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet; would each have some sort of emotion or action associated with them.

In the Sinestro Corps. War we saw the rise of the Yellow Lantern – the color of fear.  We’ve also seen that the Star Sapphires are the embodiment of unchecked love (meaning love so out of control that it can become consuming); and to better allow control of it, the Zamarons have decided to create their own Violet Corps. based upon the unchecked love of the Star Sapphires.

Well, in GL #25 we get our first look at the Red Lanterns, who embody absolute hatred: the polar opposite of the Violets.  We see the Indigo as monk-like beings of tranquility.  We see that the Orange is perhaps not a corps, but instead one being who wants nothing more than to collect all of the power for itself, as Orange is the color of greed.  Also, we met the Guardians of the Blue light, which is that of hope.

Then, the unexpected.  Once again, Geoff Johns shows that he plants little seeds long before harvesting his crop.  We have discovered that the absense of light: Black; has their own champion and corps, and it has been set in motion since the pages of Green Lantern: Rebirth.

I was not expecting Black Hand to become a major player, but looking back now this has been set in motion for some time.  I believe personally that Black Hand has a Guardian of his own, the villain, Nekron.  Nekron was the lord of a dead realm who fought the GLC by making them feel fear.  I had wondered many times if he was going to play a part in the Sinestro Corps War, but now I’m thinking he’s got another role to play.

This is one of Johns’ great strengths as a comics writer – he understands the importance of villains; and more importantly, why they do what they do.  He explores the motivation for these characters in a way which makes their actions make sense.  He did this admirably while revitalizing Flash’s Rogues, and now he is doing the same with Green Lantern.

Hector Hammond – the super-mind in a frail body; the ultimate voyeur and puppetmaster.

The Shark – the product of genetic manipulation of Earth’s creatures by alien forces.

Star Sapphire – unchecked love, controlling and ultimately vindicitive in scorn.

Cyborg- Superman – all he wants to do is to die.

***as a quick aside, I believe that the Cyborg-Superman makes so much more sense as a GL villain than as a Superman villain.**

The Manhunters – the abandoned children of the Guardians, unable to comprehend their feelings of jealousy of their more-loved siblings, the living.  Disciples of the Cyborg-Superman, once again given purpose, and in some sense a hint of humanity in the lack thereof.

Sinestro – cold, alien, conniving, and in his own mind the only being who’s vision of the universe is right.  He is one step ahead of everyone else…but still vulnerable to a two-by-four.

The Stage for the next big event of 2009 has been set; but I have a feeling that the leadup will be just as impressive.  We’re going to see new faces; familiar faces; and unfamiliar looks of once-familiar faces.  We’re going to see the birth of the various Corps.  We’ll have the introduction of the Alpha Lanterns (a couple of them were spoiled for me when I saw a cover – looks…..interesting).

The Four Musketeers: Hal, John, Guy (WOLVERINES! – sorry, V) and Kyle will find themselves as the representatives of an Earth who’s importance is becoming increasingly more apparant.  I’m hoping how we’ll see that play out with the rest of the Corps, who up until now have shown that we Earthlings are not well thought of.

Bottom line – Geoff Johns and his cohorts have managed to take Green Lantern and firmly establish it as a major franchise of the DCU, and indeed of all comics.  I say that we are ready for more.

Oh…and who do I have to kick to get some more Crimson Fox???