November 2009 ~ The Blog of OA

11/30/09

Ryan Reynolds Ready to Ring Sling

11/30/2009

Ryan Reynolds has been talking to the folks over at MTV News, giving them an extensive interview with a heavy focus on the upcoming Green Lantern film, set to begin filming in April of 2010 for a summer 2011 release.

Last week, as reported on the MTV Splashpage, Reynolds said that seeing the prototype costumes was one of his high points for 2009, and that was a key indication to him that this film was going to be done right. Reynolds wasn't entirely convinced that the movie was right for him until he talked with director Martin Campbell and left the meeting with a completely new outlook on the film.

The Splashpage publish more information today, offering a greater glimpse into what the film might be like. One of my criticisms of the first draft that I read was that there wasn't a enough time making you understand why Hal Jordan deserves the ring. In fact, Hal is so much of a jerk that you don't root for him at all. The writers seemed to have gone beyond the Tony Stark cockiness to the point that Hal wasn't all that likeable.

Thankfully the script has undergone a number of rewrites and even Campbell has added some ideas of his own to the story. According to Reynolds some of the most memorable moments are when Hal's not in the Green Lantern uniform at all - and in my opinion that's a good sign.

Another issue I've had with a lot of superhero films is the amount of time it takes to get to the action. Understandably you need some of the back story, and getting the proper balance of origin and main story right is s delicate balancing act. As Reynolds describes the film, "...it's not a labored origin story, where the movie [truly] begins in the third act. The movie starts when it starts. We find out Hal is the guy fairly early on, and the adventure begins." Again, this is a very encouraging sign that this film will be done right.

There is more information coming later this week, so this entry will be updated as more details come forward.

Blackest Night #5 Review

11/25/2009

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Blackest Night #5 joined Green Lantern #48 on the top of my stack of new comics this week, although it wasn't on the top of the stack since the editors did a so-so job of letting us know by putting a note in the front of Green Lantern, but they told us it took place before Blackest Night #6. Kudos for them for telling us, but kind of funny at the same time.

Since the events taking placing in the main Green Lantern title are integral to the story and DC has promised you can read the main title only, a couple of panels are used up front to explain a little of what's gone on in Green Lantern and a snapshot of how Hal Jordan feels about the situation he finds himself in. Between this and comments that Hal makes in GL #48, I firmly believe that there's going to be a lot of fallout between the Guardians and Corps when this crisis is all over. Larfleeze's comment that "there's nothing worse than empty" is another dialogue gem that might be lost on those who aren't familiar with how the orange power of avarice clouds the mind, but for those who have enjoyed his appearances it's just another great potential signature line for our favorite message board.

This two-page spread of all seven of the "Fellowship of the Rings" is a colorful display of each member charging their rings, complete with each of the seven Corps' oaths except for Larfleeze who appears very distracted by all the things he wants. Ivan Reis' art and Alex Sinclair's coloring brings each Corps' energy to life without it looking like a bad cartoon sequence, although it's funny to see Hal refer to them as the "rainbow rodeo" and the "color-coded calvary" later in the issue and not chuckle a little since many people have made similar references in past months.

Watching the seven ring bearers is a little like watching reality television as they struggle to maintain cohesiveness despite their common goal. The interplay not only between the characters, but the way in which their respective rings affect each other continues to be interesting, and I hope that all seven Corps remain when the Blackest Night is over because there's a great deal of story potential here. Hal thrusts Larfleeze's face into his orange power battery so that he will have a full charge before asking Ganthet where the Black Lantern Central Power Battery has gone since it no longer on Ryut.

Cut to Coast City where Barry Allen tries to deal with Nekron, Black Hand, and their new army of the dead. Nekron states that Barry's death was the first and that his rebirth is the last, indicating that Nekron's plans stem from what occurred in the first Crisis. Barry notices that Black Hand has Bruce Wayne's skull, which seems to cause him some pain when he gets too close to it. The "emotional tether manifested" notification from the power battery reinforces that there is a connection between Nekron and Barry. Wally West shows up in his new Flash outfit to lend a hand so that Barry can explain who Nekron is to readers who are unfamiliar with Nekron's history. Wally brought members of the Titans, Superman and Wonder Woman along with him fresh from their respective Blackest Night mini-series.

