Justice League #3- The New 52

Having gotten the first 3 issues first of the new JLA, as part of the new 52 launch last year, I knew I had to continue reading and discover for myself what new things lay behind this new Wonder Woman. Now this change comes in the wake of J.Michael Strazynski's own take of our beloved Amazon that ended in her 611th issue before joining the new 52. With my own knowledge of Diana Prince, from the early TV series, the animated Justice League series, past readings of Gail Simone and George Perez as well as previous animated incarnations of her and the League, I was pleasantly surprised that this was not the Wonder Woman I knew.

For starters, issue 3 opens with our Diana breaking out of the Pentagon office in pursuit of what she deems is a harpy after having seen on TV that a winged monster has begun terrorizing downtown Dc. This time our Diana dons silver wristbands and the gold that once adorned her now all red and ribbed bustier is equally silver. Along with that she carries a sword that could be mistaken for Frodo's Elvish sword, Sting, given to him by his Uncle Bilbo. But once more I digress. The love of more than one fandom does have cross-referencing advantages I must admit. J

Ok, moving ward, Diana quickly discovers & relates to Col Trevor that while this new world she’s in has wonderful things like ice cream and rock and roll, there is also Darkness here. As if on point, the Winged monster appears atop a building, sounds off a Ping sound and opens a portal, thereby ushering more mechanical Winged Demons. At this time the same terrifying scene is equally happening at Metropolis and most recently at Detroit. Back at Star Labs Dr. Silas Stone is unable to leave his injured son, Victor, and instead ushers him down to the Red Room and administers the grafting of a metal called Prometheum as well as the injection of  nanobyte tech into his son’s body, who at this point looks more like the nuclear burned kids from Resident Evil. Oops, sorry, I did it again. Cross fandom reference.

The Metropolis carnage now being kept at bay by the combined efforts of Supes, Flash and Gl has been made more effective by the arrival of Diana, aka. Wonder Woman to which Flash is wowed and Lantern calls dibs. And just when they think that they’ve scared the Darkseid-Chantng creatures away, our heroes could only stare at their false conclusion as a massive structure suddenly looms out of the sea before them. And in their presence finally comes another formidable hero we know as Aquaman. But with a Kingly demeanor to him, how well do we know the King of the Seas?

Like the previous two issues, this next one is not without action or quips. Flash couldn’t believe that Batman has no power and initially thought he was a Vampire.  Superman acknowledges Diana's strength to which she nonchalantly responds, I know. I don’t know about you but for me, I was getting some subtext stares between Supes and Wondy. Can we expect a “pairing” between the two inspite of the “couple” status insinuated between Batman and Diana in the animated series?

Anyway, all this banter plays well with the addition of anther would be JL Member. So what happens to a group of powerful indivduals when you bring a King into the mix? Well, we’re gonna find out next in Issue 4, aren’t we? 

Justice League #1 - The New 52

When I first got wind of the Retcon that DC comics was going to do and it consisted of 52 titles, I had to admit that I shook my head both in disbelief and in bewilderment. Everything was doing well for me, for both as an outsider and a reader, so what was the change in the DC Universe for. But then again we’re not Geoff Johns or part of the DC management and no amount of internet protests would swing vote in my favour and also for those who felt the same way as I did.

But nonetheless, I was still excited and anxious of the surprises that the stories would have for me. I know my favorite, Green Lantern was not exactly a major casualty of the reset-storyline but more of re-numbering wherein the issue once more goes back to #1 and continues the flow of events following their most recent crisis of which I love, and that was War of the Green Lanterns.

So I only most recently decided to catch up with our favorite Justice League over the Holidays, having heard good things about it. Plus I also got curious after seeing the official picture of the newly re-formed and re-drawn Justice League. What stood out was obviously the absence of Superman’s Red Underwear and he was wearing an all-blue “tights” with more detail and a mechanical chiselled look. Like Green Lantern and Batman’s boots, the drawings were more contoured and had a modern look to them. No doubt this was part of the re-marketing of the DC Universe to the newer generation. And with that I forged on ahead.

Issue #1 of which I was able to get the variant cover instead by David Finch and not the Jim Lee original as my source ran out of stock, began with a narration that began 5 years ago when Superheroes were not called as such and they were viewed as a threat by the public and equally hunted down by the government, in spite of the heroes’ best intention to help and curtail crime. Such was the scene we witness at the beginning of the issue and set in Gotham City with our Batman in one of the building rooftops and in pursuit of a mysteriously cloaked figure. In the chase that ensued the figure turns out to be a humanoid of some kind that later was dispatched easily by an arriving Hal Jordan, aka. Green Lantern who like the populace viewed Batman’s existence as a myth and got the “surprise” that the Batman was real and flesh and blood.

