Comics are awesome.

[Sparky Prime]

There are supposed to be quite a few other alien Corps members in it.

I was talking about the other color Corps... red, blue, indigo... They wont be in it. I know there will be several alien Green Lanterns in it.

Well, of course, the thing with Green Lantern, there's loads of guys that could well be the title character. It's not like it says "Hal Jordan: Green Lantern". The Justice League cartoon was able to just skip over Jordan and go to Stewart, and that seemed to work out pretty well.

You know Hal Jordan is going to be the title character of this movie as the first member of the Green Lantern Corps from Earth in the comics. The cartoons as I recall actually merged Hal and Kyle's stories together with one of the Superman episodes and Kyle was later shown as being on Oa duty in a JL episode to explain why he wasn't around.

[andersonh1]

Well, of course, the thing with Green Lantern, there's loads of guys that could well be the title character. It's not like it says "Hal Jordan: Green Lantern". The Justice League cartoon was able to just skip over Jordan and go to Stewart, and that seemed to work out pretty well.

The reason for that has mainly to do with when that cartoon was made: during the 90s when Kyle was the only Green Lantern. Rather than get into the whole Hal vs. Kyle controversy, the producers elected to go with John Stewart instead. That, and having him added a minority character to the show, in the same way that having Hawkgirl instead of Aquaman added a second female to the team. It was partially about diversity and partially about avoiding controversy.

It did turn out well though. It's probably elevated John Stewart's profile as a character quite a bit.

[138 Scourge]

You know Hal Jordan is going to be the title character of this movie as the first member of the Green Lantern Corps from Earth in the comics.

Not that I really expected either of those things, of course.

[Sparky Prime]

So then why did you try to argue the point?

[BWprowl]

I don't think he as arguing the point so much as he was just saying "Man, it would totally be cool if..."

I've got a passing interest in the GL film. Sinestro being in it is a big plus for me, and I think Ryan Reynolds is a good choice for Hal. On the other hand...anyone see that costume? I'm not loving Bacon Lantern.

[andersonh1]

Yeah, the costume needs some work. I don't see why the comic book version wouldn't work just fine.

[Onslaught Six]

I'm working on the assumption that, it's like, that's not what the costume always looks like. GL there is clearly using Ring Powah, so I'm guessing he gets all glowy and veiny when he's using the powers, and the rest of the time he's normal. I'm trying to think of a good example of someone else who has that kind of thing going on but the closest thing coming to mind right now is Human Torch, like how he's usually in his Fantastic Four costume but when he uses his powers, he's all flamey.

[Dominic]

New Avengers Finale:
This one-shot summarizes the last 5 years or so of (largely Bendis written) "Avengers" comics before setting things back to pre-"Civil War" spec, with Bendis writing his "best and brightest of Marvel" team of Avengers. It is all pretty standard "breathing room" filler. Grade: C


Avengers Assemble:
This sourcebook lists recently important characters as they relate to the Avengers. Characters and teams with longer histories, (such as Thor), get updates, while newer characters get more comprehensive listings. This is really only worth getting if one is a fan of sourcebooks or has a burning need to catch up on the franchise. (Of course, given that the "Heroic Age" is being presented as a new start, there is probably little point in researching what came before.)
Grade: C


Dom
-slowly catching up.

[Onslaught Six]

Interesting Jim Shooter interview(s):
http://www.nycgraphicnovelists.com/2010 ... .html#more
http://www.nycgraphicnovelists.com/2010 ... wn_26.html

Mostly there for TF. He makes it seem like the Denny O'Neil draft has literally nothing surviving; it might be that Jim Shooter in fact came up with some of the names (Optimus Prime, Ulchtar) instead of Denny. Also interesting to see just how much he did for Marvel's internal industry. It's weird seeing how the whole thing evolved into what we see as comics today; especially when we talk about the Big Two.

[andersonh1]

Green Lantern: Rage of the Red Lanterns trade paperback

This collection of Green Lantern issues begins in the aftermath of the Sinestro Corps War. Sinestro is locked up on Oa, the Corps is dealing with massive losses and the various characters try to get back to their lives and what passes for normality. But obviously, that’s not going to happen.

The book is divided into two halves. The first three chapters deal with the creation of the Alpha Lanterns and the expulsion of Green Lantern Laira from the Corps. The second half details the creation of the Red Lanterns and the first encounters with them, as well as introducing the Blue Lanterns. I have to admit that I think Geoff Johns has overdone it with the various different Corps and taken the concept too far, but at least up to this point the Red and Blue make sense on a certain level because they come into existence due to actions taken by the Green Lanterns and the Guardians.

The Alpha Lantern storyline concerns the Guardians’ precautions taken to keep the Corps in order after authorizing lethal force against the Sinestro Corps. The Alpha Lanterns are internal affairs, and are a hybrid of Green Lanterns and Manhunters who operate without emotion and have the ability to drain energy from the power rings. Laira kills a surrendering member of the Sinestro Corps and is tried for murder. She is stripped of her membership in the Corps and sent back to her home planet. While out in space, she is located by a red power ring and is forcibly inducted into the Red Lantern Corps.

So what do the Red Lanterns base their power on? Anger, of course (as if the title of the book isn’t a dead giveaway!). Their leader Atrocitus has it in for the Guardians for building the Manhunters who slaughtered almost everyone in his home space sector. He also wants Sinestro dead for imprisoning him. The Red Lanterns win the initial confrontation with the Green Lanterns quite easily, but then the first Blue Lantern turns up to help. The Blue Lantern Corps is in the process of being founded by Ganthet and Sayd after the rest of the Guardians exiled them, and its purpose is to assist the Green Lanterns by greatly increasing the power of their rings, among other things.

It’s amusing to see Hal Jordan briefly become a member of every corps in existence. He’s worn both green and yellow power rings, and in this storyline he becomes a Red Lantern after he’s overcome with rage when Sinestro murders Laira. To free him from the red ring, St. Walker puts a blue ring on his finger. I know he has a black ring forced on him temporarily in GL #50, and the cover of Agent Orange shows him with the orange ring (though covers can’t always be trusted of course). I wonder if he’ll get to wear the indigo and Star Sapphire power rings before it’s all over. I can’t really see Hal in pink.

Overall: From this point on, it’s clear that all the storylines are building up to “Blackest Night”. Side plots, like Hal’s Air Force career and standard hero versus super villain storylines are put on hold as the various corps are introduced. I think the concept of the Lantern Corps is stretched very thin, but on the other hand it’s a new idea, and Johns certainly can’t be accused of retreading the same old Green Lantern storylines.