The Blog of OA

Green Lantern #20 Review

noreply@blogger.com (Myron Rumsey) — Wed, 22 May 2013 16:16:00 PDT

The day is here, the final issue of Geoff Johns first run in Green Lantern. Yeah, I said first run because I'm wearing my blue ring today and hope that we'll see another Johns' helmed run at some point in the future. Don't take that as a concern for Robert Venditti, because having read a little bit of his work on X-O Manowar I think we're in really, really good hands. The conclusion to the ~~first~~ John's era is here in the form of an over-sized issue which provides the conclusion to the Wrath of the First Lantern and a fitting bookend to Green Lantern: Rebirth.

The Story -

In the future we witness a number of new recruits taking their oaths around the central power battery. One new Green Lantern, Snow, travels to the Book of Oa and asks the keeper about the most popular story of the Corps, the story of Hal Jordan. The keeper, Toris, recounts in a few pages the history of Hal Jordan, a reminder of the events that have rebuilt the Green Lantern mythology as we've seen re-established by Johns. Toris' recounting segues into the continuation of our story where we pick up moments after Hal has taken his life ending plunge in Green Lantern #19.

Hal and Sinestro's lives continue to reflect each other as we see Sinestro deny himself the green power ring in favor of yellow while Hal has denied himself existence to don the black ring. The Templar Guardians arrive on Maltus to find that the Great Heart is gone and preventing them from using it to aid their misguided comrades. The Guardians continue to try to reason with Volthoom from their captivity on Oa and in doing so reveals to us a little more about the origins of the emotional spectrum.

Volthoom recalls witnessing the Guardians divorce themselves from their emotions which in turn led to the creation of the first power ring and battery, as a side effect, altered Volthoom, infusing him with the Guardians' combined emotional energies. We learn that Ganthet took the first ring for himself and upon Volthoom's reclamation he dons the ring and restores emotions to the Guardians, who are soon overwhelmed with feelings of guilt and shame. Before Volthoom can begin his final gambit the Green Lantern Corps arrive on the scene and try to take him down.

The origins of the First Lantern get more fleshed out.

Returning to the Dead Zone Black Hand turns to dust without his ring, now firmly in the possession of Hal Jordan. Tomar-Re questions how his old friend will be able to escape the afterlife to which Hal reminds us of his allies, the Indigo Tribe. Back on Oa, Lanterns are falling to Volthoom until Atrocitus arrives with the rest of his Red Lanterns. Atrocitus is no more effective at dispatching Volthoom than the Corps, but more troops arrive including most of the New Guardians and more lanterns from throughout the emotional spectrum, including one familiar canine that we haven't seen in years. Working together with Mogo the collected ring wielders channel all of their energy into one massive blast which barely slows down Volthoom.

This makes way for Sinestro's arrival, and he's out for revenge against Volthoom for destroying Korugar. Volthoom uses the destruction of Sinestro's planet to put a halt to the attack, but then the Indigo Tribe arrive, channeling the power of the black to help Hal return from the Dead Zone, much to the amazement of Carol Ferris. Hal emerges from the portal commanding a troop of Black Lanterns, commanding them to attack Volthoom. Hal and Sinestro trade a couple of barbs while Volthoom takes out the Black Lanterns in short order.

Capturing Hal Jordan and surrounding them in a force bubble, Volthoom looks to find the perfect moment of Hal's life to exploit, and while Hal is intent on that moment being his possession by Parallax, Volthoom goes much deeper, pulling out the death of Martin Jordan and a young Hal. Volthoom seduces the younger Hal to wish for his father back while Carol and Kyle try to break through the force field. Seeing that Hal is about to be undone, Sinestro leaves. Volthoom reveals that Hal himself is a connection to the source of willpower, perhaps having a greater connection that the central power battery itself, allowing Volthoom to begin to remake the universe.

Atrocitus' arrival makes heads turn!

Sinestro has found his way to the yellow central battery that was stored on Oa some time ago and summons Parallax, merging with it but proclaiming that he is the master of fear and will not be ruled by the entity. While Sinestro controls fear it's not enough to take out Volthoom and Hal quickly realizes that he has to return to the Dead Zone for one more weapon to be used against Volthoom. After a brief appearance by Martin Jordan Hal summons Nekron, mastering command over him as Sinestro has Parallax.

With Sinestro holding Volthoom down Hal uses his ring to expel the entire emotional spectrum from the First Lantern, leaving the powerless being for Nekron to slice in two. The Guardians are freed and realize they have been given a second chance with Volthoom's original corrupted ring sent back to his universe and the one that Sinestro gave up finding Hal Jordan after he consoles his younger self. Returned to the land of the living Hal Jordan sends Nekron back to the Dead Zone and embraces Carol Ferris.

But the story isn't done yet, and while Atrocitus hunts for the Guardians to exact the revenge that has driven him all these millenia the imprisoned Sinestro Corps breaks free. Sensing it's a distraction Hal goes after Sinestro while the rest of the Corps fight against the revived Yellow Lanterns. And so it comes full circle as once again Hal and Sinestro trade blows. But while Sinestro thinks Hal is out to save the Guardians it's really all about saving Sinestro and that for all these years Hal has never given up on him.

Sinestro reveals that it really is too late for the Guardians and for him because he's already killed them except for the one he left for Atrocitus to sate his rage. Sinestro claims that he universe has nothing left for him and leave the Green Lantern Corps in the hands of Hal and the Templar Guardians. Sinestro promises to release Parallax once he's gone far away from everyone, but questions Hal about a something he was going to ask Sinestro and he never did. Hal tells Sinestro that the question was whether or not they were ever friends. Poignantly Sinestro calls Hal by his first name and tells him they will always be friends and that's the tragedy in their relationship.

Returning to the future, the bookkeeper Toris tells Snow that Sinestro vanished, leaving Arkillo in charge of the Sinestro Corps. All the Corps left after some stayed behind to help rebuild Oa and Hal mentored the Templar Guardians, who were eventually welcomed by everyone and continue to serve the Corps in their present time. As they leave, Snow asks Toris what happened to everyone and the keeper replies by revealing the futures of many of the the main characters in Johns' run but skipping over Sinestro, revealing to the reader that Toris IS Sinestro and that he burned the pages in the Book of Oa about himself.

The prophecy of the greatest Black Lantern comes true

Via flashback we see that Sinestro didn't kill all the Guardians, trading the secret that both Ganthet and Sayd are alive with Larfleeze for Sayd's freedom before sending the two away. Toris then reminds Snow that Hal Jordan was the greatest of all the Green Lanterns and what Sinestro did was not important.

The Writing -

Wow, just wow! While Green Lantern #20 doesn't provide solutions to all of the mysteries that Johns' created during his tenure, THIS is how you end a run. This issue satisfies on so many levels and one can sense a creative intensity that explodes from the pages.

I continue to re-evaluate the whole Wrath of the First Lantern story and I keep re-defining it for myself. After reading this issue several times today and knowing what happens I've come to think of the word wrath a little differently than when I started. I think most of us, myself included, looked at the title quite literally, that the First Lantern, Volthoom, was out to dispense a lustful vengeance on the Guardians. But in retrospect I've started thinking about it more thematically rather than literally. Restated, the Wrath of the First Lantern to me has come to mean the repercussions of denying or bottling up our emotions rather than mastering and embracing them for the invaluable role they play in our identity. In terms of the story the Guardians literally put their emotions into the First Lantern rather than learn to manage them, and it catches up to them in a catastrophic way when those emotions, embodied by Volthoom, are uncorked and allowed to run free without the understanding to control them.

While some might think that spending some of the introductory pages recounting history is a bit of creator service, I think it's a critical part of having a satisfactory conclusion by remembering the characters' journey that brought them to this point of the story. In this case it's a long journey and there's no harm in a little summary! In this situation it also serves to address some of the lingering concerns about the New 52 relaunch and what parts of continuity are still intact. Finally, as Johns likes to point out, every issue could be someone's first issue and for someone who might pick this title for the first time a recap would be a necessity. Johns does a superb job of revisiting the future at the end of the book and in doing so creates a very story driven reason to use the Book of Oa within the context of his script as well as for the reader.

Sinestro re-unites with Parallax

Something I've always admired about Geoff Johns' writing is that his issues of Green Lantern have been very cinematic experience for me and I often listen to a TV/movie/game soundtrack in the background to heighten the feeling that I reading a movie. This issue has that same big blockbuster feel to it as all the pieces that were created in the expansion of the universe come into play and everyone gets their time in the spotlight. There were a lot of fist pumping moments in Green Lantern #20 and perhaps the one that surprised me the most was the cameo by G'Nort. While I'm far from a big fan of the character it was cool to see him show up since he was listed as "presumed dead" back in the crypt listing in the Sinestro Corps Secret Files issue. It just seemed like every few pages there was another one of those high points that had me riveted to this issue like no comic I've read lately.

Underlying the various levels of action is the continuing exploration of the Hal Jordan - Sinestro dynamic. Like the ending of any great epic story there is an extremely satisfying conclusion, but here it's wrapped inside another equally awesome conclusion. We've seen so many times how these characters are two sides of the same coin and so often we see their lives reflected in each other. Here both men have seemingly forsaken their lives for darker paths which result in them being put in opposite corners. Underneath that is the unspoken respect for each other, finally given voice in a moment which evokes emotion in both men that nearly breaks through to the surface. On one hand it seems almost insignificant given the cataclysmic events surrounding them, but in a sense those few panels are more powerful than many of the battle sequences we've seen throughout the entire run. With the revelation that Sinestro is the bookkeeper and that he has downplayed himself and named Hal the greatest Green Lantern is an enormous evolution for the character and in some ways makes his journey the most satisfying of any character throughout the Johns era.

There's some interesting groundwork that's quietly being built with regards to Volthoom that I didn't quite pick up on in my first reading of this issue. As the battle with Volthoom reaches it conclusion one of the Guardians comments that the first ring has been banished by to Volthoom's universe, and we never see exactly what happens to Volthoom once he's cleaved in two by Nekron, but I'm assuming that he, too, returned home. Given the character name's pedigree I wouldn't be surprised to see this tie to the eventual New 52 version of Power Ring....and I'm still holding out that Volthoom is that universe's Hal Jordan!

