Green Lantern Corps #47

Oh. Oh my. This was definitely worth the wait.

This issue is more or less the aftermath to Blackest Night, and it calls to mind issue #19, which was the aftermath to the Sinestro Corps War. Both issues are amongst my favorites by Peter Tomasi and Pat Gleason.

We open with an grid of eight pictures, each of a different Lantern, and each busy lighting up their rings. What jumped out at me right away, is the fact that there are an EQUAL number of men and women...something that is rather unnusual in the average run-of-the-mill comic book. But this is far from run-of-the-mill.

There is a beautiful shot of all the remaining Lanterns using their rings to relight the central power battery. And a little bit of reminiscing by Guy and Kyle, which serves to bring the readers up to speed.



If you've been reading the book all along, you don't really need the recap, but if you are just jumping in, or have only been reading for a short time, it is quite handy. It is also nice to have the boys tease each other a bit. You don't get this sort of interaction between Guy and Hal, that's for sure.

Then all of the Lanterns go off to Mogo, where they have a lovely dedication to all of the fallen Green Lanterns. As a memorial, all of their likenesses are etched on the leaves of an enormous tree...a Tree of Life. It's a rather moving moment, although Arisia raises the sore subject of poor Sodam Yat, stuck in the Daxam sun, and Isamot raises the issue of the Guardians not even bothering to show up. Then Salaak has Mogo release all of the rings that he had been holding for safekeeping,and they fly off to find new owners.

*sniff*

Then it's back to Oa, where Kyle and Soranik muse about the wreckage of Kyle's mural. Oddly, I was just wondering about this myself. Soranik assures Kyle that it is a worthwhile project, and he's just going to have to start over again. It's rather sweet to see the two of them interacting so nicely. I LIKE Soranik, dammit...a hell of a lot more than Jade. Don't screw this up, Kyle!

Then Kilowog is meeting with Salaak, who wants him to get ready to start training all the new recruits. But Kilowog has decided that he's buried enough trainees, and wants to go back to just being a regular Lantern. Salaak isn't completely convinced, but decides that if that is what Kilowog wants, that is what Kilowog shall get. But not to worry about the new recruits, they'll be in the sure hands of Stel, which is actually a rather good choice.

You remember what happened to poor Vath Sarn back in Blackest Night? In fighting the Anti-Monitor and Nekron, he saved Iolande's life, and in the course of events got both of his legs cut off. Ouch. But not to worry, he wakes up in the hospital with a brand NEW pair of legs! Isamot's legs!
It turns out that Isamot had a talk with Soranik, and he has regenerative powers like a lot of lizards, so he donated his legs so that Vath could walk again. Vath isn't particularly grateful, he's all pissed that now he's going to look like a Thanagarian, which is a pretty rotten attitude to take, considering that his partner just sacrificed a couple of limbs for him. The boys have a heart-to-heart as well as a fist-to-chin talk about it, when Iolande comes in to check on them and makes them feel thoroughly ashamed of themselves. Boy, Rannians can be really pissy sometimes.

Meanwhile, Kyle, Guy and Arisia are still trying to get into see the Guardians, but the little blue despots keep cancelling their appointments. Finally, in their usual inimitable fashion, they take matters into their own hands. To be honest, Salaak doesn't even really try that hard to stop them, and Shorm is nowhere in sight. As usual, the Guardians start copping an attitude, when out of nowhere, Arisia decides she's had enough, and pastes one of the Guardians right in the chops!

It's a lovely lovely moment.

When the Guardians are huffing and puffing in outrage, Arisia continues to yell at them about the way that they abandoned Sodam Yat. The Guardians mutter that it was all Scar's fault, and that unbeknownst to them, they were all being manipulated...yes, that's it. It's not REALLY their fault, even though they are supposed to be nigh omnipotent and all that jazz. Guy points out rather dryly that there was a LOT of crap that was "unbeknownst" to them, like creating the Alphas who are already running slightly amuck, murdering unarmed prisoners, and...and...

...and Kyle suddenly pipes up with the Third Law. The one that forbids love between Green Lanterns. That's right Kyle, focus on the one thing that concerns you the most. He does provide quite an eloquent appeal however, pointing out that the recent war was won by ALL the emotions, and that the Guardians are just fooling themselves with their anti-emotional take on the world. The three of them finally leave, as the Guardians sulk, and Guy makes sure to tell Arisia that she's his new favorite Lantern, and that he's in awe of her right hook.

Oh Guy.

As the Guardians start to bloviate to Salaak, he finally stops dead and lets them have it. He's there because he believes in the Corps and their mission, but he's not their lapdog, or as he puts it, their puppet and errand boy. He'll continue to serve them, but he's not putting up with any more bull.

Well! It is finally starting to dawn on the remaining six Guardians that they aren't the most popular people in the Universe. They put their enormous blue noggins together, and in a brief moment of actual intelligence and compassion...they repeal the Third Law of Oa.