They team up and chase the figure down the sewers which had already changed and developed mechanical wings and legs to which Hal quips and referenced the creature as a “Transformer.” See, what I mean? Definitely a ploy to bring new and younger audiences into the DC fold. What I liked was the antagonistic attitude between Hal and Bruce and the development of that dynamic playing out when Hal freaked out after finding out that Batman can’t fly, has no super strength and merely was a guy in a Bat costume. LOL! That reaction was priceless! 2 more “priceless” interactions for me between Hal and Bats were when Bruce casually slips off Hal’s ring and examines it and deduces that the ring doesn’t have any buttons and most probably works on concentration. Puzzled, Hal asks how was Batman able to do that to which our Caped Crusader smirks under his cowl and smartly replies, “You weren’t concentrating”. LOL! (Yes!)

And some things never change in spite of the resetting of the DC Universe, Hal is still as cocky, Batman is still thorough in his research. After the creature blows itself up and attaches a mechanical box to the wall, Bruce says that the box is indeed alien tech to which Hal references Superman and that all of this is somehow connected to that “Alien in Metropolis”. With that said the pair fly off to Metropolis in a bright green jet amidst Batman’s mild protest afterwards because of the lack of anonymity flying into the city. Hal effortlessly quips, “You can’t fly. So how else were we going to get there? Talk in a Deep Voice?” LOL! (again)

Now Hal’s cockiness doesn’t stop there as he safely encloses Batman into a green box while he goes into a Lexcorp building as his ring is a “magnet for extraterrestrials”. But the search finds him instead as Supes comes rushing out of the building in a haze of red and blue for he “doesn’t do easy”. In this last panel we see the new Superman minus the red underwear with the same semi high collar and with the cape sewn into the costume. Like Hal and Bats his boots are more chiselled with equally the same recessed detail drawn into it and with raised piping at the center of the boots and with equal red piping at the edge of his sleeves. This is obviously a new Superman greeting new and old readers and sets up the next event billed in Issue #2 as Batman Vs. Superman.

And with these dynamics to play on, add into the mix the development and history of Vic Stone as his journey to being Cyborg comes into play and the Justice League members slowly come to meet one hero after another and find that their goals are not at all disimilar and perhaps unlikely as it is in their line of work, working together may just be the breakthrough they need to find out the meaning of this new threat or slogan as the robot creatures cry out just before detonating oneself. What was the battle cry? It was....For Darkseid!

 So whatcha waiting for? Get Issue #2! Now!

War Of The Green Lanterns - Gotta Love It!

It’s been about 4 years now since I last re-visited Green Lantern and realized why I had this penchance for rings when I was a kid. Fast forward to today and after major yearly crises that has plagued OA and the rest of the DC Universe; I am still hooked and proud to be a Lantern at heart. Reading War of the Green Lanterns this month as it only came out in hardcover and compiles the entire storyline via different issues of Green Lantern and Emerald Warriors; Geoff Johns has once again won my heart and proved why he is the man who wears the DC crown.

Touted as the big crisis following the successful and my favorite GL crisis, Blackest Night and its 3 part sequel, Brightest Day, one would think that there would not be another crisis than can come close to equalling these past 2 big events. And it so happens that they didn’t have to create another villain to spin a brand new crisis that would incapacitate and affect our ring wielding friends because they already have one in their midst. And this came in the form of a renegade guardian named Krona. The hardcover 10-issue compilation collects the different runs of the storyline as it appears in Green Lantern #63-67, Green Lantern Corps #58-60, Emerald Warriors #8-10.

Having met Krona first in the 80’s series, Crisis on Infinite Earths and then have him associated with past DC events like Infinite Crisis and the 2 most recent GL crises, it was but natural that they bring him back to finally tie up loose ends with his fellow Guardians and to give Krona the centerstage attention that he so long desired. (I’m not saying, deserved either)

With Krona’s entrance, it’s also the resolution of the damage that the so called Guardians have had to answer for. From the secrets and lies that they told in order to keep the Lanterns in the dark of what they must not know and limit their knowledge to what they need to know, this war was very much a war among the Guardians themselves and not just confined to their Green “police squad”. Following the events of Green Lantern: Brightest Day, we find our hero Hal Jordan working alongside with the other members of the different corps, branded as such by the Guardians as enemies, in protecting the various emotional entities from Krona’s influence.

