Archive for the ‘Blogs’ Category

 

Issue 5 of Darkstars was written by Michael Jan Friedman, pencilled by Travis Charest, inked by Scott Hanna and colored by Julianna Ferriter.  The lettered was Bob Pinaha and edited by Ruben Diaz and Brian Augustyn.  This issue was cover dated February 1993 and was on the stands January 5, 1993 (Mike’s Amazing World of DC Comics).

 

   “Slaves and Other Prisoners” opens with Colos and Mo handing over Evil Star to the authorities.  Mo is in awe that he is in space and as the two return to earth, Colos muses about Mo’s obvious awe and thinks that he is working out better than he expected.  Flint on the other hand who is not with them is another story entirely.  Colos now decides that he needs a base of operation on Earth so he does not have to hop back and forth to his ship.

 

   Meanwhile, Flint returns to the Dallas Police Department.  The chief asks Flint where he has been for the last twenty four hours.  Flint insists that he has not been drinking, but he is unable to give a better excuse for his whereabouts.  The chief thinks that Flint had been out drinking and used mouthwash to hide his breath. 

 

   The chief puts Flint on a kidnapping case connected with Pappas, the Loco kingpin.  A foxy black woman was seen with Pappas in a warehouse and she did not look happy about it.  The police was  able to get a warrant to raid the warehouse and Flint is to lead the bust.  While the chief is talking to him, Flint decides to go ahead in his Darkstar gear to prevent any officers from getting killed if they run into aliens like the last time.  Flint however answers his chief by saying that he is not sure he can lead a team basically admitting that he had been on a drinking binge.  Flint now leaves the office saying that he will get his life together.

 

   At the warehouse, Pappas is with Carla and some thugs.  Pappas is going to give Carla to the aliens as a slave for spilling champagne on him in the previous issue.  Carla continues to fight.  Carla however thinks that Pappas is selling her to a Middle Eastern sheikh.  An alien comes up and tells her that she is really going off world.  The aliens take her to cargo bay delta.  Carla thinks to herself, wandering if it would have been better to ignore the truth and be a good lawyer.  She decides that she did make the right decision and self pity will get her nowhere.  She decides to fight and find a way to escape.

 

   Flint returns to Colos’s ship to gear up.  He is unable to get in contact with Colos so he programs his suit to broadcast his message every hour regardless of his condition.  He is going after Pappas alone to prevent his fellow Dallas police officers from stumbling into a group of highly armed aliens.

 

   Later Colos and Mo discover Flint’s message.  Colos tries to raise Flint to no response.  Colos and Mo take off tracking Flint’s path to try to bring him back in one piece.  Colos grumbles about Flint’s decision but Mo says that he chose to do this to save the lives of others and he thinks that is courageous.

 

   In the warehouse, Flint discovers the alien’s ship wondering what is going on.  Out of the corner of his eyes he sees someone approaching and opens fire with his masers.  Hawkman and Hawkgirl are the two that Flint attacks and they scatter.  The two return fire on Flint and the battle gets the attention of the aliens who open fire on the Hawks as well.  Flint sees this and questions why the aliens are fighting among themselves and wonders if he blew it by attacking the Hawks without getting the information first.  The Hawks move in to fight the aliens.  Flint also attacks the aliens still questioning which side the Hawks are on.  The launch sequence of the ship is initiated and the ship takes off.

 

   This issue transitions from the Evil Star subplot back to the Pappas main plot.  One of my favorite moments in comics is not just the action and adventure but the character beats.  This issue is full of them.  We mainly get insight into Flint here.  We find that he was so embedded in his job that he sometimes decides to go above the law to bring the criminals in.  His constant failures even drives him to drink and now that he has the weapons and the power to make a difference, he cannot wait for Colos.  Mo even defends Flint’s actions to Colos.

 

   The other element I like is the appearance of Hawkman and Hawkgirl.  I am personally a fan of these characters and it was fun to see them show up here.  I would like to see a team up with the Hawks and the Darkstars in the next issue, which I have not read as of this writing.

 

   For the character beats I give this issue a 4 out of 5 power rings.  It was a little slow but the cliffhanger makes me want to grab the next issue.  See you next time

 

Darkstars issue #4 written by Michael Jan Friedman, penciled by Travis Charest, inked by Scott Hanna, lettered by Bob Pinaha, and colored by Julianna Ferriter.  The Editor to the Stars was Brian Augustyn and the Stellar Consultant was Robert Greenberger.  The cover date is January 1993 and according to Mikes Amazing World of Comics the release date was December 1, 1992.