In the meantime, Guy has wandered over to Warriors, and is fit to be tied. They Broke The Bar! All things considered he should be used to this, the old Warriors was always getting trashed. Maybe he thought it would be different on Oa. Poor baby, he's moaning that he'd finally gotten the menu and the beer just right, as Kyle commiserates. And Kyle takes Soranik's role, and tells Guy to buck up, and they'll fix it up together again. Just then, the announcement of the repeal of the Third Law goes out all over Oa, and a lot of Lanterns are suddenly very very happy.

Guy and Kyle end up toasting each other with some of the few unbroken bottles of beer, and it's all just so wonderful. Not a lot of fights, but I've had more than enough fights recently. I just adore seeing all the various Lanterns doing their thing, and adjusting to the aftermath and getting on with their lives.

There is also a very interesting two page spread at the very back of the book, that gives a sneak peek at the new Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors book that is going to be coming out in August, written by Peter Tomasi and with the art by Fernando Pasarin. I'm thrilled that we are keeping Tomasi, as he has a sure hand with my favorite Lanterns...but I'm going to miss Pat Gleason terribly. But the new art looks decent, and there are all kids of things going on. It looks as though the book is going to focus on Guy, Kilowog, Arisia, Vath and Isamot, which makes me very very very happy.

If you like Green Lanterns...get this book!

Thursday's Reviews of Wednesday's Comics

Well! THAT was an interesting week!

We begin with Detective Comics, which continues the story of the Black Mask, who is actually Jeremiah Arkham, and his...adjustment to life as a prisoner in his own asylum. I have to admit...I thought this was a good story. I don't know that much about the character, but he's creepy as heck. And the backup with Huntress and the Question was good as always.\

Gotham City Sirens #11. I have to admit that I just like this book. It's fun watching Catwoman, Harley and Poison Ivy just get on with their lives as best they can. Dogs are disappearing all over the neighborhood, and Selina and Harley decide to find out why. It's not quite what you expect. And Ivy goes to work at Star Labs, and has one heck of a first day.

Green Lantern Corps #47. Be still my heart. More tomorrow. But really...WOW!!

Jack of Fables #45. I'm also enjoying the more conventional adventures of young Jack Frost. His naivetee is endearing, and I like the wooden owl. And Babe the tiny blue ox is always fun. Jack discovers that the actual villain of the piece is not exactly whom he thought it would be. Comeuppances for everyone!

Justice League: The Rise of Arsenal #2. My expectations weren't particularly high, but I did expect a bit more out of this book. I am sorry to say that I really think that this is one of the worst comic books that I have read in a VERY long time. And I am including Cry for Justice, which next to this mewling, whining tale is a masterpiece.

Ugh.

Roy is moping about Lian, which is perfectly normal and even admirable, until he starts blaming everyone else in the whole universe for her death. He's mad HE didn't get to kill Prometheus, he blames poor Mia for abandoning Lian, and he basically blames EVERYBODY for all his troubles. Then Chesire shows up and starts blaming him. Man this was depressing.

Justice Society of America #38. We continue our tale of the fall of the Justice League and the takeover of the world by the Fourth Reich. Whatever would we do without Nazis? They're just so much fun to hate. The remnants of the JSA have a plan, but they don't get to it...yet. Still, not bad. The part with the Joker demanding to be executed with Batman made me smile.

Superman: Last Stand of New Krypton #3. Not bad, not bad at all. That moment with Lex Luthor made me gasp for a minute, until I realized he had just executed a play from Doctor Doom's playbook. There are a lot of explosions, and Superman gets impaled, but he's eventually ok, and Zod gets to fight Brainiac and take over Kandor...oh, and he just declared war on the Earth. Well!

Wonder Woman #43. Well, you can pick your friends, but you can't pick your relatives, and Diana seems to have acquired some doozies here. The art is lovely as is to be expected when Nicola Scott is doing the honors. Astarte claims to be Diana's aunt, and she's laying waste to Washington D.C. shortly before she sucks up the entire planet. But not to worry, because Achilles shows up on his really cool elephant. And there's a big silver snake. Bizarre, but fun. Gosh, I'm going to miss Gail Simone on this book.

So, a lovely time was had by all...with the exception of JLA, Rise of Arsenal, which really stunk up the joint.

Oh, Thank Goodness it's Wednesday

Man, it got cold all of a sudden! Nothing like Spring in New England. Of course you can say the exact same thing about New England no matter WHAT the season. Changeable is the polite term for our weather.

Anyhoo...it's New Comics Day. At last! I'm not sure why I'm so antsy, except that Green Lantern Corps used to come out on the second week of the month, and now it's the last week of the month, and I hate change...unless I'm the one who is doing the changing. Of stuff. And it's been a rather long week at work.



