Phoenix ResurreX-Lapsed, Episode 02 - Phoenix Resurrection: The Return of Jean Grey #2 (2018)

Phoenix ResurreX-Lapsed, Episode Two

Phoenix Resurrection: The Return of Jean Grey #2 (March, 2018)

"Book Two: All Lesser Birds"

Writer - Matthew Rosenberg

Pencils - Carlos Pacheco

Inks - Rafael Fonteriz

Colors - Rachelle Rosenberg

Letters - VC's Travis Lanham

Edits - Harrington, Robinson, Shan, Paniccia, Alonso

Cover Price: $3.99

On-Sale: January 3, 2018

Mutant psychics have gone missing... there's fire in the skies... and the X-Men have a pretty good idea what might be responsible - and so, they break into a bunch of teams to MacGuffin-hunt!

Also: The Elsewhere Diner gets itself a patron with the ability to bend spoons...

Still having a lot of fun with this "Sunday Special Series"... and I hope you are as well!

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Green Lantern (vol.4) #1 (2005)

Green Lantern (vol.4) #1 (July, 2005)
"Airborne"
Writer - Geoff Johns
Art - Carlos Pacheco, Ethan Van Sciver & Jesus Merino
Colors - Moose Baumann
Letters - Rob Leigh
Assistant Editor - Harvey Richards
Editor - Peter Tomasi
Cover Price: $3.50

Last week, we took a look at the first issue of Green Lantern in The New-52!, and I was pretty surprised to discover that he hadn't already covered this Green Lantern #1.  Could'a sworn we had.

I was actually hoping to cover all of the Green Lantern #1's... but, we won't be able to cover vol.3's... for obvious reasons.  You can probably do some Googling if you're unaware.

Anyhoo... who's ready for a "Cooler than Most" Hal Jordan?

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We open in the way back when, where we meet Hal Jordan of Ferris Aircraft.  A couple of pilots are discussing some stunt he'd pulled... and how it's pretty clear that Carol Ferris has the hots for him.  Also, they don't think Hal will ever be cleared to fly again.  Little do they know that he's about to be zapped by an emerald beam... and delivered deep into the desert.  As he is nyoinked, a voice tells him that the Brightest Day will become the Blackest Night.  Hmm...

We know where this is headed, right?  Hal is plunked down right before a dying Abin Sur, who offers him the gig... and he takes it.  I feel like I've gotta mention, Hal comes across as almost too cool during the post-Green Lantern: Rebirth retelling of his origin.  This was one of the bigger criticisms at the time, though, I'm sure those arguments have been lost in the digital sands by now.

We jump back to the present, and join a five-card dogfight between Hal and his buddy Shane.  This whole thing seems like the absolute worst way to play a hand of cards... but remember, this Hal is too cool for school.

We jump ahead a bit, and join Hal and Shane at a bar inside Edwards Air Force Base.  They catch up a bit, Hal learns that Shane's done some "adulting" since their last visit... got married, started a family, ya know... that sort of stuff.  Shane mentions that they'd all thought Hal perished during the decimation of Coast City... which is, probably the best way to casually write off Hal's disappearance.

Later on, Hal retrieves his ring from his locker... just as John Stewart is attempting to get a hold of him.  Apparently, there's an abandoned spacecraft lingering in orbit, and so Hal decides to join him to check it out.

With Hal away, we head over to Barstow, where a Private is hauling a covered load.  A waitress playfully inquires about what's under the tarp... and it's one'a those "If I tell ya, I'd have to kill ya" sort of propositions.  The waitress's meathead fiance, Chris (no relation) butts in to make sure the flirting ceases.

Back outside, the Private checks in with an associate named Johnson, who is trying to get a peek at the cargo himself.  He claims that there's a "moaning" sound coming from it.  The Private pulls the ol' "If I tell ya, I'd have to kill ya" once again... and they leave.

