While all of us at Multiversity are fans of a wide spectrum of comics, there are a few of us that tend to self-identify as “DC guys.” We’ve cried for justice; we’ve been through the blackest nights and the brightest days. And now, we’ve been culled together for a new column to focus on some of the bigger goings on in the world of Detective Comics Comics. If you’re wondering who is going to stand up and discuss what is happening at DC – don’t worry:
This month, we look to “Lights Out,” the Green Lantern event that just wrapped up, and which shook up the books in some surprising ways.
Brian: Well boys, now that the nauseating flavor of Villains Month is out of our mouths, we can get back to talking about some DC books we really like. Or, at least, I really liked. Bold statement time: “Lights Out” is the most effective “Green Lantern” crossover since “Blackest Night” and, potentially, since “Sinestro Corps War.”
Let me have it, how wrong am I?
Zach: You’re definitely not wrong. “Lights Out” was easily one of the most game changing events of any DC book in recent years. Venditti and company have severely altered the landscape of the Lantern books moving forward. I think that’s great, as the franchise was certainly becoming a bit stale by the end of Johns’ run.
That said, I can’t say I was exactly fond of a lot of these changes.
Vince: I think you’re right, Brian, but that’s not a 100% endorsement of the story on my part. Frankly, I think it at least partially speaks to the homogeneity of all of the lantern crossovers since ‘Blackest Night’. I won’t dwell on that point though, as we’ve already covered that in our Geoff Johns’ GL retrospective.
I think ‘Lights Out’ made for a couple of really interesting new directions, but there are one or two that I have concerns about. I think the actual crossover event, in practice, felt like so many others, but you’re right when you say that the outcomes were more game-changing.
But let’s begin at the beginning. What have you guys thought of “Green Lantern” under Robert Venditti and the introduction of Relic as a major Lantern villain? After all, he was introduced before ‘Lights Out’ began in a rather grandiose fashion in the title itself, as well as in his own ‘Villains Month’ one-shot.
Brian: I think Venditti as Lantern scribe has been a pretty successful run thus far, although that is hard to say after just a few brief months. I groaned somewhat when he instantly split up Hal and Carol, especially because the month before they basically are foretold to love each other for the rest of their lives and die still in love, but overall, I felt that his place as the new head of the Corps was being handled pretty well.
Relic was a mixed bag – in some ways, I really enjoyed the character’s origin and thought his purpose was unique. However, I couldn’t quite shake the non-Galactus Galactus that he was being presented as.
Zach: Venditti’s run, early on as it still is, has been a mixed bag for me. I, like Brian, was annoyed by the step backwards in the Hal/Carol dynamic. In fact, I found the whole first issue rather disappointed, save for Billy Tan’s art, which is some of the best of his career in my opinion. Later issues were redeemed by the new cast of rookies, something the new run really has going for it, and the interest new villainous Star Sapphire. Still, “Green Lantern” is probably my least favorite of the “green” books right now. (That of course doesn’t include “Red Lanterns,” but we’ll get to that.)
I think Relic started out with a lot of potential, especially after his solo issue. The fact that he was, in a lot of ways, the hero (maybe anti-hero is more accurate) of the story was an interesting twist. He had a great mashup DC myths in his DNA, from the New Gods to last days of Krypton. Unfortunately, I think that potential was wasted during “Lights Out,” where his actions/motives essentially felt like a rehash of the First Lantern, who was sort of a rehash of the Black Lanterns.
Continued belowBrian: I hear your concerns, but to me, this was far more interesting than the First Lantern business. “Blackest Night” was an event that had me so unbelievably hyped and then, sadly, fell short. This event, to me, had more internal logic and less, for lack of a better term, comic book bullshit than “Blackest Night” did, even if it didn’t have as effective a hook.
Vince: I see what you’re saying, Zach, though it didn’t occur to me during the read through.
I thought Relic had a nice origin, even if I didn’t actually care for the “Relic” one-shot. The idea that he came from a “previous universe” is certainly an intriguing one. It was an idea that had me thinking of the pre-‘Flashpoint’ DCU on more than one occasion, even if it decidedly wasn’t intentional. I think Relic also has a strong visual design, which is another key point I want to bring up: the art has been really strong in the Lantern relaunch.
In the end, Relic’s potential to be a strong villain took a backseat to the actual changes being made to the corps and the “world” they inhabit. On the one hand, I think the actual developments were more interesting than making Relic more important would have been, but the strong build up didn’t pay off when it came to his character. I’m much more eager to talk about the Lanterns. Since you guys both brought up the Hal & Carol relationship, allow me to drop my two cents in.
I didn’t like the re-tread ground of the rocky Hal/Carol pairing in Venditti’s first issue, and said as much in my review of that issue. However, I didn’t know that it would be a necessary stepping stone to what would come in ‘Lights Out’. And let me tell you, Carol leaving Hal and eventually getting with Kyle is a development that I actually found to be quite interesting. Let’s face it – Hal isn’t interesting if everything is going well for him. Hal Jordan is best when he’s down and out, and you need to find ways to keep putting him there.