So far Krona has succeeded in obtaining all the emotional entities (Ion for Green; Parallax for Yellow; Ophidian for Orange; Butcher for Red; Adara for Blue, Proselyte for Indigo and Predator for Violet) and have “led” this temporary truce-bound group of lanterns to the Planet Ryut; which is in Sector 666, and homeworld of the red lantern leader, Atrocitus. This same planet where his Red Lantern, representing the emotional spectrum of rage, was formed and tragically is also site of the massacre of his people by the robotic Manhunters made by the Guardians eons ago.  According to the Book of Oa that contained a history of the Lantern Corps, the Manhunters were robots manufactured by the Guardians to ensure peace in the galaxy but a glitch in their basic programming caused them to massacre everyone on the planet Ryut and thus begin Atrocitus’ lifelong dream of exacting his revenge on the Guardians.

On Ryut, the multi-colored Lanterns fell susceptible to the Book of the Black kept by Krona and protected by now Black Keeper Lyssa Drak who once was a member of the Sinestro Corps and wielded a yellow Ring that represented the emotional spectrum of fear. The Lanterns were thus given a glimpse into the true secret that the Guardians have kept for so long. The “secret” was actually the omitted and torn out passages or journal entries from the Book of Oa and were replayed in their minds as they are strapped to the book by Black Chains for the duration of their “virtual history lesson”.

As the book shows, Krona was one of the original Guardians hailing from the planet Maltus who sought out the meaning of life; the origin of creation. 

He was a brilliant scientist that dared to question and in his result bungled his own experiment and created the opposite of all life called The Anti Universe. For this and for recognizing the existence and use of emotion to which the Guardians were totally against he was sentenced to death and was in pursuit by the Manhunters. The book further revealed, much to the horror of all that It was Krona who re-worked the programming of the Manhunters and to randomly select a world to kill; a point which he had hoped to bring across to the Guardians that he meant business. That an “emotionless” police force is not without flaws and must be corrected.

Having thus learned the truth, the Lanterns were sucked into the book, but not before Sinestro and Hal detonated their own rings and enabled Hal to be free of the chains that bound him. Which was well and good, had it not been for the arrival of several Green Lanterns lead by Salaak who were commanded by the Guardians to arrest Hal and bring him back to Oa for sanction.

Krona as this time had already returned Parallax, the yellow entity of Fear into the central battery and have begun manipulating the bearers of the Green Lantern ring thru Parallax and was havin them fight against Hal, former Guardian Ganthet (but now a self inducted Green Lantern), John Stewart, Kyle Rayner and Guy Gardner.

That basically is the gist of the run of the storyline and I’m stopping here lest I be tempted to reveal more spoilers. Just like my favorite GL crises, The Sinestro Corps War and Blackest Night, this compilation has all the action that any GL fan has come to love and expect with its own share of character introspection and plot twists. Only when I re-read this a second time did it dawn on me that Hal for all his bravado and will is turning out to be rather Machiavellian in his ways and it is perhaps in this that the Guardians have begun to fear him and regard him as a threat; that he perhaps could be another Krona in the making. But in his defense, Hal is aware of the radical steps that he has taken and in one panel, has admitted he has bitten off more than he can chew at the height of this crisis.

Suffice to say, Johns has given us another reason to love the Green Lantern Corps and what it stands for and in the process have given two major lanterns a shot of soul searching and redemption. If you like your reads action packed and unpredictable  then 

War of the Green Lanterns is a must this holiday season. And although the end certainly paves the way for the new reboot of the franchise by way of the new-52 by DC, I can only imagine the next chapter that all our favorite Lanterns would have to go through following this devastating blow of a war. No one said that war will exempt the brave and the lucky ones from being a casualty. But after this, the word “casualty” is certainly being redefined as the Corps itself is being reshaped and put into the ringer. Power up Poohzers. Time for a new beginning!

Brightest Day Vol 3 - Is it really Bright?

One review that I read prior to finishing the 3rd and last volume of Brightest Day asked the question that I also found myself asking at the end of it all, was that, “Was it needed?”

If we go by the Lantern Oath and pick up on the beat of Geoff Johns thinking, then perhaps yes. Because after Blackest Night, something should follow suit, and true to Oath form of the Green Lantern Corps, Brightest Day does follow. But does it make sense? Does it strike a chord in the characters, much less the readers?

It did when I first finished Blackest Night, which by the way was a tour de force in itself. From storyline to the artwork, the pacing of the panelling and how the entire arc of the story affected the entire DC universe. It was brilliant. And having the creative lightning strike hard and strike gold, could it have been possible to do it a second time?

Picture this.

