Moments of Profundity, to me, are those weird "pivot points" in life. Sometimes they're clear... other times, you don't realize how profound an event you experienced was until long after the fact. They can overt... they can be benign. Whatever the case, it's due to these "moments" that our lives go the direction(s) they do.
Download | Archives Yesterday I wrote a lot about "change"... and how a lot of times changes are sorta foist upon you. You have no choice or control over the direction of your life. We've all been there, and we all will be again at various points. Today, we're still discussing change, but a less passive sort. This episode, if you choose to listen to it (which I hope you do, but you probably won't), has to do with one of the biggest decisions and life-changes I made this past decade... and, no... that story has nothing to do with Flashpoint or The New-52!, I promise! The Flashpoint #1 tie-in and discussion is simply due to the fact that I bought and read this comic book the same day where I experienced one of those "moments of profundity". The day I finally decided to go back to college... a decision that still affects me to this very day (and beyond). -- While (tangentially) on the subject of "change"... I think we're getting close the wrap-up point for this site. Blogger (both versions) is still a disaster. I'm still not a skilled enough writer to be concise and get a post written in under a couple of hours. And, I'm pretty sure everybody has just "checked out" on me at this point. There's a lot of competition online for your ears and eyes... and I totally get why you'd rather spend your time elsewhere. I feel sort of foolish for assuming people would actually care about the stuff I have to say... especially going on a half-decade of daily content. Hell, I can't even get my friends to share this stuff. I guess my content just doesn't have the same karma-farming "cache" as some others. Can't say that I blame them! If you're still here, I thank you.
Green Lantern (vol.5) #1 (November, 2011) "Sinestro, Part One" Writer - Geoff Johns Pencils - Doug Mahnke Inks - Christian Alamy w/Tom Nguyen Colors - David Baron Letters - Sal Cipriano Assistant Editor - Darren Shan Editor - Brian Cunningham Cover Price: $2.99 Here's a little secret... I've never read the book we're about to cover today. Ya see, where DC planned for The New-52! to be a jumping-on point, I viewed it more as an opportunity to leave certain books (and families of books) behind. When I saw the title announcements and solicits, and saw that there were going to be four Lantern books as part of this reboot (Green Lantern, Green Lantern Corps., Green Lantern: The New Guardians, and Red Lanterns), with the edict that everything is starting "fresh", I didn't see any reason to pursue a family-of-four (books)... and if you know me, I'm kind of an "all or nothing" sorta comics guy. If I wasn't going to commit to all four... I was going to commit to zero. It wasn't until a couple of years later, (oddly) after Geoff Johns left the book, that I decided to dip my toe back into the Lanternverse. Me, being me, had to madly dash through town to fill in the issues I missed... but, that really wasn't ever in question. In fact, if you're familiar with cover variances, you'd see (above) that my copy of Green Lantern (vol.5) #1... is actually the second-printing! I don't even own a first-printing of this one! Anyhoo... let's see how they rebooted Hal. That's what happens in this one, right? Right? Right...? --
We open this... Brand-New Era for Green Lantern, by... picking up from the end of the previous issue? Waitasec... I thought The New-52! was for new readers?! Anyhoo... Sinestro is now Green Lantern, having been chosen by Hal Jordan's ring following the events of the War of the Green Lanterns. He says the thing, charges the ring... and gets a stern talking to by the Guardians of the Universe. They look at this opportunity as a chance for redemption... but Sin just ain't feeling it. He's not sure he wants this in his life again. Either way, he takes the battery and heads off, leaving a quarreling bunch of little blue fellers in his wake.
We shift scenes to Earth, and check in on now-former-Green Lantern, Hal Jordan... who is three months behind on his rent, probably plenty of other bills too. He's told his checks are no longer going to be accepted, which sounds pretty fair considering they never clear anyway.
As he's being harangued by his landlord, Hal overhears a struggle going on in the next apartment building over. Without even thinking, he leaps from his patio (which is seven stories up) across to the next building to save a woman from her attacker...
... only, it turns out they were just filming a movie. Wonk wonk?
