The Blog of OA

Behind the Scenes Footage From Green Lantern

greenlantern@stny.rr.com (Myron Rumsey) — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:21:00 PDT

The following footage was posted on You Tube for some filming on location in New Orleans. You can hear what sounds like Martin Campbell giving some directions in terms of the tone of what the extras are doing in the scene - and that's running and screaming.

It doesn't appear that any of the major characters were on hand for the scene, leading me to believe that this might be a reactionary shot to something that Hector Hammond is doing.

Audio from Green Lantern Teaser Video

greenlantern@stny.rr.com (Myron Rumsey) — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 14:32:00 PDT

MultiPurposePoni from ComicBookMovie.com put the full audio from the teaser footage shown during the Green Lantern panel at the San Diego Comic-con up on their site today. I took the audio and have added footage from a fan made trailer and slides from the promotional art to give you something to look at while your listening to it. We can only imagine how good it looked for those lucky enough to see it until it's either released by Warner Brothers or someone leaks the video that they might have shot. Geoff Johns did say the general population would be seeing something official by the holidays.

WB Releases Green Lantern Teaser Posters

greenlantern@stny.rr.com (Myron Rumsey) — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 15:11:00 PDT

After the panel at Comic-con this past weekend lucky fans got to get autographs from the actors starring in the Green Lantern film. Fans were able to get free teaser posters in the autographs line that featured Hal Jordan, Sinestro, Carol Ferris or Hector Hammond.

Today Warner Brothers released those promotional images to the masses. The posters cleverly use the Green Lantern oath as well as the insignia design so that each set of posters can be put together to make a larger image. Also interesting is the use of yellow on the right side of the insignia on Hector Hammond's poster.

Warners Releases GL SDCC Video

greenlantern@stny.rr.com (Myron Rumsey) — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 10:41:00 PDT

This one shows some of the San Diego Comic-con Green Lantern panel footage as well as a quick Ryan Reynolds interview at their signing booth.

MTV Interviews Reynolds and Lively

greenlantern@stny.rr.com (Myron Rumsey) — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 09:10:00 PDT

More videos from yesterdays press event continue to hit the Internet, these two interviews with Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively courtesy of MTV. Reynolds address the costume controversy head on.

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

Ryan Reynolds Recites the GL Oath

greenlantern@stny.rr.com (Myron Rumsey) — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 23:05:00 PDT

At the Green Lantern panel there was a moment when a young boy asked Ryan Reynolds what it was like to recite the oath. See his response for yourself as well as some great comments from Reynolds on what he sees in Hal Jordan.

Green Lantern: Emerald Empire SDCC Report

greenlantern@stny.rr.com (Myron Rumsey) — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 20:55:00 PDT

Geoff Johns

Geoff Johns, Tony Bedard and Pete Tomasi held a panel today, right after the Green Lantern movie panel, to talk about the growing Green Lantern comics franchise. Some new interesting tidbits came out of the conversation about upcoming events in the three GL titles.

Tony Bedard confirmed that the Weaponer, featured heavily in the second arc of his run on Green Lantern Corps, will indeed be the man who forged Sinestro's ring. He will be going after Soranik Natu. The red ring that Atrocitus recently gave Lobo will lead to some problems between Lobo and L.E.G.I.O.N.

Larfleeze will be caught robbing a house as he continues to be possessed by overwhelming greed that he cannot control. Geoff Johns also said that the Orange Lantern oath is not "Mine!" The White Lanterns do have an oath which will be revealed in an upcoming issue of Brightest Day.

The Dex-Starr Valentines Day special will featured the long awaited meeting between the red kitty of rage and Krypto, the Dog of Steel.

Green Lantern #57

Carol Ferris' status will change in a major way in the August issue of Green Lantern (#57), this is the same issue that Johns stated yesterday provided a great deal of illumination about the Predator. Johns said that readers will learn more about the various entities of the emotional spectrum and some of the beings do not have a positive influence on the members of their respective Corps.

There will be another "Secret Origin" tale, this time featuring Sinestro, drawn by the fabulous Ivan Reis. Editor Eddie Berganza revealed that the rumored "Untold Tales of Blackest Night" issues were not a rumor and would tell stories that occurred during the event that they didn't have time to tell at the time.

Even though the movie panel was over with, Geoff Johns praised Ryan Reynolds as a serious actor and reiterated that we will be happy with the movie.

The Green Lantern animated series was mentioned and it was stated again that the show would premier on the Cartoon Network starting in November of 2011.

GL Press Event Reveals More News

greenlantern@stny.rr.com (Myron Rumsey) — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 20:08:00 PDT

Mark Strong in makeup

After the Green Lantern panel, cast members held a second event for the press where some more information was revealed about the movie. Mark Strong said that Sinestro and Hal have several one-on-one confrontations during the movie because, as he puts it, "Sinestro tests him because he does not believe a human can handle the Corps."

Strong describes a scene early on in Hal's training where Sinestro and Kilowog are pushing Hal pretty hard and Hal pushes back, leading to a faceoff between the veteran and the new recruit. Oh, and the picture one the right comes from a poster given out at the event showing the first glimpse of Sinestro's look for the movie.

Entertainment Weekly and Fandango had video interviews with the cast, with topics ranging from the appeal of the Green Lantern character to the white glove controversy. You can view the videos by expanding the article.