We cut to Manhattan to follow up on the events from Blackest Night Titans #3. Damage becomes the newest recruit in the Black Lantern Corps and joins Black Lantern Jean Loring in her confrontation with the Atom and Mera. Loring, Atom and Mera then disappear into the cellular structure of Damage's new power ring.

Bart Allen, the Kid Flash, explains to Barry the high points of the story in the aforementioned Blackest Night Titans miniseries - that Dove emanates a white aura capable of wiping out Black Lanterns and that Donna Troy was bitten by a Black Lantern - and that bite is having an adverse affect on her. Barry, Wally and Bart are attempting to free the Guardians that Scar incapacitated back in Blackest Night #1, but Scar will have none of it as he fights back.

In comes the seven members of the various Corps, blasting Scar into oblivion with a combined ring blast. The seven head to the giant black power battery, hoping to destroy it and cut this event short by three issues. Both Hal and Carol again make references to this looking like something from a cartoon, but for some reason their combined attack on the power battery is doing nothing - which makes me happy since I'm loving this story too much to have it end three month's early! A Black Lantern ring snakes its way from the battery at top speed and then we hear the words many people have been waiting for..."Bruce Wayne of Earth....Rise!"

This in itself lays to rest the notion that it wasn't really Bruce's body we saw at the end of Final Crisis as some people have theorized. That is, unless the download of memories comes from someplace other than the body being reanimated. The two page spread of Black Lantern Batman is really cool and creepy at the same time. We then see Black Lantern rings pop onto the fingers of all the heroes who've come back from the dead since Barry died except for Hal and Barry. Nekron says some interesting things which I'll get to in a minute, but for some reason Nekron disables Black Lantern Batman. I'm still scratching my head over that and I know that there has to be a reason for it but at this point I'm not able to come up with anything.

The issue ends with two black rings headed straight for Barry and Hal as they are surrounded by a whole bunch of Black Lantern superheroes. "The Book of the Black" continues to be a great backup feature this story, adding much needed macabre layers to Black Hand's character. When I was on the Raging Bullets podcast last week co-host Sean Whalen came up with a great idea that I hope someone at DC picks up on - collecting the parts of the "Book of the Black" and reprinting them as a leather bound book complete with offset pages that were made to look like they were old paper. I like the idea of embossing the Black Hand symbol on the cover.

As I mentioned earlier, Nekron made a number of interesting statements this issue to hint at what's been going on. Now Nekron originally served as the rule of the Land of the Unliving, a realm where the dead passed on their way to their final resting place. When the Guardians destroyed Krona for his wrongdoing at the beginning of time his energies made their way to Nekron's realm and the paradox of an immortal in the land of the dead caused a rift that allowed Nekron to view the realm of the living. As a result Nekron led an assault with Krona, who Nekron restored to the land of the living. All of this took place in a three part miniseries called "Tales of the Green Lantern Corps" back in 1981.

Nekron says that all the heroes who died since Barry came back not because they escaped death, but because he allowed them to return and that they remain connected to him, hence the "emotional tether registered" comments as the the Black Lantern rings approach any of them. Combined with his earlier comment to Barry about him being the first and I get the impression that Nekron has used the connections to the fallen heroes that he has chosen to allow to return in order to get a foot in the door between his realm and ours and paving the way for his return. This also explains why is only seems that heroes get to come back from the dead in an interesting way. And the defeat of Nekron by the end of the story will serve as the reason why the revolving door of death may not be there once Nekron is pushed back to the Land of the Unliving once again and the rift between the two realms is sealed shut.

Nekron also mentions that the Guardians have a secret that has yet to be revealed. Is it tied to the events in Sector 666? I don't know but I'm sure that whatever it is while rock the Green Lantern universe to its corps....er, core.

Again, another wonderful issue and Ivan Reis continues to do the best work of his career. Although I have to admit that the alternate cover shown on the right by Rodolfo Migliari is one of my favorites of this whole event.