 

       “Star Wars” begins with Evil Star and the starlings attacking the city in hopes of luring Green Lantern out.  The police arrive to stop the mayhem but to no avail.  Flint attacks one of the starlings after some officers are killed.  Colos and Mo arrive to face Evil Star.  All Evil Star cares about is that the two are not Green Lanterns.  Evil Star attacks Colos when he attempts to convince Evil Star to surrender.  Evil Star orders the starlings to attack the Darkstars as they are not worthy of his attention.  Suddenly Evil Star has a crisis of conscience and questions what is it that he is doing and leaves to give himself some time to think leaving the Darkstars confused.  Colos orders his ship’s computer to analyze what just happened in hopes of gaining some important Intel.

 

            Now we catch up with Carla.  She is leaving a taxi but is soon kidnapped by two goons.

 

            The police in attempting to learn about what is going on are attacked by Evil Star who is just looking for some time to think.  The Darkstars continue their pursuit of Evil Star and his starlings.  They determine that the starlings are headed for an abandoned junkyard which gives Colos time to get the data he requested from his ship’s computers.  Flint however goes rogue and attacks Evil Star.  He is attacked and grabbed by the starlings,  prompting Colos to intervene.  He attacks and kills the starlings but is attacked himself by Evil Star.  The Darkstars withdraw but are pursued themselves by the starlings.  Colos surmises that the starlings are just trying to scare the Darkstars off and when they fly off the starlings stop their pursuit.

 

            Colos scolds Flint for his reckless actions.  Colos declares himself as the one who calls the shots and Flint is not to go off on his own again.  Flint agrees saying that he got carried away.  After this the three settle down to watch and wait.

 

            We get an interlude in deep space.  We see the Controllers for the first time.  They approach Administrator Jeddigar in order to answer some questions.  They are contemplating the distribution of Darkstar forces in sectors two through six.  Their concern is that they are venturing too far from the sphere of the Controllers concerns.  The administrator just says that this was not a question.  The Controllers admit that they are not accustomed to verbal communication.  The administrator then responds by saying the the sphere of influence the Controllers are talking about is not far enough to adequately protect them.  The Controllers then question Colos’s posting on Earth saying that they do not see the relevance of this position.  Jeddigar answers that Earth is extremely relevant.  Earth has been tagged by an organization in Sector Four.  The Controllers insist that Colos should then be replaced as he has had problems in the past so he should not be in such and important post.  Jeddigar announces that he alone makes the decisions.  Jeddigar ends the conversation saying that he has a staff meeting.  The Controllers on leaving complain about the administrators arrogance.  They decide to wait for a confrontation but admit that sometime they must confront and remove Jeddigar because in time he can become a greater threat to the Controllers.

 

            Back on Earth, Carla slowly wakes up from the chloroform and discovers that she has been kidnapped by Pappas.  Pappas kidnapped her because in his mind, she is still his lawyer and he just wants Carla to hear him out.  He hopes to buy Carla’s services as his lawyer.  Carla answers by throwing a glass of wine at Pappas.  Pappas says that she will be sorry for her actions.

 

            Back at the junkyard Evil Star and the starlings take off prompting the Darkstars to prepare to engage.  Colos finally gets the information he ordered from his ship’s computer.  It seems that the brainwave restrictor used on Evil Star was a prototype that actually spurred unconscious brain activity.  The restrictor allowed Evil Star to unknowingly awaken the starlings to steal the Star-Brand.  This seems to answer why Evil Star was running from the starlings in the beginning as well as his current actions.  Consciously he is terrified of the starlings and as a result he is experiencing an internal struggle for control.  Colos leads the Darkstars to follow Evil Star but only to distract him from a narrowcast from his ship’s computer using the same frequency of the brainwave restrictor.  Colos plans to flood Evil Star’s mind with six million reminders of his genocidal crimes.  This brings the internal conflict in Evil Star’s mind to a head and makes Evil Star to fall into unconsciousness.  Colos removes the Star-Brand and the starlings go inactive.  Colos now plans to melt a dense metal down with their masers and mold it around the starlings to prevent Evil Star’s mental commands from reaching them.

 

            We now find Carla in Pappas’s limousine.  He threatens that if she does not shut up, he will do worse to her that Pedro Montoya, the man Pappas was accused of killing.  If she does shut up she will live and maybe even like where she is going.

 

            It was good to see Colos use intelligence in defeating Evil Star.  Instead of just fighting him which he learns is next to impossible, he formulates a strategy based on the Intel he was able to discover about Evil Star and win the day with this strategy.

 

            We get our first look at the Controllers.  They are pink just like the Guardians of the Universe but instead of being short like I am used to seeing the Guardians,they are normal sized.  They appear to have turned over complete command to this Administrator Jeddigar.  A man that they even admit to not liking or trusting.  We still see that the Controllers are more concerned about their own welfare than anything else and the Darkstars were created not to police the Universe but instead protect the Controllers and their interests.  I personally do not see much to like about this people.

 

            We do get more Carla in this issue and her arc is the continuing story to be looked at next issue.  I give this issue a 4 out of 5 Power Rings.  It was intelligent and action packed at the same time.