We rejoin Hal (with John) deep in space.  They discuss such matters as restarting the Green Lantern Corps.  Hal thinks it's a silly idea, considering there are only five Green Lanterns left (Hal, John, Guy, Kyle, and Kilowog... if I'm remembering right).  Eventually they come across the abandoned spacecraft... and it's completely yellow.  Hal posits that whoever it is didn't realize the yellow impurity was a thing of the past.

The Lanterns bust in, and discover... nothing.  Just blackness.  Not even a seat to sit in.  Hal checks the fuel cells... and they're empty.  Looks like whoever used this rig was only planning on it being a one-way trip.

Back in Barstow, the waitress and her meathead fiance get into an argument.  Eh, I guess they're not actually engaged... more like, engaged-to-be-engaged... which sounds kinda "high school" to me.  Anyhoo, they are approached by... a strange-looking fella, who kills them both!  Kills the dude first, probably because he doesn't want to be accused of "fridging".

Next stop, Coast City... which is in the middle of it's grand rebuild.  Hal's narration clues us in that there are big government incentives to live there... but, not so many people have taken the bait.  Really can't blame 'em, considering.  Also, there's gotta be some radiation still lingering, right?  Not all of us have Power Rings to protect us.

Hal heads inside his apartment, and is greeted by his brother, Jim.  They have a touching, though contentious, reunion.  They talk about their parents, as well as the all-new Coast City.  Jim ain't keen on moving the family back to town... which, again... can't blame him!

Suddenly, a low-flying plane produces a sonic boom that shatters all of the windows.  Hal scurries off to Lantern-up and check out 
what's goin' on.

Hal takes off, and catches up to the damaged aircraft.  Upon getting a closer look, he deduces that the engine on this rig is clearly of extradimensional origin.

After helping it to land safely, we meet the pilot... Captain Jillian Pearlman, otherwise known as "Cowgirl".  They flirt for a bit, because that's kinda what Hal does.

We wrap up back with that tarped load coming out of Barstow.  From under the cover, we can see a glowing-red eye.  Then, we hear it... "No Man Escapes--"  Oh dammit.

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Alright... not a bad start to the new volume!

Gotta get it out of the way.  It's been said, and it's certainly true, Hal does come across a little "too cool" here.  He doesn't seem like a dude who goofs up from time to time... a guy who second-guesses himself, which I guess works in that it makes him a more fitting Green Lantern candidate... but, it also causes him to become a little less relatable.  This is the "Fonzie" Hal Jordan, less a guy you'd wanna have a drink with, and more the dude you mutter under your breath about anytime he walks by.

Even in our opening pages, we've got a couple of pilots coming across as very jealous of Hal... his ability, courage, and how much it seems that Carol has a "thing" for him.  I mean, I don't need Hal to be a complete boob... but, this feels like something of an over-correction.

I'm guessing that much of this has to do with undoing Emerald Dawn... ya know, the whole drunk-driving incident.  That's fair enough, I suppose.  I wasn't around when that series came out, so I couldn't say how it was received, at least initially.  Not sure how the Hal-Faithful cottoned to the idea that he'd nearly killed a bunch of folks while driving drunk.  I'd imagine it'd be at least somewhat divisive.

I'm somewhere in between, I guess.  On one hand, I don't mind heroes having flaws... but on the other, actually driving drunk is a choice one has to make.  It's such a stupid thing to do... and I could totally see people coming away from that miniseries with some pretty hard feelings toward Hal.  Especially those affected by some jackass who chose to drive drunk.

So, while I'm a big "lore" guy... and a proponent of "everything matters", I get why that story might be a problem for some/many.  I suppose at the end of the day, I don't have much of an issue with them wiping that bit away.

Hal's disappearance after the decimation of Coast City is handled about as well as it could be here.  Basically, after the event in question, Hal just "hit the road".  It's an easy enough excuse, that sorta fits with his character.  I mean, old Hal was something of a roaming vagabond from time to time, right?