Five out of five lanterns.

11/25/2009

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It's the day before Thanksgiving in the United States and Green Lantern #48 was one of the many things I was thankful for when I went to my local comic shop this afternoon. Between this issue and Blackest Night #5 we see the dark prophecy inching ever closer to becoming a reality - can the various corps put it all together before it's too late?

As this event continues to unfold I continue to appreciate how Geoff Johns continues to create characters that have far more depth that what you initially see on the surface. We began to see in Green Lantern #47 that there's much more to Atrocitus than just a beast full of rage, and we continue to see the layers of pain unravel in this issue. And Larfleeze continues his role as a scene stealer with several laugh out loud lines of dialogue that not only add a bit of humor, but establish that the power of avarice is so overwhelming that what appears ludicrous to us is a symptom of the irrational nature of extreme greed.

We see that Atrocitus came to Okaara to confront Larfleeze as a result of his inside knowledge about the prophecy, that "The one whose greed holds no bounds will betray them." Whether this is really Larfleeze or not remains to be seen, as it certainly isn't above Johns to use that as a red herring. Another great line of dialogue simply but brilliantly illustrating the pain that drives Atrocitus is sprinkled in the battle as the two form an uneasy alliance to battle the oncoming Black Lanterns, "No one knows me".

There's just so much depth and richness that Johns has added to the whole Green Lantern mythos since he's taken the reigns of this franchise and the expansion and breadth of characters is a welcome gift to someone like myself who's followed these characters for over thirty years. As cheesy and fanboy-like as it may sound - I'm very thankful for how much love and care Geoff Johns and DC have poured into the Green Lantern universe since Green Lantern: Rebirth. It's finally cool to be a Green Lantern fan again!

With Atrocitus out of action, it's up to Larfleeze to save them both....or not as the Hal, Sinestro, Carol, Saint Walker and Indigo-1 show up to lend a hand, working together to wipe out the Black Lantern threat. There's some fun dialogue as Hal tries to explain Larfleeze to Carol and then Larfleeze reveals to them all that it was the Guardians who told him the location of Odym, causing an intergalactic double take.

Between Larfleeze's avarice driven desire for everything from his own Guardian to Christmas trees the newly formed "Fellowship of the Rings" come to see that the Guardians themselves may have caused the War of Light and triggered the Blackest Night. Was it on purpose, or did the Guardians, like Abin Sur, bring about the very prophecy they feared most by trying to avoid it? The Five Inversions, back in the Alan Moore "Tygers" story, divulged Abin Sur's fate to him only for him to bring about the very events that cause his death in his attempts to avoid them. It's either a nice piece of irony, or perhaps it says something about the philosophical nature of trying to be the architect of our own future and believing that someone else has the key to it.

Another element to Hal and Sinestro's relationship is revealed as Sinestro owns up to his own pain and anger of the loss of his friend Abin Sur and how that fuels his anger towards Hal. And Hal makes an ominous comment that he'll quit the corps before he'll ever follow the orders of the Guardians again. That may sound hollow given the legacy of the number of times this has happened before, but somehow I think this is going to be different. Given that this issue marks the second reference to "The New Guardians" I continue to believe that we're going to have a new status quo once Blackest Night ends. As we discussed on the Raging Bullets podcast, their may very well be a new dynamic in place once the dust settles, and I'm hoping that this reference to new Guardians is an indication to this and not Geoff dusting off the characters used in the really bad Millennium event from 1988.

Hal and Sinestro both try to convince Atrocitus and Larfleeze to work with the rest of them, with mixed results. When Hal's speech doesn't garner immediate results, Sinestro steps in and threaten Okaara with blink bombs and tries to tempt Atrocitus with notions of teaming up when this over and destroying what's left of the Green Lantern Corps. This is point which dovetails back into the main story as the Black Lantern power reaches 100%. Again Indigo-1 one hints that there is a history between her and Abin Sur as she calls him her savior. This adds a bit of weight to my theory that Indigo-1 is the survivor of the crash that brought Abin Sur to Ysmault in the aforementioned "Tygers" story.

