Flash: Rebirth #2 (July, 2009) "Dead Run" Writer - Geoff Johns Art - Ethan Van Sciver Letters - Rob Leigh Colors - Alex Sinclair Edits - Chris Conroy, Joey Cavalieri Cover Price: $3.99
Well, leave it to me to start an ambitious (ambitious for the late-2023 version of me, anyway) little project during a busy holiday week. During our final pre-Thanksgiving "clean sweep" of the house, my short-stack of Flash: Rebirth books were snapped up from the coffee table, and stowed away... somewhere. I'll admit I didn't look too terribly hard for them... but, when I finally got around to it, it took a bit of doing. I wasn't gunning for "daily" coverage, but... jeez, I assumed I'd be able to do a little bit better than monthly. Apologies.
Been doing a bit of a Chris is on Infinite Earths "revisit" kick, rereading old stuff... tidying up the place a bit. This time of year kind of lends itself to reflection and what-not, doesn't it? This little site wasn't ever anything to write home about... but, I tell ya what, I really miss the fella I was during the "hey-day" of daily discussions. I miss connecting with people... and, hell, just connecting with myself through this silly little hobby. It's been a bit of a rough patch for me personally these past 12-18 months. No real sign of there being a light at the end of the tunnel just yet... but, we do the best we can. Here's to a brighter 2024.
Anyway, with all that dreariness out of the way... howsabout we get into the second issue of Flash: Rebirth?
--
We open in one of my least favorite Flash-comic-locales... Gorilla City. If you've followed my stuff, you'll know there are a handful of places in the DC or Marvel Universe that cause my rapidly-declining eyes to glaze over. Gorilla City is definitely one of 'em. Anyway, here we see some pretty cool Flash cave art, depicting black lightning bolts emerging from Barry-Flash's lightning bolt emblem and hitting the rest of the Flash fam. From here, we hop over to the Balkans to meet up with Ivana Molotova, Lady Flash... as she's attempting to make contact with the recently-crispified-critter we know as Savitar. She whips something up and is able to bear witness to his final moments and powderfication at the unwitting hands of Barry Allen.
Speaking of Barry, let's check back in on him... as he sits next to the cremains of Savitar. As Hal Jordan arrives on the scene, Barry warns him not to come too close, lest he be crispified as well. Barry notes that his "death-touch" or whatever didn't affect Sav's metal mask... only his flesh. Hal takes the remains as Barry heads off to chat up Wally about his "perp", Savitar. I know Barry's a cop (or cop-adjacent), but I don't think I'm digging him referring to a supervillain... even one as ineffective as Savitar... as a "perp". That seems a bit try-hard to me. Anyway... Barry's off, and during a pass-by of Iris' house, sees that there's a police car outside. This causes him to flash-back to the recent-retcon concerning his mother's murder... which, also feels a little bit "try-hard"... almost like it's cribbing on "blood and pearls" outside a showing of Zorro. The flashback (and retcon) doesn't end there, however, as Barry then recalls the day he first met Iris. It takes a fair bit of liberty with the original take... but, it's harmless enough not to ruin anybody's day. It just moves their meeting day up to the day of Barry being struck by lightning, rather than the day after. It also gives us a bit more context regarding the Nora Allen "cold case".
Back in the present, Barry enters Iris's house and chat up the visiting Captain Frye. It's here we learn that Barry's death and absence has been explained as his being in witness protection (this is all thanks to Wonder Woman's connections in the government). Barry isn't too sure how he feels about any of this... he says that the world moved on while he was gone, denoting that there'll be a bit of difficulty and discomfort if he tries to "pick up where he left off". Also, we mustn't forget that our man believes himself to be on "borrowed time", just waiting to be sucked back into the Speed Force.
The conversation grows more and more uncomfortable before being interrupted by a Wally West phone call. He reports in that the entire Flash family just suffered speed-seizures... which we saw at the very end of the previous ish. From here, Barry and Wally head off to Fallville, Iowa... where a crazy lightning storm is going down. Fallville, by the by, is the town Barry Allen was born in. During the run, Barry mentions that he didn't feel anything when the rest of the Flash Fam was struck with seizures.