We jump ahead a couple of hours, and Hal is in jail waiting to be picked up by Carol Ferris, who doesn't really get what I'd consider to be a proper "New Reader friendly" introduction. Actually... nobody really does!
As Carol and Hal leave the clink, Hal asks her if he can have his old job back. She'd love to have him, but if she were to take him back, their insurance company would drop them due to his recklessness. Then they talk about the recent Sinestro-happenings, which Hal doesn't know the complete results of. Carol suggests that might be a good thing, and comments that she hasn't put her Star Sapphire ring on since the War either. Hal then asks her out to dinner.
We rejoin Sinestro at his homeworld of Korugar, where he sees that his own Sinestro Corps have gotten a bit out of control. He finds himself attacked by one of them, mistaking him for a "real" Green Lantern, before realizing who he really is. Sinestro kinda flips the script on them by acting like a "real" Green Lantern... annnd then sawing through one of their necks with a construct-garrote.
Jumping ahead to the next night, Hal and Carol are out at a swanky joint for dinner... when Hal pops the question. "Carol Ferris, will you... co-sign on the lease for my car?" Just what every woman wants to hear, am I right?
Wellll... Carol thought he was going to ask a different question, surely, as she tosses her drink in his face and storms out of the restaurant. It takes Hal a minute or two to realize what she was expecting... which, I mean, these two are so "on-again/off-again" why in the world would he ever ask her to marry him?! They'd likely break all sorts of records for "most divorces and remarries for a single couple".
Hal then walks back to his place (Carol left him behind... and she was his ride). He is greeted by an... eviction notice.
But that's not all! He's also greeted by... Sinestro, who has a whopper of a proposition for him... and it doesn't seem to have anything to do with co-signing on his Ford Focus.
-- This kinda goes against type, but... I loved this! It just goes to show that if you're a writer with the right amount of pull and "cache", and your book was pulling in the sort of numbers DC was happy with... you could beat The New-52! This issue could just as easily been the next issue of Green Lantern (vol.4)... and for all I know, was exactly the direction that book was going before that "other shoe" dropped, and the toilet was announced as being about to be flushed. I mean, we literally pick up right where we left off in the pre-Flashpoint series... which, is good news for someone like me... but, what about the new readers, maaaaaaan?! How could someone wandering in off the streets pick up this issue... with Sinestro on the cover and in the green duds, and not instantly feel like they'd missed something (because they had!)? This is just another check mark in the "DC didn't know what the hell they were doing with The New-52!" column... and also, fuels my own speculation that the entire endeavor was some sort of a last-minute decision, with precious little more in the way of planning than "Hey, New #1's"... and little more in the way of goals than "Maybe we'll beat Marvel for a month or two". Such short-sighted dunderheadedness... that they're still paying for nearly a decade later. Now, for this issue... Hal's no longer a Lantern, which... if you read the War of the Green Lanterns crossover in the closing months of the pre-Flashpoint continuity, you'd already know. Sinestro was chosen... and Hal's back to being a bum. We get mention here that Carol is a Star Sapphire... which, I mean, a "new" reader is probably going to glaze over without realizing just what that means... or they'll have to go to Wikipedia until they get bored... or even more confused. Really... the more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that... regardless of how much I personally enjoyed this one, since it didn't go tabula rasa... or half-ass tabula rasa, I don't think this one is anywhere near "new reader friendly". I mean, even if you're a "new reader" who prefers to read your comics in trade collections... you'd still be pretty lost with this opening "chapter". You'd almost have to read War of the Green Lanterns... and in order to fully appreciate that, you'd have to read Blackest Night... and in order to full appreciate that, you'd have to read the entirety of the Geoff Johns run... and in order to fully appreciate that, you're reading Green Lantern: Rebirth. I could go on... but I'm sure you've got the point. This isn't a "fresh start", which sort of undermines the entire New-52! endeavor... in my opinion. So, as a "welcome" to new readers, who may or may not exist, this isn't that great a jumping-on/jumping-in point, in my opinion. If you're a seasoned reader, and want more of what came before... this is as good as a lot of it. Art is solid-to-great, and it's a fun (though breezy) little chapter. Worth a look, and as with anything post-Flashpoint, is available digitally... this one for only 99-cents! -- Interesting Ads:
Superboy (vol.3) #1 (January, 2011) "Smallville Attacks! Part One" Writer - Jeff Lemire Art - Pier Gallo Colors - James Grant Letters - John J. Hill Assistant Editor - Wil Moss Editor - Matt Idelson Cover Price: $2.99 Ya know what's annoying... how if I mention say, Walmart or Target while in the presence of my phone, my social media will suddenly be bombarded with ads for those places... but, my spellchecker/auto-correct, with as much as I've written about comic books over the past three years, still puts the squiggly-red line under the word "Superboy". Ya kiddin' me with this? Worth noting, Superboy often auto-corrects to "superbly"... could that be an indication of what we're in for with this very issue?! --
We open with Conner Kent, back from the dead and now living in Smallville. As he sits atop a grain silo he thinks to himself what his life might've been like if he'd had a normal childhood... or, ya know, any childhood at all! While he's thinking about this, we see a little boy dressed like a superhero frolicking in the fields. As Kon rubs a grain between his fingers, Krypto barks, informing him that they're not alone. Superboy finds himself joined by... oh, c'mon, the Phantom Stranger.
The Stranger comes with bad tidings, as he normally does. He tells Superboy that the fate of someone close to him is hanging in the balance... and that he should return home post-haste. Just so happens, at that very moment, Ma Kent is stood atop a chair watering some plants on the porch... she slips, but thanks to the warning, Kon is able to swoop in just in the nick of time.
He tells Ma about his recent visit with the Stranger... and wonders if his staying in Smallville might actually do more harm than good. Ma assures him that there's nothing to worry about... and Ma's got a way of being pretty convincing. Worth noting, if you're reading the panels, read these backwards... the page has this clockwise-circular gimmick going on.
We rejoin that tot dressed like a superhero as he happens across a critter that looks to have been sucked dry. Could the Phantom Stranger have been there to warn of a Chupacabra outbreak?! Well, no... instead, a giant purple mass of a man bursts onto the scene and chases the boy away!
We shift scenes to Smallville High School, where Conner Kent is grabbing some books from his locker. He is approached by Lori Luthor (Lex's niece, natch... which also makes her Conner's sorta-kinda "cousin"). She asks why he's been avoiding her... and he coyly tells her he hasn't been. He's just been busy with "other stuff".
Back in the fields, that Purple Beast is trudging his way toward town... leaving a whole lotta dehydrated flora and fauna in his wake. Is it okay to reveal that this is Parasite yet?
After school, Conner heads to a diner... where he meets an old man. The fella informs him that today is the 154th anniversary of Smallville's founding. He hands over a little blobby figurine he'd whittled and wishes Conner a "Happy Birthday". Conner returns the favor... well, more like he returns the sentiment, it's not like he hands over a whittled figurine himself.
On his way out, Conner runs into Simon Valentine... his best pal in Smallville, who naturally has red hair. That's kinduva "thing" with Super-Pals. Simon pulls him aside because he's got biiiiig news. Conner is certain it has something to do with his army of trained frogs, but nope... it's even bigger than that. Ya see, Simon has figured out that Conner Kent... is Superboy!
Before the Boy of Steel can even begin to digest this revelation, he is attacked by that purple beast Parasite!
Parasite is there... to kill Superman. Kon tears off his shirt, and lets the baddie know he's got the wrong dude... but if he wants to get to the "main event", Parasite's going to have to go through him. As luck would have it, that's exactly what Parasite wanted to do! Ya see, he's going to drain Superboy of his power... and use it against the Real Steel Deal!
After getting punched through a Barber Shop window, Simon shouts that Superboy should take the fight off the street... because, ya know, they're tearing the place up. Superboy tackles Parasite and rams him right back into the wheat fields so they might continue. Unfortunately, upon landing... Superboy ain't good for much!
He realizes he's going to have to count on his tactile telekinesis... and attempts to use it to lift up and hurl a tractor. Only, he's not strong enough at the moment!