I'm torn in my opinion of the epilogue which shows the future of the characters. While I found those epilogues personally satisfying, and I think Johns has earned the right to come up with them, I'm not sure how I feel about it in serialized fiction. It's one thing for J.K. Rowling to tell us in her last novel what happens to Harry Potter years down the road, but in comics there are more stories with our cast and I'm left feeling like subsequent creators are either going to feel bound by what Johns lays out or they'll write them away and invalidate them. I think in either of those situations it's the reader who loses out in one form or another.

My enemy, my ally

That said, the destinies that Johns sets up for our characters are in some ways exactly what we'd expect or want for our cast. Guy's page is wonderfully fun with a reference back to the infamous "one punch" line, while John finds peace at last as Yrra's husband and a career in politics. Kyle's stint as a cosmic Jesus isn't anything I would have thought of myself but it was fitting and I found satisfaction that Glommy stood by his side! Simon Baz's future provides Johns a chance to cement him a little more into the fabric of the DC Universe and foreshadow some ominous things down the line that he'll be working on with Justice League and perhaps the upcoming Trinity War event. We see some of the New Guardians's futures as well, with Iroque reaching a state of transformation that serves as a suitable legacy for Abin Sur. Meanwhile Hal and Carol get something we've always wanted for them, and more. If there were no more Green Lantern stories being told it would be the perfect ending for all of them.

There are some sub plots that we don't get resolution on in the conclusion to the story, one being that we didn't learn how Hal was affected by the yellow battery when he was disintegrated back in issue three. Sinestro told Hal in issue five that they'd deal with it later, but it wasn't revisited. That is a minor mystery given all that's still unknown about the origins of the emotional spectrum and I'd like to think that Johns has either passed those things on to his successors, leaving them for others to address or not, or he's simply going to save them for another day if when he writes more Green Lantern stories.

And ending and a beginning as the torch is passed

Following the story are nine pages of congratulations for Geoff Johns from people all over the entertainment spectrum as well as a retrospective by Johns himself. It's a great tribute to the man's creative vision and talent and fitting given what this issue represents. I'm glad DC expanded this issue and allowed for some shoulder patting considering what Geoff has done with the Green Lantern universe and I hope he realizes that for every comment in this issue there are hundreds of readers out here who feel the same way.

The Art -

Geez, where to begin!? Doug Mahnke of course hits a grand slam this issue and the guest artists is a "Who's Who" of some of the most talented artists in comics today. While sometimes books with multiple artists suffer from a lack of cohesion Green Lantern #20 works nicely and gives artists who have helped shape the Green Lantern universe one more opportunity remind us of their roles in this run.

While there are clearly many epic moments in this issue in terms of the narrative Green Lantern #20 is rich with the same level of visuals. In a book this big it's hard to list them all because there are just so many of them. It goes without saying that every splash page provides the artists moments to create something awesome and they certainly capitalize on each one of them, but there are those little, more subtle moments that sometimes resonate with me more. In particular the panels where we see the emotion in Sinestro and Hal come to the surface are some of the best for me personally and they help support the character driven drama going on behind the greater plot. I've literally spent a life time with Hal and Sinestro and for me this issue marks a major milestone in their relationship with the art being a key factor in that opinion.

Sinestro finally lets down the wall

I'm always happy to see Ivan Reis and Ethan Van Sciver on a Green Lantern book, especially Van Sciver who helped launch Green Lantern: Rebirth. It's also great to see relative new comer Aaron Kuder alongside them; he's a great guy who lives not far from where I do and he's one of those rising artists who you find yourself rooting for once you get a chance to talk with them and hear their personal story.

What Do I Think?

The state of the Green Lantern universe isn't the same as when Johns first took over, in fact it's in a better position than it has ever been before. Granted the Guardians are dead and so is Black Hand, but for those and perhaps a few other losses the mythology itself has been expanded exponentially and the universe is ripe for stories to be told by the creators that follow in Johns' footsteps. The scope of Johns' work on this series is something that defines a career and I have little doubt that it will be one of those runs that the medium refers to for years to come. Geoff Johns name will forever be linked to Green Lantern and I look forward to more from him whenever he decides to visit Oa.

I left comics for a period of time in the nineties and didn't return until I'd heard about JSA and this new guy, Geoff Johns, who was writing it. I picked up an issue or two, got hooked by Johns' handling of the characters and before long I was reading a few titles again. So when Green Lantern: Rebirth was announced with Geoff's name attached I just had a feeling that it would be something special. Here I am now, a lot older and a little wiser, at the end of a run which has seen my favorite character elevated to where he has always belonged - flying among the stars, taking care of business and still getting the girl.

Green Lantern #20 is everything you'd hope for and more. Yes, of course this issue gets five lanterns - what'd you expect!

A Thank You to Geoff Johns

noreply@blogger.com (Myron Rumsey) — Tue, 21 May 2013 14:00:00 PDT

On the eve of the conclusion on what is arguably the greatest run in the history of Green Lantern, fans around the world are expressing their appreciation to Geoff Johns for his tremendous creative vision and how it has forever changed the Green Lantern mythology. As a life long fan I truly consider the "Johns era" to be the a remarkable example of how the right marriage of writer and title can make a huge impact on the medium. Since Green Lantern: Rebirth there has been so much life breathed into this corner of the DC universe, propelling Hal Jordan and the rest of the emotional spectrum to become one of the top selling family of books in the comics industry.

At the suggestion of fans on the Blog of Oa Facebook group the Blog of Oa has collected videos from fans all over the world thanking Geoff for all that he's given readers during his tenure on the books.

Podcast of Oa Episode 48 - Bill Returns!

noreply@blogger.com (Myron Rumsey) — Mon, 20 May 2013 19:51:00 PDT

Co-host Bill Giancoli returns to the Podcast of Oa for our 48th episode. Myron Rumsey discusses recent events in the Green Lantern universe such as the recent SMGO.TV pledge drive and comments that Geoff Johns has made about big announcements coming regarding DC characters in film and television in July at the San Diego Comicon.

We talk about the 19th issues of both Green Lantern: New Guardians and Red Lanterns as well as the ill timed Green Lantern Corps #20. Listeners who have not read the issue yet should skip this section since we talk about some of the details about the conclusion to the Wrath of the First Lantern story that are recounted in the issue and it will spoil the ending to the story.

The Podcast of Oa is the official podcast of the Blog of Oa and a proud member of the Comics Podcast Network. Share your comments and questions by calling the show’s voicemail line at 406-PODOFOA (406-763-6362) while Skype users can leave a voicemail on the show's account, blogofoa. Send your emails to greenlantern@stny.rr.com. You can also find the Blog and Podcast of Oa on Facebook and Google+. The Podcast of Oa is sponsored by Heroes Your Mom Threw Out Comic Shop.

Green Lantern and other related characters are the copyrighted property of DC Comics Inc. and are used without permission. The Blog of Oa and the Podcast of Oa are fan productions and do not claim any ownership over the Green Lantern or any other copyrighted properties.

Show Links:
Heroes Your Mom Threw Out Comic Shop (www.momthrewout.com)

Show Notes
00:00:00 Intro
00:01:10 Catching up with Bill
00:16:22 Green Lantern: New Guardians #19
00:28:19 Red Lanterns #19
00:44:59 Green Lantern Corps #20
00:59:18 Closing

Green Lantern #20 Preview

noreply@blogger.com (Myron Rumsey) — Mon, 20 May 2013 13:39:00 PDT

We are two days away from the conclusion to Geoff John's career-defining run on Green Lantern. A few weeks ago DC Comics provided an art-only sneak peek of issue twenty and today we have the same pages, but this time with the narrative and a couple more pages.

Green Lantern 4-Pack a SDCC Exclusive

noreply@blogger.com (Myron Rumsey) — Mon, 20 May 2013 09:01:00 PDT

Continuing their series of Green Lantern 3.75" action figures, DC Collectibles will be releasing a special four pack of figures in this line at this year's San Diego Comic Con. Revealed by USA Today, the four figures comprising the pack will be Arkillo, Dex-Starr, Black Hand and a Green Lantern Sinestro.

This is the second set of figures released this year, with a Larfleeze / Guy Gardner set exclusive to C2E2 and Wondercon.

Source: USA Today

The SMGO Interview Transcript

noreply@blogger.com (Myron Rumsey) — Sun, 12 May 2013 14:30:00 PDT

For people who may have a hearing impairment and could not listen to the recent Podcast of Oa episode where we interviewed David Coduto and Chehin Toumi from SMGO.TV, or for those who just want to read the interview, here is the transcript of our conversation. In the days following the interview SMGO has moved ahead and begun collecting pledges for funds for a third season of Young Justice in hopes that they can prove to Warner Brothers that there is indeed an audience that is willing to put their money into funding the return of the series.

The idea is to begin with Young Justice mainly since the lower production budget would be an easier to attain goal. There has been no shortage of cynical responses mainly from the uninformed who are warning people to not give any money to SMGO when in fact that's not what they're asking you to do - we're being asked to make a financially binding commitment for whatever amount of money we'd give Warner Brothers if they were to move ahead with the project, nothing more. No actual funds would be collected until SMGO not only gets enough pledges to warrant a follow up meeting with Warner Brothers, but Warner Brothers agrees to move forward with it. The goal would be to show the studio that this model would work and then move forward with Green Lantern: The Animated Series as well. You can be a part of the initiative by visiting SMGO.TV's website.

Myron Rumsey (MR) – Joining me are David Coduto and Chehin Toumi from SMGO.TV who are here to talk about their site, their meeting with Warner Brothers and their initial attempt to bring back both series. David and Chehin, welcome to the Podcast of Oa!

David (DC) – Hi Guys! This is Dave Coduto, I’m one of the co-founders here.

Chehin (CT) – And I’m Chehin, the other co-founder. I had the original idea for SMGO in the first place.

DC - Yeah, it was his idea and we went along with it and it’s been great…been a great ride.

MR – Cool, I think everybody in the DC Nation fan world got all excited about this. Since this is a comic book podcast let’s use the term “secret origin”; can you give us a brief secret origin of SMGO and why you created SMGO and kind of what's the purpose for it?