This issue does a great job of setting the table for what's to come.  I mean, there's a mention of Blackest Night... a story that wouldn't actually happen for nearly a half-decade.  Bits and pieces of Hal's "Secret Origin" are dropped... which is a story that would be fleshed out like 2-3 years later too!  I mean, there's just so much planning going on here... which, to me, is a great thing!

What's never so great is... the Manhunters!  Now, we've discussed these goofy robots a whole lot here over the years... but, I don't think we've ever looked at them under Johns' watch.  I look forward to revisiting this era, to see how he handled them.

Overall, despite some of my misgivings about Hal's "coolness", this was a really good issue.  It's been collected in Green Lantern: No Fear, and is available digitally (for 99-cents!).

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DC Universe #0 (2008)

DC Universe #0 (June, 2008)
"Let There Be Lightning"
Writers - Grant Morrison & Geoff Johns
Pencils - George Perez, Doug Mahnke, Tony S. Daniel, Ivan Reis, Aaron Lopresti, Philip Tan, Ed Benes, Carlos Pacheco & JG Jones
Inks - Scott Koblish, Christian Alamy, Tony S. Daniel, Oclair Albert, Matt Ryan, Jeff De Los Santos, Ed Benes, Jesus Merino & J.G. Jones
Colors - Alex Sinclair, Tom Smith & David Baron
Letters - Nick J. Napolitano
Assistant Editor - Adam Schlagman
Editor - Dan Didio
Cover Price: $0.50

Had a whole big "thing" planned for today.  Seeing as though this is my 616th post, I was thinking of doing a DC/Marvel crossover.  Said it before... and unfortunately, I'll likely say it again... moving house stinks, and many of my rooms look like they've been hit by a four-color explosion.

I think most of my DC/Marvel stuff is in Longbox #33... just haven't the foggiest which room Longbox #33 might be in!

Soooo.... we'll read and discuss something else.

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We open with what appears to be the Universe (or perhaps a being who is "one with" the Universe)... monologuing.  It's a long shot of the universe... and it claims to be "everything".  It continues to speak of its defenders, the Justice League of America... and it's the original seven (the real original seven).  We can also see several early recruits.  The narration continues... speaking of a Multiverse, and a pair of Crises... one that nearly destroyed everything, and another that brought with it multiversal resurrection... and threats of a third, and Final Crisis.

We shift ahead to the 31st Century, where Superman (wearing a Legion flight ring) is battling a baddie called Tyr.  Superman requests back-up from his teammates... and so, we see Legionnaires Brainiac-5 and the White Witch having a sort of seance.  Brainy says he's attempting to drum up some help for the Man of Steel... however, the next page shows the entire Legion embroiled in battle with those Shadow Demons from Crisis on Infinite Earths!

Next up, we head to Arkham Asylum, presumably the "present day".  Batman is visiting with the Joker, who seems to be using regular playing cards as a crazy sort of tarot.  Folks really had some fun trying to decipher this scene back in the day.  The first couple of cards dealt are the Ace of Clubs and the Eight of Diamonds... which if metasymbology.com is to be believed, the ACE is the card of "desire"... and the CLUB means many things, Education among them... so, it might symbolize Batman's desire for information.  Or, it might just be a reference to the "Club of Heroes" or "Club of Villains".  The EIGHT means "power" and "control"... DIAMOND means many things, among them Security.  Lookit me, pretending to understand this stuff!  (I don't by the way, just so we're clear).

Batman asks the Joker if he's heard of an organization (or person) known as The Black Glove.  The next card dealt is the EIGHT of HEARTS.  Hearts, among other things, means vulnerability... which is pretty apt at this juncture.