At the end of Blackest Night, several DC characters who were dead were brought back to life by the sentient living entity that was hidden underneath the Earth. It spoke of the path that follows the dark. And metaphorically, I do get it. That after the dark and having been touched by light, what do we do? After epiphanies of our own, being in the dark for some time before that, how do we deal with the consequences? Of course, we move forward, live our lives and go where the light takes us. But somehow, somewhere in the midst of my reading all 3 volumes, I was asking if I wanted to be taken there in the first place.

As opposed to the first crisis that involved dead superheroes becoming Black Lanterns and corrupting the living, Brightest Day doesn’t add much on that scale and narrows the “crisis” down to the resurrected characters and how their lives and choices affect the others in the DC universe. Vol. 3 continues the battle of Hawkman and Hawkgirl against her mother in beating out the life and death Prophecy cycle that they have been subjected to. Aquaman battles for his place in the underwater kingdom and mentoring the new Aqualad, who just happens to be the son of his nemesis, Black Manta. Not to mention dealing with Mera’s revelation that she came to Atlantis to kill him but not counted on falling in love with him. Firestorm for his part had to deal and reconcile that being fused into one as Ronal Raymond and Jason Rusch has its advantages and drawbacks while being transported to the Anti-Matter Universe. Martian Manhunter dealt with D’Kays treachery and deception while Deadman, had to face with how it is to live his life and discover love with Dove in the process. All of these lives and their subsequent choices are as the White Lantern reveals all part of the process.

But after the process itself was revealed, I felt for Deadman. He was duped and manipulated by the White Entity to push these returned heroes to live out their choices because they were being groomed to take part in another battle to come. And that was against the so called, Dark Avatar; a residue of Nekron’s influence on the Earth during the Blackest Night crisis.

When I read Blackest Night I felt that it could have been longer. I wanted more action scenes played out as it was indeed in the truest sense of the word a worldwide crisis. But after this Brightest Day “crisis” which spanned the whole year long before it was compiled and doled out in 3 increments, I felt that it could have been shortened. Was Geoff Johns like the White Entity manipulating and cashing in on readers to buy his latest effort? One would surely look at it that way. But from a creative side, one would argue that he had a story to tell.

And yes while I applaud the effort for a story, it could have been shortened and heightened with more kick ass action rather than the low key and philosophical implications that we are left with and only to be sparingly laced with action and manipulated mystery along the way. No doubt that I may yet get some gem of wisdom from reading all 3 of them again. But I like my superheroes, swinging, flying, shooting and beating the crap out of the bad guys. But with given that Life itself is the challenge to deal with this time, there really are no bad guys; just bad choices stemming from a different form of perception.

 And that perception itself may have come from a place of capitalism in order to cash in more profits for one’s coffers or the perception that if a story is stretched to the limit, it may make for a good yarn of a tale. And because it is such a yarn, consider me like the cat that buys in on that ball of yarn and brings it back to you, looks you in the face and with utmost hope, purrs, “What’s next, Geoff Johns?”

Spectre: Infinite Crisis Aftermath

I encountered the Spectre first in my early Green Lantern readings when Hal Jordan came back via Geoff Johns and our Emerald warrior's soul was "grafted" to this avenging agent of God.

Since then I was curious about his origin and storyline and when Powerbooks marked this off as less 30%, well how can I not check it out.

Crispus Allen was a good cop and investigator when he was alive but after being killed on the job, God's agent of Justice called the Spectre needed a human host to perform his duty. Crispus was not ready and refused the offer. Without a host, the spirit took its frustration on humankind and went on a magical rampage leading up as one of the events prior to Infinite Crisis.

Since then Crispus had one year to think and after accepting the post, his task as the avenging spirit of justice, punishing sinners and evildoers for their crime begins and he learns that it is not as easy as punishing the guilty as singling them out based on priority or gravity of crime even if it leads to family.

If you want your reading dark, gritty and macabre then try this one for size. :)

Spectre: Infinite Crisis Aftermath

I encountered the Spectre first in my early Green Lantern readings when Hal Jordan came back via Geoff Johns and our Emerald warrior's soul was "grafted" to this avenging agent of God.


Since then I was curious about his origin and storyline and when Powerbooks marked this off as less 30%, well how can I not check it out.

Crispus Allen was a good cop and investigator when he was alive but after being killed on the job, God's agent of Justice called the Spectre needed a human host to perform his duty. Crispus was not ready and refused the offer. Without a host, the spirit took its frustration on humankind and went on a magical rampage leading up as one of the events prior to Infinite Crisis.