CT - Like I said it was my idea and like the way I had the idea was I’m a big geek and I was watching Stargate Universe and at the end of the second season there was like this big cliffhanger at the end and I was, like, “When’s season three coming?” And I saw the show was canceled! And I was like, “what the heck!” I would be willing to pay for it. So I said, “So maybe there are other fans so I started to work on that – to get the fans to pay for their show and crowd funding and I explained the story to Dave.

DC - Yeah, I joined in, uh we went to grad school together, we both have MBA’s, and he came to me and goes, “Dave, I got this really good idea.” And I’m like, “What’s the idea, man?” And he goes, “let's see if we can crowd fund some canceled TV shows!” I’m like, that’s a brilliant idea, let's see if we can do this and that’s kind of how it started and we’ve gone through a couple of pivots since then but what you see is pretty much what you got right now so that’s where we are.

MR - So you guys are really kind of embracing that, you know the whole digital marketplace and digital media versus broadcast TV.

DC - Yeah, I think the way we look at it is that we’re a way to give fans a voice and to provide a better way to kind of bring shows back; I mean we almost presented ourselves as like a cable network.

CT -I’m from France and since I moved to the U.S. three years ago I didn’t get a cable subscription – all my show I watch on my computer through Netflix or Amazon Prime.

That’s the way I watch TV and like Nielsen ratings and all those things are for me like things of the past.

MR – It seems kind of fortuitous that you guys kind of launched your beta site not long before DC Nation fans heard about Young Justice and Green Lantern: The Animated Series going away.

DC - (laughs) Well, our timing is really… so we had the original idea about two years ago and we said that we see when a time when people are going to want to do this, they’re going to want to pay for their media and they're going to want to have kind of a say in the programming that goes on. We saw this two years ago, so like I said we went through a couple iterations, but basically back in January of this year we’re like I think it’s ready, it’s time to launch and it was just fortuitous that we ended up hitting it. I think big we launched two days after Veronica Mars and like, I don’t know, like a week after both of these shows got told they’re done and so it is just really amazing timing, I don’t know if we could have timed it better really!

(Laughter)

MR – Now how did Young Justice and Green Lantern end up on SMGO? Did you guys put it there intentionally or did someone approach you?

CT - So the way it started it was, really at the beginning we were not into animated series, we didn’t think there was a market for it and we were looking for traditional TV shows. One of my cousins said …. go out in the Tumblr world and the fans of Green Lantern and Young Justice just completely flooded the website with requests on our “suggest” functionality. So we decided to you put it on just to give it a shot and like a couple of hours after the server was crashed!

(Laughter)

DC - So, the fans basically crashed our website! So what we were trying to do was just test, you know, test the functionality, make sure everything was working great. They found us actually when we were beta-ing, we were just using this one small focus group. Basically, told 20 people about what we were trying to do and during that first week we had 20,000 people! (Laughter) We were not set up – we had it on a staging server and it was like, “Oh, God!!” (Laughter) It was great, it was a happy surprise! That was kind of how it came about.

MR - How did, because it got the attention Warner Brothers, did you approach Warner Brothers or did Warner Brothers get in touch with you or did somebody from DC Entertainment get in touch with you guys?

DC - Well, actually one of our contacts said, “uh, you need to go talk to..”; basically we're trying to do this through a lot of back channels, that's how we started. We had some contacts we were trying to go through and you know it’s kind of slow there. Again, we didn't expect to only have a week to reach these guys that's what happened. We expected a couple months and well anyway what our advisors said after we blew up like this was, “go straight to the New Business Development Unit”. That’s what we did and we spoke with them, and spoke with some creators. That's basically how we get started with this, or at least meeting them.

MR - So that they obviously wanted to talk about your intentions?

DC - They wanted to learn about us.

CT - As soon as well called them they said we’re going to have to set up a meeting and that’s when the meeting…… which is pretty awesome because when people, when we talk to people and say we have a meeting with Warner Brothers they say it usually takes months to get a meeting with them.

DC - I should also point out that the passion and enthusiasm of the fans is really what got us that meeting, I mean you look at times that fans have ever had a say in these mass media decisions where even a studio has looked at is a show that they’ve canceled and they’re like, “oh, well maybe”. We could only really think of three other times - one was Star Trek, the original series, was about to be canceled and they did a petition and got the show back. The other one was Jericho, I don’t know if you watched that a show a couple of years ago - they sent a bunch of peanuts – then the last was Chuck where bunch of people bought Subway sandwiches. Those are the only other three times that this is ever happened where they’ve turned and been, like, “Oh, wow!”

So that passion is a huge, huge..I don’t know it's amazing really and it made an impact.

MR - I think when we look at the creators of, and I can't speak to both shows because I’m really more involved in the Green Lantern series, the creators and the people behind that show really engaged in social media with the fans and as a matter of fact the producer of Green Lantern: The Animated Series, Giancarlo Volpe, they were meeting in a deli in California on a weekly basis and having fan hangouts, watching the shows with the people who made series which I, you know, you don’t see that kind of thing anymore - well actually you never see that kind of thing! So I think those guys really had their finger on the pulse of what the fans were saying. I know there were a lot of things on the Internet – you know we were tweeting every weekend trying to trend certain phrases and still are, and they participated in that, so I know when the whole thing came up on SMGO, people were like, “get you out there and vote for it” and voice what you want. They were made aware of it from that perspective so I’m sure that probably helped a little bit, but you guys had - did you have one meeting or a series of meetings?

DC - We had one big meeting and it was a lot of heavy hitters – we can’t name names - it was some heavy hitters.

MR – Is it fair to say that it was people not only from Warner Brothers Animation but maybe DC Entertainment as well?

CT - It was definitely Warner Brothers corporate, maybe a few from Warner Brothers Animation. It was definitely the top floor of Warner Brothers headquarters.

DC - Yeah, so it was a big meeting!

MR - And you guys have kind of let word out that the meeting, you had the meeting and there was no decision made at the meeting, but they got ahold of you later on and basically gave you a verbal no.

DC - Yes, that is exactly what happened. We were really hoping that they would, you know, make a decision there so we could at least let fans know then so it was actually pretty tense for us waiting the last two weeks and we didn't really want to say anything because we didn’t want to upset that apple cart. So unfortunately we’re really sorry that we had to remain quiet for that long but the hope is that we from now on will very, very vocal and we won’t have to do that anymore.

MR - I think sometimes you have to just because of the nature of the, you know, you’re talking about a multimillion dollar IP for a corporation and they're not saying anything right up front you have to just hold back and not say anything. If you get fans upset because you guys haven’t gotten a response, they may start getting more vocal about it and then that's going to make them upset that the studio hasn’t responded. Then they might be like, “get these people away from us”.

DC - I’m glad you understand!

(Laughter)

MR – I do, but I’m not sure everybody does. Do you get any, not to pick your brains, but when you guys had you meeting with Warner Brothers - do they know that fans, that there’s an audience out there? There's a vocal group of people who want the shows back – do they get it or are they behind their ivory tower and they don't really know what goes on out in the real-world?

DC - Well, I mean they love the fans but I don't really think we’re in a position to speak for them. But I would say that, I would say that they really did notice this big push; that passion really did come through.

CT -It’s only because of the work from the social media and push from all the fans and everything that we got this meeting; by ourselves it would have been impossible. I think they recognize that all those tweets at Warner Brothers, all those posts on Facebook and on Tumblr are important for them because they gave us this meeting and, I can tell, there were like twenty executives in this room, so it must have been really important for them to listen to the fans.

MR – I think as a fan that's that that's been our frustration because they haven’t really acknowledged the fan response other than to say, “thank you for your interest in DC Nation, we have more new episodes of Beware the Batman and Teen Titans Go coming up!”, without really addressing the concerns of the fans for the two shows that they really love. I think that's kind of what I was looking forward to see her do they even know that there's a resistance out there or a fan following that’s very vocal about it because we don't hear that on our end. I think that's really what drives the creation of what you're trying to do with SMGO is, as fans of shows we all lose shows we love but we always feels like we don't have a voice unless we’re 10,000,000 people strong and they can't deny it when you flood them with peanuts or what have you. You feel like you're shouting into the wind.

DC - Yeah! We really, I mean the idea we had is to really kind of empower fans in a way to give them a sense of ownership that maybe they didn't have before. I mean this is, I don't know, we think that as we push forward it’s becomes really important, especially with invention the Internet, to really include fans. Because, you know, ultimately they’re the people that watch the content.

CT -Every time they have a show canceled they have this outcry from fans. We were talking to an executive and he was telling us that, at some point, it just becomes white noise for them. They get used to that and when created SMGO it was to, with crowd funding, make an offer than makes economic sense for the studio because this way they can understand. Kind of “put your money where your mouth is.”

DC - Yeah, basically, this is a complex kind of thing. We’re kind of taking that whole web interactivity thing and making it, like growing it up in a way and saying that you’re starting to add money and making real things and monetizing this enthusiasm and allowing people to really make decisions with their pocketbooks. This is a lot more powerful if you really think about it than just saying, “Yes, I want this.” It’s saying, “Yes, I want this so much that I'm actually going to put some money on the table and make it a business decision”, which is, they’re businesses you know?

MR – In an added twist it was the fact that they didn't bring in money from toy sales is why they didn’t renew Green Lantern so…..(laughter) Especially when you look at the Veronica Mars thing - that was a case of Warner Brothers saying to the people who wanted to do this movie, “if you can raise $2 million we will get behind it as a studio”. I was kind of surprised when it was discussed that they had said no that they didn't at least say, “well you know we might be interested if you could get this many people to submit this much money.”

DC - I, you know it’s tough, like I said I can’t really speak for the reasons – there may be other things that we don't know, but that being said we’re not trying to say that they can't produce new shows, but let us raise this amount of money and then you could produce even more content. You can produce those two new shows plus one online and…I don't know why they didn’t give us a number like that. So that was a bit disappointing us.

MR – So, if Warner Brothers had said yes and you can move forward, the next stage would have been asking people to, like a Kickstarter, say I'd be willing to donate this amount of money and not really giving you that money until you reach your goal within that window of time that you've got to work with. I think Kickstarter is 30 days and I think you said it was 90 days your situation. What would it have been like for fans - would it have been something that we would've gone to your website to stream or would have been available digitally or is it really you guys never got that part of it?