Indigo-1 takes the group to sector 666 and the planet Ryut, Atrocitus' home and where they expected to find the Black Lantern Central Power Battery, which is was transported to Earth in Blackest Night #4. Atrocitus' layers of pain are peeled back to expose that it was the assault of the Manhunters that wiped out his people. The dialogue hints that there's much more to this story, which I hope we learn much more about in the coming months. Not only does Atrocitus say that "we did nothing to deserve this", but he also says "we did nothing", perhaps alluding to his regret over not taking action to preserve their race. This again adds dimension to the whole story and it effectively explains what drives him to use his rage and pain to bring about change and seek justice from the Guardians.

Atrocitus realizes that he must help defeat the Black Lanterns because, as he sees it, they are no different than the Guardians and once this crisis is over they will once again be in his cross-hairs. Larfleeze throws his allegiance in as well, under the proviso that he gets his own Guardian as a reward. Sayd offers her services as a way to atone for what the Guardians have done and the group vows to find out where the Black Lantern Central Power Battery has gone, throwing everything they have...well almost everything according to Larfleeze....at the threat.

I of course loved this issue, although I would have liked to see what John Steward found on Xanshi rather that have that plot thread left dangling. Mahnke's art is very good this issue after what I considered a bit of a dip last issue. Rag Morales does the variant cover this month. It's nice, but not my favorite of the bunch so far although either the completest in me compelled me to pick it up or my inner Larfleeze did it.

Five out of five lanterns.

Blackest Night #4 Raging Bullets Episode

11/15/2009

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Sean Whalen and Jim Segulin are the co-hosts of the Raging Bullets podcast, a podcast devoted to the DC Comics universe. I've been listening to their show for a couple of years now and I love their positive attitude approach to talking about comics in addition to how in-depth they get into the stories - quite often I find myself picking up books after they get me interested in them. The Raging Bullets podcast is one of the reasons I started this website, so I was extremely honored when they asked me to join them for their most recent episode focusing on Blacked Night #4 and Blackest Night Titans #3 with a bit of discussion about Green Lantern Corps #42.

I had a great time sharing my love of the Green Lantern universe and we ended up talking for several hours. I'll be joining them again next week as we continue our discussion and talk about Green Lantern #47 and some of the single issues of various books under the Blackest Night banner. If you don't already listen to their show, I highly recommend it. You can subscribe to Raging Bullets via iTunes or their show's RSS feed using your podcast catcher of choice. You can also listen to Raging Bullets on Get Ur Geek On Radio at their website or by clicking on the widget on the right.

I'll be joining Sean and Jim as Blackest Night continues over the next few months and I'm looking forward to the discussion.

Take a Deep Breath....

11/11/2009

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For the record, I was one of those fans outraged by Emerald Twilight back in the day. Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern mythos meant a LOT to me, it even saved my life as a kid. When issue 50 hit the stands I was shell-shocked, but at the same time I was willing to give this new direction a chance and hoped that what had been done (and done poorly, in my opinion) would be undone.

Everyone knows the history of the Kyle-Hal wars on the Internet and I found myself in the middle. I really didn't relate to Kyle Rayner - in my mind I already read Spiderman and Lee and Ditko did a better job. This was, to me, the final nail in the coffin. I'd grown tired of the sensationalism ("First we killed Superman, then we broke Batman....") and the sudden notion that comics were financial investments that people would buy in large quantities with the false notion that it would put their kids through college. Months later when it became clear that DC Comics had made their "final" decision about Hal, I made mine and left the hobby that had been one of the few constants in my life.

I had been on the infamous DC Message Boards and found it a hostile pit. I ended up joining HEAT and did my best to keep Hal alive in the minds of fans by being positive and respecting the opinions of others even when the discussions became heated (no pun intended). And, for the record, HEAT did NOT threaten someone at DC Comics. Apparently someone did, but it's become urban comics legend that HEAT did and it's not true. While members certainly were entitled to their own opinion, the organization had no stance on Kyle - it merely wanted a return of the mythos and of Hal Jordan. That's it - honest! In fact we had and still have members who love Kyle, but thought what was done to all that had been created was a huge loss.