 

*record scratch*

 

Alright, that’s enough. No more.

 

Jessica Cruz WILL NOT be the Green Lantern of the ‘Justice League‘ film. Nor will she be the Green Lantern of the ‘Green Lantern Corps‘ film currently slated for release in 2020.

 

In October of 2014, someone at Newsarama thought it would be fun to speculate about WHICH Green Lantern would feature in the ‘Justice League’ and ‘Green Lantern’ movies of the DC cinematic universe. Their conclusion? That Jessica Cruz is the ideal choice, going so far as to say, “if Vegas were to give us some good odds on who will be the lead movie GL, [our] money wouldn’t be on [Hal, Guy, John, Kyle, or Simon]”.

 

Speculation is all well and good. Editorial pieces, of which I am a personal fan (so long as you present them as such), are fun and thought provoking. And it’s a theory that’s catching on…

 

Latina Entertainment

 

Movie Pilot

 

OmegaUnderground

 

Cinema Blend

 

And now it’s resurfaced yet again with the reveal on Weds March 23rd that Jessica Cruz would be trading in her Power Ring power ring for a REAL Green Lantern power ring in the forthcoming Rebirth initiative from DC Comics.

 

 

…and it’s WRONG.

 

Why? Well, since this all sprung directly from Newsarama, it’s only logical to go point for point with their point by point.

 

1.) She of course is a current Justice League member and again was created by Johns, at exactly the time DCE and Warner Bros. seemed to be assembling their master movie plan and starting production on Dawn of Justice.

 

It sounds like you’re taking the “there’s no such thing as coincidence, it’s all fate” philosophical approach to life a little TOO far. Geoff Johns IS the Chief Creative Officer at DC. Geoff created Jessica Cruz. Geoff is involved with the direction of DC characters OUTSIDE of just the comics. Geoff isn’t THE decision maker though. If he was, ‘Green Lantern‘ wouldn’t have turned out to be the steaming pile it ended up. Perhaps a DIFFERENT steaming pile, but definitely not what we ended up with. All sources put that folly squarely on the Warner Studio muckety mucks. And maybe they’ve learned to loosen their grip and hand it off to their directors vision more (aka Snyder’s more creatively controlled vision we’re currently getting). But as much power and influence as Geoff has rightfully EARNED, he’s not THAT influential.

 

2.) Did we mention Johns created her himself, again, just a short time after already creating another new young Green Lantern character that serves to add diversity to the GL Corps and the Justice Leagues – Simon Baz (he even set Baz up as her mentor just before leaving the Green Lantern comic). It would not be a stretch of the imagination to conclude Jessica was created to fill a specific role Simon does not (we’re getting there in a sec), since Johns could have easily slotted him into the comic book League if he chose.

 

See our response to point 1. Also yes, Johns DID create her and Simon, but you’re forgetting the fact that Johns ADORES the silver age incarnations of characters (IE: Barry and Hal). So he may have created Simon and Jessica, but he’s only spent so much time with them. Prior to that? He spent 5+ years DELIBERATELY building Hal (and the GLC) back into the DCU. So which trumps which?

 

Additionally, you’re assuming the current comics have the same influence on the feature films that they have on the direct to DVD animated features. The last time DC films took a page directly from the current comics, we got the 2011 ‘Green Lantern‘. Granted the material it was ROOTED in was amazing, but the interpretation was obviously off.

 

Then DC went with the “no more old story interpretations in our direct to DVD animated features, only new material”. Which was fine. But have you noticed that decision loosening its grip lately? (the forthcoming ‘Killing Joke’ anyone?) Bottom line? The big screen films draw from more time tested stories and versions of the DCU, not the recent stuff. And have you SEEN the numbers for the comics lately? Even the popular stories? Those numbers, even the best ones, aren’t big enough “proof” to convince a studio to invest their millions of dollars and man hours.

 

3.) Since we can safely assume the movie League line-up is Batman, Superman, The Flash, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and Cyborg, we can conclude the movies are following at least the basic roadmap of the New 52 line-up Johns created.

 

Yes. The BASIC road map. Meaning A GL. But wait. Was GL in BVSDOJ? No? When’s he showing up? Not until probably Justice League 2? (or end of JL 1?) So then what does “Unite the Seven” mean? Let’s count it out. We’ve got: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Cyborg, Aquaman….hmmm, that’s six. And no GL for awhile. Who’s left? Ah yes, the only other person getting a solo movie who HASN’T been mentioned yet… SHAZAM!

 

 

And their last two points together (since they’re essentially making the same point)…

 

4.) Cyborg basically supplanted Martian Manhunter (as well as other potential characters with rich Justice League history like Green Arrow, Hawkman, and the Atom), no doubt in part to inject some youth and technical weaponry into the line-up, but to also provide some yes … diversity.

