Green Lantern #7 (Review)

When we last left Hal Jordan, he and Carol Ferris were enjoying a "romp in the hay" when suddenly they are interrupted by Sinestro....calling Hal to duty with his ring.  Geoff Johns is weaving another Green Lantern Mega-Event....involving the various emotional-spectrum Corps, the Guardians, & a Third Army (?).

You have to wonder how many GL "Events" Johns has planned, and when it may become too many? That said, we do have 4 Green Lantern Franchise titles coming out every month....so a one or two "Events" a year is probably a good thing to keep all the titles headed in the right direction.  It doesn't have to cover the entirety of the DC Universe, just the 4 GL titles is sufficient.  Enough speculation for now, let's move on to Issue #7's review.....

The "New 52": Six Months Later (Green Lantern Review)

One of two characters in the "New 52" that DC Comics decided not to "mess" with; along with Batman, Green Lantern has enjoyed unprecedented popularity since Geoff Johns brought back Hal Jordan from the dead in Green Lantern: Rebirth several years ago.  Since then we have enjoyed and been left jaw-dropped with The Sinestro Corps War, Blackest Night, & War of the Green Lanterns.  Johns has created several characters, & several Corps (based on the light spectrum).  The Green Lantern franchise has spin-off books Green Lantern Corps, GL: New Guardians, & Red Lanterns....it's own animated TV series, and a feature film starring Ryan Reynolds.  So...when the "New 52" began, fans of Green Lantern could just sit back and continue to read their favorite GL titles without worry. I've loved the title so far (actually going back to 2005), so....Citizen's Grade: Impressive.

"Not-so-New 52": Issue #5 Reviews (part two)

In our second installment following the "New 52" titles I collect on a monthly basis, we find Aquaman in the desert, The Flash thawing out prison guards, the New Guardians exploring planets within a mysterious vessel, and The Savage Hawkman dealing with the undead!


Which was my favorite of the month?
I'll give you a hint.......

On to the reviews.....and nevermind the mop in the background! lol.

"Not-so-New 52": Issue #4 Reviews (part two)

Continuing our Reviews of the #4's I've purchased and read...we come to the second half of the month's releases.  Aquaman, The Flash, Green Lantern: New Guardians, & The Savage Hawkman.  Just like part one of these reviews....the artwork has been great; in fact you could argue that these 4 titles have some of the best artwork of the month, and the writing superb.  All of these titles; except The Flash, finished up impressive story arcs and teased upcoming ones in 2012.

In Part Two of the #4 Reviews, you'll see Aquaman meeting the Queen, What happens when The Flash thinks too fast, Who is behind all the ring confusion, & some surprising revelations about The Savage Hawkman that should have all "Old-School" fans cheering!  On to the reviews.......

"Not-So-New 52" Review: #2's & #3's (part three)

Hello again, as we continue reviewing the "New 52" #2's & #3's that I collect every month....we come to the "rest"......Green Lantern: New Guardians, Red Lanterns,  & The Savage Hawkman.

After reading the first 3 Issues, I decided to drop I,Vampire from my monthly "Pull List". I'm trying to keep myself disciplined and only collecting 10 Titles from DC Comics.  It's been very difficult and I'm still at 11, though with Title #11 being Justice League....I'm not at all disappointed in myself or anything.

On to the reviews.....

The "New 52": Week Four.....(Review)

After skipping "New 52": Week Three, I am posting my picks for Week Four.  This week actually had the most pulls on my list, so I was excited and eager to Dive in to Aquaman, Race through The Flash, read something New in New Guardians, & Savagely tear through Hawkman! (puns ALL intended).....they did NOT disappoint!

Due to time and financial restraints, I wanted to collect no more than 10 DC Titles, so I was a little worried when I decided to drop Superman & Batman, to make room for Red Lanterns, New Guardians, Hawkman, Aquaman,  & Mister Terrific (who was subsequently dropped for Deathstroke)....but All is Well, as all the new pulls have impressed......and now Week Four's reviews:

Green Lantern Corps: Revolt of the Alpha-Lanterns (Review)

Citizen's Grade: O.K.

"No Lantern Escapes The Alpha-Lanterns!" When a Green Lantern steps out-of-line, it's the Alpha-Lanterns that put them back in-line. Half terrestrial, half robot, unstoppable, logical, and cold....the Guardian's instruments of law and order. But an old enemy has re-emerged and taken control of the Alpha-Lanterns....and he's turning them against the Green Lantern Corps!   Can a select group of Green Lanterns stop this rising menace, or will the Green Lantern Corps be destroyed by the new Alpha-Lantern Armada?

Green Lantern: Brightest Day (Review)

Citizen's Grade: Awesome.