I know exactly how he feels. This is how I treat people who hand me books without Guy in them.

Off to the Comic Book Store! Where I promise I won't manhandle the proprietor. Unless, the books aren't in. Then all bets are off.

Worst Bosses In the Universe?

An interesting notion, and I think that the answer to that would have to be the Guardians of Oa...in a landslide. Although I must admit that I occasionally have days at work, where I would question that premise. As a result of their meddling, obtuseness, and all-around douchebaggery, they've almost managed to wipe out life, not in a few isolated planets or even galaxies, but the whole gosh-darned Universe. You almost have to be in awe of their total idiocy.

Which is why I am wondering...after Blackest Night, what next? Whither the Guardians? Do they really expect to just pick themselves up, and flutter back to Oa and start ordering the Corps around again? Granted, they never intended to bring about the end of the world, but still...that's almost what happened, and Lord knows that THEY didn't have anything to do with the miraculous rescue. Ganthet and Sayd were the only Guardians who actually helped, and they had been unceremoniously booted out for daring to have emotions.

So where do they stand? What will be the attitude of the Green Lantern Corps towards their Masters? Do they forgive and forget? Is this possibly something that has to do with Ganthet, Guy and Atrocitus? Why on earth would staging a coup upset Hal? I imagine that Sinestro would certainly be all for it.

There is the danger of a vacumn in the power base of course. There are a lot of unscrupulous characters lurking, just waiting to step into the Guardian's tiny little shoes.

So...what will happen now?



Although they are a bit on the cute side, and apparently they do a boffo song and dance number there at the end, I don't think that it's going to be enough to salvage their jobs. When you think about it, the Guardians are in a similar position to Wall Street at the moment. Reviled and loathed by just about everyone, for bringing about armageddon through their own failed and short-sighted policies.

So. Should the Guardians win the booby prize for being the stupidest Bosses around, or is your OWN boss a better choice? I actually like my boss. I work for a medium-sized company that is a third generation family-run business. There are pluses and minuses involved of course, and one of the minuses is that there is always at least ONE person in a family run corporation who is a complete and utter jackass...but there's nothing that you can do because his or her name is on the building. I have one of those. And there are days when he can certainly give the Guardians a run for their money.

Are your bosses better or worse than the Guardians of the Universe?

So...How About That Mural?

Now that Blackest Night has come to an end...is Kyle ever going to go back to Oa and finish that Mural?



I have to admit to a certain amount of curiosity about how it was all going to turn out. He and Guy did their Tom Sawyer act, and got all the other Lanterns to whitewash the place, but I don't think that Kyle ever had a chance to actually go in and start painting.

And I WANT him to.

This is a dangling plot line that I would like to see tied up. So what do you all think he should be immortalizing on the ceiling and walls of that hall? I personally think it's going to be his version of the Sistene Chapel, but with Hal standing in for Adam...which could be hilarious. But he'd better put Guy in it...prominently...or else. Not to mention Soranik.

Buddies...No More?

Due to the new revelations on the last page of the latest issue of Green Lantern, I guess that seeing Hal and Guy be bestest buddies is going to be going by the wayside. Which is kind've a shame. Guy's been a good friend to Hal, although Hal would probably be the LAST person to actually recognize that.

There were a few glimmers here and there. For example, when Hal finally realized that Guy was the first person to forgive him for the whole Parallax unpleasantness, when Hal thought he would have been the last. Going off with him to Biot to rescue the lost Lanterns, and taking the blame and the punishment for it. Saving his ass time after time. Probably letting him drink for free in the new Warriors.

On the other hand,there WAS that little dig in the first issue or so of Blackest Night, when Hal was musing about how Guy was the only one with a viable love life, and he never thought that he would be jealous of Guy Gardner.

Ouch!

Nice one Hal! And you HAVE a love life, you self-important jackass! Er...um...I guess I'd better calm down.

So, instead of scenes like this...



We'll be back to scenes like this...



It's going to be an interesting few months.

Green Lantern #53

Well! So much for the fear of a letdown after the climax of Blackest Night. Geoff Johns starts the action off from the very first page, with poor old Hector Hammond reluctantly communing with a dissembodied voice. In his usual utterly creepy fashion, Hector is trying to get some vicarious thrills out of pretending to live Hal's life, but the Voice isn't buying it. Oddly enough, it declares that Hector is afraid...and that it's good. Oh, and the background color for the word balloons is yellow.

Well...that has to be a bit of foreshadowing! We are then taken to Ryut, and see an odd little cloaked figure with a green shackle on its ankle. This mysterious figure is apparently the same one who is talking to Hector. We continue through some very nice artwork, to a central chamber that is eerily reminiscent of the one that the Star Sapphires had waaaaaaay back when, with monoliths showing each of the seven colors. And lo and behold, there's Parallax, imprisoned above the yellow monolith! At least we now know where he is!