 

5.) Finally, that seven character League … pardon us for saying so … is/was a bit of a sausage fest.

 

And here we go. The only REAL reason they’re pushing for Jessica in the first place. She’s a female of Latin origin. Gender and race.

 

I won’t lie for the sake of my own argument. It’s completely true. The big two (and others) are definitely pushing for more equal representation in their characters across all media. Equal time given regardless of gender, race, religious background, or sexual orientation. The problem with assuming this will play a large enough role to shove aside the GL boys in favor of Jessica Cruz is that there is no historical precedent for it. Heimdall was interpreted as a black character. But Heimdall isn’t a main character in Thor. Nick Fury was interpreted as a black character. Nick Fury isn’t so popular he offsets the cast of the actual heroes in Avengers. And so on and so forth.

 

As for our main characters? Iron Man? Tony Stark. Cap? Steve Rodgers frozen in ice. Thor? From Asgard. Black Widow? Natasha. Hulk? Bruce Banner. Superman? Clark Kent. Batman? Bruce Wayne. Wonder Woman? Diana Prince. Flash? Barry Allen. Green Arrow? Oliver Queen. Daredevil? Blind Matt Murdock. Supergirl? Kara Danvers. Want me to keep going? Because I can move on to the supporting characters like Patsy Walker, Laurel Lance, Ronnie Raymond, Carter Hall, Ray Palmer, Frank Castle, Electra, Luke Cage, Rip Hunter, and more and more.

 

Heck, even Hulk (the Ang Lee version) didn’t mean Bruce Banner got tossed out with the bathwater because of the toxic reputation of the film. Or ignored all together. They kept the classic interpretation, gave it some breathing room, and kept on.

 

Bottom line? There’s NO EVIDENCE that film makers (in TV or film) believe that equal representation trumps the classic, time tested, and mostly RECOGNIZABLE/marketable versions of main (or supporting) characters.

 

Not to mention the fact that, while studios in charge of superhero films don’t SOLELY cater their interpretations to the comic fan base, making the GL Jessica Cruz would completely and utterly alienate most every current fan of the mythos. And the ones NOT up to date on who she is but had experiences with GL in the past? Would be utterly confused. So while they may not make these films solely for us, we’re a big enough part of the audience that they at least CONSIDER our reaction. And if we’re a big enough group to consider, we’re a big enough group to impact the bottom line in some, even small, way.

 

And that’s it.

 

I’ll agree, WHERE POSSIBLE and still PROFITABLE, DC/Warner is MOST LIKELY to bring diversity in the DC cinematic universe with the Green Lantern characters (think the JL/JLU animated series). But when someone like John Stewart is available, characters like Simon Baz and Jessica Cruz don’t really stand a chance, no matter who created them.

 

I won’t deny it’s possible we might see them in a film (most likely GLC in 2020) but they won’t be the main GL’s. Period. Characters recognizable to both comic fans, and more importantly, the general movie going audience have the highest potential for profitability in both ticket sales AND merchandising. Because despite the push for diversity, studios are still profit driven entities. Jessica Cruz still doesn’t even have an action figure. Or a supporting role in the main Green Lantern title or even the ancillary titles (that could obviously change after Rebirth, though doubtful with a rumored title like ‘Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps’ in the works).

 

It’s going to be Hal Jordan or John Stewart. Or both. But it’s not going to be Jessica Cruz.

 

So thank your lucky stars Vegas doesn’t accept those types of bets.

 

(PS: The news that Jessica Cruz & Simon Baz will be featured heavily in both the Justice League title by Bryan Hitch and the Green Lantern title by Sam Humphries does NOT change these opinions.)

 

Hal Jordan’s Legend as “Earth’s Greatest Green Lantern” is captured in this limited edition bust and ring prop. Limited to only 2000 pieces, this great piece is part of the four bust series that also featured Alan Scott, Hal Jordan and Sinestro!

Issue three of Darkstars:  “A Little Help From My Friends” written by Michael Jan Friedman, penciled by Larry Stroman, inked by Scott Hanna, lettered by Bob Pinaha, colored by Juliana Ferriter, and edited Brian Augustine.  This issue is cover dated December 1992 and according to Mike’s Amazing world of DC Comics, this issue was released on November 3, 1992.

 

        We open in the kitchen of attorney Carla White.  She has the news on and we hear a report about the Allen Pharmaceutical drug bust of the night before.  Police say that Allen Pharmaceuticals have been the headquarters for the Loco drug ring.  Unconfirmed sources even identify the involvement of aliens.  This gets Carla’s attention.  The report includes that Frank Pappas, Carla’s client has been charged with directing and financing the operation.  This surprises Carla.  Carla leaves the room as a report that one of the aliens was on the humans side and that alien’s name was Darkstar.