Green Lantern SDCC Delights and Disappoints

greenlantern@stny.rr.com (Myron Rumsey) — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 13:13:00 PDT

Ryan Reynolds

As I reported earlier, Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively were to join Martin Campbell on stage in San Diego. In addition Mark Strong (Sinestro), Peter Sarsgaard (Hector Hammond), Producer Donald Deline, Greg Berlanti and Geoff Johns also took the stage in what was panel that could best be describe as disappointingly exciting. By that I mean that there was unfortunately very, very little of footage shown, but that most of the comments from the cast and crew left me excited for what's to come.

What makes this particularly disappointing are the high hopes that DC Entertainment, Warner Brothers and fans have for this film and the expectations we had as fans for what we might get to see. And what the people in the room saw went by so fast that no one could really jazzed about the movie. The end result will likely be a lot less hype than the "were going to steal the show" comments from DC before the panel led us to believe.

Here's a run down of what happened at the panel as I have summarized it from various live blogs of the show.

The panel started off with an exciting turn as the voice of possibly Abin Sur spoke up as an energy ball appeared on screen. "Welcome inhabitants of sector 2814. The Guardians have chosen you as candidates for enlistment but before you can be recruited, you must be tested. The light you see before you is controlled by your will. Focus on the light. If you will it, it will be. Now, focus."

The screen then filled with the light as it grows, the the quick montage of scenes flew by. Reynolds' voiceover says the Green Lantern oath as they see a close-up of Reynolds as Hal Jordan, his hand holding the ring, we see him in street clothes being pulled upwards and see a later scene in which he's taking on criminals by using the ring to form a giant fist that throws a roundhouse punch knocking out a bunch of guys. We get a very brief glimpse of Hector Hammond and Tomar Re. And that's it.

Mark Strong

Martin Campbell address some of the concerns about the uniform, noting that the white gloves did not look cool enough on film, so they are gone. He also describes the uniform as a skin more than a costume, complete with the muscle lines, but it is still a work in progress.

New Orleans is actually under a hurricane warning while the panel is going on, and it was said that the cast would be leaving as soon as possible to get back to complete filming, which should be completed in three weeks. Ryan Reynolds quipped that it was so hot that "yesterday's weather report was 'actual fire'."

Reynolds continues to impress me with his desire to do a great job. He said that he wanted role after meeting with Campbell, but tested several times because both he and Warner Brothers wanted to make sure he was the right guy for the role. He drew his inspiration for Hal from Chuck Yaeger and Han Solo. When a little boy asked him what it was like to say the oath, Reynolds responds by saying "well, it goes a little something like this", and recited the oath before signing a book for him.

It was mentioned that we'll see a huge number of Green Lanterns in the film, and crew went on to list some the fan favorites that we will see, such as Mogo, Bzzd (Campbell's favorite), Boodika, and Green Man. Kilowog, Sinestro and Tomar-Re would see more screen time that most of the others.

Campbell did say that the film is more "Secret Origin" than "Emerald Twilight" (thankfully) and someone confirmed that Parallax is the major baddie rather than LEGION as was in the first draft. As in "Secret Origin", Carol Ferris will also be a pilot and Blake Lively commented that she can't wait to be the villain so she can "kick Ryan's ass!"

Blake Lively

Geoff Johns said that he and Richard Donner had approached Warner Brothers a decade ago about a Green Lantern film, but were dismayed when the studio representative said to the effect, "can we do it without the ring." Johns was coy about the expanded universe concept with DC's films and when asked about what other characters he'd like to bring to the screen he responded with "Green Lantern 2". He did comment that a Justice League film might hinge on how well Green Lantern fares next June.

As quickly as it started the panel then ended as Reynolds went on to say that he'd been wearing the ring for six months and it was time for him to pass on the ring as Abin Sur did to him. One very lucky member of the audience had the lucky message that he was the winner taped to the underside of his seat and Reynolds presented him with the ring.

As you can see, there was no full length trailer presented and some in attendance described it as a let down. That's very disappointing considering how Warners created quite a bit of expectation that what fans were going to see would wow them. But the reality is that the film is still in production and with all the CG work still to be done it's premature to think we'll see very much at this stage of production. We can only hope that there will be more opportunities made to get fans buzzing about the movie before June 17th, 2011 arrives.

Ethan Van Sciver Draws Reynolds as GL

greenlantern@stny.rr.com (Myron Rumsey) — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 11:42:00 PDT

Van Sciver's exclusive cover

Over on Facebook, artist supreme Ethan Van Sciver earlier this week said that he had drawn Reynolds as Green Lantern for a special variant comic cover that would be exclusive to Comic-con. Van Sciver did say that he likes the movie costume.

GL Movie Official Movie Logo Revealed, Cast to be at SDCC

greenlantern@stny.rr.com (Myron Rumsey) — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 08:07:00 PDT

The official logo

More Green Lantern goodness from the San Diego Comic-Con continues to get out to the general public. DC and Warner Brothers have revealed the official movie logo. It looks very cool, although I was kind of hoping to see the modern logo in the film, but that's certainly a non issue compared to all the things that anyone could have complaints about.

But that's not the end of the news leading up to today's big Warner Brothers panel where fans will get to see the first footage from the upcoming film.

Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively

Having cast and crew on hand at Comic-Con can help make a film successful and Warner Brothers is pulling out the stops to make sure that Green Lantern makes a huge impression. Director Martin Campbell will be at the convention talking about the movie and sharing the highly anticipated footage with the lucky convention goers. But joining him on stage at the panel will be none other than Carol Ferris and Hal Jordan themselves, Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds.

G4 TV will have a live broadcast this afternoon from 3 to 7 pm (check your local listings) and they have mentioned that they will have coverage of the film and will hopefully be giving us the world wide television debut of this teaser footage as well as some time with the movie's cast. If it is aired I will do my best to get a copy of the footage online and right here on the Blog of Oa.