DC - Well we were hoping to stream it on SMGO, basically the one constant that we had was that no matter what, if you were going to pay for this content that we were providing a lot of background footage and we would also, you know, behind-the-scenes stuff and also a commercial free viewing experience for the show when it was out. Stream to the website – that was the bare minimum and then, in high def, too. And for people that couldn’t do that we actually were planning on offering a package that was kind of like a direct download but this is something like the rewards and stuff was something that we kinda wanted to work out with the studios and we came up with some really good ideas, but obviously I thinks that is generally the way we’d want to do it.

So once the process, you want to know the whole process, so basically if we met the goal then everyone would be cashed out. Our payment system is kind of unique in that we can't cash anyone out unless two things happen. Because what we’re doing is a little different than Indiegogo and Kickstarter - we’e actually entering into individual billing agreements with everyone that crowdfunds. So it’s saying given a set of circumstances you will pay this amount of money. So the short of that is if Warner agrees to make the show within a reasonable amount of time and stream it then you'll get these rewards, and then they also have to supply a bank account number and go through an underwriting process. That’s kind of the payment.

Once that was done then we were planning on streaming it commercial rate for anyone that pledged for it and for people that didn’t we would have commercials, kinda do like a Hulu thing.

CT – And at the end of the season people would receive their rewards which could be a DVD package, collectible or maybe even a tour of the studio – that’s the way we imagined it in the first place.

DC – We thought up some pretty cool stuff, too!

MR - Now Warner Brothers told you no - did they give you rationale for why they said no; did they give you or reason or did they just say no?

DC – Well I mean they were a little, um, they said that they were a little - our estimate to raise this amount was a little optimistic. They didn’t think that the fans could raise that amount of money which is kind of funny for us, cause, you know, we see the passion there and we’re like, “Yeah, no, we can do this. We can for sure do this.” But that was kind of a bummer for us, really.

MR - And you guys looked at like production costs so you kind of have…it isn’t like you're just two guys sitting there going, “Hey, I think we can do this” - you guys actually did your homework and looked at the cost of this series and what it would cost based on viewership because you have access to the ratings and such. Is that correct?

CT – For Green Lantern, we had this information that the broadcasting cost is 50% of the production cost. Green Lantern’s production cost is close to $20 million so we would have like to raise $10 million and I think it’s a reachable amount.

DC – What we did was we looked at the market – we looked at what’s known as the DVR +7. We said, “Okay, how many people are watching this?”, and then we looked at online, how many people are watching this online – what numbers we could find. Obviously none of this is perfect.

And then we looked at the average cost of these shows given the type of show they are. So Green Lantern is an animated series, and it’s a 3D animated series and CG, so it's a little more expensive and as Chehin noted it’s about $20 million, somewhere in that vicinity to produce one full season. Our goal was to just do a half of that - the broadcasting rights, so I don't mind repeating that I guess. That's kind of how we did it - we really did think, and we really still do think these are plausible numbers to reach.

CT – And if we take the average pledge of people on Indiegogo or Kickstarter we only need like 5% of the viewing population. I believe that at least 5% of Green Lantern’s hardcore fans, like you, will do anything to get their show back.

MR – I’d have probably gone triple digits, you know!

(Laughter)

DC – That’s good!

MR – It’s one thing if I’m doing Kickstarter for a comic book a friend’s doing I might do 25 bucks, but, you know, Green Lantern: The Animated Series – I’d kick in a 100 bucks, you know, whatever! You find that level of people with that level of passion that’ll do it!

DC – Sure, and we wanted to make the rewards - we really wanted to make them really cool so, like, if you’re a collector of the series you know we thought about it, what was it?

CT – I had this idea because I also love Green Lantern, the whole comic books and everything, my ideas was to make a small lantern with the ring and everything. The lantern will hide the DVD inside, so when you bring your ring close to the lantern, then your DVD’s come out.

DC – Just cool, cool collector stuff maybe have that signed by a member of the cast or something, you know? Just COOL stuff!

MR - It makes me want to cry!

(Laughter)

CT – I would love to get this lantern if it exists! It’d be like a super cool DVD boxed set.

MR –That would be awesome - have the top open up or something. Or have it light up. I can just see that too, my wife would be rolling her eyes at me! You know, there are just some things that you have to have! (Laughter) Now, you guys have other shows though that you're working on correct? I was looking at the site earlier today and you have other shows that people are voting for and so on. Are you are you close to having anything ready to go further with, to go to the next level?

CT - I think, so we’ve been contacting Disney for another show we’re working on. We contacted Fox, too.

DC – Uh, DreamWorks. Funny story with Dreamworks is that they told me they can’t connect you to anyone unless they call your first. So, Dreamworks, call us!

(Laughter)

CT – We met with another studio, too, um, I don’t know if it’s safe to….

DC – Yeah, no we probably shouldn't say who we’ve met with other than who we already said, but we’ve we met with some of the people, so I mean it's just a little slow sometimes but we’re making progress. We’re doing everything we can to get these shows back.

MR - I think it's…sorry, go ahead, Chehin.

CT - All these meetings we have the same questions like – do you really think because it’s such a big amount of money, in general we’re talking at least about $10 million. They’re kind of wareful. I think we should really make a point of showing this is possible.

DC – I mean, if we can do one, if we can do one of these shows and get it to $10 million then we can do all of them. That’s what we want to do; we want to save all of them. If fans are willing to do this we think they should be able to.

MR – It’s almost like they don't believe you can do it until you do it, and you almost have to show them. I look at the show and when I said a hundred dollars, but I mean if you think about it, I paid $60 or so to pre-buy all the episodes on Xbox Live because I don't do network TV - I refuse to pay for the cost of cable, pay for channels I don't want and blindly pay for content I have no voice in. I’d rather buy the content I want to watch whether I subscribe to Hulu and Netflix and buy the episodes individually of shows that I can’t get through those other two avenues. That's what I choose to do – so if I’m already spending 60 bucks or so to buy a series full of episodes I'd certainly be willing to pay $100 to not only get them digitally and then get them on DVD or Blu-ray later on. To me that's a no-brainer. And it’s putting the power in the consumer's hands versus the advertisers (and the toymakers) and those kinds of things.

CT – Our idea is to give you a lot more than what you just said for $100.

DC – Yeah, make it worth your while, for sure.

MR - I think people are willing to pay a premium for the things they really love and I think in some cases because it may not be “mainstream”; that sometimes those shows get short shrift because are considered genre shows and they get shuffled to bad time slots, they don't make it for whatever reason. Or they get canceled because of toy sales for toys that don't exist! Those kinds of things happen and then you’re left pounding your head against the wall and I think we as fans are all looking for something like SMGO to be able to fund things that we believe in. We can make things happen because the power ultimately is in our hands if we choose to take that power. I think there are a lot of people who are in that pacifistic role of “I’m paying for this and I'll take what they give me and I’ll keep watching it because if I don't watch what they give me next then they won’t make something else even though they’ve taken away something I love.”

DC – Yeah, I mean what I think when we talked about this for a minute before. We’re not saying that they shouldn't make new content, either - we really want them to make new content. We’re just saying that if there are groups that are willing to pay for this content that really resonates that's strong with people then let them pay for it and let them have their content. There’s like…go ahead Chehin.

CT – There’s also, one thing is, like, finish the story!

(Laughter)

MR – Yeah, the worst thing is when they’re in the middle of a long form story and it end before it ends!

CT – And everybody’s waiting to know what happened with Aya and Razer! What’s this thing with the Blue Lantern!? Just finish the damn story!

(Laughter)

MR - You feel exactly the same things that all the fans are saying is that it ended with such a great bookend of the book but not quite because, as with any kind of serialized storytelling, you can’t…you can never have a clean break – you always have to have some connective tissue to what you’re going to do in a subsequent season. There were things that were in this his first season of Green Lantern that really foreshadowed “Blackest Night”, and if you haven't read the Green Lantern comics, that's one of the biggest DC comics miniseries in the last five years or so and they were actually putting some building blocks in that would've led towards that. The producers actually said, “we think we have a way to pull this non-Saturday morning kids’ show storyline off in a Saturday morning kids’ show.” I think people were really interested in seeing where that was going to go and in those two particular non-comics characters of Razer and Aya they told such a fantastic story and those are the two characters people latched onto more than anything else.

DC – Yeah, it was great!

CT - I mean, yes I loved the story and for me if you just give me one season more it would the opportunity for the writers and producers of the show, to Giancarlo Volpe for Green Lantern, to finish his story and give everybody closure. We don’t expect to do ten or twenty seasons of Green Lantern, but our purpose is to give everybody closure with SMGO and to all the shows that are just canceled in the middle of the story.

DC – Yeah, that’s the big goal. Because that really sucks!

MR – Well, is there anything else you want to say to the fans to wrap things up – is there anything else that would be useful for you guys to share with fans? Because I know there’s a lot of people online that are asking questions about the meeting and what's going to happen and obviously this chapter is sort of closed. But is there anything if you could say anything to the fans right now that have questions I want to give you the opportunity to say whatever it is you like to say to people.

DC – Well, actually on that note we’re going to be coming out with a video series explaining the next steps as we see it and we’d really liked everyone to check those out. We’re just putting them together right now, editing them, so it shouldn’t be very long. That should really give a good idea where I think we should go.

CT- Because we will keep fighting to get this show back, that’s really what SMGO is about. So it’s not just “they said no”, what’s next it coming soon.

DC – Before we go, too, we also really want to thank you and thank the rest of, everyone who supported us - really the whole community - it's been so phenomenal and we’re so happy to be doing this and we’re not gonna give up the fight.

MR - I think as a Green Lantern fan. Hal Jordan never takes no for an answer. (Laughter) So where there’s a will there's a way, you know! I’ve gotta put a Green Lantern spin on it. Thank you guys for your time this afternoon to talk about this stuff because I think has been a lot of interest and people want to know what happened. The studio’s obviously not telling us anything and I certainly don’t want to put you guys in a bad position to talk about something you couldn't talk about or that would endanger what you guys are working on. Know that there's a whole huge fan community that are behind these two shows and are willing to do a lot of things short of maiming and killing people! (Laughter) We’re not going there, but we’re willing to flood phone lines, send emails, flood Twitter and Facebook to get it out there. I think really it falls on us as fans to not let the ball stay dropped. We have to be on at all times and keep going and it's only going to not succeed if we give up the fight.