Upon arrival, our Speedsters find themselves attacked by Lady Flash. No sooner does Barry lay hands on her than she's rendered into dust. We close out with the revelation that Barry Allen has become the new vessel for the Black Flash.
--
So, you might be asking: Just what in the hell is a Black Flash? Ya know, up until not too long ago, I'd have been asking that same question myself. This is kind of a "deep cut" reveal. The Black Flash doesn't make all that many appearances (though, I swear, at least half of those experiences are somehow considered its "first appearance"... good luck snagging any of those for a decent price). The concept of the Black Flash is pretty interesting... and, we'll be fleshing it out as we go on. Part of me wonders, though... how did this reveal "land" with less savvy/knowledgeable Flash fans back in 2009? I suppose there was always a Wiki or two to peruse.
We're still building the story at this point, though I must say, it's sidestepping the feeling of decompression quite well. Like, somehow not much has happened yet... though, at the same time, lots of stuff has! It's pretty weird, but I'm digging the feel and flow here.
It ain't perfect though.
For one thing, if I didn't know any better, I'd swear this was a conscious effort to wipe out Wally's Rogues Gallery. In two issues, we see the dustification of Savitar and Lady Flash. If I'm Killg%re or Murmur, I know I ain't gonna be in any rush to get involved in this. With the power of hindsight (and the upcoming DC Comics toilet-flush), this is naturally less of a concern/worry... hell, members of Wally's Rogues Gallery actually outlived Wally himself!
The retcons. Hmm... I'm a little bit conflicted. I don't necessarily mind them, but I feel like we're already overdoing it. Not talking about Barry and Iris' first meeting being bumped up a day... that really doesn't hurt much of anything. The Nora Allen murder though... I dunno. Maybe because I know where it's heading... and how it'll be the catalyst for the aforementioned New-52! toilet-flush... but, it already feels like this bit of retcon is, uh, "insisting upon itself", if that makes any sense?
Overall though, I'm still enjoying this. Really, at this point, it's just a story... because, who can even say what's in or out of continuity anymore (the poor Wiki-contributors must be writing themselves in circles every single week with how slipshod, nebulous, and contradictory it all is nowadays). As a story though, it's neat and well-drawn.
Will hopefully get back to this in the coming days... though, if I wind up vanishing into the Speed Force myself, I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas/Holiday Season.
Flash: Rebirth #1 (June, 2009) "Lightning Strikes Twice" Writer - Geoff Johns Art - Ethan Van Sciver Letters - Rob Leigh Colors - Alex Sinclair Edits - Chris Conroy, Joey Cavalieri Cover Price: $3.99
Hey! It's been a minute, hasn't it? Been a bit of a year ova' here... won't bore y'all with my varying tales of 2023 woe, but suffice it to say I haven't really been in the right headspace to blibbuh-blabbah on about comics... or anything, really. Not even sure where I'm "at" right now... just really missing the old Chris is on Infinite Earths "ritual"... missing talking to and at anybody who who pops over to the ol' site... I miss a lot of stuff.
Received my latest DCBS box this past weekend... which makes three I've gotten and haven't even bothered to open! I suppose each one serves as a reminder that I've long neglected all of my pseudo-creative exploits. DCBS boxes loaded to the brim with X-Men books (a family of titles I haven't read in well over a year at this point), and Titans books (my most recent attempt at chatting about comics). I feel kind of ashamed even looking at them, if I'm being honest. Feels like I really let myself (and anyone who found any enjoyment in my nonsense) down.
Hey, didn't I say I wasn't going to bore you? Oh well, sorry 'bout that!
Anyway, today... wanted to start filling in one of my "on purpose" blind spots in DC Comics history. Flash: Rebirth... ya know, the first one. This series hit the shelves at a time where I was both destitute and in the midst of one of my many DC Comics "temper tantrums". If you were subjected to my disastrously depressing Flash Forward review from a few years back, you could probably suss out that I was (and am) a "Wally guy". The idea that they'd bring Barry Allen back (likely shoving Wally aside to do so) wasn't one I wanted to get on board with. It was, in my opinion, bad enough that they demoted Kyle Rayner in favor of Hal a few years earlier. Gone were the fresh new faces (relatively speaking, of course), and back in the saddle were the Silver-Agers who I felt deserved their "retirement" and (at least in the case of Barry) "sainthood" status.