Meanwhile, back on earth, Hal and Carol are having a drink and reconnecting a bit...ie. flirting like mad. Oh Hal, you dog. They decide to go flying together in separate jets, and are having a fine old time. Carol even brings up Cowgirl, although it seems as though Hal is having trouble remembering who she is. Hal, you just live in the moment, don't you? They are seemingly attacked by none other than Sinestro, who actually was just trying to get their attention, by flying THROUGH their planes. And if you believe that, he has a bridge on Qward to sell you.

But it seems as though Sinestro is actually on the up and up, since he found the White Lantern at the end of Brightest Day, he reveals to Hal, that the White Entity is asking for him...that is, Hal. Everyone wants Hal!

Lex Luthor in the meantime is having a bit of a hard time of it, trying to recover from the effects of the Orange Lantern. Larfleeze shows up and just fans the flames. You also have to feel awfully sorry for poor Sayd...she doesn't look happy at all. Lex manages to prove that he is indeed smart, by figuring out a way to bamboozle Larfleeze, who may be powerful, but isn't necessarily the brightest crayon in the box.

St. Walker is saying prayers for the fallen, while Barry helps restore their headstones in a cemetary, which is a nice little touch. Nice to know that there are actually consequences, and that people are trying to put things aright.

And finally, Atrocitus is back sulking on Ysmault, when another mysterious personage shows up. Well...not so mysterious, in as it turns out to be none other than Ganthet, who has a propsal for Atrocitus. And not just Atrocitus as it turns out...but for Guy Gardner as well!

I...I don't know WHAT to think of this last little tidbit! Ganthet says that he's dedicated to working against the Guardians, and that he wants Atrocitus' and Guy's help? Wha...? Guy even says he's in, but that if they go through with whatever "it" is, then he and Hal will be done being friends.

I am intrigued. Sorely intrigued. This is also the first mention of Guy's new book, so I'm even MORE intrigued.

Doug Mahnke continues to knock it out of the park, artwise, and Johns has managed to plant all sorts of new seeds for storylines in a single issue.

Reviews!

Well, that wasn't a bad Wednesday. Not bad at all. We even broke down and picked up some Marvel books, which hasn't happened in a very long time, but what the heck...I just can't resist Greek and Norse Gods.

Batman: Streets of Gotham #11 continues to entertain. We come to the conclusion of the story with Damian and that kid and Zzaz in the first half, while things seem to escalating nicely for Kate in the Manhunter back-up story. Ramsey and his robot dog have come to Gotham in search of his mom, while everyone else is looking for him. There was an awfully amusing moment when his dad is talking to all of her buddies, and asks with a certain amount of asperity if he is the ONLY guy in the room without powers, to which Damon replies, no, he doesn't...but his boyfriend does. I did snicker. Good stuff as usual.

The Brave & the Bold #33
Another excellent outing my J.M. Straczynski. This one has Zatanna, Wonder Woman and vintage Batgirl, out for a night on the town, and all is lovely, and funny and they are whooping it up, until you realize that there is a dark thread running through all the laughter, and realize, that this all took place the night before Barbara was paralyzed by the Joker.

*sniff* But well done, and well drawn.

Green Lantern #53...Well! I did NOT see that coming! More tomorrow.\

Justice League of America #44 has improved by leaps and bounds. Although considering how feeble it was there for a while, I don't know that that is a huge recommendation. Nevertheless, there is a plot, and things are happening, which is nice. The new team continues to train, and try to get their act together, and aren't doing too badly all things considered. They get to fight the Demon, and Jason Blood shows up which I always enjoy, although unfortunately, he had all of his clothes on. Bummer. But bad things are happening to Alan Scott, while Jade shows up inside of a giant green meteor. I'm not exactly sure how she ended up inSIDE of a giant green Meteor, considering that she was just hanging out on Oa quite recently, but I'm hoping that they'll explain all of that. Oh, and Obsidian doesn't seem to be an egg anymore, which is also good.

Power Girl# 11. We're almost to the end of the Amanda Conner, Gray and Palmiotti run, so enjoy it while you can. The artwork shines as usual, and Peej has to fight against a Terra who has been taken over by the Ultra-Humanite. She also opens an unnusually violent can of whup-ass on Satanna, much to the latter's surprise. Fortunately, she is able to save Terra...with a bit of help, and even clone the Ultra-Humanite a new human body. Kara is all nice, and hoping he'll be redeemed. He SAYS the right things, but in an aside, we find out that all is not necessarily happiness and light. But damn, this book is fun.

I actually broke down and got the Siege: Loki book, and the Sif one-shot from Marvel, in addition to the continuing adventures of a dead Hercules. Or is he? Also a continually entertaining book. The fight between the champions of Apollo and Athena is a heck of a lot of fun, and doesn't turn out quite the way that the Olympians planned...naturally.