So now we have Green Lantern Corps 42 and the death of Kyle Rayner. I scoured the boards today and Kyle fans everywhere appear outraged over what happened. And I understand it, completely. While Kyle was not my Green Lantern and, truth be told, I really could care less whether he's alive or dead, the very last thing I want to see is someone else lose a character that is as important to them as Hal is to me.

Some of the comments I've read range from the "castration" of Kyle as a final blow since Hal's return to this being a plot against Kyle by Geoff Johns in retaliation for what was done to Hal. Frankly, as much as I can relate to those people, I think going all emo and overreacting to story that isn't done yet. We're only half-way through Blackest Night and if this story is going to carry any weight at all and be the dramatic event it should be, then there are going to have to be prices paid by the characters or the story will cease being important.

If Kyle was the unimportant character that some fans think DC considers him to be, he'd have already been completely shuffled out of the picture. The death of Kyle in this issue was its crescendo and carries weight because of the value of the character. Blackest Night is at its heart about death and resurrection and, as someone once said, how we deal with death is at least as important as how we deal with life.

Before this event is over we're going to see more death, and in the final chapter of this story I'm really sure we're going to see some resurrection as well. Both Hal and Kyle have been to Nekron's Land of the Unliving before and I would not be at all surprised to find that Kyle will be there mounting a resistance once he's aware that Nekron is on the loose and behind what's been going on. And you can bet that Hal won't be resting until he makes a journey back to get Kyle out.

Unlike Emerald Twilight, Green Lantern: Rebirth restored the Green Lantern mythos without destroying the status quo at the time. I'd like to think that that healed the rift between the Kyle fans and Hal fans, and was especially welcomed by the majority of people who like them both. I'd like to also think that it made a brotherhood of sorts for all of us - that no matter what character we liked best there was room for them all. I think DC is mindful of how sensitive this whole thing is and I don't really believe that they take this franchise lightly considering how well it's been selling.

So I ask my fellow fans to consider this: today we again got to see why Kyle Rayner deserved the ring. In choosing to sacrifice himself for the greater good we got to see a noble death of a heroic figure - something those of us in 1994 didn't get. It's okay to feel the loss, I'd be concerned if it didn't create some kind of reaction. But realize this isn't over yet and as dramatic of a moment as Kyle's death was, so too will be the one when he re-enters the land of the living. So take a deep breath and get ready for the rest of this roller-coaster ride that is the Blackest Night.

11/11/2009

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While the Blackest Night title has spent most of its time on Earth, this weeks Green Lantern Corps issue, number 42, reminds us of the war that's raging on in space. And this issue could very well be one of the most talked about for some time to come depending on how the events continue to unfold.

If you haven't read this issue, I warn you know that the information revealed at the end of the issue is going to be talked about. So if you haven't read it and you really value the integrity of the story, please don't read this review if you don't want to know!

The action picks up with the arrival of Munk, Indigo-2, on Oa as Vath and Isamot Kol continue to try and ward off the attacking Black Lanterns. The "Corphans", the dead children of various Green Lanterns killed by Kryb, are bone-chillingly creepy in the juxtaposition of how innocent they were and how demented their goals are. This one line in the book, shown on the right, is just characteristic of the mood and tone set throughout this event. I loved the macabre imagery of the throngs of undead Corphans crying, "Feed us! Feed us!" as they close in on the three heroes.

With Munk on the scene our two Green Lanterns are able to start dispatching the Black Lanterns thanks to the Indigo Tribe's ability to work in tandem the Green Lantern power rings and effectively sever the connection of the Black Lantern rings. It's a daunting task as the three are severely outnumbered and only a close proximity burst of energy is effective against the oncoming horde of the undead.

Just as it seems the three might not be able to make it, the Black Lantern power hits the 100% mark shown in last week's Blackest Night #4. With their power maxed out, the Black Lanterns focus shifts completely away from harvesting the hearts of their foes to trying to destroy the central power battery. It's also this moment that saves Killowog seconds before the Black Lantern version of his former trainer, Ermey, who originated the term "Poozer" as shown in issue three of the Tales of the Corps trilogy.