DC – Yep, this is a fan initiative and it’s all about you guys. Let’s do this – let’s save the shows!

MR - Thanks guys!

CT – Thank you, Myron!

DC – Thanks, Myron!

Green Lantern Comics Solicitations for August 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Myron Rumsey) — Fri, 10 May 2013 12:23:00 PDT

DC Comics has provided advanced August 2013 solicitations to Comic Vine for the Green Lantern family of books. The taglines reveal a bit of spoilery information for Red Lanterns but otherwise reveal nothing beyond continuing to establish the directions for the new creative teams. This post may be updated later if the full solicitations reveal any more Green Lantern related information.

GREEN LANTERN #23
Written by ROBERT VENDITTI
Art and cover by BILLY TAN and RICHARD FRIEND
1:25 Variant cover by RAGS MORALES
On sale AUGUST 7 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Combo pack edition: $3.99 US

Hal struggles with his new role as leader of the Green Lantern Corps while he tries to solve the mystery of why the universe is atrophying! And an escaped prisoner has gotten hold of a power that makes her nearly unstoppable! The stage is set for the ultimate test against Relic!

This issue is also offered as a combo pack edition with a redemption code for a digital download of this issue.

GREEN LANTERN CORPS #23
Written by ROBERT VENDITTI and VAN JENSEN
Art and cover by BERNARD CHANG
1:25 Variant cover by RAGS MORALES
On sale AUGUST 14 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

John Stewart is the new training officer for the Green Lantern Corps, but he’ll have to put his new job on hold when the Durlans attack! Meanwhile, Fatality’s on a mission of her own—one that could make John’s life even more difficult! And what is going wrong with the Corps’ rings?

GREEN LANTERN: NEW GUARDIANS #23
Written by JUSTIN JORDAN
Art by BRAD WALKER and DREW HENNESSY
Cover by RAFAEL ALBUQUERQUE
1:25 Variant cover by RAGS MORALES
On sale AUGUST 21 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

Relic deals a game-changing blow to the Corps as the final pieces are put in place for the ultimate battle to save the universe! Do not miss this issue!

RED LANTERNS #23
Written by CHARLES SOULE
Art and cover by ALESSANDRO VITTI
1:25 Variant cover by RAGS MORALES
On sale AUGUST 28 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+

Guy Gardner is embedded deep within the Red Lantern Corps—but did he just lose his only way out? And what does Atrocitus intend to do with the terrible power of the embodiment of rage known as the Butcher?

LARFLEEZE #3
Written by KEITH GIFFEN and J.M. DeMATTEIS
Art by SCOTT KOLINS
Cover by HOWARD PORTER
1:25 Variant cover by RAGS MORALES
On sale AUGUST 28 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

Larfleeze and Stargrave find an unlikely ally when the Wanderer comes calling!

Source: Comic Vine

Promotional Power RIngs Make a Comeback

noreply@blogger.com (Myron Rumsey) — Thu, 09 May 2013 08:44:00 PDT

One of the coolest things about the Blackest Night event was the great power ring promotion where fans could collect the rings from the entire emotional spectrum. With June bringing a change in the creative teams for all the titles in the Green Lantern family of books DC is once again pulling out the power ring promotion, however this time around the rings will have a matte finish instead of the gloss finish the initial rings had.

Retailers have the option to buy bags containing fifty rings each for every twenty five copies of the books ordered. According to Bleeding Cool the following rings have been linked to each of the following issues:

Green Lantern #21 - green
Green Lantern Corps #21 - blue
Green Lantern: New Guardians #21 - indigo
Red Lanterns #21 - red
Larfleeze #1 - orange
Green Lantern Corps #22 - white
Green Lantern: New Guardians #22 - yellow
Red Lanterns #22 - violet
Larfleeze #2 - black

Source: Bleeding Cool

SMGO.TV Moves Forward with Young Justice

noreply@blogger.com (Myron Rumsey) — Mon, 06 May 2013 07:12:00 PDT

Before my official conversation began with the men behind SMGO.TV yesterday we spoke a little about moving ahead and trying to prove to Warner Brothers that crowd sourcing could indeed help pay for the return of both Young Justice and Green Lantern: The Animated Series if they would reconsider it. I shared my thoughts with them and agreed that if they had to begin with one show it would make sense to start with Young Justice due to the fact that the production costs are nearly half of Green Lantern's, making it a goal which would be more likely to be reached.

Today Dave from SMGO has taken to YouTube to reiterate some points from our interview on the Podcast of Oa and to announce that they are indeed going to move forward with using Young Justice as their first example of how crowd sourcing could fund the shows. Later this evening fans will be able to go the SMGO site and indicate how much money you'd commit towards funding the shows if two criteria are met:

The dollar goal is met within the time frame allowed
Production is actually able to take place

It's very impotant to remember that, if either of these things don't happen, you would not pay anything at all. You also wouldn't be financially responsible for your level of participation immediately, at this phase it's only a realistic committment to pay, not an actual financial contribution.

This is an opportunity for fans of either show to work together to show that there is another way to support our favorite shows beyond demographics and toy sales.

Podcast of Oa Episode 47 - SMGO.TV Interview

noreply@blogger.com (Myron Rumsey) — Sun, 05 May 2013 17:25:00 PDT

Myron Rumsey is joined by SMGO.TV founders Dave and Chehin for an exclusive interview about their attempts to revive both Green Lantern: The Animated Series and Young Justice through crowdsourcing. The two recently met with Warner Brothers about the initiative and were subsequently denied an initial green light to move forward, however the fact that the effort was taken seriously should provide fans with motivation to continue our efforts.

Blog of Oa readers who are hearing impaired will find a transcript of our interview in the coming days.

The Podcast of Oa is the official podcast of the Blog of Oa and a proud member of the Comics Podcast Network. Share your comments and questions by calling the show’s voicemail line at 406-PODOFOA (406-763-6362) while Skype users can leave a voicemail on the show's account, blogofoa. Send your emails to greenlantern@stny.rr.com. You can also find the Blog and Podcast of Oa on Facebook and Google+. The Podcast of Oa is sponsored by Heroes Your Mom Threw Out Comic Shop.

Green Lantern and other related characters are the copyrighted property of DC Comics Inc. and are used without permission. The Blog of Oa and the Podcast of Oa are fan productions and do not claim any ownership over the Green Lantern or any other copyrighted properties.

Show Links:
SMGO (www.smgo.tv)
Heroes Your Mom Threw Out Comic Shop (www.momthrewout.com)

Show Notes

00:00:00 Intro
00:00:55 SMGO Interview
00:29:43 Listener Feedback
00:41:24 Closing

WB and SMGO a No Go

noreply@blogger.com (Myron Rumsey) — Fri, 03 May 2013 05:58:00 PDT

DC Nation fans have one more strike against trying to get both Young Justice and Green Lantern: The Animated Series back on the air. The hopeful meeting between Warner Brothers and SMGO.TV was not quite as productive as anyone would have hoped with Warner Brothers basically denying access to either one of their intellectual properties. The short answer is that Warner Brothers doubted that suitable financing could be obtained from fans even in light of the overwhelming support for the Veronica Mars Kickstarter project, which incidentally was approved by......Warner Brothers.

There's more to the story for sure and I hope to get some of the details in the next Podcast of Oa episode where I'll be interviewing one of the founders of the site and discuss how SMGO works, what their vision for the shows might have been and more about their conversations with Warner Brothers.

This should be motivation for us to keep up the pressure on the studio, Cartoon Network and other potential media outlets like Netflix and Hulu to try to get more of our favorite shows.

Injustice: Gods Among Us Review

noreply@blogger.com (Myron Rumsey) — Thu, 02 May 2013 12:35:00 PDT

I've been a gamer about as long as I've been a Green Lantern fan, cutting my baby gamer teeth on an Atari 2600, probably the best Christmas present that Santa Claus ever put under my family's tree. Over the years there have been some great comic book inspired video games and some real duds, but in the current generation of games the quality has improved greatly both in terms of the basic gameplay and storytelling, more often getting it right than wrong. Warner Brothers has done a great job with DC products like the superb Batman series by developer Rocksteady Studios and now we have the latest DC Comics game by Warner Brothers' acquisition and creator of the legendary Mortal Kombat games, NetherRealm Studios, Injustice: Gods Among Us.

First and foremost Injustice: Gods Among Us is a fighting game but NetherRealm has done a great job of making sure that there is both simplicity in the game mechanics for players that find the complex combo systems associated with the genre as well as the depth demanded by the veteran fighting game lover. I tend to fall somewhere in the middle myself and was able to play through the game with the default medium difficulty setting fairly easily. I will fully admit to having some difficulties with pulling off some of the combo moves - a combination of what I'm sure is my ever-advancing age and the poorly designed d-pad on the Xbox 360 controller. This is one genre that tends to play better on the Playstation platform since the one thing Sony's controller has over the Xbox is the d-pad for fighting games. This in particular made the training levels in the STAR Labs challenges frustrating for me and as a result I haven't explored that part of the game in much detail.

Where the game really excels is in the story telling department and NetherRealm wisely worked with veteran comic writers Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti to craft a powerful and dark story which plays off of the multiple Earth scenario. Just what would it take to push Superman over the edge and into territory which not only makes us fear him, but empathize with him as well? As the opening cinematic rolls you learn that this isn't quite our Superman, but one that is always a grim possibility. When Superman crosses the line the rest of world truly understands why super powered characters are just as much of a potential threat as they are a benevolent force for good. A line is drawn and the surviving DC Universe characters are forced to choose sides with dramatic results.

The Green Lantern Corps gets a cameo as well

The single player campaign does a great job of weaving narrative driven cinematic cut scenes with the various fights where the player takes control of one of the characters in the melee. There is something gleefully fun in pitting characters against each other that would normally shake hands rather that rattle swords. There was a lot of attention paid to detail not only in the story but in the interactive environments. Things like knocking your opponent into a melee going on in the background between Giganta and Black Atom only to see him or her become a part of their battle before being thrown back into the fray is pure fanboy joy, and the fighting arenas are littered with odes to DC's mythology. NetherRealm has truly embraced the universe these characters inhabit and brought it into the game in a creative way.