Loki was actually intriguing. Yes, he's nasty, but that's just part of his charm. For some reason, I've always had a soft spot for Loki. I guess I just like a bad boy sometimes. And the Sif book was quite well done as well. So I'm rather surprised here.

So anyway, a very nice Wednesday.

More of the Same

Still can't think of anything in particular to write about, so I'm flogging this whole "out of context" idea right into the ground. Oh, and Happy Secretary's Day! Oh wait, it's now Administrative Professional's Day. Whatever...I got a gift card, and since it is my first anniversary at my job, I've actually got PAID vacation days and a raise! This hasn't happened to me for about 20 years or so, when I retired, to start birthin' babies. I'm all a-twitter. But not the fancy schmancy NEW kind of twitter.

I think I'm getting sidetracked.

But anyway, I present THIS lovely scan, mainly because it makes me laugh, and then I miss Barda.



I'll be SO glad when the Birds are back together.

Out of Context is Not Necessarily a Bad Thing

Gosh, that scan of Batman and Robin from yesturday was just so...so refreshingly awful. Sometimes, it's hard to come up with clever comments, or deeply introspective analysis, and one has to fall back upon that old crutch for the brain-dead blogger...silly pictures.

No context here. And by the way, I don't look anything LIKE that silly girl.



Other, that is, than the deep and abiding degree of loathing that I have towards the late and unlamented Terry Long. If he happens to be a favorite character of someone, then I apologize. Otherwise...yeccchhh.

He was just so SMARMY!

Back Again...Jiggety Jog

This being away from a computer is starting to wear on me. Nevertheless I had a fabulous time carousing all weekend. And working hard to set the whole darned show up AND take it all down again on Sunday...so I earned my steak and cheesecake dammit.

Also, the kids didn't burn the house down while we were gone, nor did they appear to have hosted any wild parties, which is nice. I have a heck of a lot of laundry to do, but that's life. I've already cleaned all the dishes, and put the kitchen back into some sort of working order.

*sigh*

So what is is new and exciting in the comicbook world? They seem to be having a lot of conventions and such. Greg Rucka is off of Batwoman, which is a darned shame, but he's going to be working on some of his OWN stuff, which is always nice. Green Lanterns in some form or another are coming out on Wednesday, which always puts me into a good mood.

That's about all I've got. So...just so that you don't feel robbed, here's a little goodie that I believe I stole from Adam over at Comics Make No Sense. I think. Probably anyway.



Because making fun of Batman makes me tingly all over.

One More Parting Shot

No, I haven't left yet. But in light of Dan Jurgens and Norm Rapmunds imminent departure from Booster Gold, I did have to get in one more shot.



He may not be a Green Lantern, but gosharootie, Booster does have a very nice behind. And it's shiny! So very very shiny. Needless to say, I am looking forward to the new JLI book with GREAT anticipation.

Well, I'm Off Again

But only temporarily, and not due to any computer meltdowns! Which is good. It's time for the annual New England Tire Sellers Association, aka NETSA to host its fancy schmancy dinners and cocktail parties and expo and seminars at the lovely Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut. Since my Sweet Baboo is on the Board, I get to tag along and help set stuff up. Oh joy.

On the bright side, there is a lot of loot and I'll probably be drinking heavily the entire weekend. On the downside, no comics and no access to a computer.

*sigh*

But it's only for the weekend. In the meantime, there were some really good books that came out yesturday!

Let's start out with Booster Gold #31, which happens to be Dan Jurgens swan song. I've enjoyed the heck out of his art and storytelling, and even though I adore Giffen and DeMatteis, I am going to miss him.

Not a HUGE story, which is fine, it ties up some ends with Michelle and Rip, and Booster fights some fairly generic baddies, one of whom flees through a park, and in the battle, a ricochet off of Booster kills a family pet. The father and daughter are angry and inconsolable, respectively, and Booster feels quite bad. Rip talks some sense into Booster, who subsequently talks some sense into Michelle, and Rip and Booster go back in time an hour or so, and end up saving the dog. Sweet, and a little fun. Oh, and something really peculiar is happening at Vanishing Point, and it probably has something to do with Bats.

Brightest Day #0 came out! I liked it. It focuses mainly on Deadman,and yes,he's the only one left with a white ring, and apparently he now has the power to restore life. He's dealing with a dissembodied voice, and keeps getting bounced around, where he can peek in on all of the resurrected heroes and villains. Oddly enough, he's still invisible. There are some very nice character moments scattered throughout. Hal and Guy visit J'onn on Mars, and bring him chocos and milk. Soranik Natu is running Jade through a battery of tests...mainly to keep her away from Kyle. It doesn't matter in the end, since Jade has already realized that Kyle has moved on. So I'm a little relieved about THAT! As is Soranik, I am sure. Arthur and Mera, and Carter and Shiera are all getting to know one another again...and how! Max Lord is practically killing himself trying to wipe out the memory of himself from everyone...getting the blood was an interesting touch. Boomerang is cranky, and Osiris is flying around with Black Adam and Isis for some reason. Oh, and Hawk is making a flaming ass of himself. I know he's supposed to end up working for Oracle, and I really hope that Black Canary settles his hash for him...and SOON! She's had practice dealing with asses anyway, such as Guy back in the day, and Ollie more recently.