The following scene with Kilowog was great as he addresses the Black Lanterns of fallen corps members that he himself trained. As they stand around him, momentarily held in stasis as the receive their new directives, Kilowog begins to remind them, as us, that the ring comes with a heavy price tag for all that power. As he says, rather prophetically, "...lanterns die."

Elsewhere on OA, Kyle and Soranik Natu are also struggling with a Black Lantern who suddenly drops his attack and heads towards the central power battery. All hope seems gone when we turn the page and are greeted with a delightful two-page spread of all the Black Lantern from the crypt encircling the central power battery. Pat Gleason's artwork is great throughout this issue, but this particular spread really captures the gravity of the situation here. The central power of the Star Sapphires' was previously destroyed in Green Lantern #46, and now it looks at though the same fate is about to befall the Green Lantern Corps. If what Indigo-1 says is true and the willpower stored in the central power battery is vital to the ability to defeat the Black Lanterns, then they cannot be allowed to destroy the battery at any cost.

Guy Gardner once again shows why he's someone you want covering your back in a firefight. As much as he can be really grating sometimes, Peter Tomasi shows us why Guy is on the Honor Guard. For the first time we really see the Black Lantern rings create a construct - and boy what first impression! For those who haven't read the original "Tales of the Green Lantern Corps" three issue mini-series from 1981, the construct looks very much like Nekron as he appeared back then, but with bat wings.

Guy and Kyle's conversation add another note of foreboding when Guy says that there's going to be "a lot of blood on the floor on this one." Kyle grabs Guy and leaves the fray while the rest of the Green Lanterns try to stop the Nekron construct from literally ripping the central power battery from the surface of Oa. Vice, easily the most ruthless of the Red Lanterns, is set loose by Kyle and Guy and he takes he rage out on the Black Lanterns. Vice's activities server their purpose as the Black Lanterns he systematically tears apart have to divert their energies to reconstructing their bodies, slowing down the process of the Nekron construct.

It looks like the good guys are gaining the upperhand when Chaselon's Alpha Lantern programming makes him exact justice on Vice which results in the Nekron construct gaining steam again. With a new target, the Black Lanterns attack and destroy Chaselon, causing a fissure in his internal power battery. Salaak informs Kyle that this fissure could cause the battery to rupture - which would be a very bad thing. Kyle flys in and grabs the damaged battery and lures the Black Lanterns towards him, placing an energy dome over them all.

After telling Soranik Natu that he loves her and Guy as well, we get one big explosion. Cue up the last page with a picture of Kyle lying amidst a pile of Black Lantern rings. His ring declares him deceased, leaving Kyle's hand and heading for Sector 2261, presumably to stay on Mogo until the moratorium on giving out rings is lifted.

So there you have it, the death of Kyle Rayner. Now I don't think for a minute that this is going to stick. Since the time that the image was released showing Guy Gardner as a Red Lantern I knew that only two things would be able to incite the rage in him to the right level. Either the death of Ice or the death of Kyle. Since Ice just came back and inserting her in the story would be a greater leap of plot, I figured that Kyle was going to be a goner.

I know that right now Kyle fans everywhere are posting outrage on a number of forums. And I really think it's an overreaction, but I certainly understand it. I'll be putting up my own commentary on it later tonight since it would detract from reviewing this issue, but I'll say this now - we're only half way through a story who's theme is death and resurrection! No way that Hal is going to let Kyle stay dead and I expect he'll be entering Nekron's Land of the Unliving for a second time to bring back the man who helped him have his own rebirth. But I hope we also see a Black Lantern Kyle before he returns.

In terms of this issue, Peter Tomasi has done a great job once again. And Pat Gleason's artwork continues to impress. Those splash pages really did a great job of illustrating the scope of the crisis at hand and pack a lot of dramatic punch. My local comic shop for some reason didn't get any of the regular issues this week, just one copy of the variant cover -- which they held just for me! So thank you Jared at Heroes Your Mom Threw Out comics for being THE man! The variant cover by Greg Horn totally rocks.

This issue is definitely worth five lanterns!