DC Universe Online Trailer Debuts

greenlantern@stny.rr.com (Myron Rumsey) — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 07:42:00 PDT

With the November release of the upcoming DC Universe Online game, Gametrailers TV this morning had the world premiere of the trailer for the game. I've watched it about a dozen times now and I'm still floored by the quality of the CG footage, the voice acting, the music - the whole thing just rocks.

Check it out below or visit the site for the HD version.

Video Games | DC Universe Online | Exclusive Who Do You Trust Trailer HD

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

More GL Merchandise on the Way

greenlantern@stny.rr.com (Myron Rumsey) — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 23:27:00 PDT

In addition to the other merchandise covered yesterday, the Mattel panel reveled some new action figures in the works for the next year. Notable among them were a new "Green Lantern Classic" figures containing two wave of figures with collect and connect figures that would be in stores in 2011.

Arkillo Collect and Connect figure

One of the waves build a figure is Arkillo, shown at left. Other figures in the line include Kyle Rayner, Guy Gardner, Yellow Lanterns Low and Maash, Black Lantern Abin Sur, Sinestro Corp Mongul, a Manhunter, Black Hand and C'hip.

Chunky figures for kids are part of the "Action League" line that will also debut next year with some Green Lantern figures including Tomar-Re, Arkillo, Atrocitus and more. The Fisher Price Imaginext Line will include a Planet OA playset next year and the slide shown at the convention included Kilowog and C'hip.

Continuing the retro classics line of Mego style figures, including in the upcoming releases that Mattel showed off included a new version of Sinestro with his modern uniform and Guy Gardner.

All the slides from the panel, including those shown in this post, come from Toyark.com and you can view all of them by clicking on the site link.

More GL News from Geoff Johns

greenlantern@stny.rr.com (Myron Rumsey) — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 23:05:00 PDT

There were more DC panels today and Geoff Johns provided some more Green Lantern tidbits during one of them.

When asked about the mysterious person collecting the various entities and whether or not this person was a character already known in the DC Universe, Geoff responded "maybe" - which usually means "yes". I'm still maintaining that it's Appa Ali Apsa at this point.

Green Lantern #57

Johns also said that the Predator would be the subject of some exploration in August's Green Lantern issue #57.

Once again the subject of holiday specials featuring various members of the New Guardian came up, with Johns reiterating his intent to do a Larfleeze Christmas special where the Orange Lantern goes in search of Santa Claus. He then mentioned a Dex-Starr Valentine's Day special, a Saint Walker birthday special and one where Atrocitus vomits fireworks on Independence Day. We can only hope he was kidding about those...

And it was also hinted that DC Direct is working on a Red Lantern Guy Gardner figure in response to a question from a fan.

Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters Announced

greenlantern@stny.rr.com (Myron Rumsey) — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 07:11:00 PDT

As with any big superhero blockbuster movie, fans have expected that there would be a video game to go along with next summer's Green Lantern movie. Today Warner Brother Interactive Entertainment formally announced that "Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters" would be released in conjunction with the movie's release in the Summer of 2011 for the Nintendo DS and all three current gaming consoles.

Here's the official press release:

WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE

ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCES

GREEN LANTERN: RISE OF THE MANHUNTERS

Players Continue the Adventures of the Green Lantern Film On Xbox 360®, PlayStation® 3, Wii™ and Nintendo DS™

Burbank, Calif. – July 23, 2010 – Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Entertainment today announced Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters an action-adventure title that will be available in conjunction with Warner Bros. Pictures’ epic superhero feature film Green Lantern scheduled for release Summer 2011. The game will be available for Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation® 3 computer entertainment system, Wii™ and Nintendo DS™ and delivers an immersive experience for GREEN LANTERN fans that the entire family will enjoy.

Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters is inspired by the feature film, which brings the enduringly popular DC COMICS SUPER HERO to the big screen for the first time and which stars Ryan Reynolds in the title role as HAL JORDAN, the newest member of the GREEN LANTERN CORPS. In the videogame players will utilize over a dozen constructs and take flight across the deepest parts of the Universe to restore intergalactic order by wielding the ultimate weapon: the Green Lantern power ring.

“Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters gives players the chance to experience the world of the Green Lantern mythology in an interactive way, going beyond the events of the film and comic books,” said Samantha Ryan, Senior Vice President, Production and Development, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. “The game is the first to center around DC Comics’ Green Lantern franchise and we’re excited to give fans the opportunity to experience the power of the ring with engaging gameplay.”

Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters is in development for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii by Double Helix Games and for Nintendo DS by Griptonite Games.

About the Green Lantern Feature Film

In a universe as vast as it is mysterious, a small but powerful force has existed for centuries. Protectors of peace and justice, they are called the Green Lantern Corps. A brotherhood of warriors sworn to keep intergalactic order, each Green Lantern wears a ring that grants him superpowers. But when a new enemy called Parallax threatens to destroy the balance of power in the Universe, their fate and the fate of Earth lie in the hands of their newest recruit, the first human ever selected: Hal Jordan.