The art was pretty, and it was interesting to see how the subsequent stories are going to be set up.

Fables #94 was getting back to the Farm, and the Dark Man. Beast ends up making an ominous deal with the Blue Fairy, who is hellbent on her revenge upon Gepetto...and who can blame her? Ozma is being sneaky, and King Cole proves that he's just as good a politician as ever. Rose Red is getting a wake-up call...finally.

Good as ever.

The Flash #1 was a lot of fun. Mostly set up, but I don't mind that. Flash goes back to work at the police dept, and finds that things have changed considerably in the time that he was gone. He explains his absence as being in the Witness Protection Plan, which I think is rather clever. Odd things are happening however.

I got a Flash Ring! It's lovely, and I wore it to work today, where it was much admired.

Green Arrow #32 continues Ollie's trials and tribulations. He doesn't end up actually killing the bad guy after all, and angsts about it for quite a while. In fact, he turns himself into the good people of Star City, and the corrupt guy rips his mask off of his face, and reveals that he's...THE MAYOR! Oh, the surprise!

Seriously.

So, he has a trial, and all of that. Dinah tells him they're through, and really, I can't blame her. A whole lot of the Justice League shows up at his trial, sans costumes, which is nice of them. The jury finds him not guilty, but the judge is still pissed, so basically, he "banishes" Ollie from Star City, which is not something that I thought was legal nowadays. And, basically,Ollie stumbles into the sunset.

I do want to point out that Hal was a heck of a lot better friend to Ollie during his time of trouble than Ollie was to Hal, back when he was being Parallaxed and going through such a tough time, which is something that Ollie should remember. Hal may be a twit sometimes, but his heart is in the right place.

Not great...but really not bad. A little closure at any rate.

Secret Six #20 was FABULOUS! The evil old man who employed the Six in the last issue to find his son has pulled one hell of a prank on Catman, by kidnapping HIS son, beating up Cheshire, and threatening to kill the kid. They'll grant the kid a year of life, for the death of each of his friends. Thomas is pissed, as well he should be. You see him eyeing all the rest of the Six, and you just KNOW that he's thinking about it...and then he tells the kidnappers to go ahead and drop the kid...but that he knows where they are, and what they smell like, and he'll be after them.

Whoa! Hardcore! I would have expected that from Deadshot perhaps, but not necessarily Thomas. Naturally, he runs off and starts terrorizing the kidnappers, and most of the rest of the crew decides to go after him and either save him from himself, or help him go after the bad guys. Bane, ever the pragmatist stays behind...they have jobs to do, after all, and Jeanette stays as well.

Gosh, I love this book.

Have fun reading this week!

NOT a Costume?

I've just heard through the proverbial grapevine, that Ryan Reynolds is NOT...I repeat NOT actually going to wear the costume in the new Green Lantern film. Instead, it is all going to be generated apparently, through CGI.

I...I hardly know what to think about this. On the one hand, I can't believe that they can't whip up something nice and tight in the rear. On the other hand, since the costume itSELF is ring-generated, I suppose that in a strange sort of way, it makes sense to have it be Computer-generated.

Whatever it ends up being, I sure do hope that they stick with the basics, and make it black and green, with the white gloves. It is practically the perfect costume...and there's no reason at all to go messing around with it.

Just make sure that it's form-fitting. VERY form-fitting.

Heh.

Yowza

I...am in a ridiculously good mood. The sun is shining, the daffodils and forsythia are blooming like mad, and I went to Macy's after work today and found a boucle' jacket for $90, and got it ON SALE for...$12.00. And two Ralph Lauren polo shirts for only $15 each.

A good mood? I'm actually ecstatic! Nothing like a little cash therapy!

I have also discovered something else.



Here's Hal.

And here is a character who puts me strangely in mind of him.

\


Zap Brannigan MUST have been modeled after Hal Jordan.

It's NOT just Comic fans who are rude!

Two letters to the editor in my local newspaper have confirmed my suspicion that it isn't ONLY Comic book fans who are nuts. One person wrote in that they had bought expensive tickets to a Red Sox game at Fenway, but with all the hollering and beer drinking and general carrying on by the fans, that it was practically impossible to actually see the game. This letter was replied too, by another letter to the editor...basically taking the first letterwriter to task. It was the sworn DUTY of all Red Sox fans to make flaming asses of themselves, and the first person should have felt priviledged...nay HONORED to have their view obstructed by people going for beer. There was a great deal more of the same.