Since then Crispus had one year to think and after accepting the post, his task as the avenging spirit of justice, punishing sinners and evildoers for their crime begins and he learns that it is not as easy as punishing the guilty as singling them out based on priority or gravity of crime even if it leads to family.


If you want your reading dark, gritty and macabre then try this one for size. :)

FlashPoint -Hal Jordan #1

Having re-written and given birth to a new and alternate timeline that involved Abin Sur being alive in the current Flashpoint story arc involving Green Lantern and the rest of the DC superheroes, why should Earth’s first Green Lantern, Hal Jordan be any different and out of the action right?

Picking up the story from Abin Sur Green Lantern #1, Hal Jordan in this timeline is still a pilot flying for Ferris Air, pining for Carol Ferris and dealing with the loss of his father from that tragic airplane accident when he was a kid and just dealing with the attack of a shark-man that latched onto his plane in one of his flying sessions with Carol.

And like Sinestro, in this timeline Hal is still as brash and hardheaded as he is in the timeline we know. Along with that, he crashes a multi-million dollar plane into Carol’s own in the process of saving her from the shark but not before taking off in another one and bearing witness to Abin’s own craft being shot down and be offered the chance to save Earth.

As it is, this is only Issue #1 and so we can only wait for the next issue to see how different this timeline featuring Hal will play out and with a man legged shark up and about looking for meat as reminiscent of another compiled issue of GL featuring mutated animals due to some alien experimenting that also brought William Hand’s back but with much dire consequences, some things just needed to be played out in time, much like this 3 issued storyline. Strap in and wait.

FlashPoint – Abin Sur: Green Lantern #2

Some things never change.

This is what I learned in spite of the life altering events borne about from the current DC crisis called Flashpoint. It’s the current storyline following the previous years biggest event, Blackest Night that involved our favorite Green Lantern, Hal Jordan and the rest of the Green Lantern Corps as well as all other DC superheroes. It was that much of an “EVENT”.

This time around for Flashpoint, of which I myself am trying to wrap my head around, centers on an altered timeline in which Abin Sur, the original Green Lantern who bequeathed Hal Jordan his ring, is actually alive and is on his way via orders from the Guardians, to retrieve the White Entity (as revealed in Blackest Night) from Earth in order to be brought back to Oa for safekeeping from Nekron and the rest of the Black Lanterns. Apparently, in this time line, the Blackest Night was not stopped and took hold of the best, even our favorite drill sergeant, Kilowog.

Issue #1  ended with Abin Sur’s craft being shot down. The bolt was colored Violet, so I may be thinking what your thinking but that has yet to be revealed. I am hoping the last issue which is #3 will tell us that. Simultaneously, Sinestro is on the planet Ysmault talking to the crucified Atrocitus and extracting information about a prophecy; or should I say The Prophecy about Flashpoint.

Issue #2 begins with Abin having sought out Hal and giving him the ring but was stopped by Cyborg of the Teen Titans, nursed back to health and begins his own quest to save Earth from harmful elements of society, as a personal penance from not being able to save his own planet Ungara and his beloved sister, Ariana.

Sinestro soon arrives to tell Abin Sur of the prophecy and that it is caused by someone from Earth who has altered not only events in Earth but in the entire Universe as well. If you must know, in this current story line Aquaman is Emperor of the Seas and Wonder Woman is married to him; Batman is working for the government and Clark Kent is still a reporter. Here comes in what I mentioned about things not changing as Thaal Sinestro has revealed that The Flash is currently fixing to alter and fix the timeline once more. For Sinestro, he can make the Flash change the world in “Their” image. And only he being Sinestro can “fix” it all.

I guess in any timeline, ego will always be ego. And in so doing, Sinestro is blind to all and follows the prophecy to the letter; for as revealed by Atrocitus, as long as Abin Sur is alive, he is doomed to fail. Needless to say a battle between these two ensues and we are left hanging for the next issue.

Figuring that these stories are just supplementary tales to the main arc of Flashpoint for DC this year, I decided to collect them and found myself enjoying these changes. Plots involving timelines are certainly not new in any form of fantasy writing. Shows like Charmed, Legend of the Seeker, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer have certainly incorporated this “alternate universe” angle and it does freshen up any franchise and gives us a peek into the the world of the “What-If”.

What if Sinestro does fulfil the prophecy to the letter, does that fulfil and rectify his timeline and complements the “work” that Flash is doing, or will this timeline be an added running story that the writers can continually reference and go back to whenever they just wanna spruce up the stories. I guess I would have to wait for Issue 3 next month. And looking up to the calendar, it is only a week away. 