I also tend to (if you'll pardon my preciousness) get a bit too wrapped up in the sorta-kinda hypocrisy of the comics industry when they pull stunts like this. For the entire time I've been into this stuff, the pros and editorial have been almost adversarial toward the fandom... lambasting us for "demanding change" all the while railing against it and yammering on about how new comics/characters aren't as good as the old. I guess it's only okay to kvetch if you're in a position to actually bring back the old stuff? Ehh, I think I think too much.
Anyway (have I already started a paragraph with "Anyway"? Probably...), I feel like it's finally time to take care of this weird blind-spot in my fandom... and figured, why not take some fine folks along with me for the ride? I mean, this was such a "thing" for me that, for the past near decade and a half, I wouldn't even pick up issues of Flash: Rebirth out of the quarter bin! An odd bit of dissonance, considering I picked up the Brightest Day (and New-52! Barry-books) without much reservation. This time around, I managed to find issues 2 thru 6 in buck-bins. The issue we're going to look at as soon as I quit rambling and vamping, however, I had to pay a bit over cover price for... and, to add insult to injury, I wasn't even able to track it down in my usual Phoenician stomping grounds! Happened across it at a shop while on a trip to Omaha, Nebraska a couple weeks back.
So, howsabout I shut up and, together, we hop over the dashes into our spoilery-synopsis?
--
We open in Central City, where a couple of forensics folks are trying to "creatively" solve an open murder case. Ya see, the DNA don't match... however, due to some pressure from the news media, the forensics lead reeeeeeeally wants it to. Needs it to, even. The junior scientist is told, in no uncertain terms, to "make it match". We're seeing this scene play out from the point of view of... someone... holding a lightning-bolt tipped cane. This... someone... launches into the room, and kills both of the lab rats. He then heads over to the shelf o' chemicals in order to recreate Barry Allen's (and I suppose Wally West's) origin... using the lightning-bolt cane as a lightning rod. Looks like it worked too.
We next hop over the bridge to Keystone City, where Linda Park-West is on the air to announce the return of that other Flash (also Bart "Kid Flash" Allen), and that there will be a huge celebration to mark the event. This joyous news isn't met with smiles from a certain group of folks, however... the ol' Rogues ain't too pleased.
From here, we jump into a montage of Flash-return-reactions. Our first stop is the Justice Society brownstone, where Jay Garrick credits Barry with getting him to put the tin pan back on his head after retiring from super-heroics back in the long ago. A neat twist on the story of Barry being inspired by Jay in the first place.
Next, we check in on the poor chump who'd been keeping the seat warm for the last quarter-century (our time). He's at Titans Tower (East) with all his old pals... and the twins. Pardon my projecting, but it almost feels like Wally's being written to be as unlikeable as possible during this scene. I wouldn't suggest that our writer dislikes Wally in any way, considering the excellent run Johns had on Wally's title... and how instrumental he was in bringing him back during the other Rebirth. Still though, Wally doesn't feel right here. I suppose we all adjust to major life-changes in our own ways... and, I guess it wasn't too long ago (in comics time) that Wally was kiiiiiind of a prick.
With Barry's big return, it kind of feels like Bart Allen's own comeback was a bit overshadowed... this all comes after that weird, short-lived, Flash: The Fastest Man Alive series that featured Bart in the titular role. I honestly don't remember where Wally was during that time... I'm sure it had something to do with "dur hur, Flashes don't survive Crisiseseses", especially considering we were pretty much drowning in Crises during the latter half of the 2000's. Anyway, over at Titans Tower (West), Bart is downplaying Barry's return and overall importance to him... which, kind of tracks, considering they never met. Barry is Bart's grandfather... but, hasn't actually been one to him. Bart's upset that Barry's the only Speedster who was able to escape the Speed Force... which, is a reference to how Bart's grandfatherish-figure, Max Mercury, couldn't.