 

        We now go to an interlude in space.  We catch up with the fleeing being from the previous issue.  He has come across a Darkstar cruiser.  The being reports that he is being pursued by hostile entities.  The captain of the Darkstar ship questions the assertion that the beings are hostile.  While this discussion continues the crew of the Darkstar ship discovers that the pursuers are traveling without a ship.  The pursuers fire on and destroy the Darkstar ship.  The pursued being continues his run but he remembers another hope a green warrior who comes from a green world.

 

        In orbit of earth, Colos, Flint and Mo discuss Colos’s orders.  Colos gives his backstory including the first mention of a race called the Controllers that set up the Darkstars.  Colos gives a backstory of the Controllers.  Their first theory was that they could insulate their own world from the scum of the universe.  After about a thousand years, they discovered that they could not be just reactive.  They decided that they had to meet the problems at the source and to do that, they created the Darkstars.  This way the Controllers could still keep their hands clean while they send agents to do the hard stuff.  Flint notices that this is not an endorsement of the Controllers.  Colos just says that it is not.  Colos became a Darkstar for himself and what he could accomplish.  Colos admits that he doesn’t tell this story to anybody, he has plans for Flint and Mo.  He is allowed to pick two local deputies to help him in his patrols.  He offers these positions to Flint and Mo.

 

        Prigatz contacts Colos.  He has another assignment.  He is to hunt down an escaped prisoner only known as G-111 but he calls himself Evil Star.  Evil Star was originally apprehended by the Green Lanterns on earth.  Evil Star is returning to earth for a rematch.  Since the Green Lantern Corp is in disarray, the Darkstars need to deal with Evil Star.

 

        We learn that G-111 was denouncing his identity as Evil Star.  The problem though rests with his henchmen, the Starlings.  The Starlings were activated and they stole the Star-Brand which gives Evil Star his powers.  When the Starlings arrived at the prison, G-111 stole a cruiser and escaped during the ensuing chaos.  We see that G-111 is the being we have been visiting the previous issues.  Prigatz tells Colos about the destruction of the Darkstar ship.  Colos has two hours and forty-four minutes to outfit and train his new deputies before Evil Star arrives.

 

        Carla walks into her father’s office.  This is the law firm that Carla works for.  She questions her father on Frank Pappas.  The father heard rumors about Pappas but it is not their job to incriminate their clients.  Carla questions the decision to defend Pappas in the first place.  Carla quits her position just as Pappas calls her for legal advice.  She just tells him to drop dead and walks out of the office.

 

        Pappas is meeting with some aliens.  The aliens question Pappas about the events of the previous night including the Darkstar raid.  Pappas says that he needs a new lawyer as his old one has quit.  The aliens now decide to minimize their dealings with Pappas in the future.  They are throwing him to the dogs.

 

        The three Darkstars are in training in the skies of Dallas when they see G-111 ship and the Starlings enter the atmosphere.  The Darkstars move to intercept but are attacked by the Starlings.

 

        G-111 realizes that Green Lantern is not on earth as he would have tried to stop him by now and the Darkstars proved to be no match for the Starlings.  G-111 looks at the Star-Brand and says that he could jettison it before it takes control of him.  But that power must not be wasted, it must be exercised, he must become Evil Star and we see Evil Star in the last full page spread.

 

        Okay, I see why I should care about this blond alien running from these strange pursuers without ships.  I did not know that this guy is Evil Star.  I admit I do not know much about Evil Star but I find it interesting that the Star-Brand actually appears to be the the evil influence, however G-111 did seem to don the mantle of the Star-Brand willingly in the end.

 

        This was not a good showing for the Darkstars power.  One Green Lantern was able to defeat Evil Star and his Starlings but three Darkstars could not take the Starlings.  It was interesting to hear that a Darkstar could deputized two locals to join his patrol.  I know Mo is homeless from Issue 1 but Flint is a police lieutenant.  Does this mean that Flint is no longer a cop but has been promoted to space cop?

 

        I do like the scenes with Carla in them.  She really is naïve in her understanding of Pappas but it is good to see that when she finds the truth, she acts on it.  The only thing is that it appears her story arc is leaving the Darkstars as her only connection to the main ongoing plot was Pappas and now she has quit the firm and is not longer representing Pappas.  I hope to see more of this character in the future.

 

        Now for the Controllers.  This is the first time we hear about the Controllers in this series.  What we hear is not very positive.  They seem to be selfish really only interested in their own safety and security.  It is only after a thousand years that they decided to expand their reach but instead of going out themselves, they deputized other aliens to die for them.

 

        Colos, the main Darkstar we see does get a positive characterization.  He is altruistic and really wants to do good.  He is not a Darkstar for the Controllers but for himself.  It make me wonder about the others.  Are they as altruistic as Colos or are they Darkstars because of the Controllers.
        This was another enjoyable issue and I want to start grading these issues like other podcasts and reviews so I will use a scale of 1-5 power rings.  I give this issue a 4 out of 5 power rings.  See you next issue.