Can’t wait.

Wanna receive THE GIFT? :)

After reading I felt the graphic novel may have omitted a part of the title. If read fully, it should be called The Gift of Comeuppance. 

The premise is this ancient being in an overcoat goes around bestowing items of power to different people; most of these having been at the wrong place at wrong time & suffered more than their share of injustice & cruelty. These victims of circumstance become the Ancient Being's "champion" and chosen recipient of these items. Only 1 per person so don't be greedy. :) 

The items infuse the recipient with powers enabling them to get back at their tormentors or in some cases increase their odds for survival exponentially. The artwork is crisp & the writing is as dark & veiled as the Ancient Beings purpose for undergoing such a task. If you want your reading to be dark, graphic & moody, then this is your thing. If not, there's always Harry Potter, Tolkien, Twilight & Narnia. ;)

Revolt of the Alpha Lanterns: Green Lantern Corps

After the lukewarm effect and occasional and varied Geek peak of emotion that I got recently from watching the Green Lantern flick with Ryan Reynolds, I wanted something more substantial and a real green fix to lay a hold on me.

Luckily I spotted the recent compilation of Green Lantern Corps at my local bookstore. It is the Brightest Day tie-up and entitled Revolt of the Alpha Lanterns. Now for most of those familiar, the Lantern Universe was rocked to the core most recently with, Blackest Night and altered further with the events of Brightest Day. But for this compilation, the Lantern Corps are fighting something not bound by prophecy but one that came from their ranks.

What I speak of are the altered Green Lanterns, cosmetically and physically made to become part Green Lanterns and part Manhunter machines. Literally they are more machine now than human and have embedded in their chest their very own Lantern that needs not to be charged and provides them with unlimited source of will. Should you prove a threat, they can also drain the energy of your ring by lifting their face plate like that of a Manhunter. It is the police force that polices Lanterns themselves and carries out further the will of the Guardians.

This compilation comes in the wake of Blackest Night with most of Oa still recovering from the assault of Black Lanterns. The Guardian Ganthet who headed his own Blue Lantern Corps after having been booted off the “Council” for showing emotion has now officially resigned from being a Guardian and wills himself to become a fellow Green Lantern guarding Sector 0, which is Oa, and with him toiling in the foundry to make his own power ring. This he does just after going to Ysmault with Lantern Guy Gardner to meet up with Atrocitus, head of the Red Lantern Corps whose primary ruling emotion, is nothing but Rage. Something Guy understands completely after having been affected and succumbing to his own anger. Ganthet proceeds to make a proposal to Atrocitus but one that requires sacrifice and for the reader a little bit of secrecy. We are not aluded as to what the conversation was but whatever new and veiled threat Ganthet has uncovered it has prodded Guy to agree as well as Ganthet to make a sacrifice and resign from his post. The sacrifice for us readers on the other hand to make, is to be more patient, and follow the beat of the plot as the story arc is played out.

Back on OA, some of the Lanterns, as well as the recuperating ones after the battle, are starting to go missing. As per monitoring, they are still active and their rings have not sought out a replacement but are not on duty and cannot be reached. Alpha Lantern Boodika together with John Stewart, Earth’s other Green Lantern are asked to go to the Planet Grenda, home planet of Lantern Stel, the latest to go Awol, and a machine who has proven worthy to be part of the Corps.

This hardcover compilation also includes the 2 part Curse of the Alpha Lantern which gives us the life of Boodika before joining the Corps, during the Corps when Hal Jordan went rogue and cut her hand off till her assignment that brings her to her homeworld of Bellatrix after becoming an Alpha Lantern.

If you want non-stop action then the Corps is the way to go. Add into the mix the return of our favorite nasty Cyborg Superman and the appearance of a mysterious benefactor, this compilation not only bridges the events following the cataclysmic events of Blackest night but also plants the seeds for the next GL event, which is War of the Green Lanterns. Bring It On.

Green Lantern Review- Rants and Raves

Watching a movie is like reading a book. People will have different things to say about it, different levels of relatability to it, not to mention, affinity for the subject and whatever prose and subtexts the piece tries to convey. It’s either you like it or you don’t. Of if you are open enough, you try to walk the middle road, accept the piece of work as someone else’s vision and see how it applies to yours.