Concurrently, Kyle is more interesting, I think, as a guy that keeps getting stuff dumped on his plate. A relationship with Carol will add to that, as well as build bad feelings with Hal. It’s soap opera-y, but hell, that’s a huge part of what “Big 2” comics are. Hal may be the face of the Green Lantern mantle, but Kyle has always sort of upstaged him throughout their mutual existence. Kyle took over for Hal while he was dead and gone. Kyle became the White Lantern. Now, Kyle gets the girl too.
Brian: I’m a huge fan of Kyle, and love it when he’s more than just “another human Lantern,” so him as the White Lantern, especially one who at the conclusion of the story is very much on his own path is a great development for the line. I’m not necessarily the Kyle/Carol shipper you are, Vince (probably because in my continuity deranged mind, Carol could be his mother), but I am all for Hal being down and out. I’d just rather that be Lantern based than relationship based.
I think John Stewart was handled about as pitch perfect as could be thus far, as well. They are really using his history as both an architect and a Marine to their advantage. Him being “left behind” to defend Oa was right in character, as was his anger at Guy being a Red Lantern. Kyle and John, I think, have been handled best by these new creative teams.
Guy on the other hand. Oof. I think the idea of him going undercover as a Red Lantern was interesting, him embracing that was interesting and then…well, nothing else. Having no more Blue Lanterns (for now) to purge the red from him is a pickle they’ll have to get out of, but nothing involving the “Red Lanterns” book did much for me at all.
Zach: Regarding the Kyle/Carol thing, I agree with you both to varying degrees. It’s certainly an interesting development, and it does go along with the “Kyle is the best” mentality that seems to be going on. However, like Brian, it does strike me as slightly skeevy for some reason. The fact that the New 52 has obliterated all my favorite classic couple pairings makes the whole issue even more frustrating.
Continued belowI will argue that each Lantern (except Guy, maybe) is in a much stronger place than they were in the Johns era. Hal is now not just the lantern golden child, but the leader of the entire corps. That calls for him to be something the the never has been; responsible. Under Jensen and Venditti, John is written better than he’s been in the last decade. In fact, GLC stands out as my favorite of the 4 main lantern books, which is a huge surprise. Kyle is also in an interesting position now, somewhat similar to where Booster Gold was post “52.” Pairing him with the literal “New Guardians” also gives his book a clear identity it previously lacked.
As you guys have mention, Guy is bit of a sore thumb right now, and the only lantern I would argue that has suffered. I think distancing Guy from the corps is a logical progression of the character in light of recent events, although I didn’t quite think so at first. While his history with the Reds makes his new duds logical, I think their own sordid history has does more damage to the character than good. The Red Lanterns, in my opinion, just don’t make compelling protagonists. I’m surprised the book survived the creative shift, and am even more baffled with each new solicitation lacking the words “FINAL ISSUE.” I see Guy’s position as the one with the least longevity, and as such, the least interesting.
Brian: So, let’s get into the nitty gritty. Oa is gone, the Blue Lanterns are gone, the light is proven to be finite – what did you guys think of these huge changes to the Lantern mythos?
Vince: Let’s go one-by-one on those:
Oa being destroyed is, quite frankly, something I’ve been waiting for for a variety of reasons. Now, I can’t claim to know what direction they’re going to go in, but part of what frustrated over the latter years of Johns’ oversight on the Lantern corner of the DCU was the shear amount of time that everybody spent on Oa. I missed the Lanterns policing on Earth or on other weird planets. I hope we go back to that for a while. I hope that this gives the writers good cause to spread the lanterns out a little more, even if they do have a solid new base of operations already. So I’m excited about this one.
The Blue Lanterns will be back to status quo much sooner than any of these other changes will be, if you ask me. Still, it’s a compelling direction to go, even if we’ll surely be able to smell the return of Saint Walker coming from a mile away when it happens. You guys alluded to your distaste for the Red Lanterns, and I agree. Ick – they’re the worst. Well, as a focal point, anyway. I really enjoy everything else Charles Soule writes, but even he can’t save that mess. I kind of feel that way about all the different colored lanterns – they’re important additions to the lantern mythos, but they have rarely been used to optimal effect. That whole concept could use some streamlining, and putting the Blue Lanterns away for a little while will help with that. And none of them need their own books, certainly.
And the light in danger of running out is a magnificent idea, even with the hand-waving of the temporary “recharge” it got near the end of the crossover. It tells me that the writers are going to tone down the laser light show and, hopefully, get a little more personal with these characters. If they really commit to treating the “light” as a precious and limited commodity, the potential is there for some really tense storytelling in a way that we haven’t seen from the Lantern titles.
Ultimately, I thought that these changes (and the relationship changes too) were the true selling points of ‘Lights Out’ – more so than the actual playing out of the story itself. I liked, but didn’t love, the event, but I love the potential that all of these changes bring. Zach?