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

 

I was originally going to write a bigger piece to go with Chad’s post, but I decided to do this smaller standalone instead, especially since we do plan on posting an episode about DC’s “Rebirth” in the next few days.

 

Relaunching the DCU without a reboot makes little sense to me.  So as soon as I heard about the rumor, I figured it was going to be a reboot, even if a soft one.  Just keeping the status quo and giving us yet another wave of number one issues would probably accomplish nothing.  Especially when one considers the luster has pretty much come of the “New 52” brand as a whole these days.

 

When DC confirmed the news and released the “Rebirth” banner, besides adding to the reboot not just relaunch speculation, it also hinted at something else.  Green Lantern fans (and Flash fans too, to a lesser extent) know the term means something special to them, since it helped turn around the struggling GL book and helped launch an entire brand or franchise of books that catapulted Green Lantern to the top of the DCU, in relevance, popularity and sales.  It also has a direct link to the creators of both previous rebirths: Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver.

 

Considering Johns’ role at DC and WB, for DC to call an event “Rebirth” and Johns not be a major force behind it, if not THE force, would be mind-boggling.   With Convergence bringing back the entire multiverse last year and with the “Rebirth” of the DCU this summer, it definitely seems that the New 52 is about either go away or be modified into some sort of amalgam with the previous DCU or maybe be combined with several others.  If Johns is the architect of this reboot, then hopefully it will also have positive ramifications for the Green Lantern books, since the franchise clearly needs something to breathe some life into it. 

 

Despite Robert Venditti and Cullen Bunn’s best efforts, the pendulum has not been swinging in the right direction for a while now.  It makes sense that, whether it is a relaunch or reboot, DC take this opportunity to shake up the direction and the creative teams across the board on all books that are doing as well as they would like or expect.

 

-Mark Marble

Early yesterday Bleeding Cool announced a recent rumor going around that DC was going to relaunch all of their titles this summer with new #1 issues. As reported, these titles would all be more closely tied to the versions of the characters seen in DC film and television. Obiously this would mean more titles featuring characters like Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Arrow, Harley Quinn, the Suicide Squad, and more.

 

By the time mid afternoon rolled around, Dan DiDio, Jim Lee, and other posted the below image to their various social media accounts.

 

https://twitter.com/dandidio1/status/690640882182283265

#Rebirth pic.twitter.com/3NhY3CTTOt

— Jim Lee (@JimLee) January 22, 2016

 

So it’s now, as of this posting, all but OFFICIALLY confirmed by the powers that be at DC Comics.

 

What does this mean for Green Lantern and the related titles in their line-up? Well the short answer is, “We don’t know”.

 

With an emphasis supposedly on more widespread media incarnations of their characters, it’s hard to know where GL will fall. Warner/DC have been very tight lipped about Green Lantern. Rumor has it he’ll be appearing in the final act of the ‘Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice’ film alongside the other founders of the JLA. Rumor has it he’ll also be played by Dan Amboyer. But that’s just it, they’re all rumors. As for DCTV on the CW, GL has been the butt of many an Easter egg, but not much in the way of FULL ON character or casting reveals. 

 

Now, this ‘Rebirth’ event won’t be happening until this summer. By then, Green Lantern could, if the rumors are true, be revealed in BVSDoJ. Since he’d, hypothetically, then be revealed that means the floodgates could open concerning the rest of the plans for the Green Lantern mythos on the silver screen. MAYBE. But as things stand now, we don’t have much to go on with regards to the popular media interpretation of Green Lantern.

 

That could mean a few things.

 

It could mean that, like the New 52, Green Lantern and related titles will come out the other side of this relaunch relatively unscathed. But that’s doubtful.

 

Green Lantern sales and popularity haven’t been really high since Geoff Johns left the books. *EX: ‘Green Lantern’ #46 was ranked 62nd out of 100 for the month of November while the ‘Justice League: Darkseid War: Green Lantern’ one shot was ranked 81st. ‘Sinestro’ didn’t even break the top 100. That’s a decline from the prior month where ‘Green Lantern’ stood at 55th place for #45 and ‘Sinestro’ was ranked 98th for issue #16, just below the 97th spot held by ‘Star Trek/Green Lantern’ #4. For DC, cracking the top 100 could be considered an popular title, to be honest, we don’t know that information. Maybe they only consider the top 50 worth a shot? Maybe it’s the top 100? Maybe they don’t care about those numbers at all, maybe they just care about profit margins. Who knows but DC? The point is, regardless of quality, DC’s Lantern titles have been slowly falling.

(* – This information taken from the Dec & Jan issues of PREVIEWS magazine)

 

Would Robert Venditti stay on the title? Would Cullen Bunn stay on Sinestro? Would there even be a Sinestro title?

 

Like we said, right now, we just don’t know.