Geoff Johns strikes gold once again with Brightest Day.  This volume is worth reading just for Larfreeze & Dexstarr alone. The "leaders" of the various Lantern Corps converge upon Earth in search of the missing Light-Spectrum Entities.  The interactions between Hal Jordan, Carol Ferris, Sinestro, Atrocitus, Larfreeze, Saint Walker, and the mysterious Indigo-1 are explosive, intense, & sometimes humorous.  Doug Mahnke's artwork is perfect, especially the appearance of ____, who is angry!!

Blackest Night (Review)

Citizen's Grade: Awesome.

The mega-event of comics in 2010, Blackest Night shocked the world and has changed the DC Universe forever! There has always been the green light of willpower, channeled into rings and distributed to those with the ability to overcome great fear by the Guardians of the Universe. These individuals who received rings are known as the Green Lantern Corps, and are the police force of the Universe.

But none of the Green Lantern Corps were aware that other colors in the light spectrum were capable of doing the same as their green light of willpower.....until Sinestro; the long-time nemesis of Green Lantern Hal Jordan, discovered Parallax and became the leader of the Sinestro Corps, whose yellow light of fear sought to maintain order in the universe. (see: Green Lantern by Geoff Johns review for details on the Sinestro Corps war and other volumes leading up to Blackest Night...)

Now there are eight corps of the light spectrum.....Green (willpower), Yellow (fear), Blue (hope), Red (rage), Violet (love), Orange (avarice), Purple (compassion), and Black (death). As the different Lantern Corps fight one another over which light is more powerful and pure, the Black Lanterns move secretly....watching, waiting, for the most opportune time to rid the universe of light altogether!

Duck Dodger's Green Lantern Oath

just because......

Green Lantern Corps monthly series (Review)

Citizen's Grade: Impressive.

The Green Lantern Corps Volumes tell the stories and events taking place in the lives of the Green Lanterns, excluding Hal Jordan (the main character of the Green Lantern series). Based mostly around a few major characters, the book reads like a soap opera, sci-fi, action flick! I love this series so far, and so do a lot of other readers as well, making this the best-selling "spin-off" series in DC Comics. The plots often play off of what is going on in the main Green Lantern books, but from the perspectives of the thousands of other Lanterns. This makes for multiple stories and plots taking place simultaneously, as detailed in the Scavenger Review for Emerald Eclipse (there's not enough space here to detail all the multiple angles and plots going on in every volume).

Green Lantern by Geoff Johns (Review)

Citizen's Grade: Awesome.

I was never really interested in Green Lantern until Hal Jordan returned in Rebirth. Since then I am a huge GL fan, often left mindboggled by the jaw-dropping storylines and awesome artwork. Geoff Johns is a master storyteller, and his work often builds into mega-events (The Sinestro Corps War, Blackest Night, & Brightest day to name just the Green Lantern events). He has taken the Green Lantern character into never before seen directions (hard to do with Comic Book "Icon" Characters), and I wait with great anticipation for every volume as it becomes available.

Johns has worked with some of the best artists in the industry, my favorite being Ethan Van Sciver who implemented the idea that each Green Lantern's ring energy would manifest itself differently based on their personalities. Other Artists include Carlos Pacheco, Ivan Reis, Daniel Acuna, Patrick Gleason, & Philip Tan.

Green Lantern Corps: Emerald Eclipse (Review)

Citizen's Grade: Impressive.

The Green Lantern Corps series has been just as awesome as the parent title recently! Peter Tomasi works hand-in-hand with Geoff Johns to present some of DC Comic's finest work to date with this latest volume: Emerald Eclipse.

This volume is all over the place. While The Guardians are in Sector 2828 with other members of the G.L. Corps (see: Green Lantern Agent Orange), Kyle Rayner & Guy Gardner are on OA dealing with the recent "law" that members of the Corps cannot marry or have relationships. Raynor also is planning a mural to the Corps members who have passed. A secret relationship is revealed between Kyle & Soranik.

Green Lantern: Agent Orange (Review)

Citizen's Grade: Impressive.

The Green Lantern franchise continues to be the best that DC Comics has to offer. Geoff Johns is a genius, as all his previous volumes prove. Agent Orange follows more revelations that the Guardians of the Universe have been trying to hide for eons! When The Controllers try and harness their own version of a ring power source they come upon Larfreeze, guardian of the orange light of avarice! Meanwhile, the Guardians of the Universe are putting Hal Jordan through the wringer over wearing the Blue Lantern's ring (which he cannot get off until he hopes for something with sincerity).

Green Lantern: Brother's Keeper (Review)

Citizen's Grade: O.K.

GL: Brother's Keeper is a volume from the previous Green Lantern series, starring Kyle Rayner as Green Lantern. Written by Judd Winick, art by various....it tells a very needed tale of discrimination against homosexuals. There are other side stories going on in the volume as well, but the focus is on Kyle's assistant Terry Berg who is savagely attacked and put into a coma because of his sexuality.