"Time to kick my ass!"

Each character also has a super move that really pushes and over the top game even further over the top, although I'll admit that it gets a little boring after a while since each character only has one move and the whole concept could have really been enhanced by offering a number of randomly or environmentally determined options. There's something that takes you out of it when you start to question how Aquaman could summon a shark to the Watchtower let alone Batman getting the Batmobile there.

The wager system allows for a little bit of strategy to enter the game, forcing the player to consider how much of their superpower bar to gamble against their opponent to determine the outcome. Those moments are fun to watch and the dialogue is cleverly written to ensure that character's statements make sense given the opponent they are pitted against. The system can result in tilting the scales in the overall battle, something that may or may not sit well depending on which end you happen to be sitting on.

Hal's supermove includes an unpleasant bus trip to Oa

Gray and Palmiotti also use the story to address an initial concern from comics fans regarding how certain non-powered characters could go toe to toe with DC's powerhouses let alone survive the seemingly cataclysmic pummeling they receive. While some might seem it to be a little contrived I thought it was very creative, and dare I say literally a ~~5U93R~~ super idea!

Outside of the single player story mode there's of course local and network player versus player modes that offers a lot of reasons to pop the game in once you've played the story mode. The one downside I found in the online play was in the inability to get an instant rematch against someone you just fought and being forced back to the matchmaking system. There are also battle modes where you can take any character and work through any one of a number of scenarios with them.

Classic battle mode reveals an interesting ending for the character you chose and those range from question inducing to the really, really cool. Green Lantern's ending, for example, left me wanting to know more about the mysterious events that happen afterwards while Sinestro's had me fist pumping the air. One thing that quickly became annoying in the battle modes was seeing the same ending sequence for a character at the end of every fight. It might have been better if, like the super moves, there were multiple fight enders perhaps driven by the foe in the battle or the choice of arena.

The narrative pits ally against ally as DC's heroes and villains must take sides

There's also the aforementioned STAR Labs challenges that feature a number of mini games which adds a bit more gameplay for you financial investment. These don't connect back to the main story but they are fun little tasks that you can play through to add some variety to the game or for something to do when you don't have much time.

Something that NetherRealm did that I think is really great is allowing the player to post customized move lists on the screen to help learn the moves for a particular character. I found this particularly helpful in trying to remember moves in the heat of a battle and I applaud them for providing tools like this as well as practice mode to help players learn the characters they want to explore. As much as NetherRealm showed their love of the universe in the game design they likewise made sure that the moves made sense for each character and that alternate skins line up with various costume incarnations that actually appeared at some point in a character's history.

You get to fight with, and against Sinestro and other infamous DC villains

Playing through the game allows you to "level up" the characters and earn points in the game's ecosystem that provides you the chance to unlock alternate costumes, concept art, elements for your player card and more. It's a neat way to reward players and what I found really cool is how the game interconnects with the iOS version, allowing gamers who own both to unlock rewards in one version for things done in the other.

The character roster is pretty diverse and there's something there for everyone. Some choices might seem odd at first and there's surely going to be a segment of the fan community that is dismayed that character A got chosen over character B, but NetherRealm looked at the entire DC roster and chose characters that had to be there and balanced the roster with characters that not only were fan favorites but met the needs in balancing the game and providing a roster that lined up with a number of different player styles. Lobo has already been announced as the first of four DLC characters, so there's still a chance that your favorite character didn't get completely left out.

Something of particular note for Green Lantern fans comes by way of Best Buy, who offered code which unlock a Blackest Night costume for Batman as well as "Zombie Mode". Many people had difficulty finding zombie mode in the game's menu system due to some sort of bug (solution for that can be found here), but the mode itself really does little more than toggle all of the characters' appearance rather than provide a new gameplay mode. While it's not false advertising I think I'm in the majority in hoping that it was more of a true Blackest Night series of battles rather than a mass skin pack setting.

Since the first Marvel Ultimate Alliance game I've been really looking for a similar experience in the DC Universe that had the same compelling story telling and provided a similar cinematic presentation. Injustice: Gods Among Us does just that inside of the fighting game genre. Your enjoyment will likely be colored by the style of gameplay and for many comics fans it might not be your cup of tea. Knowing that you don't need to be a fighting game expert will hopefully encourage people to pick the game up to experience the story and maybe learn to like the genre a little more. That was my experience and while I fully realize that I'm never going to be as competitive at the game as others the story and pure fun make the game a worthwhile addition to my library. Injustice: Gods Among Us is a superhero romp unlike any other and a game I'm glad gave me blisters on the my thumbs!

For those who don't want to give the game a try but want to see what the story is all about, the video below contains all of the cut scenes strung together. Four out of five Lanterns.

Red Lanterns #19 Review

noreply@blogger.com (Myron Rumsey) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 20:13:00 PDT

Red Lanterns ended last month on a high note, providing an interesting study in human nature and setting the stage for what could be an awesome conclusion to Atrocitus' story. Given the hit and miss track record of the series I was really rooting for this issue to be the home run this title really needs. Unfortunately the penultimate issue in Peter Milligan's run comes up short on living up to the potential this issue had.

The Story -

Rankorr opens the issue as he tries to explain his ruse to Kim, the young woman he courted while disguising himself as a regular human. Kim rejects Rankorr and he returns to confront Bleez for outing him last issue and she once again makes a move to get his blood so she can gain the ability to make constructs. Their ensuing fight is interrupted by Atrocitus' call for action and his sacred order that his Red Lantern Corps destroy him despite the protestations from his Manhunters.

Atrocitus sets plans in motion for his own demise......kind of

Around the universe the Red Lantern Corps responds to their new directive differently, with some such as Zilius Zox almost unwilling to kill their leaders while others like Bleez and Dex-Starr willing to follow the order. The Five Inversions continue to play with Ratchet, however in the end they decide to let him go in order to carry out Atrocitus' mission and soon Atrocitus is surrounded by Red Lanterns who begin to dish out vengeance on him.

Bleez and Rankorr enter the battle, but something Rankorr says resonates with Atrocitus as he waits for his former comrades to finish killing him that changes his course, and soon he begins feeding off the rage of others. As Atrocitus grows stronger and reneges on his order claiming that for the first time he truly feels the rage of his followers instead of being blinded by his own anger. His admission turns the tide and the issue closes with the entire Red Lantern Corps heads for Oa.

Hopefully this isn't the last we see of the Five Inversions

The Writing -

I have to say that I was left a little perplexed by this issue and where Peter Milligan is going with the story of Atrocitus. I was rather looking forward to him being killed, honorably sacrificing himself for his decisions and bringing his story full circle in a fitting ending. What really has me scratching my head is how in issues past Atrocitus dished out vengeance as a form of "hyper-justice", avenging those who were unjustly punished by others. Now we're supposed to believe that this was all just an act because Atrocitus in the end is apparently too consumed by his own rage to feel anything else.

The plot at this point just unraveled for me and between that and the awkward nature of Manhunters who seem a little too organic I was never able to fully engage this issue. As I've commented before this title does read better when you read several issues together, so maybe when the Wrath of the First Lantern concludes I'll think differently of the book on another read through.

Atrocitus has a change of heart

The Art -

Will Conrad steps in for this issue with very mixed results. His style doesn't convey the sheer raw power of the Red Lanterns like Miguel Sepulveda does and for the most part the facial work fails to convey any real emotion. Zilius Zox in particular is painful on the eyes.

What Do I Think?

Red Lanterns #19 pulls a bit of a bait and switch on the reader, but rather than providing a satisfying alternative to what we're led to expect it ends up being a hollow experience. For a series that should be powerful and something intense to read Red Lanterns lacks the punch is should be delivering. The art does little to elevate a perplexing script. Two out of five lanterns.

Sneak Peek of Green Lantern #20

noreply@blogger.com (Myron Rumsey) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 13:22:00 PDT

DC Comics' The Source Blog has a sneak peek at the upcoming conclusion to Geoff Johns' epic run on Green Lantern. The $7.99 oversized issue features 66 pages including artwork by fan favorites like Doug Mahnke, Ethan Van Sciver, Aaron Kuder, Ivan Reis, Jerry Ordway and others.

Johns commented, "I'm extremely grateful for being able to conclude our run on Green Lantern with this monster of an issue," Johns told The Source. "I'm moving on feeling very proud of what my creative collaborators and I have done over the years with the Green Lantern universe. Thanks to all the readers out there who've been with us for this adventure. I can't wait until #20 is in your hands -- the last several pages in particular."

Source: The Source Blog

Green Lantern: New Guardians #19 Review

noreply@blogger.com (Myron Rumsey) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 11:02:00 PDT

The Wrath of the First Lantern has been less about wrath so far ad more about psychological warfare much to the dismay of many fans, and while I'd agree that the title is more than a little misleading I have to admit that "The Mindgames of the First Lantern" doesn't pack as much of a punch. Throughout the final opus of the Johns era we've been waiting for something to justify the title, and while Green Lantern: New Guardians #19 doesn't have Volthoom anywhere in the book it does manage to help set the stage for the final gambit.

The Story -

Kyle Rayner and Carol Ferris find themselves in a debris field where Korugar should be with the White Latnern having a difficult time managing the overwhelming loss of life that resulted from Volthoom's destruction of the planet in Green Lantern #19. A brief flashback fills in the gap between this issue and the last before returning to Kyle who continues to struggle while wondering how all this will affect Sinestro.

Carol and Kyle are no match for a driven Sinestro

Speaking of the devil, Sinestro arrives on the scene and accuses Rayner of joining forces with the First Lantern and rebuking Carol Ferris for asking about Hal Jordan. As Sinestro moves Carol out of the way and makes a play for Kyle's new ring, B'Dg and Simon Baz arrive. Baz recognizes Carol from the vision of her that Sinestro used to distract Hal and he shares with her the devastating news that Hal didn't make it back from the Dead Zone.

Sinestro's impatience grows thin and he demands that Kyle use his power to restore Korugar and her people, but despite Kyle's valiant attempt he finds himself unable to accomplish the task. Sinestro takes the ring from an exhausted Kyle's finger, but the ring finds him unsuitable and leaps to Baz's hand. He, too, is unable to resurrect Sinestro's brethren and the ring makes a short trip back to Kyle. It's then that Sinestro realizes that he has no recourse now, grabbing the yellow power battery and taking off for Oa in search of revenge on Volthoom, leaving a grieving Carol Ferris in his wake.

Kyle's new powers are severely tested on a scale he's never encountered before

The Writing -

Tony Bedard has the task of helping position some of the cast for the final chapter of the Wrath of the First Lantern and in trying to set everything up his success is a bit of hit and miss for the issue as a whole. While Kyle's wrestling with the overwhelming death that surrounds him is the beginnings of an exploration of the nature of the White Lantern there's the unnecessary distraction of Baz and B'Dg that undermines the potential of the story despite the fact that it acts as a good story device for Carol to be similarly challenged upon finding out the supposed fate of Hal Jordan.

Sinestro continues to come across to me as someone who is becoming increasingly desperate, abandoning his true nature out of fear. And perhaps that's a side effect of his return as a Green Lantern, that he has for so long embraced and used fear as a weapon that he can't truly overcome his own anymore until he's now reached a point where it's ruling him more than he's controlling it. There's a part of me that agrees with a lot of the fan speculation that the finale of this arc will be a turning point for the character and he will either re-embrace his role as a leader of the Sinestro Corps or he'll redeem himself at the right moment and perhaps pay the ultimate price in doing so.

Which fate will Sinestro choose?

The Art -

Andres Guinaldo steps in for this issue and does a really good job overall. In particular I liked his work on Carol and Sinestro this issue. Nothing spectacular over all, but more appealing that a lot of fill-in artists I've seen in the past.

What Do I Think?

If anything I feel a little like issue nineteen was a bit of a filler and did little more than move the characters around in order for them to be where they need to be for the finale. It's unfortunate because there was some interesting potential here for diving a bit deeper into the nature of both the Star Sapphires and White Lanterns let alone their earthly ring bearers. Three out of five lanterns.

Green Lantern Nominated for Fan Awards

noreply@blogger.com (Myron Rumsey) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 13:38:00 PDT

The Behind the Voice Actors (BTVA) fan community has opened the voting for their 2012 Voice Acting Awards and Green Lantern: The Animated Series has garnered three major nominations plus several actors who played roles in the show are up for Actor of the Year honors. Members of the site can vote on the awards through the voting page and it costs nothing to register for a free account that would allow you to cast your vote in support of the series and the talented actors who have lent their voice to the show.

Actors from Green Lantern who were nominated are:

Jason Spisak

General Category:

Male Voice Actor of the Year - Kevin Michael Richardson (Kilowog)

Male Voice Actor of the Year - Dee Bradley Baker (Larfleeze)

Male Voice Actor of the Year - John DiMaggio (Kothack)

Male Voice Actor of the Year - Corey Burton (Cleric Loran, Leph)

Male Voice Actor of the Year - Jeff Bennett (Tomar-Re)

Male Voice Actor of the Year - Tom Kenny (Salaak, Zilius Zox)

Female Voice Actress of the Year - Grey DeLisle (Aya, Queen Aga'po)

Female Voice Actress of the Year - Jenifer Hale (Carol Ferris/Star Sapphire, Gi'ata)

Female Voice Actress of the Year - Tara Strong (Iolande)

Grey DeLisle

Television Category:

Best Male Lead Vocal Performance in a Television Series - Action/Drama - Jason Spisak (Razer)

Best Female Lead Vocal Performance in a Television Series - Action/Drama - Grey DeLisle (Aya)

Best Vocal Ensemble in a New Television Series - Green Lantern: The Animated Series

Warners DC Movie Plans Allegedly Includes Green Lantern Sequel

noreply@blogger.com (Myron Rumsey) — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 06:43:00 PDT

The rocky road of Green Lantern's film legacy has it's share of potholes given the on again / off again discussions of a sequel. As the film was wrapping principal photography Warner Brothers had gone so far as to hire a scriptwriter for a sequel and rumors were that the studio had planned on filming a second and third installment back to back. As time passed and the film failed to succeed as everyone had hoped comments from the studio regarding a sequel faded quickly although comments from Jeff Robinov indicated that while the film's performance missed the mark Warner Brothers still believed in the Green Lantern concept and realized the performance was a result of their execution.

Mark Strong as Sinestro

Since then there's been interesting comments from Mark Strong, who looked forward to playing out Sinestro's turn, and Ryan Reynolds who recently indicated that he has no interest in returning to the character for a potential Justice League film. While it seems likely that Warner Brothers would want Reynolds back for such a movie there's also the notion that re-casting the role might do well to divorce any negativity linked to the 2011 film.

Now today comes more interesting news in light of comments made by Robinov that Warner Brothers would be announcing some definitive information regarding their DC Comics film plans. Cosmic Book News is reporting that their Warner Brothers source noted that there is indeed a plan which hinges largely on the success of Man of Steel and 2016 Justice League film. If the source of this information is accurate the current plan is that, should Justice League be a smash, we would see new films every year and that a Green Lantern sequel would move forward as well as other movies based on the Justice League roster. Joseph Kosinski (Tron: Legacy, Oblivion) is the lead choice to direct a Green Lantern sequel due to his experience with CGI.

Source: Cosmic Book News

The Missing Zombie Mode in Injustice: Gods Among Us

noreply@blogger.com (Myron Rumsey) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 14:11:00 PDT

For many Green Lantern fans the Blackest Night DLC for Injustice: Gods Among Us was all the motivation we needed to pre-order the game from Best Buy, but since the game's release players have struggled to find the zombie mode for the game once they used their download code. After some trial and error I've come across a solution which resolves the issue.

Batman's Blackest Night threads

First off, make sure you used the code for zombie mode. Best Buy should have sent you two codes, one for the Blackest Night Batman skin and the other for zombie mode. If you used the code, next verify that you don't have zombie mode by looking in the settings under gameplay settings. If your code worked okay you should see zombie mode as an option. If not, xbox 360 owners can take the following steps to resolve the problem:

Go to the system settings on your xbox
Go to memory and choose your hard drive
Go to the games and apps section
Go to the Injustice folder
Delete the game update file and the zombie mode add on
Go back to the main dashboard and boot up Injustice which will re-trigger downloading the game update file.
Exit the game
Go to the system settings on your xbox
Go into the account section
Go to download history
Highlight and select the zombie mode add on and choose to re-download it.

When you go back into the game zombie mode should find it now in the gameplay settings as an option to toggle on and off. It appears that perhaps using the code before the game update is installed may have triggered the error. While you won't get Blackest Night costumes for the characters, they will all have their costumes tattered with grey complexions and glowing red eyes.

Something similar may work for Playstation 3 owners and if anyone has success fixing any problem that gamers may be having with their version, please post a comment below for your fellow gamer.

Relic Revealed as New Green Lantern Villian

noreply@blogger.com (Myron Rumsey) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 08:53:00 PDT

As part of the "What's New in the New 52" series, DC Comics revealed today on their website the name and appearance of Relic, the new major villain hinted about in the July Green Lantern solicitations. The scale reference gives an indication that this new adversary is a threat of immense proportions.

Source: DC Comics

Nathan Fillion Returns as Hal Jordan in Flashpoint Animated Movie

noreply@blogger.com (Myron Rumsey) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 08:01:00 PDT

Nathan Fillion recording Emerald Knights

Nathan Fillion, star of ABC's Castle, will be returning to the DC Universe as the voice of Hal Jordan in the upcoming Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox. Fillion has become Warner Brothers go to person for Hal as this is his third time playing the iconic Green Lantern. Fillion's previous experiences doing voiceover work for Hal include Justice League: Doom and Green Lantern: Emerald Knights.

Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox releases on Blu-ray, DVD and digitally on July 30th, 2013.

Green Lantern Corps #19 Review

noreply@blogger.com (Myron Rumsey) — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 19:55:00 PDT

Green Lantern Corps issue nineteen brings Mogo back into the fold, and while the planet sized member of the Corps isn't usually one to socialize this time he's invited the whole Corps over for party games. Everyone that is except for the missing Salaak whom no one seems to notice is absent. The issue isn't much on dialogue, but what it lacks in narrative it more than makes up for with action and a rousing conclusion.

The Story -

Having played around with John Stewart, Guy Gardner and Fatality it appears that Volthoom is about to starting meddling around with the rest of the Green Lantern Corps, but the recently reconstituted Mogo has other plans and makes a stand against the First Lantern. Mogo wraps his fellow lanterns in pieces of his willpower infused outer core, effectively cutting them off from Volthoom's tampering before transporting them from Oa to a central location on his surface.

Mogo socializes

Volthoom is apparently none too pleased with Mogo's act of defiance and he seemingly lands on Mogo's surface before sending constructs of the lanterns in various incarnations of the differing Corps to destroy what little resistance remains. Across the surface of Mogo the enormous battle rages until suddenly the constructs appear to freeze in place. Mogo announces that the First Lantern's arrival and attack was an exercise designed to improve morale and remind the Corps just what they are capable of. The issues ends with a rousing image of the Green Lantern Corps citing the oath in unison.

The Writing -

While not much seems to be going on in this issue to move the overall story along this issue does what is necessary to position the Corps so they can be ready for an assault on the First Lantern in the title's last issue of the story. It also serves to put Mogo back into play in a very big way, allowing for him to play a greater role not only in what's coming up next month but for the new creative team. Tomasi makes a bold decision to keep the exposition light and allows Fernando Pasarin to instead bring the script to life through his pencils.

The Art -

Pasarin takes the ball that Peter Tomasi handed him and really runs with it. There's a great attention to detail and I'm glad to see him show many members of the Green Lantern Corps that have been out of action for a while and remind us that they are still here. Arisia and Soranik Natu in particular are characters who I don't think we've seen since before Flashpoint and I'm really happy to see them in action.

A new war of light

Pasarin does an excellent job showcasing the frantic pace of the battle and the lack of dialogue during the massive fight underscores that the pace of the fight is too great for words to be exchanged, yet the Corps functions as a complete unit needing only to focus their wills as one.