The Joker is kinda tickled by Batman not knowing what's to come.  He tells him that there are people who are looking to... and are capable of hurting him in a way that he won't recover.  Next card is the ACE of SPADES.  Which could mean Acceptance... as the Joker follows up by pretending to blow his brains out with a finger-gun.  Also worth noting, and more likely the "symbolism" of this scene than any of the nonsense I just researched... H is the eighth letter of the alphabet... soooo, the 8A8A card layout spells... HAHA.

Batman insists that he isn't afraid... after all, if he were, he'd no longer be Batman.  The Joker shows the final card of this "dead man's hand" (Aces and Eights)... and, well, wouldja lookit that... the "wild card" is a JOKER card... didn't see that coming!

Next we check in on Wonder Woman, who is battling a Minotaur.  Meanwhile, Zeus and Apollo appear to be plotting against her... assembling an army of men to take down the Amazons.

In Northern California, Green Lanterns Hal Jordan and John Stewart are investigating a scene where the villain Black Hand (not to be confused with Black Glove... though, I've heard one fits perfectly into the other) exploded while being transported to a federal prison.  They see a burnt corpse... with a handprint on its chest... a handprint we're about to become very familiar with.

We next follow Black Hand... and also take a tour of the emotional spectrum... as he is summoned by a... black lantern?!  Uh-oh.

Next up, we see a scene of the Spectre fighting off the Anti-Monitor from Crisis on Infinite Earths... however, this isn't the green ghoul we're going to be reading about today.  There's a new Spirit of God's Wrath/Vengeance/whatever around, and it's former Gotham City cop Crispus Allen.  Our narrator is hopeful that, in the coming Crisis, he'll learn that there's more to his role than just vengeance.

We shift to somewhere between shadow and light, where a figure falls... a flaming figure, perhaps Darkseid?  Perhaps our narrator?

Next up, a meeting of a reformed Secret Society of Super-Villains... this time led by Libra... and the Crime Bible from 52?  Sure, why not?

We wrap up with our narrator's caption becoming clear... it's no longer shaded at one end... now, it features a... lightning bolt?!  Now "he" remembers!

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Now, if I were to tell you that we were going to discuss an issue by Geoff Johns with "DC Universe" in the title, that was secretly narrated by the Flash... this probably isn't the first one you'd pick out.

Lemme be honest here... this whole era took place during my unemployment-fueled exile from comics.  I did grab this one though... seeing as it only cost fifty pennies.  I recall hating it.  Not so much for the story, but for the fact that I'd only been away for about six months... and I was completely lost!  I think as a primer for new/lapsed readers... this book kinda fails.

If you were ensconced in 2008 DC, however, I think there's a ton to like/love here.  This serves as a pretty decent bridge from (whatever the hell) Countdown (was) to Final Crisis.  I've tried several times over to read through Countdown... and never make it past the second (of four) trade collection.  I think if you were so inclined, you could probably skip that... and just read this.  If you're a new reader, you're going to be lost either way!

It's even tough to discuss the individual scenes, as they all play out in different titles.  I suppose if you were following those books that would be one thing... I dunno... it's really hard for me to put this one in a "vacuum"... it's predicated on too many stories, and leads to too many more!  I really feel like the "introductory" price is a bit deceiving... as this isn't new-reader (or even briefly-lapsed reader) friendly in the slightest.  Maybe if this was Countdown to Final Crisis #0... or Final Crisis #0 I'd think differently, but as a stand-alone... it disappoints.

And, no... we're not going to get into Final Crisis today.  That's a whole 'nother kettle of wax, ball of fish... whatever... which is on the agenda (likely to be followed up with Reggie and I digging our way through a Weird Comics History episode), but that's for another day.

This is a toughie to recommend, as it brings a whole lotta baggage with it.  If you wanna read this as a snapshot of post-Infinite Crisis/pre-Final Crisis DC, I'm sure you could.  You might not get much out of it... but, then again you may!  On the other hand, if you are doing a mid-aughts DC reading project, than this is a must.  How's that for riding the fence?

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DC Nation:

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