Green Lantern stars Ryan Reynolds in the title role, under the direction of Martin Campbell. Campbell directs the film from a screenplay by Greg Berlanti & Michael Green & Marc Guggenheim and Michael Goldenberg, story by Greg Berlanti & Michael Green & Marc Guggenheim, based upon characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The film also stars Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Mark Strong, Jay O. Sanders, Temuera Morrison, Taika Waititi, Angela Bassett and Tim Robbins. Green Lantern is produced by Donald De Line and Greg Berlanti. Herbert W. Gains and Andrew Haas serve as executive producers. Geoff Johns and Lucienne Papon are co-producing. The film is scheduled for release in 3D and 2D Summer 2011, and will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

About DC Entertainment

DC Entertainment, home to such iconic DC Comics properties as Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, Flash, MAD Magazine, and Fables, is the creative division charged with strategically integrating across Warner Bros. and Time Warner. DC Entertainment works in concert with many key Warner Bros. divisions to unleash its superheroic characters across all media, including but not limited to film, television, consumer products, home entertainment, and interactive games. Publishing over 1,000 comic books, graphic novels and magazines each year, DC Comics is the largest English-language publisher of comics in the world.

About Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, a division of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group, is a premier worldwide publisher, developer, licensor and distributor of entertainment content for the interactive space across all current and future platforms, including console, handheld and PC-based gaming for both internal and third party game titles.

Geoff Johns Dishes on GL at Comic-Con

greenlantern@stny.rr.com (Myron Rumsey) — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 23:14:00 PDT

Geoff Johns

Day 1 at the San Diego Comic-con brought the DC Nation panel as well as another panel that marked DC's 75th anniversary. Geoff Johns was on hand at both panels, and dished out some information on upcoming events in Green Lantern as well as some comments about the upcoming movie.

Everyone's favorite Red Lantern Dex-Starr sees the Red Lanterns are a surrogate family and there will be more pages given to him and it was hinted that there may be a meeting between Dex-Starr and Streaky. Johns confirmed that he's working on a Larfleeze Christmas special and hinted that there may also be a Valentine's special for Dex-Starr if there's enough interest.

There will be another GL Secret Origin arc and it will be drawn by Ivan Reis.

The Green Lantern movie costume was brought up by a fan. Johns said it will not have nipples, making reference to the horrible outfits in the George Clooney Batman film. He did say that when you see it in motion with the final actual costume he has faith that even us purists will be very happy.

Someone asked about the question that Hal was supposed to ask Sinestro in the "Rage of the Red Lanterns" arc and it will finally get asked sometime this year.

Johns commented that, as soon as he got involved into the idea of the emotional spectrum, writing Hal became easier. He also said that he doesn't usually like to write in front of a computer alone. He became uncomfortable going to the dark places he found himself in when writing about Black Hand and it took a lot out of him, commenting that "sometimes I felt like I needed a shower afterwards."

October's GL #59

Speaking of Black Hand, he and the Indigo Tribe will show up in GL #59 and we'll learn more about them, hinting there was more to them that we might think.

Johns doesn't have an issue with the continued comparisons being made between Green Lantern and Star Wars, and said that Ganthet is like Yoda in his potential to kick ass. Mogo's absorption of the Black Lanterns during Blackest Night was not consequence free and there will be repercussions on the horizon.

Someone asked about Johns' workload and inquired about how long Geoff would remain on the Green Lantern book. According to Eddie Berganza it will only be when Johns retires. Johns says he has never thought about leaving.

Johns said that as a kid, his mother would give him ten dollars to help him learn responsibility. He would buy a Little Debbie snack cake for ninety-nine cents for lunch, and then use the remaining nine dollars to buy comics!

A fan asked why Earth is such a focal point in the Green Lantern comic currently. Johns replied that it was to "shake it up," and points to Denny O'Neil as one of his influences, who did many Earth-bound Green Lantern stories. "He'll be back in space soon," Johns said.

GL Goodies from the Convention Floor

greenlantern@stny.rr.com (Myron Rumsey) — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 22:50:00 PDT

One of the great things about Comic-Con is the ability to see a lot of the collectibles coming out months before they reach your favorite retailer.

Take a look at some of the Green Lantern goodies photographed by all the lucky bums having a great time in San Diego.


Here's a better look at those power batteries

Green Lantern Bobblehead

Upcoming Blackest Night Figures

Blackest Night Mini-Busts

And more Mini-Busts

Mini Batteries!

Aren't they cute!

Abin Sur....Revealed!

greenlantern@stny.rr.com (Myron Rumsey) — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 19:28:00 PDT

MultiPurposePoni, the guy getting all the big scoops for Comicbookmovie.com is in San Diego for Comic-con and has already put some exclusive photos out while touring the show floor in advance of the show.

Here lies Abin Sur

Poni has scooped everyone again with the first photos of Abin Sur from a display in the Warner Brothers booth. Abin's body lies in state on the showroom floor for everyone to be able to pay their respects. In addition to the photos on their page, Poni also Twittered the photo at right of Abin's corpse.

SDCC Green Lantern Sneak Peek Courtesy of @Kirby Krackle!

greenlantern@stny.rr.com (Myron Rumsey) — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 16:28:00 PDT

The incredibly cool nerd rock band Kirby Krackle, yes the guys behind the greatest Green Lantern song of all time ("Ring Capacity"), are in San Diego setting up for Comic-Con. And thanks to their uber coolness they've posted a couple of Green Lantern photos from the floor that they snapped and posted on their Twitter feed as they set their booth up.

Kirby Krackle charging up

The first picture they posted was of a really big power battery that is set up near the Mattel booth. With the major movie on its way it's no surprise that Mattel would have a focus on our favorite set of characters.

Rumor has it that Mattel will have not only figures from the movie on display, but a line of DC Universe Classics featuring the Green Lantern Corps.

Get your wallets ready!

But the really cool photo that has me excited is the one they took of a certain display from DC Direct featuring a line of new power battery props for all the rest of the emotional spectrum, including both a black and white battery. It looks like each lantern comes with the prerequisite power ring as well!