Watching Green Lantern for two straight days has certainly got me thinking and although at first blush my list of issues about the movie came flaring up with my fellow Green Lantern Corps cosplayers, but watching it a 2nd time last night after cosplaying for members of the press, I feel that I’ve finally am able to talk about it. (breathe calmly)

Off the bat, the movie certainly lived up to the flashy, special effects, slam bang explosive fare of a summer movie. You got the leading man played by handsome hunk, Ryan Reynolds doing the role of Hal Jordan, the cocky test pilot who gets to grow up and assume responsibility for his own life upon being bequeathed a power ring by a “dying purple alien” (Hal’s words not mine) named Abin Sur. He is thus joined by Gossip Girl starrer Blake Lively playing his leading lady and childhood friend Carol Ferris who runs the aircraft company Ferris Air where our hero works and gets much flying cred. Add to this lot, his best friend Tom Komalku who works with Hal in the company and shares knowledge of his secret being the Green Lantern.

Now since I mentioned alien, you know that there are more out there. And they are indeed many more as they are a Corps. Yes like a military outfit charged with protecting different sectors of the Universe. They, like Hal Jordan, each have a ring that is powered by their individual Lanterns and gives them the ability to enforce peace and justice by translating their thoughts into physical constructs. All colored green, of course. 

For the non-comic book reader, and first time initiate, the Green Lantern Corps in layman’s terms is an intergalactic peacekeeping force, or Space Cop group that follows orders from an immortal race of beings called the Guardians who are based on the Planet OA. They are responsible for channeling the use of Willpower as a power source thus the color green. With that preliminary intro out of the way, I would like to begin listing the issues I had with the movie, which would vary from casting, characterization and origin. So SPOILERS ahead, just so you know.


My GL movie issues:


1. Origin of the Big Bad- When I first found out that Parallax was the antagonist in this film, I thought that maybe they were going into it a little too fast and jumpstarting the whole franchise. As readers know, Parallax is a sentient being and the living embodiment of fear. It is represented by the color yellow and is the explanation why the Green Lantern’s ring never had any effect on yellow. Historically, it was only referred to as the impurity in the Lantern battery and its weakness. As Kryptonite was to superman with regards to making him ineffectual, Yellow was to the Green Lantern.

 My issue was that Parallax although was referred to an emotion that willpower was trying to overcome, it was also referred to as a power source and only was thus named Parallax after a lone Guardian, naïve as he was, tried to take on that source and bonded with it. That’s why when we are introduced to it at the beginning of the film, the imprisoned entity resembled that of a Guardian, who till end of the film is not named.

2. Hal and Carol – When Ryan was casted, I thought that he wasn’t the ideal guy to potray Hal Jordan simply because he was already slated to do a movie adaptation of the Marvel character, Deadpool, after winning audiences with his take on the role via the Wolverine movie, a prequel to the X-men movies. Fans had another person in mind. Devotees made videos on YouTube using scenes from the tv series, Firefly that starred, Nathan Fillion, who for me physically looks like Hal Jordan more and he himself is a confessed GL fan. 


But hey, I’m not a casting director so what do I know. So after accepting the Ryan casting, Carol Ferris was next. I don’t watch Gossip Girl so have no gauge why Blake Lively was chosen and had to wait for the movie. But after watching, they could have chosen someone with sharper and edgier looks and tough on the inside and out. Didn’t get that with her. What I didn’t like was the Superman-balcony-Lois Lane-esque scene that Hal had with Carol after saving her life and most of us who watched it groaned in reference to that. For non readers and casual movie goers, it’s just a scene that needed to establish and further heighten the relationship that Hal and Carol have. But for me it struck too close to the Superman and Lois dating sequences. And since most of us reacted that way, perhaps others would too. And groan in disgust as the scene plays out.


After the movie, some of us had issues about Blake’s acting prowess as well. She only has one gameface on regardless of the emotional complexity the scene requires. But it’s not for me to say, it’s for you to gauge for yourself.


 3. Oa and Poozer sessions – I have no real issue with Oa with it being beautifully rendered as it was only except that I wanted more. I wanted to be awed in a wave that comes and ebbs and peaks for me the way when I first saw Asgard when Thor came out. Add to that a sweeping score that complements the wave of images you see on screen. Alas I didn’t get when James Newton Howard’s score accompanied the tour that Tomar-Re gave Hal Jordan through Oa. I take it that they were flying but as one bringing an alien planet to life for the first time for readers and non-readers alike, we wanted to be really toured and not just given the general pamphlet guide.