Continued belowZach: I agree with Vince about the destruction of Oa. It’s extremely fitting in with the post-Guardians status quo, as Oa is really the last vestige of that. I also love the idea of Mogo as the new GL home world.
The destruction of the Blue Lanterns leaves me…well, rather blue. Saint Walker and company are easily my favorite of the extended spectrum lanterns. I agree with Vince that all will likely be well, and look forward to Walker’s return. His perspective coming out of “Lights Out” could lead to some really interesting stories moving forward.
And in regard to moving forward from “Lights Out,” the recasting of the emotional spectrum as a finite resource is the biggest game changers in years. This forces the various corps to rethink their purpose and philosophy, which in turn shapes how they perceive each other. This could lead to some outside the box alliances and/or rivalries. It’ll be interesting to see how the creative teams deal with Larfleeze and the Sinestro Corps, in particular.
However, even with the immense possibility the new status quo brings, I can help but feel that it’s somewhat limited in the long run. If “light” is finite, and you follow that idea to its logical conclusion, I think that in order for the GLC to exist, one of two things must happen. The corps must either find a way to make the light “infinite” once more, essentially backsliding on the outcome of “Lights Out,” or they must find a new power source. I think the latter is more likely, which entails that Venditti and company may be on course to do away with a lot Johns’ mythology.
Brian: I think the various corps made the Lantern books really interesting, especially when they were all being introduced. The problem lies in the fact that they are hard to utilize. By pulling the Sinestro and Blue Lantern Corps off the table, for now, is a smart move, as it allows them time to focus on the other, less-developed ring-bearers. Although I echo the statements about the Red Lanterns being boring, I think that good stuff could come from that book.
I think Mogo being the home base of the Lanterns is brilliant, and I could see Mogo also serving as a homebase for the shelved Blue Lanterns – they could power him and vice versa. I really, truly hope that all will be well, because St. Walker is my spirit animal.
The limiting of the emotional reserve is a pretty game-changing idea, and one that is going to fundamentally change these books. It also shifts the balance of power to the Reds, who draw on more than just the emotional spectrum for their power. Perhaps that is how that book becomes interesting – positioning them as the only Corps not really affected by this turn of events.
So, wrapping this up, how do we feel about this crossover overall? Are we excited about where this line is headed?
Vince: I’m as excited as I can be about a ‘New 52’ book or line not named “Wonder Woman”, I guess. I’ll go one-by-one:
“Green Lantern” – I think Venditti has a solid plan going forward. ‘Lights Out’ showed that Venditti clearly has a plan to stack the deck against Hal, and I think that’s always the right way to go.
“Red Lanterns” – I like Charles Soule a lot, but I can’t see any reason to read this one. It barely felt like it was a part of this event, and it hasn’t stopped spinning its wheels since Peter Milligan launched it.
“Green Lantern: New Guardians” – Brad Walker’s art is wonderful – that’s worth the price of admission alone. Justin Jordan is also breaking his ‘New 52’ losing streak after finally being saddled with a ship that wasn’t already sinking.
“Green Lantern Corps” – I’m not as crazy about this one as you are, Brian, but I think it’s decent. John Stewart was front and center in ‘Lights Out’ and he’s not constantly playing the tortured hero, so that’s definitely exciting.
These books are in great shape, and while the actual event didn’t blow me away as it was happening, I think the way things stand right now is chock full of potential. Quite simply, ‘Lights Out’ was good – and that’s enough of a beacon of light in an otherwise dreary ‘New 52’. I can easily recommend staying on these books for the near future.
Continued below
Zach:Brian, what say we pitch a Saint Walker/Mogo team-up book?
I’m really excited for the Green Lantern line moving forward, and my wallet is sad because of it. I agree with both of you that all the books are in interesting places coming out of “Lights Out.” “Red Lanterns has more potential now than it has ever had. “Green Lantern” remains a solid cornerstone for the line. “New Guardians” is absolutely gorgeous. “Green Lantern Corps” is smartly written, terrifically drawn, features a fantastic supporting cast and is probably my favorite book of the line.
I have to admit, I think DC is of to a better start in terms of keeping the GL books connected, without requiring readers to buy every book. One month crossovers and the upcoming “Green Lantern/Red Lantern” flip book are fantastic examples of how to build and interconnected family of titles, without burning out readers.
Like Vince, I wasn’t crazy about “Lights Out,” but I’m extremely excited to see what comes next.
Brian: I’m in, Zach!
I was a lot higher on “Lights Out” than you guys were, but I think we all feel that the line is in pretty good hands. I still have my doubts that “Red Lanterns” can be anything more than it is right now (and, frankly, I’d be shocked if Larfleeze makes it to summer), but the other three are in terrific hands. In fact, I don’t think the Lantern books, since expanding to more than 2 books a month, have ever been as strong as they are right now. I can’t believe that it took Geoff Johns, Peter Tomasi and co. to leave to bring these books someplace really interesting and unique.