It all sounded so...so familiar! Apparently any mildly expressed annoyance, or hope for something better brings out the kind of people who resist any sort of change, and view criticism as blasphemy.

And lest I be accused of misandry, BOTH of the letter writers were in fact women. So I can't help but feel a little bit relieved. I occasionaly think that it's just Comic book fans who are crazy, but there are all KINDS of genres just as nuts as we are. It...it just makes me want to start a flame war for the hell of it!

So Now What?

Now that Blackest Night is over, and we have all taken a cummulative cleansing breath...now what? I know, we are going to be jumping fairly directly into Brightest Day, but there seems to be an awful lot of ambiguity about precicely what that term means.

At first, we all thought...ok, I thought...it meant that things weren't going to be quite so dark, that my favorite heroes would be resurrected, and that suddenly we would have Max Lord heading up the JLI again, and it would all be happiness and light. And that's not necessarily a BAD thing to happen! I understand that you need conflict in order to sell comic books, and that Lord knows, the "Grim & Gritty" Genii can't be shoved back into his black little bottle. I'm also thrilled to pieces that some of my favorite characters DID end up getting brought back, such as J'onn J'onnz and Aquaman, and yes, Max Lord. It's nice I suppose that the Hawk people are back, I don't actively despise Carter, although I think he's a bit of a pain sometimes, but I'm sure that Ray will be pleased. I'm a little surprised about Shayera instead of Kendra. Firestorm is nice. Barry will be happy. Hawk is a bit of a jerk, but since Guy has become less of one, I suppose that there is still room for a real asshole in the DC Universe.

But Captain Boomerang? Well...I actually rather like the original, although he certainly doesn't look fat and old and has apparently lost his ponytail. I'm sure that the rest of the Rogues will be quite surprised. I wish that they could have brought back James Jesse, the original Trickster, because I REALLY liked him...but apparently it was not to be.

Jade is NOT one of my favorites. She's just so...whiney. And she treated Kyle so badly. And she's so incompetent most of the time. I guess that Alan and Todd will be happy. And she's probably going to provide a LOT of angst for Kyle and Soranik. I happen to think that Soranik is worth a HUNDRED Jades, and I really do hope that Kyle comes to think so too.

Then there is Osiris. A nice enough young fellow, obviously, but still, not around long enough for me to form much of an opinion about. Are they going to put him back in the Titans, or more probably, will he be involved with all the various Shazammers? I guess this means that they will be bringing back Black Adam which is a actually a good thing.

Who else? Oh yes, dear dear Max. I don't know yet, but I'm worried that they are going to have evilMax, instead of mostly goodMax, who has been sitting on a beach on Kooey Kooey Kooey for all of this time. I admit it though. I LIKE Max, and I'll take him any way that I can get him. He should probably steer clear of Wonder Woman for a while however.

I would think that he's going to be in the new JLI book, or at least be a part of it. They are showing Captain Atom, who is not one of my favorites, Fire, Ice and Booster who ARE some of my favorites. I really do think that they should get Guy in there as soon as possible. Also I believe that Jaime is going to be the new Blue Beetle, which will be nice, since he already knows Guy, Booster, Fire and Ice. He'll probably think that Capt. Atom is a jerk, which is true of course. But what about J'onn? He really OUGHT to be in the new JLI. With this bunch, a babysitter would be a necessity. And...well, heck, J'onn should ALWAYS bein the Justice League, in at least some incarnation. It's just what he does. He'll be eating chocos and having migraines soon with the best of them.

I also hope that there is going to be a new Aquaman book, because I WILL buy it! I love his new outfit, the collar is quite nice. Getting rid of all the long hair and that stupid beard are also nice. Having his hand back is nice. Plus Mera is awesome. Too bad about Garth though.

But anyway...getting back to the original idea about Brightest Day, before I got sidetracked...there are signs now that it isn't going to be quite as light as I had originally supposed. I am not surprised of course. But I DO hope that this means that the gratuitous deaths of decent characters will be coming to a well-deserved end, because I'm so damn TIRED of it. It's not new, it's not shocking, it's just annoying, and lazy and I'm fed up. If you don't want to use a particular character just let them fade away into the background for a while so that some OTHER writer who DOES have some ideas can play with them.

Oh, and having some of the new books be bi-weekly? Wonderful!

It's All Attitude

While I am looking forward breathlessly, to the new and third monthly offering from DC of the chronicles of the Green Lanterns, there hasn't been a date offered yet as to WHEN we can view the further adventures of Guy and Kilowog. This is unfortunate. I'm thrilled to pieces that Peter Tomasi is going to be the writer, because he's proved that he GETS the Green Lanterns, and that he's done a stellar job with Guy in the past. I'm also anticipating some more things being done with Kilowog, who has been rather neglected lately. And of all the non-human Green Lanterns, Kilowog is by far my favorite. Although I have to say that Soranik is getting higher and higher in my estimation lately.