Kyle; both as a person and as a superhero, has to deal with the gambit of emotions (from sadness to anger) trying to deal with the attack and why it happened. Written with the thought of Matthew Shepherd on his mind, Judd Winick tells a great story that hopefully got everyone who read it thinking.

I recommend this to anyone who reads.....not because it's the best graphic novel, but because (as Winick often does in his writing) it transcends comics into real-life issues.

Green Lantern First Flight (Review)

Citizen’s Grade: O.K.

Green Lantern: First Flight is the DVD version of the DC Universe character. It follows the origin story of Hal Jordan…..an alien ship crashes to earth, the Green Lantern ring finds the closest human with “the ability to overcome great fear”, which is Jordan. It then follows his training as a Green Lantern and shows Jordan’s shoot-from-the-hip “John Wayne” persona.

Top 5 Monthly Comics to collect in 2010

I collect about 12 different monthlies in Graphic Novel form, but I’ve narrowed them down to my essential 5 for 2010:

1. Green Lantern. You cannot go wrong collecting this series! Geoff Johns continues to impress more and more taking Green Lantern into uncharted territory and writing stories on par with anything in the market today! The Blackest Night event will blanket the DC Universe into 2010, and Green Lantern will be at the forefront of DC’s heroes.

2. Batman. With the announcement that Bruce Wayne will be returning in 2010, the Batman series led by Grant Morrison should impress as never before! Always a winner and worth spending the money on, DC’s flagship character will carry the DC franchise in 2010.

3. Elephantmen. If your local comic book shop doesn’t carry this title, you should be begging and pleading with them to start! Richard Starking’s story and characters seem to get better with every issue, and the artwork is always phenomenal! A real up-&-comer getting a lot of attention on the comic websites.

4. Daredevil. The man without fear is riding high, and new writer Andy Diggle should keep him that way in 2010. The story is usually for mature audiences and often reads as a detective/crime novel with pictures. Following in the footsteps of Kevin Smith, Brian Michael Bendis, & Ed Brubaker isn’t easy…..but I believe it will bring out Diggle’s best work to date!

5. The Brave and The Bold. With J. Michael Straczynski taking over as writer, I fully expect this to be one of my favorites for 2010! Sales numbers are in the toilet…..but if you love a good story, or just love JMS than you’ll love this title. I wouldn’t be surprised or disappointed if they cancel this title and then restart it from #1 with JMS as regular writer.

Special Mentions go to Superman and Green Arrow & Black Canary. Both titles are on the brink of disaster, but with good writers on board and “mega-events” coming up in 2010 for both titles, they should be worth reading. Also….Hulk. Despite some fan criticism, the Fall of The Hulks event in 2010 should make this title worth spending the money for.

Top 5 Graphic Novels

This list was extremely difficult to come up with. I wish I could just do a top 100 list….but that would be a lot of typing, and probably get a little boring. I made the list by deciding which five graphic novels I would grab & say belonged to someone else if the IRS took everything I owned.

1. Green Lantern: Rebirth. Written by Geoff Johns, artwork by Ethan Van Sciver. This collection re-introduces Hal Jordan as Green Lantern. I would have bought this on John’s name alone, but also just for the artwork by Van Sciver! A must-read if you’re new to comics or the Green Lantern character.

2. Superman/Batman: Public Enemies. Written by Jeff Loeb, artwork by Ed McGuinness. The saying goes, “The book is always better than the movie”, and if you liked the DVD S/B: Public Enemies, than you’ll love the book! Loeb tells the story from both Superman’s & Batman’s perspective, and McGuinness’s artwork is top notch! A great read if you don’t collect Supes or Bats monthlies but want to know more about the characters.

3. Planet Hulk. Written by Greg Pak, artwork by various. Soon to be released on DVD, Planet Hulk is a great, original story about the Hulk! Marooned on a distant planet, forced to be a gladiator, the great rebel leader the Green Scar shows the Hulk; not as a mindless monster, but as a calculating and fearless rebel leader. Pak solidified my respect with this collected volume.

4. Identity Crisis. Written by Brad Meltzer, artwork by Rags Morales. This event has me wishing that Meltzer and Morales did more work together! A very mature story involving the violation of one of the Justice League’s wives, a rush to judgement, the death that ensues, and the crumbling of trust and respect among the heroes involved. I actually cried when Batman & Robin are rushing to try and save Robin’s father. This volume brought me back into collecting comics!

5. Superman: Red Son. Written by Mark Millar, artwork by various. Millar tells a wonderfully original story of Superman’s life. Crash landing in the Ukraine instead of Kansas, raised with the ideals of a communist utopia rather than the American Way, protector of the Proletariat! The artwork is fantastic and the Hammer & Sickle replacing the “S” on his chest makes you want to join the communist party.

Special Mentions go to Green Arrow: Quiver (Kevin Smith/Phil Hester), Superman/Batman: Supergirl (Loeb/Michael Turner), & Hip Flask: Unnatural Selection (Richard Starkings & Casey/Ladronn).