As Parasite stomps ever closer, Superboy realizes that it might not take the biggest thing around to put the baddie down.
He focuses his attention on the tens-of-thousands of wheat grains in the area... and absolutely bombards Parasite with 'em! It's actually pretty gross if you think about it... which is why we probably shouldn't!
Simon rushes on the scene to see if "Conner" is alright. Superboy informs him that it's, ya know, not cool to call him by his civilian name when he's in his work clothes. I mean, c'mon, that's Super-Pal 101 stuff there.
Suddenly the flora around them starts going nuts... and we wrap up with the arrival of Poison Ivy, who is fearful she's too late to save Smallville!
-- Ya know, it says a lot about a book when it can open with the friggin' Phantom Stranger, and close with Poison friggin' Ivy... and I can still give it the ol' "two thumbs up"! This was a wonderfully enjoyable issue, and a fine start to this new volume of Superboy. Now, if you're a regular reader/listener, my feelings on the Phantom Stranger ain't a big secret. I find him, like many of DC's mysterious/undead/ethereal characters... to be rather a bore. They seem to pop in and either spout some cryptic nonsense, or just serve as a hand-wavin' deus ex machina. Luckily, he only occupies a couple of pages here... and he facilitates a nice discussion between Conner and Ma. As for Poison Ivy. She's kinda up there with Ra's Al Ghul in the pantheon of "Bat villains I never need to see again". Especially if we were to jump back to the Winter of 2010/2011. Talk about having a lotta Bat-Books today, back pre-Flashpoint, half the line was like Bat-Books on steroids. I mean, the Avengers would raise an eyebrow and say "Innat a bit much?" So, yeah... seeing a (traditionally) Bat-Family character here didn't exactly rock my socks... but, it also didn't make me not want to pick up the next issue, which is the most important thing. I thought having Conner move to Smallville and live with (the relatively-recently-widowed) Ma Kent was a great idea! Thought this was a great way to make Smallville relevant, and tell stories that didn't necessarily have to take place in the big city. Also looks like Lemire was pulling together a great little supporting cast for the kid! The fight with Parasite was pretty great... and concluded with a wonderfully clever use of Conner's much-lauded (by him) tactile telekinesis! This one act of understanding the potential value in "little things" showed a (much welcome) leap in maturation for the Boy of Steel. So, yeah... I loved this issue. With that said... Why am I so annoyed, then? Well... this book is yet another example of some of the great things DC had going on before flushing 'em down the toilet less than a year later. Actually, if we're to go by The "official" Chris is on Infinite Earths "hot-take"... this issue had the same cover-date as Flash (vol.3) #6... which is where I personally feel like the "other shoe dropped". That was the issue/month (to my mind) where DC decided that Flashpoint was going to be something more than just the next big Flash event. So... was this book always doomed to a short life? Did DC launch this knowing it wouldn't survive the year... or, was it already in the works before the seminal beats of The New-52! were in the ether? Whatever the case, this series is a shining example of the good-to-great books DC was putting out before the plug was pulled. Speaking of "great"... how 'bout this art? Where'd this Pier Gallo come from... and why haven't we seen so more from him?! I mean, holy smokes, this was some wonderful work! Gotta say, this is a top-flight book... and it's a shame it had to be sacrificed for whateverthehell The New-52! Superboy was all about. Overall... yeah, check this one out! I know Kon-El is about to make his return in the pages of Young Justice (vol.3), but I'm not sure he's going to be the same fella as the one we read here. He's still in his 90's togs... which might just be a "funny, ha-ha"... or might be an indication of where he was "nyoinked" from. Whatever the case, this seriesis worth your time. This issue has been collected as part of Superboy, Volume 1: Smallville Attacks... and it's also available digitally. -- (Not the) Letters Page:
Aquaman (vol.5) #1 (November, 2011) "The Trench, Part One" Writer - Geoff Johns Pencils - Ivan Reis Inks - Joe Prado Colors - Rod Reis Letters - Nick J. Napolitano Assistant Editor - Sean Mackiewicz Editor - Patrick McCallum Cover Price: $2.99 Going to take a look back at a book I'd missed when it hit the shelves... because I was at the very start of my post-Flashpoint temper tantrum. I have read this issue a few times though... a few years back, I happened across the trade paperback for like two-bucks, and decided to give it a shot. I'm excited to see how well it's aged. Let's take a look! --
We open underwater with some piranha-looking beasties awakening... they head toward the surface. At the same time, on the surface, the Boston Police are in hot pursuit of a stolen armored car... when, suddenly Aquaman shows up in the middle of the road! The would-be robbers think this is pretty hilarious (this is the theme of the issue, by the way).