Finally, we head back to Central City... and check in with Iris, who is waiting for Barry to return home. This is where it gets a bit comicbooky... not that I can hold that against it. I mean, for as long as this other Flash has been "gone", so has Barry Allen. It kind of feels like thinking too hard about Clark Kent's whereabouts during the fallout of the Death of Superman. It'll be explained away... kind of brushed under the rug (since that's the only way it can be dealt with), but still feels kind of awkward. Anyway, while Iris waits, she gets a call from Police Captain Frye, who has not only heard that "Barry's back", but is also in dire need of his forensics expertise.
Speaking of Barry being back... howsabout we finally get around to checking in on him, eh? We zip over to the Flash Museum, where our man is kind of taken aback by all the advances in technology and communication since he's been "gone". People with cell phones and whatnot. This is normally something I kind of roll my eyes at, but in this case... I can buy it. This isn't like someone writing a current-year Captain America (check out the 2021-2022 volume of Cap for this) being befuddled and confused at the sight of an iPad... when Cap's been using tablets, holograms, all sorts of wacky tech forever now. While lost in thought, Barry is approached by the other then-recently Rebirthed fella, Hal Jordan. Barry expresses that he feels great discomfort... the memories of his time in the Speed Force are all over the place, and he can't help but to feel as though he wasn't supposed to escape it. Kind of like being on "borrowed time" before the Speed Force sucks him back in.
Meanwhile... in Fallville, Iowa (during our recent Nebraska trip, we did spend about 15 minutes in Council Bluffs, Iowa... just long enough to grab the Iowa Starbuck mug)... we join a couple of boys who happen across the charred remains of a black-suited speedster. Long time Flash fans might assume this is the Black Flash... and well, duh, they'd be right. One of the kids pokes it with a baseball bat, and it turns to dust.
Back to the Flash Museum, where Barry reveals that he will not be attending any of the Flash Celebrations. Hal tries to convince him otherwise, but it's no use. Ya see, with Barry feeling like he's on borrowed time, he needs to make the most of every moment he has left. He then suits up and takes off, stating that the world needs him... and that he can never be late again. Folks might not remember that, despite secretly being the Fastest Man Alive, Barry Allen was famously "late" to pretty much everything.
As he runs, we jump into Flashback Land, where it's revealed (maybe for the first time? I honestly don't know), that when he was very young, Barry's mother was killed... and his father was arrested for the murder. Barry considers this his "white whale" open case. Something he'd really like to solve before getting sucked back into the Speed Force... or, ya know, triggering a Flashpoint toilet-flush.
While Barry recounts the (I assume) retcon, a hand reaches out from the very emblem on his chest. The hand belongs to Savitar, an Speedster baddie, from a time before every-other Flash villain was a Speedster baddie. Barry's never met ol' Sav before, yet remembers seeing him as part of an exhibit at the Museum... and so, he gives chase. Once he catches up, he reaches out to grab him... which turns him to dust! Savitar warns that Barry Allen is the beginning and the end before shuffling off to wherever Speedsters rendered into dust shuffle off to.
We close out with a sort of ripple-effect. Barry doing... whatever it was... to Savitar caused some kind of Speed Force feedback gimmick, which wound up discharging through Wally, Jay, Bart, Irie, Jesse Quick, and the remains of the Black Flash.
--
As is the case with most of my DC (and comics in general) temper-tantrums, I think I really missed out on something special by not experiencing this as it was coming out. Of course, finances (or lack of 'em) being what they were at the time, it wasn't really a possibility... however, I was well on the road to solvency before the 2011 DC Comics toilet flush. I could have, in theory, read (and likely enjoyed) this while it was still "relevant". I used the latter half of 2010 to catch myself up on like 90% of the DC I missed during my engagement with poverty and flirtation with homelessness... and yet, I avoided this like the plague. While I'm (reasonably) sure much of this is still "in continuity", I... ehh, I dunno, nothing really feels like it is anymore, does it? Maybe it's just me.