Of course, while in Oa no official tour is to be taken as you are too busy to be trained as a Lantern by official drill sergeant, Kilowog who in the film was voiced by Michael Clarke Duncan.  Audiences would remember him as portraying Kingpin in the film version of Daredevil. I expected a different actor to be doing the voice of Kilowog as all I heard was Kingpin egging Hal Jordan on in training and not making it any easier for him. Not that training should be all work and no fun, but the Kilowog we know in his own way makes it so, by being all Bark but with no Bite. He’s a professional who takes his job seriously and during downtime, is the sweetest thing you can talk to and bond with. So lesser training time with Kilowog makes viewer wanting more. Hopefully more in the sequel. Yes, I am hoping for error correcting.

 4. Harnessing the Power – As mentioned, Green is the color of willpower and yellow is for Fear. We also know that the Guardians have always shunned emotion and therefore are not open to explore any other color and emotion other than their spectrum. But as suggested and as a recourse option to save Oa, Sinestro suggests that they harness that power source and use the power of the enemy against them. Yes, it’s the same Boromir thinking in Lord of the Rings and use the One Ring against Sauron and that was his undoing. As for Sinestro, you know that you can’t kill him as we see something else of him that dies and he’s Hal’s foil, so no can do. But once more, Sinestro doesn’t get to harness the Yellow power this early on but only after he was banished to the planet Qward following Hal revealing him to be abusing his Green Lantern powers in his own planet of Korugar. But hey, I’m not the scriptwriter, but just a blogging fan.

With all that I’ve ranted so far being a fan, there were still some points where the movie I felt did well; First of all, the imaginative way of creating the constructs for both Hal Jordan and the other Lanterns. As the essence of the ring, is to take whatever the mind of the wearer conjures up, the physical representation of that image is only as imaginative as the wearer and so far from swords that Hal brandishes as he spot trains with Sinestro, to metal frames supporting the boulders that Kilowog tries to pin him down with and the two F-fighter planes Hal creates in the final climax of the film, the constructs I must say were done well. 

Although others went as far as noting that Hal’s constructs were more military oriented like John Stewart; the other Green Lantern of Earth after Hal became incapacitated, but as a whole, I really am good with how the constructs were.

The next thing I liked about it was the choice of Geoffrey Rush to provide the voice of Tomar-Re; the fish-like Lantern of Sector 2813 who was in charge of welcoming Hal Jordan to Oa and his new life. Geoffrey also provided the narrative voice at the beginning of the film, which showed a history of the Corps and who they are. That was brilliant and more Tomar-Re I say. After seeing Tomar-Re, other Lanterns who had me geek out with their appearance were Boodkika, Stel, the round Lantern with tentacles for feet, Apros, and the Lantern that looked like a fly named Bzzzd. 

The casting of Mark Strong as Sinestro certainly also was a good choice as Mark is a character actor and like my other favorite actor, Kevin Spacey, he does the job right. Whenever he is on, he draws the attention to him, much like his comic book counterpart. Now will we see how he becomes the rogue Lantern and later the villain that he is now, commanding his own Corps under a different shade? Well, just wait till the credits and you will be rewarded. 

At this point, my rants are outnumbering my raves as if I were putting the movie down. I am not. On the contrary, it is because I am a fan that it pains me to see these inconsistencies and deviations in the film that were not taken into consideration. Had the director been a fan, like Peter Jackson to the Tolkien trilogy, would the movie have been different and more faithful to the source material? No doubt about that. Being a fan, he would be able to incorporate these nuances and milk the source material for what it can give credence and credibility to the movie, at the same time pleasing fans and earning new ones. Martin Campbell may have directed a Bond film but for that film he came into an already existing and established franchise. Green Lantern, on the other hand, is just getting the much needed boost and attention it mostly deserves. Along with that, should they have gotten Geoff Johns to write or if not, co-write the material like what Marvel did with Thor who had J. Michael Strazynski doing the story? Hell, yeah! 

But still I urge you to still watch the movie for yourself, not to see how the rants I mentioned were played out but to just enjoy the ride of losing yourself in a summer movie filled with effects, aliens and a human striving to be more than who he is and discovering who he can be. Hmmm, much like some of the lives we lead. So chuck your weekend plans and go take a visit to Oa and like me although you may wish for something more, I know you would be at least relieved that this character finally has his own movie, alongside fellow Justice League members, Superman and Batman. Oh and Wonder Woman whose kitsch 70’s series still is the benchmark.

Green may be the color of will but it is also the color of fertility and abundance. I hope the movie earns tons so that the bigwigs can go back, re-asses and give it a better and second push. In short, give us Sinestro Corps War and...and...ah….Blackest Night? 

But like the Lanterns and any other who knows his duty, my duty is to the Corps, no matter what, inconsistencies, miscasts or whatever. I am still a reader, a follower, a person of will and yes….a Lantern…forever! Let's Go Poozers!