In other Comic-con news, DC is really stepping up their efforts to bring the con to fans who can't make the journey to mecca by not only putting out podcasts of all the panels, but slideshows as well. The panels include one entitled "Green Lantern: Emerald Empire" and another that highlights Geoff Johns. This is in addition to the Warner Brothers movie panel that will have an emphasis on the upcoming Green Lantern movie. You can find DC Comics SDCC event page here. Check back here often during Comic-Con where I'll be posting as much Green Lantern information as I can find during the biggest show on Earth Prime!

First Look at Reynolds as GL

greenlantern@stny.rr.com (Myron Rumsey) — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 07:49:00 PDT

Tomorrow's issue of Entertainment Weekly features the exclusive first look at the Green Lantern movie, with the first glimpse of Ryan Reynolds in the GL uniform featured on the cover. The image hit the net today in the kickoff of what will be a push to get some initial exposure for the film. More pictures have come to light as today has progressed showing Reynolds as Hal Jordan and some of the rest of the cast.

The cover of Entertainment Weekly

I'll admit that I'm a little surprised by the uniform - I'm torn between the interesting new look and the traditionalist in me who wants to see a more literal translation of GL's iconic uniform from the comics. It's hard not to get so excited by seeing my favorite character brought to life. I mean, it's not like they gave the costume bat-nipples or anything, right?

Okay, well after looking at the image a lot today I do hope this isn't the final version. My hope, and an idea that others on the Internet have mirrored, is that this is Green Lantern as the uniform is being created on him by the ring and not the final product with Warner Brothers orchestrating this to get some press before revealing the actual uniform in the movie footage that we should be seeing in the next week or so. But it does bear a striking resemblance to the uniform that Tomar-Re was wearing in the concept art that was leaked a while back. To me that's a big gamble since this is a major publication that is capable of reaching a far bigger audience and might turn some people off. It's also a promotional image and there's a tiny chance that if this isn't a mid-transformation image it could not be the finalized uniform.

Hal preparing for battle

I love how they are making Reynolds eyes white behind a mask versus trying to make it look like there are white lenses, and the mask looks great. I also kinda dig the green energy lines, but miss the white gloves and black parts of the costume that accented the green portions of the costume. But again, the uniform is going to be a structure created by the ring, so we can hope that this is a mid-transformation shot of the uniform in the process of being formed. But I'll also say that I'm disappointed in the use of the original logo and not the tweaked version that Ethan VanSciver debuted with in Green Lantern: Rebirth.

Hal and Carol

But I could be completely won over once I see some moving images of Hal in action....and know that the costume isn't changing in the comics to reflect the movie version.

Other promotional images that hit the Internet today include a first peek at Blake Lively as Carol Ferris, coming with the first official photo confirming that she would be coloring her hair for the movie. It also shows Reynolds wearing Hal's iconic bomber jacket. Another picture shows Hal with a ring hovering over his hand. Other images reveal Hector Hammond's "before picture" and Hammond in the secret bunker next to the remains of Abin Sur just prior to having the accident that gives him his abilities. Rounding out the images was promotional photo of Tim Robbins as Senator Hammond and Angela Bassett's Amanda Waller looking at the deformed Hector Hammond portrayed by Peter Sarsgaard.

Amanda Waller watches the Hammonds

In other movie news, Green Lantern will be front and center at Comic-con where we should see our first moving images in teaser footage that will debut during a GL movie panel on Saturday. It was reported by US weekly that Ryan Reynolds separated his shoulder earlier this week during the filming of an unnamed scene. The report said that while he has been in a great deal of pain and had had ice on the injury, he continued to show up on the set and the injury didn't affect production. However this report was debunked today as someone on the set of the film contacted ComicBookMovie.com and set the record straight. The tipster said that a memo did go out to all the members of the production warning that the starting of rumors could lead to being fired from the film.

Green Lantern Sequel in the Works

greenlantern@stny.rr.com (Myron Rumsey) — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 07:37:00 PDT

Warner Brothers, in a rare move, has already begun to work on a sequel to the live action movie. Warners has hired Greg Berlanti, Michael Green and Marc Guggenheim to write the initial treatments for both Green Lantern 2 and the Flash, a film rumored to be getting fast tracked by the studio (pun intended) along with Wonder Woman as the studio looks to DC Entertainment as a source for their next big series of tentpole films.

According to the story, broke exclusively by the Hollywood Reporter, the deal would also result in the team being hired to write the script of one of the two films. The trio should sound familiar to Green Lantern fans since they wrote the Internet leaked first draft of the Green Lantern film currently being shot in New Orleans.

The Flash and Wonder Woman films are supposedly being moved through the development process fairly quickly as Warner Brother would like to set the stage for the inevitiable Justice League movie. A JLA film was in development a year or so ago featuring the Wally West Flash and John Stewart Green Lantern characters, however the fact that the Flash will be Barry Allen and Green Lantern features Hal Jordan one can reasonably be assured that those versions of the characters are likely to be the ones used in any Justice League film.

Green Lantern 2 will most likely continue to follow Sinestro's falling out with the Green Lantern Corps and perhaps the rise of the Sinestro Corps, but it is still very, very early in the whole process. The fact that the studio is moving ahead so quickly is great news since they must be happy with what Martin Campbell is giving them so far and knowing they've already signed over 100 licensees to help promote next summer's film probably has them seeing even more green.

GL Movie Promo Art and Licensing Info

greenlantern@stny.rr.com (Myron Rumsey) — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 15:26:00 PDT

Variety's website revealed a piece of promotional art for the upcoming Green Lantern film as well as talking about a great deal of the licensing we can expect to see before the movie hits theaters next summer.