Hell, for all I know, this entire miniseries has been retconned to somehow include the Joker into the murder of Nora Allen. DC can't seem to go a single issue (a single page!) anymore without an appearance or mention of the guy.
Anyway, howsabout I stop snarking and projecting, and actually start discussing some of my takeaways from this issue!
Let's talk about Barry first. I was never a "Barry guy". Not that I disliked him or anything, I simply didn't know him. What's more, I was so happy with Wally, that I didn't really feel a need to know Barry. I appreciated the "Saint Barry" anecdotes as it always gave Wally something to aspire towards. Dead guys don't get all that many opportunities to let you down... especially those who died while saving the world, right? Barry had his flaws, like everybody does... but, post-Crisis, we tended to focus on "the good". He was an inspiration. He was a legend. And, in my opinion, then (and even now to an extent), he was better off when he was off the canvas.
In the years since Barry's return, I've gone back and read a great deal of Silver and Bronze Age Barry stories... and quite enjoyed them. So, it's not like I don't have any appreciation for the guy. I guess I kind of feel as though, when you're bringing back long-dead characters... especially those who died in ways that shaped so much of the status quo... you might just be out of ideas? Regardless of how good this story is... and how much Barry's return is made to "make sense"... I have a very difficult time mentally taking it out of the "stunt" pile.
That said, I can't say I didn't enjoy Barry's reaction to being "back". The revelation that, even the fastest man alive, can't outrun his own mortality was quite well done. Taking inventory of how the world has changed during the (insert nebulous number here) years he's been Speed Forcin' was nice as well. As I mentioned during the spoilery-synopsis above, that sort of thing can (and has been) a sticking point for me. A real immersion killer. In fact, it was one of those things that ended my Marvel Zombiedom during (the first, less garbage... but still garbage) Civil War. Captain America was made to look "out of touch" by not knowing what a Facebook is. As though Facebook "happened" while Cap was on-ice... Cap was made to look like a buffoon, and... much like the entirety of that event, it just felt phony to me. More recently (as mentioned), Cap didn't know what an iPad was... which, come on. Not even the slipperiest of sliding timescales makes that work.
The Black Flash appearance was especially cool (and eerily relevant) to me, as I just recently completed my Flash (vol.2) collection, picking up a couple of those Millar Black Flash issues (which were shockingly expensive) to finally wrap up the run. Haven't read them yet, but timing being what it is, thought it was really neat to see his remains (?) here! Odd sidenote, I think there are like 3 issues that are all considered the "first appearance" of the Black Flash... which is probably why all those books are so spendy.
Anyway, not much more to say without going into wild(ly out of date) speculation, so I'll wrap it up here for now. Despite my precious reservations, I'm definitely looking forward to seeing where this goes. I'm enjoying seeing Barry meeting Wally baddies. I like how this feels like a true "event", in a time when the word has... basically lost all meaning. This is the sort of story Geoff Johns was born to write, and Ethan Van Sciver's work here was quite good. I know EVS is a divisive dude, and I don't always love his work... I find it a bit too, I dunno, "severe" sometimes... but, this is (in my opinion) really nice stuff.
We'll talk more Flash: Rebirth soon... unless I wind up getting sucked into the Speed Force (which, in fairness, is the last unchecked box on my 2023 BINGO card)!
Chris is on Infinite Earths, Episode #7 JSA #55 (February, 2004) "Be Good For Goodness Sake" Writer - Geoff Johns Pencils - Leonard Kirk Inks - Keith Champagne & Wade Von Grawbadger Colors - Hi-Fi Letters - Jared K. Fletcher Associate Editor - Stephen Wacker Editor - Peter Tomasi For Jordan Marquis Cover Price: $2.50 With everything going on in the world and personally... it took me until the 17th of the month to realize we're in July! Well, we have a little tradition at this here site... that I'd hate to let pass us by, perhaps this year more than ever. I tell ya, if there were any year where we (or I) need a little bit of Christmas on Infinite Earths...in July, it's 2020.
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? --
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.
-- 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!). -- Interesting Ads:
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:
