Prologue: So I stopped at the comic book store on the way home today. When I arrived, the shelves were mostly empty. I checked and double checked that it was actually Wednesday and it wasn't a holiday week (I've committed both mistakes), and eventually went to the front. There were two copies of GL#1 left in the "Pick of the Week" rack. Everything else had been picked clean!
When I asked Aaron if they were all sold out, he said there were 25 people waiting for them to open this morning and they sold out soon after. THIRTEEN brand new "52" titles this week all gone in about 4 hours. Looks like comic sales are back on the rise. And I am forced to buy titles in digital this week. How's that for a sign? With that in mind, you already know...
It's "New Comic Book Wednesday!"
As DC continues to release #1s of all its revamped AND new titles, I'm playing along. Here's what I've been anxiously awaiting this week.
Green Lantern #1
Just looking at the cover, any GL fan can tell this is a re-vamp. We have been teased with this cover for a long time now. Hello! Sinestro is a Green Lantern again! Now DC released a 3 page preview so I knew this was coming. Anyhow, because the GL universe is my life, I'm just going to start out saying...
SPOILER ALERT: (and mild language warning)
WTF? Hal Jordan is no longer the Green Lantern! You have got to be kidding me. Who do I need to blow around here to fix that screw up?
Now I know I'm at fault. Being so back-logged on inventory, I'm not entirely caught up. I don't know the last few things that led up to
Flashpoint and I don't know what happened there, so I could be missing crucial info. But this was supposed to be a relaunch. I shouldn't have to know. Believe me though, I will be doing my homework and catching up pronto!
Short synop: The Guardians discharged Hal (he's too much of a screwup) and the ring "chose" Sinestro again (Earth-hating Guardians embrace the "friends close, enemies closer" ideal) who is sent off to protect his sector and Korugar (which he last left in the hands of the Sinestro Corps to protect). Hal, (jobless, in serious debt and facing eviction) gets arrested, bailed out by Carol who offers him a desk Ferris. Eventually accepting reality, Hal decides to let go of his GL life and move forward.
Discontinuity aside (yes, perceived), there are some really powerful aspects to the story in this first issue. His hatred for all things green aside, Sinestro's intent was always to protect Korugar. When he arrives at his home planet, he knows he has to do recon because of his new mantle. And he's not happy what he sees. The Sinestro Corps he left to protect his planet has enslaved its people. You don't need words to see the internal battle raging in Sinestro's heart. Of course, killing a Sinestro Corps member helps you see that just a little.
I'm glad Geoff Johns knows Hal. As always, the cocky (and clueless) Hal I love is in true form. He accepts where his actions have gotten him, he decides to swallow his pride and take a desk job, and he even asks Carol out on a romantic date. There, across the candlelit table, he admits it's time to leave his old life behind, accepts his shame and asks Carol that important question every woman in love wants to hear. "Will you cosign the new lease on my car?" Classic.
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| Hal Jordan? Or bad drag queen? |
As for artwork, I'm a little unimpressed with Mahnke this issue. OK a lot! Throughout
Brightest Day, I saw some really great work, especially in the close up detail. As I mentioned, some of his stuff was tattoo worthy. And then I see this issue. The detail in some of the face work is appalling. Carol looks plain in most panels, Hal looks ok most of the time, but there is one ECU on Hal that makes me hurl.
 |
Yes, Gary the Landlord,
I'm looking at his butt too. |
I will admit though, there is one panel in particular where the detail grabs my attention. Unable to leave his heroism behind, Hal leaps from his 7th floor balcony into another apartment to rescue a woman being attacked by a thug. As he takes off, we catch a glimpse of his lower back, including his sexy green chones (yes, Spanish slang for undies). Why this was the view you chose to go with, I'll never know. Perhaps you artists are on my team. Regardless, I thank you. Thank you VERY much.
Overall, a great story. I'll continue reading GL forever, but good writing like Johns' will always make sure I'm entertained
and thinking. As for the art, I'll take some Tums while I read and just hope for less of Exhibit A and more of Exhibit B. And I know what I'll be dreaming of later.
Red Lanterns #1
I started laughing from the first panel of this issue.
- Wonderful that the action occurs in Sector 666.
- Pleasing that the first creatures we encounter are getting a frisson from pulling out a captor's eyeball.
- Hilarious that they decide to invent a new game of torture on that cute kitty, Red Lantern Dex-Starr.
And all before the title page.
While humor caught my attention in this story, the plight is what kept it. Rage and vengeance have never been driving forces in my life, but I can certainly identify with them. In the moment, I have let rage and vengeance consume me, but I can't imagine having that as your only driving force (although it might actually been fun for awhile. Fun and lonely).
This issue is an origin story, but one that gives life and identity to Attrocitus, a being so evil. Rage lives in all of us and sometimes we can act out in rage while having every good intent. That's where Attrocitus was born; his rage was born out of his love for his people. People slaughtered by the orders of a Guardian.
But doesn't vengeance have an endgame? When the object of your Rage has been terminated, doesn't it finally subside, or has it become so much a part of your thinking that it has to find another outlet? And what if the object of your vengeance is destroyed by someone or something else? Can your thirst ever be quenched? Hal Jordan destroyed the cause of Attrocitus' rage, so he was left feeling empty and unfulfilled. He decides he will survive by bringing the rage of others into his fold. A side story on Earth, of a young man whose grandfather is beaten to death by a mugger, is the perfect way to bring this story home.
In my 9/11 post, I talked about how comics helped me understand and process my feelings about real events. This story has some pretty tough political undertones given the climate of our country over the last ten years. "We" are fueled by vengeance and attacks on our own soil; we seek out targets we think are responsible, but when those are defeated, the victory seems shallow. We then feed off the rage and revenge of others by inserting ourselves in their conflicts, making them our own. The idealist in me is sure it will end sometime. But will it really?
Ed Benes has some mad pencil skills. Of course, it's harder to critique details when an artist is drawing creatures so unlike reality, but they
still look realistic in form and musculature. And they
do scare me. However, his renderings of the attack on grandpa are very vivid, quite graphic, detailed and realistic (although I'm still trying to figure out the physics of one punch).
In the end, the important part is that Attrocitus becomes a character who readers can identify with and eventually see as their heroic protagonist. I'm not sure how long the connection can last, but I will continue to follow this story. Digitally. Besides, how can you resist a man who likes cats?
Batwoman #1
I followed Batwoman's short life through and after
52 and the
Countdown and thought there was really something there. I liked the character, I liked the story and the art, and I was even digging on the lesbian vibe. Anytime, mainstream media, pop culture, art or literature can help break stereotypes, I'm down. So I had high hopes for this title.
Boy was I ever let down.
The story opens with a family being attacked by La Llorona, a spirit manifested from a latin urban legend. The family is rescued by Batwoman, but not before the Weeping Woman escaped with their three children. Is the Bat franchise fighting ghosts now?
Kate Kane, the secret identity of Batwoman, looks like a Smurf goth chick gone wrong. In too few pages, they try to introduce the sidekick (and cousin), Plebe, formerly Flamebird, establish Kate as a lesbian by cramming in a Renee Montoya reference while she flirts with a police detective, tell a backstory that explains why Kate hates her father who covered up the fact that her murdered sister was still alive, returned as a super-villain and died (drowned) as a result of Batwoman's actions (yes, most likely leading to this "twin" being La Lorona). Oh yah.. And some agent from the Department of Extranormal Operations (who also looks like the dead twin) is being sent to "unmask the bat." Confused yet?
The story (as convoluted as it is) is told through a kaleidoscope of images and panels that were confusing to follow. I have to admit, here's the advantage of buying it in digital format. "Guided Reading Mode." At least I was able to figure out where to go next.
I've never been one for the whole Batman universe, and this comic has certainly not changed my mind. I will probably give it one more issue (which I might skim in the store), but unfortunately I'm not hopeful. If anything is going to bring me to the Dark Knight side, it will be
Batgirl #1 which had far better art and a much more identifiable and appealing storyline.
Other mini-reviews of this week's and last week's (digital) comics coming soon!
Action Comics#1, Batgirl#1, and Superboy#1
Next Week: Green Lantern Corps #1 and Wonder Woman #1