The artwork is not photo realistic like the concept art that fans have seen crop up this past week of Captain America and Thor, but it does reveal some things about what the ring may look like as well as some uniform details. The image is inspired by the Simone Bianchi cover for Green Lantern issue 10 from May of 2006. Here are the two images side by side with the original cover art and the left and the promo art on the right.

Green Lantern #10 Cover Green Lantern Promo Artwork

The promo image shows the eyes on the mask being translucent and you can see what may be seams on the gloves. There also appears to be plates or scales on the armor if you look at the chest area and the ring appears to be much more like what we saw on pictures of the cast seats a couple of months ago and appears to be a variation on what the comics are called the "Honor Guard" rings. It's also unclear if the gloves are green or if that is just color casting on white gloves from the green energy. How close this is to the finished product remains to be seen. Any doubt about the authenticity of the image was squelched once the guys at Comicbookmovie.com published confirmation that the image was provided by Warner Brothers.

A close up of the promotional artwork

Variety's article comes in advance of next week's Licensing International Expo in Las Vegas where tons of licensed merchandise will make their debut. According to Variety Warner Brother has already signed deals with over 100 licensees in the United States alone for Green Lantern related merchandise and Mattel will be one of the lead manufacturers. Products from their Hot Wheels, Uno and Tyco R/C brands are already in the works and it appears that the whole Green Lantern Corps will be a focus.

According to MTV's Splashpage Blog, the movie action figures will include the prerequisite power rings and we can expect to see puzzles, playsets, vehicles and a whole host of other products. Deluxe action figures will feature elements that can be tranformed from one form to another, presumably these will be ring constructs that can be changed to represent different items. More the more discerning collector, Mattel will be releasing a line of more highly detailed "Movie Masters" figures sculpted by the infamous Four Horsemen

Image from WB for License! magazine

It's plain to see that Warner Brothers is really looking to the DC Universe to create a series of tent pole films for the studio now that the Harry Potter series is nearly over. A lot of faith has been put into the Green Lantern mythos and a lot is riding on this film to be successful if the plans for a Justice League film are to be realized. With the heavy slate of films being released next summer, the success of 2011's movies may rely heavily on the marketing efforts of the studios. With the news of the larger number of licensees, the upcoming animated series and the direct to video project it appears that Green Lantern may have an upper hand at this early stage of the game.

Here's hoping we'll get to see some pictures of some of the prototype products next week that may reveal even more information about how some of the characters and aspects of the movie will look.

Another image from WB ahead of the Expo

Official GL Movie Synopsis Released

greenlantern@stny.rr.com (Myron Rumsey) — Mon, 31 May 2010 15:46:00 PDT

Comic Book Movie has once again come up with an exclusive on the Green Lantern movie, this time releasing the official plot synopsis for the film. The overview does change some reflect some of the updating done on the script.

Notable is the mention of Parallax as the main villain rather than Legion as it appeared in the first draft. While it is a change in name, the description of Legion in that first draft seemed very much like an amalgam of both characters. This seems to reflect Geoff Johns input and while it may at first seem like a bad thing, it's not hard to realize that Legion hasn't been seen since Emerald Dawn and using Parallax would certainly be more contemporary.

The synopsis came from a contact that Allied Integrated Marketing, a firm that handles publicity and promotions for many movie studios including Warner Brothers. AIM confirmed to Comic Book Movie.com that the release was legitimate. The release also cements the casting information for Taika Waitit as Tom Kalmaku that was rumored months ago.

Here's the release in its entirety from Comic Book Movie.com:

Green Lantern

'Bringing the enduringly popular superhero to the big screen for the first time, “Green Lantern” stars Ryan Reynolds (“X-Men Origins: Wolverine”) in the title role, under the direction of Martin Campbell (“Casino Royale”).

Hal is a gifted and cocky test pilot, but the Green Lanterns have little respect for humans, who have never harnessed the infinite powers of the ring before. But Hal is clearly the missing piece to the puzzle, and along with his determination and willpower, he has one thing no member of the Corps has ever had: humanity. With the encouragement of fellow pilot and childhood sweetheart Carol Ferris (Blake Lively), if Hal can quickly master his new powers and find the courage to overcome his fears, he may prove to be not only the key to defeating Parallax…he will become the greatest Green Lantern of all.

Campbell directs “Green Lantern” from a screenplay by Greg Berlanti & Michael Green & Marc Guggenheim and Michael Goldenberg, story by Greg Berlanti & Michael Green & Marc Guggenheim, based upon characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics.

The film also stars Blake Lively (upcoming “The Town,” TV’s “Gossip Girl”) as the spirited Carol Ferris, a test pilot and the heir apparent to her father’s aviation company; Peter Sarsgaard (“An Education,” “Flightplan”) as scientist Dr. Hector Hammond; Mark Strong (“Sherlock Holmes”) as Sinestro, Jordan’s powerful mentor in the Green Lantern Corps; Jay O. Sanders (“Revolutionary Road”) as Carl Ferris, Carol’s aircraft designer dad; Temuera Morrison (“Star Wars” Episodes II and III) as Abin Sur, Jordan’s alien predecessor; Taika Waititi (TV’s “The Flight of the Conchords”) as flight navigator Tom Kalmaku, Hal’s good friend and confidante; Academy Award® nominee Angela Bassett (“What’s Love Got to Do with It”) as enigmatic government scientist Amanda Waller; and Academy Award® winner Tim Robbins (“Mystic River”) as Hector’s influential father, Senator Robert Hammond.

