Archive for February, 2016

Our editing program is giving Chad a run for his money, so, in an effort to provide you with SOME Green Lantern talk, we present to you some “lost” recording from last year! That’s right! Listeners Daoud and DeWayne joined Mark and Chad for the annual Christmas episode that never came to be. But the audio still exists and it’s not just inane rambling! There’s SUBSTANCE to be had! So listen in and we’ll see you next week! Be sure to chime in on our voice-mail at 708-LANTERN!

Download the episode HERE!

Issue 2, Darkstar Rising, written by Jan Michael Friedman, penciled by Larry Stroman, inked by Scott Hanna with lettered Bob Pinaha, colored by Julianna Ferriter, and edited by Brian Augustine had a cover date of November 1992 with a release date of 10/6/1992 (Mikes Amazing World of DC Comics).  We open where the last issue closed.  Colos has arrived on the scene as Lieutenant Flint is thrown through the window.  Colos catches him in midair and lands next to Mo.  Colors questions Flint who tells him about the Loco drug and this place was identified as the distribution point.  Flint is concerned about the other officers still in the building as they do not know what they are up against.

 

            Colos crashes through the window and attacks the creature that threw Flint out earlier.  During this fight, one of the human drug dealers tries to run away.  He is tackled and beaten by Flint until Colos stares him down.  With the arrival of Colos, Flint’s focus shifts from warning his men to mopping up the place.   During this conversation, Mo notices something in the doorway and yells look out.  Just then laser fire erupts out of the door at Colos, Flint, and Mo.  One of the other drug dealers is blasted and Flint goes for a gun.  Colos warns him off saying that his bullets will have no effect on these perpetrators.  Colos blasts them with his palm masers and as a result pushes them through a wall.

 

            Elsewhere, Carla is leaving from dinner with Paul, a pro bono lawyer who works for the homeless.  Paul says that when they were in law school, Carla had principles and morals and now she works for the likes of Frank Papas.  Carla believes that Papas is a business man who may not be entirely honest.  Paul tells her about the Loco drug and that Papas is the head of the operation.  This drug is directly affecting the homeless in Dallas.  Paul apologizes for being harsh with Carla and Carla asks if he wants a cab.  Paul says he cannot afford a cab and walks off.  We are left with Carla just watching and possibly thinking about their conversation.

 

            Back at the distribution point, Colos is dangling an alien upside down over a roof.  Colos is after what he calls the big birds.  The alien acquiesces and tells Colos where the big honchos are located.

 

            Now we get a cosmic.  Interlude scene.  A person is flying a ship and we get an inner monologue.  This being just wanted to be left alone but he was discovered and now they are hunting him.  We see that his is being followed by what looks like beings flying through space without a ship.  We do not see these people and we do not know who is hunting this guy.

 

            Back on earth, Colos is flying with Mo and Flint presumably to the head honcho’s hideout.  From the air they see what looks like the shipping depot for the drug.  They land and Colos immediately breaks into the warehouse.  The aliens open fire on the three as the leaders including Papas run off and the alien leader pushes a button.  We see that a couple of giant robots come out and attack.  Colos counter attacks thinking he will not have too much trouble destroying them as he has dealt with this weapon before.  He is wrong as he is dealing with an improved model.  Flint pulls his gun and Mo also pulls a weapon and open fire on the robot to give Colos some breathing room.  Colos now with a second assault is able to take down the robots.

 

            After the battle the three now enter Colos’s ship and Colos opens a com with Administrator Prisatz.  Colos reports that the mission to bust up the Loku ring was accomplished with the help of the two earthers with him in the ship.  Colos however reports that the job may not be completed as there are a number of off worlders still on earth and a continued presence may be required.  Prisatz agrees with him that a Darkstar should be assigned to earth’s sector and that Darkstar should be Colos much to his chagrin while a smug Flint and Mo looks on.

 

            This is the second issue of this series.  It carries on from the first.  I liked the action in here as we see a little more of a Darkstars power and weapon set.  I do believe that so far I see this group as inferior in power set to the Green Lanterns but at this time there were not many Green Lanterns in the DC Universe.

 

            I liked the use of Flint and Mo here.  They do not cower at the power of the aliens and their machines, they legitimately help Colos in his fight against the villains in this issue.

 

            We see a glimpse of Carla in this issue with one scene but I feel it is a good character development or a lead in to a change in her story arc.

 

            My big question is the cosmic interlude.  Who is this guy we are seeing and who or what is after him and more importantly do we even care.

 

            I am still enjoying this comic and I am looking forward to the next issue.

This isn’t going to be an actual issue review, since Chad and I will do that once we get to the February books, but I wanted to write a few words about my reaction to Telos #5.

 

While it is always good to see classic Parallax back and he looks really good in this issue, the way he is written continues to bother me.  Jeff King wrote Parallax this way back in the final two issues of Convergence, but since Parallax wasn’t in those issues much, it wasn’t as big of a problem for me.  But Telos #5 makes it pretty clear while King must like Parallax, he really doesn’t understand him.

 

His Parallax is pretty much a petulant child who always acts out, constantly throws the simplest of insults out towards others, often is just a minute away from killing someone and seems incapable of thinking beyond the moment.  If Zero Hour showed us anything, Parallax was certainly capable of thinking big picture.

 

Parallax, while more unstable and volatile than Hal Jordan, still possessed all the strengths that made Hal a great character.  He was able to cross the line when necessary, but was still driven by his amazing will and his desire to do the right thing,  I have yet to see much of that in Parallax since his return to the DCU (Post-Covergence).  Plus, this Parallax acts and talks like he is simply stupider than Hal Jordan.

 

Hopefully Green Lantern #50 will give us at least a version of Parallax that closer resembles the original.  I definitely don’t expect Telos #6 to deliver that based on what I just read.

 

-Mark J. Marble

 

Hal Jordan gets an important lesson in the nature of duality as he and the Spectre confront the ultimate example of it: Two-Face! Can Harvey Dent live without Two-Face? And can Hal Jordan live without the Spectre? Take a listen and you might just find out! All that, plus Rebirth speculation, Toy talk and more!

Give us your feedback and future episode ideas at our voice mail 708-Lantern!

Download the episode HERE!

 

Life moves pretty fast around here, and if you don’t stop and listen to us once in awhile, you may miss something. Like a current issue review episode! Mark and Chad turn around and put out YET ANOTHER one! This time covering the 3 Lantern titles from January! All of this and LISTENER FEEDBACK! Be sure to chime in on our voice-mail at 708-LANTERN!

Download the episode HERE!