But anyway. In an extremely roundabout way, I'm saying that we need MORE Guy pictures.



Here's a nice one. Byrne got the attitude down perfectly, even though he was the one who gave him that goddamned haircut.

\

This is a nice one too.



And being thorougly efficient, at least when it comes to pummelling.

And finally,



Hal says what he really thinks.

Heh.

Blackest Night...the Finale

Of all the times for my computer to go out on me, it HAD to happen right as the final episode of Blackest Night burst upon us in all of its glory. And Glorious it was, from Ivan Reis's magnificent artwork, to Geoff John's wrapping of it all up.

Some people didn't like Blackest Night. Some people don't know how to have any fun, so pooh on them. Yes, it was a tad overwrought upon occasion. That doesn't bother me a bit, when people like Sinestro are involved, it is SUPPOSED to be overwrought. There were resurrections, defeats, victory, and a whole lot of questions that will presumably be answered in Brightest Day.

The whole Sinestro as a White Lantern thing was fun, but in usual Sinestro fashion, his reach exceeded his grasp, and Nekron was about to make confetti out of him. Fortunately, it turns out that Deadman had the key to the whole thing. Take out Black Hand, and you take out Nekron. But Black Hand is DEAD! So...make him NOT dead!

Next thing you know, white rings are pouring out all over the place, and Nekron sort of explodes. Oh, and the Anti-Monitor gets shipped back to the Anti-Matter Universe, where he can sulk for a while. And we get...THIS!



Be still my heart. I really hope that they make this into a poster, because it is gorgeous. It is also a bit surprising. I was hoping for Aquaman and Martian Manhunter, so I am quite pleased by their appearance. It's nice enough that the Hawks are back too. And frankly, I'm delighted that Max Lord is back amongst the living...although it would be a nice twist for it to be the GOOD Max, and not Evil Max. But...Osiris? Old Captain Boomerang? Crabby-pants Hawk? Those were characters that I didn't feel a great groundswell of support to bring back from the dead. And quite frankly, I'm with Barry...where the hell are Ralph and Sue? Not to mention Ted Kord.

Still, there were some very nice moments.



Awwww!

And Guy manages to get his hands on Max, only to get a mind whammie-jammie.



He's going to be kicking himself over this one, dagnabit.

Jade comes back, which is ok I guess. She's certainly not much of a favorite of mine. She also runs over and starts slobbering all over Kyle, much to Soranik's dismay. And hopefully, Kyle's. Dump her, Kyle, she's no good for you!

There was also the nice bit with Hal actually quoting some Latin. A number of persons were outraged that a mental midget like Hal would actually know Latin. For one thing, Hal really isn't stupid...although he occasionally does act that way. Secondly, it is a quotation that makes a lot of sense and probably has a fair amount of meaning for someone like Hal. To quote Florence King, "...every semi-literate redneck with a gun rack in his pickup knows the meaning of the Confederate tombstone inscription, Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori..." So, I have no problem with Hal knowing the entire bit of Carpe Diem. Besides, he probably had Guy or John translate it for him.

And you know what else was nice? This.



Hal finally got to be a White Lantern. This is nice, because he would have been terribly terribly hurt if it was only Sinestro. In fact, practically everyone got to be a White Lantern! The more the merrier.

So, it's all over and I hardly know what to do with myself. I believe that Brightest Day will be starting in a month or so. The new JLI will be starting up soon too, along with Birds of Prey, and Guy is going to be in a new Green Lantern book with Kilowog. The current state of Comics has a great deal of promise.

Aaaaannndd....We're Back!

And what an interesting week it has been! My timing was bloody incredible. Rachelle had a baby, my beloved Women's UConn Basketball team won a second consecutive Championship, the end of Blackest Night came out, Sea had a beloved family member die, and I've missed it ALL!

I've got the shakes, I tells ya.

It turns out that my hard drive, which was reused when I first GOT this computer back in November did whatever it is that hard drives do, when they expire.

*sigh*

Maybe it's me. Anyhoo, we are now back in business, and I have purchased the most elaborate and expensive anti-virus, anti-spyware anti-EVERYTHING stuff that I could find. Perhaps I'll make it a whole six months before evrything goes kaflooey again. It's a good thing that I believe in writing down all the addressess and stuff of all my favorite blogs.

It is also about 90 degrees here in lovely New England, and we are christening the grill out in the gazebo, so I guess I'll get back into the nitty-gritty of posting tomorrow. Plus I have to read all the reviews about Blackest Night, and everything ELSE that has been going on. It was weird...I had so much...free time!

I missed you all terribly.