The film is being produced by Donald De Line (“The Italian Job”) and Greg Berlanti (upcoming “Life As We Know It”). Herbert W. Gains and Andrew Haas serve as executive producers. Geoff Johns and Lucienne Papon are co-producing.

The film’s behind-the-scenes creative team is led by a number of Academy Award® winners, including director of photography Dion Beebe (“Memoirs of a Geisha”), production designer Grant Major (“The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King”), and costume designer Ngila Dickson (“The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King”), as well as Oscar®-nominated editor and longtime Campbell collaborator, Stuart Baird (“Gorillas in the Mist,” “Superman”). The film’s visual effects are being overseen by Oscar®-nominee Kent Houston (“The Adventures of Baron Von Munchausen,” “Casino Royale”).

The film is currently scheduled for release in 3D and 2D on June 17, 2011. “Green Lantern” will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company. '

Kreativ Blogger Award Nomination

greenlantern@stny.rr.com (Myron Rumsey) — Mon, 31 May 2010 14:54:00 PDT

I don't think I've actually every won anything that didn't come by chance unless you count some awards I won when I was a part of the Star Trek fan community. But those came from people you know, not strangers. It's always nice to get recognized for your efforts, especially in the case of this blog since there really isn't much interactivity and I can only really trust Google Analytics to tell me if anyone is reading my rantings.

In fact I've viewed this site as a one-year experiment of sorts and then I'll evaluate whether this is worth the effort to keep going. I'm sure at this point I will since it is an outlet for me to express my love of the Green Lantern mythos in a world where I don't have that real-world interaction.

Needless to say I was very surprised today when I noticed that Martin Gray, a fellow blogger and poster on the Raging Bullets podcast website, posted a message in one of my articles stating that he had nominated me for a Kreativ Blogger Award (nominating is the same as winning). The award could be looked at as blogger chainmail since you forward it on to seven more sites, but I look at it more as another way to promote blogs to garner them a bigger audience and yet another way to network together. Blogging can be hard work, especially if it's a one person job and, like mine, tends to be graphic intensive, so any way to attract people to your site is welcomed.

There are rules for the award, and, oh look, here they are now!

You must thank the person who has given you the award.
Copy the award logo and place it on your blog.
Link to the person who has nominated you for the award.
Name 7 things about yourself that people might find interesting.
Nominate 7 other Kreativ Bloggers.
Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.
Leave a comment on each of the blogs to let them know they have been nominated.

So, first of all, thanks Martin for giving me the award. I actually needed some encouragement at this point so it was well timed. I read Martin's blog,Too Dangerous for a Girl, every week for a variety of reasons. One of them is that I just don't have the budget to read every book out there and Mart does a great job covering books I don't read and he helps keep me abreast of what's going on in the rest of the non-Green Lantern comicsverse.

There are only five blogs I have time to read on a regular basis, so I'm not going to make two up just to satisfy the award (sue me!). Here they are:

Kirby Krackle Music

As far as I'm concerned rock died in the nineties. Kirby Krackle takes all the geeky things I love and turns them into kick-ass songs that stand on their music legs just as much as they play to my geek sensibilities. Their song, "Ring Capacity" is the greatest Green Lantern tune ever written (yes, there are more) and a video for the song is featured on the home page for this site. KK really interacts with their fans, something that I give them a lot of credit for, and you can follow the guys as they tour and work on new music on their blog. Check them out....and buy the music!

Amber's Fashion Tips for Superheroes

I don't get into cosplay too much, mainly because I look to much like the stereotypical over 40's overweight guy who'd get laughed off the convention floor if there were indeed any cons within a reasonable drive from the Finger Lakes of New York. But I like to see what other people do and Amber's site has a lot of pictures showing some of the great costumes that are being created. Amber has tips on how to create and/or find parts for costumes of all types. And hey, any girl who dresses up as Star Sapphire is a hottie in my book and deserves respect!

My Zombies

David Baron is currently a color artist exclusively at DC Comics and a fellow listener of the Raging Bullets podcast. As an art noob, I like to look at David's blog for a number of reasons, one of them being my own desire to learn more about what a colorist does on my favorite books. David posts pictures of some of his work and I find that I have gained a great deal of respect for what he and other color artists do to added to the story that often goes unrecognized.

Raging Bullets

Speaking of Raging Bullets, Sean Whelan and Jim Segulin are two of the best guys I've never met! During Blackest Night they punished listeners by having me on to talk about the event, for which I'm very grateful. I think the only thing that made me sound intelligent was having Jim sing! Seriously though, Sean and Jim are great ambassadors for the medium and they are responsible for me starting the Blog Of Oa. Their enthusiasm for the DC Universe is amazing and every episode goes into a great amount of detail and analysis that will help you see more in the comics that you're reading than you might have ever thought was there. Check out their podcast and their blog - NOW!

Ninjas In/Blog's Out

Started by the guys over at my local comic shop, this blog has had a name change or two since it started. How does one describe a blog that covers comics, hockey, and girls they'd hit? I don't know, but I go there and write some times as well for the blog just as a way to relax a little, de-stress, and have fun. It's funny, irreverent and insightful all at the same time. Go figure!

For the part that I put off until the end (you can stop reading now, seriously, if you don't want to get bored) are the seven things that you might find interesting. This part is hard, because I'm not too terribly interesting. But here goes:

I mentioned the Star Trek fan thing earlier, right? Okay, well I have met all the actors from the original 1960's television show and have had my picture taken with them all, including the Great Bird of the Galaxy himself, Gene Roddenberry. Did my geek cred just go up or did I make you feel sorry for me!?
In my real life I do technology consulting for school districts. As a result of some of my work I've traveled anywhere from London to California making presentations on the educational benefits of interactive whiteboards when they are successfully implemented and supported.
I was born with a rare birth defect and in fact I'm one of the oldest survivors living in the U.S. that was born with it. Green Lantern was crucial to me as a kid and even helped me through some near death experiences when I was a kid....no kidding!
One of my ancestors was Cotton Mather of the Old North Church preaching, witch hunt authorizing Mathers of old colonial Massachusetts. Don't burn me at a stake or crush me under a board with rocks piled on it!
I have two belly buttons! Honest! The second one is from the surgery I had a birth to correct my birth defect. I'm not kidding - you can ask my wife!
I make some pretty mean barbecue ribs. Hey, my neighbors came back from a barbecue cook off yesterday and then tried my ribs and said mine were better than the ones that won the contest. And I didn't bribe them with alcohol! Steven Raichlen rocks!
Despite the Trek thing and all my geeky trappings I actually met a real live girl and got married 22 years ago and have an 18 year old son. Not only can geeks talk to girls, we can get them pregnant too!

Okay - the punishment is over - go back to your business and have a wonderful day doing whatever makes you happy!

Green Lantern Corps #48 Review

greenlantern@stny.rr.com (Myron Rumsey) — Mon, 31 May 2010 13:21:00 PDT

Tony Bedard kicks off his tenure as the writer of Green Lantern Corps, joined by Ardian Syaf's pencils and Vicente Cifuentes. This new team has a lot of live up to considering how great Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason were during their run.

The Story

Guy's ominous words

The issue starts of with an extended version of the conversation we first witnessed in Green Lantern #53 between Ganthet, Guy Gardner and Atrocitus. We do learn that the threat represented by the mysterious figure that appeared in that issue of Green Lantern is enough to get these three to conspire together in a plan that if, as Guy Gardner puts it, "we go through with this, Jordan and I are done bein' friends. For good." Of course Guy makes this comment after four minutes of missing conversation. The missing four minutes must include the knowledge of the missing entities as we see Atrocitus mention them is this week's Green Lantern #54.

Guy's words also reinforce to me the notion that our mysterious figure is Appa Ali Apsa, knowing that Hal has a history with the "Mad Guardian" during the "Hard Travelling Heroes" era. Apsa was the Guardian responsible for the Mosaic World that served as the basis for John Stewart's solo series back in the early 1990's prior to "Emerald Twilight".

Jumping to Oa, Ganthet resigns as a Guardian, choosing instead the fate of being the Green Lantern of Sector Zero. Exactly why Ganthet feels this step is necessary to further the plans he's made with Guy and Atrocitus remain to be seen, but it's an interesting change in the arc of a character that's been as much a part of Green Lantern history as Ganthet has been over the decades. I find it interesting that the Guardians make reference to Appa Ali Appsa in there discussion with Ganthet, whether the creative teams are intentionally mentioning him to foreshadow the reveal later for those who've never heard the name or if it is a red herring to keep us thinking it is him before they throw a curve ball at us.

Beware Ganthet's Power!

The next scene made the issue for me as Ganthet goes to the forge and makes his own power battery and ring, showing the great effort and will power needed just to imbue the hunk of metal with ability to harness the power of will and create its power ring. The connection to the Jedi's construction of their light saber is not lost on me as we see that this is a rite of passage reserved for only those of the highest will. After seeing this I almost wish that every Green Lantern had to undergo this rite as the final stage of their training.

As Ganthet leaves Oan airspace we transition to the quarters of Glibberquip and Hraalkar, a recruit injured during the Black Lantern's assault on the Central Power Batter during Blackest Night. Hraalker is having a nightmare reliving his injuries gained in the defense of Oa, waking from his slumber only to be snatched by Varix, one of the Alpha Lanterns. In an interesting turn Varix tells the recruit that he has been "requisitioned" by the Alpha-Lantern Corps - note they consider themselves a corps of their own now.

John Stewart is on Oa helping to rebuild the planet in the wake of Blackest Night until he is summoned by the Guardians, passing by Glibberquip who is searching for his missing partner. Boodikka has requested John's assistance on a mission to Stel's homeworld that went off the grid. Stel himself disappeared after going to investigate and the Alpha Lantern wants to make use of John's talents of stealth and infiltration on the mission.

John and Boodikka fly off, passing Glibberquip who has found his missing partner turned into an Alpha Lantern. The issue ends with Hraalkar and his new friends telling Glibberquip that he too has been requisitioned by the Alpha Lantern Corps.

The Art

Overall I like Syaf's work on this first issue, although I think there are places where I wished there were more detail, specifically Guy's face during the opening sequence. I think there was an opportunity there to express some subtle emotions here and illustrate for the reader the gravity of the situation. But overall I think Syaf will do well as this new run progresses.

The Writing

As I said, Bedard's got his work cut out for him here. He's got to progress the overall story that is being told, transition Guy out of the book while making way for the entry of John Stewart, and still try to tell his own story. Not an easy task at all, but overall he does a good job. The parts transitioned well as each sequence easily passed focus to the next plot point without a jarring cut. But overall the issue seems a little lost and lacks a clear main plot. I think the book is in great hands, especially once Bedard is open to do more story telling without having to work so hard at making other things fit into his work, so while the issue take a bit of hit I don't fault the writer with having to make all these disconnected elements work.

What Do I Think?

This is a good freshman effort for the new team. The issue does suffer a bit from the disjointed plot even though they do a good job of at least transitioning the elements to make it seem organic.

Four out of five lanterns.

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