 

If this all spells goodbye for the teams behind ‘Green Lantern’ & ‘Sinestro’ (‘Green Lantern: Edge of Oblivion’ & ‘Omega Men’ not mentioned as the titles were already announced as either limited runs or being cancelled) then we wish them well. Regardless of how we PERSONALLY feel about those issues and their direction, it’s clear they were fun books for A LOT of Lantern fans. And any injection of excitement into the GL mythos is something worth thanking a creative team for. Personally, I feel bad for Cullen Bunn in all of this. After the Aquaman stuff, the sudden cancellation of ‘Lost Army’, and now this, things don’t seem to be going his way at DC lately. Particularly in regards to ‘Sinestro’. Cullen has been purposefully making sure that, while exploring “the Paling”, he establishes the Sinestro Corps as the rightful replacements for the absent Green Lantern Corps. A move that, rightfully, needs to be EARNED within the pages of the comic before we believe it. And now that he’s nearly there, the rug is (possibly) pulled out from under him before he’s got a chance to tell the stories on the other side of the new status quo he was trying to set up all this time.

 

But again, this all pre-supposes that the teams are changing or the books are being cancelled on the other side of “Rebirth”. They might not be. We REALLY don’t know a whole heckuvalot right now. Rest assured we’ll let you know when we DO know more, either here, on our Facebook page, on our twitter, or on the podcast itself.

 

-Chad Bokelman

 

UPDATE #1: Literally before I even hit post, Geoff Johns retweeted Jim Lee’s tweet to Ethan Van Sciver with a sly message…

 

@EthanVanSciver Hmmm… 😉 https://t.co/r5MwsFYoCk

— Geoff Johns (@geoffjohns) January 22, 2016

 

Does this mean Geoff and Ethan are returning to either the Flash or Green Lantern? God only knows. But we hope so, if only temporarily…

Ever since the CW has been airing ‘Arrow’ and ‘The Flash’ on it’s network, DC comics fans have been impressed with the number of cameos and references to existing characters and concepts. One of the repeating references is to a certain Emerald Crusader, the Green Lantern of Sector 2814, Hal Jordan. Be it Ferris Air, Coast City, or references to Hal himself (all pictured above) the CW has made it very clear, Hal Jordan exists in this universe and is (most likely) Green Lantern already.

 

Since dropping Emerald tinted hints, there’s been an uptick in fan theories and “it should happen because it’d just be COOL” articles. But the fervent desire to see Hal on the small screen has been backed up more with “cause it’s cool” and “the GL movie sucked so we’re owed a good representation” as opposed to “here’s how it would WORK and here’s WHY it’ll be cool”.

 

And thus, here I am.

 

Yeah, yeah. Boiled down to it’s bare essence, I’m just another Green Lantern fan. But, to be fair, the LanternCast has been on their air for SEVEN YEARS. Mark and I have been at it together for TWO of those seven. I’d say that earns us the right to throw our weight around from time to time when it comes to GL fan theory and speculation. So let me break it down for you.

 

1)  BARRY ALLEN AND OLIVER QUEEN ARE HAL JORDAN’S BEST FRIENDS.

 

In the comics, the three are friends. Well, more Hal is a mutual friend between the two rather than a Barry/Ollie bromance. It’s mildly upsetting as a comics/Green Lantern fan to see his two friends have shows of their own without the Hal Jordan linchpin to keep their volatile friendship intact. But outside of the sheer disappointment of just not seeing it, the friendship is a key element that could offer up fantastic character moments for EITHER Ollie or Barry.

 

GL fans have argued since the Silver/Bronze Age about who is the better “Brave and the Bold” style team. Barry and Hal? Or Hal and Ollie? While die hard ‘Green Lantern/Green Arrow’ fans (of which I am one!) will say Ollie and Hal are the better team, I actually side with the Barry/Hal faction. When it comes to action, Ollie and Hal often argue so relentlessly that it takes them too long to get anything done. Whereas Barry and Hal get into the action, then disagree after the fact. But here’s how I PERSONALLY see the three characters.

 

Barry is a forensic scientist working for the police department. Sure, he’s essentially a vigilante, but he’s on the side of LAW. Ollie is the polar opposite. In the GL/GA series, he’s the one convincing Hal that sure, there may be rules, but the CONTEXT of those rules, and when it’s better to break them rather than follow them, is just as important. Hal is often the dead center of the two ideals. He’s the cocksure and action first/thought later guy, but he’s also following a code of intergalactic rules. Now these aren’t NECESSARILY the Barry and Ollie from the CW, but they COULD be.

 

With Hal in the mix, Barry could get a dose of someone a little TOO rash and impulsive. And, through whatever mishap, we could come out the other side with a great friendship, but a Barry Allen that’s more sure of the law, his own scientific knowledge, and more methodical.

 

With Hal in the mix, Oliver could get a dose of someone whose set of rules and laws MAKE SENSE but don’t fit the situation. That won’t sit well with Oliver at HEART. And, through whatever mishap, we could come out the other side with a great friendship, but a Oliver Queen that’s more like the comics. More of a crusader for social justice, the downtrodden, and not afraid of treading the grey areas between the Law and Morality. As opposed to someone who more fights black and white crime (people who kill, rape, steal, deal drugs, etc.).

 

 

2)  HAL JORDAN IS A LOVABLE WOMANIZER.

 

Yeah I know. It’s a played out trope. But hear me out. What is the CW formula? Attractive young actors and actresses and any excuse for shirtless dudes or heated, sexual exchanges between characters. Now, concession, ‘Arrow’ and ‘The Flash’ have been pretty damn good about not bowing to that sort of network model (though there have been instances one COULD point to). But Hal’s brand of womanizing would help fit the CW model, potentially bring in new attractive women (and CHARACTERS from the DCU!) to the show, and also could cause love-triangle-like drama between characters. IE: Hal hitting on Felicity, Laurel, Thea, Sara, Kendra, Patty, Iris, Caitlin…I made my point.

 

3)  HAL JORDAN IS A DAREDEVIL TEST PILOT.

 

Now if you weren’t already interested, here’s where it gets FUN. Hal Jordan is a test pilot. He’s not a tech genius, but he drives fast cars for fun and flies experimental aircraft for a living (and also fun). I’m seeing a Hal in the DCCW-verse as a man with a instinctual genius for mechanics. Yeah, I would LOVE any excuse to bring in more people from the GL universe but as bad as I’d want to see Tom Kalmaku, this is where it makes more sense to just have Hal have that mechanical inclination. BECAUSE, he can be a MUCH needed tech buddy to Cisco. Yeah, Cisco is more of an engineer with a wide berth of tech and scientific knowledge, but having Hal there could help coax out the mechanical engineer side of Cisco. Plus, as we’ll get to later, a concern with Hal/GL is the MONEY it would take to realize the effects on screen on a TV budget. Well, with the test pilot angle, you get the action without the major cost. Planes sequences may also cost money to render, but I bet they’re MUCH easier and cheaper than Green Lantern effects and development.

 

4)  CAROL FERRIS IS ALSO A TEST PILOT. (MINUS THE DAREDEVIL)

 

The great thing about ‘The Flash’ and ‘Arrow’ shows? BADASS WOMEN. Imagine Carol Ferris on one (or both) of these shows! How amazingly complete the young business woman with a heart of gold, in love with her employee, and a fondness and aptitude for flying jets…could be realized using the Arrow/Flash CW format for kick ass chicks! Plus? She runs (or will run depending on how you write it) Ferris Air. So I ALSO see her as having a mechanical expertise. Which means? FEMALE CISCO! THAT could be fun as well. And I’d say we let the two date for awhile. Let Cisco actually establish a relationship. I mean, yeah, Hal eventually is the one for her. But seeing Carol and Cisco together could be just as endearing as seeing the Patty/Barry stuff is now (which I LOVE).

 

 

5)  THE GREEN LANTERN WORLD IS A WORLD OF ALIENS AND OF COSMIC SCOPE.

 

Lastly, this. ‘Arrow’ went street level at first. Then Deathsroke brought in the world of scientifically augmented power. The Barry brought in the world of super powers. Now ‘Arrow’ is tackling the mystical side of the DC universe. It’s clear Superman (and his family) is being used elsewhere for the nonce. So how else do we bring the unlimited scope that is the universal side of the DCU? Green Lantern. Establish Hal, establish his ring and the terrestrial explanation Caitlin/Felicity/Cisco come up with for his ring. Then Hal disappears for a bit for training. Then comes back and BAM. The REAL explanation. And boom, DC cosmic. Aliens. Immortal beings. Anti-Matter universes. Go a far as you want with it!

 

And there you have it.

 

Sure, Hal having his OWN show is great. But without a massive budget, it’s completely unfeasible. However…so was the Flash. The budget for that show is pressed nearly episode to episode (if the special features on the season one blu-ray can be believed). But they maintain their audience and ratings continuously, so the CW/WB justifies that budget. If the end goal is a Green Lantern SHOW? It’s possible if the showrunners show it to be a well realized fan hit. But if not? There’s STILL a nearly unlimited amount of ways you could logically use Hal/Green Lantern in these shows.

 

Yes. I’m focused on HAL specifically. John, Kyle, Guy (even Simon) all have ways they could be introduced and WORK. But Hal is the focus because that’s where the hints lie. Ferris Air? Hal’s employer. “Test pilot went missing”? Hal. Jordan name tag on a bomber jacket? Hal Jordan. He’s the clear front runner. I HOPE it happens. SO many of the things I want to see on the Flash and Arrow could become reality with one simple character introduction: Hal Jordan.