Phillip Kennedy Johnson recently appeared on the YouTube channel Into the West Comics to talk about a number of topics, one being his upcoming story that debuts in the first issue of the new Green Lantern series and leads up to his own series releasing in September. Johnson promises to bring his own voice to John Stewart and build upon the cosmic elements that make the Green Lantern franchise unique to most of the DC Universe. Our good friend Chad Bokelman from The Lanterncast viewed the live stream and captured what Johnson said regarding the new story, which you can also watch below. Here are some comments Kennedy made during the live stream about his story.
The John Stewart book is a different kinda thing. I’ve got a take on John Stewart that’s different than the ones that you’ve seen. Very often you’ll see a kind of military shorthand version of John. Where he’s the ex-marine so he’ll talk like a marine all the time (as imagined by civilians). And it just feels kinda fake and one-dimensional to me sometimes. Not always, but I just have a different view of John. To me, John is the guy that ALWAYS should have been Green Lantern. Hal Jordan was the dark horse pick that ended up becoming the G.O.A.T. but he was very reckless and kinda dangerous. Everyone was like, “What are you doing picking this guy?! He’s not worth it” and then he pulls it out and saves the day.
John Stewart is the OBVIOUS Green Lantern. The great warrior, the great leader of soldiers, the great tactician, the architect. He’s just everything you’d want in a Green Lantern, and he’s got this larger-than-life mythos to him to me. He’s like this Lancelot which can never go down kinda warrior. To me he just seems like the perfect vehicle through which to show what I always wanted the Green Lanterns to be, like the Jedi of the DC Universe. These guys that can just do anything. To me that’s John. It’s a very different kinda feel.
There’s a new Green lantern oath in it that I think you’ll dig. There’s new characters, a new creature. Honestly it all ties back. If you read warworld saga, there’s a nod to the war world saga in there as well. A big one.
Everything he said seems good but I’m skeptical about the New Oath.