What Do I Think?

Green Lantern Corps #19 reads pretty fast due to the decision to let the action do the talking, something that many have complained as the missing element for the Wrath of the First Lantern story. Fernando Pasarin carries the weight of an issue which prepares the Green Lantern Corps for the final act in Peter Tomasi's run. Four out of five lanterns.

Green Lantern #19 Review

noreply@blogger.com (Myron Rumsey) — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 16:43:00 PDT

Green Lantern issue nineteen provides some of the most dramatic moments in the series since its post Flashpoint relaunch. With Volthoom growing stronger with each passing issue of this story line both Sinestro and Hal Jordan find themselves in two very different but very seemingly powerless scenarios just as the First Lantern seems to have reached his apex.

The Story -

In the Dead Zone Hal Jordan finds himself left behind by Sinestro and Simon Baz with only Tomar-Re beside him and the fallen Black Hand. Hal reasons that if he will have to risk jumping to his death in order to don a Black Lantern ring in order to return and take on the First Lantern, however Tomar-Re solemnly reminds him that a Black Lantern cannot do anything, that during Blackest Night it was Nekron who pulled the strings of the Black Lanterns. Should Hal choose to take the ultimate leap of faith he may very well doom himself to an undesirable fate.

Back in the land of the living Sinestro tries to force Baz to reveal Volthoom's location not realizing that no one in the Chamber of Shadows has that information. Confronted with the Hidden Ones, who now call themselves the Templar Guardians, Sinestro makes his escape and arriving on Korugar where he interrupts Arsona's confrontation with a thug. She's not happy to see him, but softens when Sinestro asks for her help in confronting Volthoom. As the scene begins turning towards something more interpersonal, Volthoom arrives and peruses Sinestro's emotional constellation, finding him to be the being with more turmoil than anyone else he has ever encountered.

The dynamic between Sinestro and Arsona begins to reveal the true nature of their emotions

Sinestro is given an alternate history to witness, one where he amasses an army to fight off the Anti-Monitor and Qward alongside Arsona, his partner in both his professional and personal life. Volthoom reveals that in either reality both Arin Sur and Arsona would die, causing Sinestro to fight back and for the first time show that Volthoom can be hurt. Volthoom reveals that he came to Korugar not for Sinestro, but for the planet itself given how much emotion and turmoil that Sinestro has instilled in his people over the years. With that the First Lantern destroys Korugar, leaving Sinestro as the sole survivor floating unconscious in the ruins.

Back in the Dead Zone Hal and Tomar-Re witness the arrival of the newly dead Korugarians. Seeing that Sinestro is not among them, Hal literally leaps before he has fully looked at the repercussions of his actions, willing himself to commit an act of ultimate sacrifice by choosing his own death. As the issue comes to a close we see Sinestro and Hal both at the ends of their ropes, Hal lying in a pool of his own blood at the bottom of a chasm and Sinestro coming to and seeing the only think left of his homeworld....the yellow power battery he had stored in his headquarters.

The Writing -

There's been a lot said about the Wrath of the First Lantern, most of it critical of the lack of action and dramatic power that fans would expect from Geoff Johns' final story arc after helming the Green Lantern franchise for eight years. While I agree that the level of action hasn't been on par with stories like Sinestro Corps War or Blackest Night, I think there's something to this story that runs deeper than what we've come to expect from Johns.

Volthoom is ready to pick the fruits of Sinestro's failure

There is a common theme among the books during this story arc - that we are all the product of our decisions and that we have the power within ourselves to make our future if we channel our energies towards our goals. In this issue we see Sinestro left with what could be an incredibly difficult choice - to embrace the power that once consumed him or to hold on to the role that originally helped to define him. He's an alcoholic being offered an unlimited tap and there's no one there to help guide him towards making the better personal choice, just he and his id. Meanwhile Hal Jordan, a man who is willpower personified, finds himself overcoming what was his greatest strength by defying his will to live in order to serve the greater good and surrendering himself. To control or be controlled by our definitions of ourselves, to be more than was we are, that's the greater challenge here. On one level it doesn't compare to the all out action we've come to expect, but it's a far more introspective story.

There are a couple of things that I found myself raising my eyebrows over with this issue. One was seeing Sinestro disappear from the Chamber of Shadows and thinking that if Sinestro could get out so easy it seems to fly in the face of what the Chamber was designed for. But then again I think way back to Green Lantern: Rebirth and remember that we saw Sinestro do this back then, shortly after fighting the newly returned Hal Jordan. Combined with the memory that Sinestro has already told Hal that there are things the ring can do that the Guardians kept from their Corps and what Simon Baz has done with his own ring and I'm left thinking that the ring's limitations really do seem to be defined by the ring bearer.

The other thing I have been trying to wrap my head around is the issue of how Arin Sur died. Back in Green Lantern #9 of the previous series we saw that Arin Sur died when the people of Korugar chose to stand up to Sinestro and a child suicide bomber caused a great deal of damage. Here we see that the Manhunters were involved and I'm left wondering if this is a continuity change created by Flashpoint or if this is a history change brought about by Volthoom. Regardless of the source of the change if indeed the Manhunters are tied to Arin's death it does add fuel to Sinestro's feeling towards the Guardians.

Hal's journey is also one that's rife for controversy. Could a man driven by will do something so un-heroic as taking his own life. That's been rolling around in my head for a while and if I find disappointment with this issue its that Johns made it too easy for Hal to jump off that cliff. It seems to me that this should have been Hal's greatest battle - overcoming himself to allow himself to give up his own life. What's lacking is Johns filling in those gaps so that it's a bit clearer to the reader because depending on how one chooses to look at it you get a different experience out of it. But perhaps that's what Johns wants us to do as the reader in this situation - to think about this and decide for ourselves by trying to put ourselves in Hal's shoes. Could any of us summon the willpower to do the unthinkable not knowing how it would work out while having to force down the urge to live. If so that's a gutsy decision and a lot of readers aren't going to take it that way.

Hal's decision is left for the reader to digest and would have been helped along with just a little bit of internal monologue

The Art -

I again love how the creators chose two different artists to handle the Dead Zone and the land of the living sequences. We also see the continuing visual plot thread that Volthoom is continuing to loose his transparency as he rises in power, something that has led to me to think of the First Lantern as not only the first to don a power ring, but as literally the first lantern, a living power source made up of the white energy of creation.

There are a few things that really stood out for me this issue, one being the attention to detail with regard to Sinestro's lair and not only the inclusion of the yellow power battery that shows up again in the final pages but also the symbolic nature of the broken image of Sinestro and Arin Sur as his love for Arsona begins to come to the surface. Visually the decision to show both Hal and Sinestro in their various states in the closing pages was also greatly symbolic of two men who's lives run in such parallels. And one nitpick - Sinestro's ring is on the wrong hand when Korugar is destroyed.

I also feel the need to address the cover which showed some oddly colored lanterns. If it was an attempt to show the familiar lantern colors in different lighting it failed to achieve the desired result and instead led readers to believe that there were some new colors we'd never seen before. We all know it's not uncommon for covers to not match the contents but at the same time I wouldn't expect for a cover to go as far as to imply something of that magnitude that simply isn't true.

What Do I Think?

The penultimate issue of Geoff Johns Green Lantern run features some powerful if sometimes understated moments. With Korugar gone and Hal Jordan dead we're left with a lot of questions to be answered in the oversized conclusion. While the issue does propel the overall story forward it would have been served well with a little bit of insight into the minds of our lead characters in light of how little page time they've had in recent months. Four out of five lanterns.

Podcast of Oa Episode 46 - Raging Lanterns

noreply@blogger.com (Myron Rumsey) — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 11:40:00 PDT

Co-host Myron Rumsey is joined by special guest co-host Sean Whelan from the Raging Bullets podcast for episode 46 of the Podcast of Oa. Sean and Myron talk about the recent controversy surrounding the alleged plan to kill off John Stewart and comment about Warner Brothers recent statements about an upcoming announcement addressing their plans for movies based on DC Comics properties.

This episode catches us up with the most recent issues of the Green Lantern family of books, covering the eighteenth issues of New Guardians and Red Lanterns, plus the nineteenth issues of Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps. Along the way Sean names two more of the lesser known divisions of the emotional spectrum and we talk a bit about the impact that the Internet has had on comics and the relationships between fans and creators, death in comics and ways that the digital format could be leveraged to provide content that might not work as well in print.

The Podcast of Oa is the official podcast of the Blog of Oa and a proud member of the Comics Podcast Network. Share your comments and questions by calling the show’s voicemail line at 406-PODOFOA (406-763-6362) while Skype users can leave a voicemail on the show's account, blogofoa. Send your emails to greenlantern@stny.rr.com. You can also find the Blog and Podcast of Oa on Facebook and Google+. The Podcast of Oa is sponsored by Heroes Your Mom Threw Out Comic Shop.

Green Lantern and other related characters are the copyrighted property of DC Comics Inc. and are used without permission. The Blog of Oa and the Podcast of Oa are fan productions and do not claim any ownership over the Green Lantern or any other copyrighted properties.

Show Links:
Raging Bullets podcast (www.ragingbullets,com)
Heroes Your Mom Threw Out Comic Shop (www.momthrewout.com)

Show Notes
00:00:00 Intro
00:09:40 John Stewart Controversy / DC Movie News
00:29:09 New Guardians #18
01:06:00 Red Lanterns #18
01:36:45 Green Lantern #19
02:19:00 Green Lantern Corps #19
02:33:10 Listener Feedback
02:47:45 Closing

Powerful Opening Cinematic for Injustice

noreply@blogger.com (Myron Rumsey) — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 12:51:00 PDT

Gamestop has released the opening cinematic for the Injustice: Gods Among Us videos which is scheduled for release on April 16th. The video is powerfully dramatic, drawing on events which have been fleshed out in the comic book tie-in explaining how this version of the DC Universe ends up where it does.

Infinite Crisis Video Highlights Green Lanterns Abilities

noreply@blogger.com (Myron Rumsey) — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 06:45:00 PDT

Turbine, the studio behind the upcoming MOBA game based on the DC Universe titled Infinite Crisis, has released a new video for the game highlighting the Green Lantern character's powers and abilities.

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