The robbers fear no fish(man), so they hit the gas figuring they'll just run him down where he stands. This doesn't work out all that well for them, as Aquaman jams his trident into the grill of the truck and basically suplexes the sucker over.
One of the baddies scurries out of the van and unload a few guns into Aquaman's torso... this is also rather ineffective, though Arthur does get a nick above his right eyebrow. It doesn't end well for the crook.
The police are thankful for Aquaman's assistance... yet, give him the normal battery of "hurr hurr" Aquaman questions... ya know, "what are you doing on dry land" and "do you need a glass of water". It's not as aggressively annoying (nor as damned repetitive) as it would be in Aquaman: Rebirth. Either way, Aquaman hops away.
We rejoin him at Sam's Seafood... where the other patrons are absolutely shocked to see him belly up to a booth. Ya see, he's Aquaman... and he's going to eat seafood! Doesn't that make him a cannibal or something?!
A nervous waitress heads over and takes his order. Fish and chips, he says. An irritating blogger (bloggers are the worst!) tells him he can't offer fish and chips... because, say it with me: he talks to fish! Hurr hurr. Aquaman corrects the geek... he doesn't talk to fish, he can only telepathically "push" them to assist him.
That blogger then hops into Arthur's booth... and asks for an interview. Aquaman, though clearly annoyed, answers a few questions. He chose this restaurant because it's where his father used to take him when he was a child. The blogger clarifies, Aquaman's human father... which is a good way to tip off new readers.
Then, our tactful internet journalist asks what it feels like to be Aquaman... what's it like to be a joke... a punchline... what's it like to be nobody's favorite superhero?! Aquaman gets up and leaves, giving the waitress a tip of a few doubloons on his way out.
Back at the Lighthouse that night, Aquaman flashes back to his childhood. His reflection is interrupted by the arrival of Mera... and they discuss the future. Aquaman has decided to have a go at living "up here", and letting Atlantis find themselves a new king... they never liked him much anyway. Mera thinks this is a great idea.
We wrap up with three whole pages featuring some fishermen being attacked by those crazy piranha-looking beasts!
-- This was really good... though I'm pretty sure I "received" it better the first time around. This is the first time they seriously tackled the "Aquaman as the butt of the joke" concept, and really worked hard to debunk it. Since this issue, however, it feels like they just won't stop harping on it. They want so bad to recreate this moment... Aquaman acting like a badass... Aquaman dealing with a public that takes him less than seriously... that it's kinda taken the "oomph" out of this one for me. Still a great scene... and a long-time coming. I never really saw Aquaman as a jokey character... though, I didn't come up during the SuperFriends era, which is where I think much of that comes from. I also don't get my "witty" observations from Family Guy, so I guess there's that too. What we do get here is a pretty great introduction to the character for all of the... um... "new readers" of The New-52! The eight or nine who didn't just hoard, bag 'n board all of the new #1's, that is. What's more... this issue could have just as easily taken place in the pre-Flashpoint/post-Brightest Day DC Universe... which is always a plus to me. Then again, for all I know, this might've originally been intended as the post-Brightest Day volume of Aquaman... just held off a few months to slide it into The New-52! initiative. The art here is pretty spectacular... I gotta say, I love the shiny armor look for Aquaman! The whole package is top-tier... and we've come to expect nothing less from Johns and Reis. This issue has been collected and is available digitally (for 99-cents!). It's a very breezy read, but it's well worth checking out! -- Interesting Ads:
