Action Comics Weekly #620 (Green Lantern)
"Last Gasp!"
Writer/Co-Plotter - Peter David
Pencils/Co-Plotter - Richard Howell
Inks - Arne Starr
Letters - Albert DeGuzman
Colors - Anthony Tollin
Assistant Editor - Dan Raspler
Editor - Denny O'Neil
Welcome friends, to Week Twenty of our little Action Comics Daily endeavor. Where do the days go?
More than that, welcome to the Final Chapter of the "Freak Show" arc here on Green Lantern day. I'll be happy to be moving on from this one!
Without any further ado... let's put this arc in the rear view!
--
We open with the members of the Freak Show rushing toward a Hal Jordan-shaped slab of flaming candied ham. Castle is overjoyed that they managed to kill Green Lantern... I tell ya what, if I were any other GL villain right now, I'd be hanging my head in shame... because these goofs are pah-thetic. It's a moot point, however... because ham-Hal was just a Hal-made projection... which, I didn't realize was a power he even had?
Whatever the case, he manages to knock the Freaks down and even get a bit of intel from Siphon. Turns out... he believes that Castle is the mastermind of the whole magilla. Dem Hawkes sisters are nothing more than pawns in his diabolical plan. Castle denies any such thing, however, before long... the rest of the Freak Show are pointing fingers and ratting him out as well!
Castle pulls himself up to his feet and rushes into the office of the shadowy sister. You remember "Plan Omega" from last week? Well, ya see... Plan Omega wasn't really a plan at all. It was just a set-up, wherein if things went toes-up... Castle would take 100% of the blame. He ain't cool with any of that... but gets shot in the chest before he can really protest all that much.
And, folks... I hope you're all sitting down, because it's here where we learn that... sweet, demure, innocent Lillian was the Shadowy Sister all along! *Gasp* Just then, Hal flies by and sees Castle lying dead before Lil. She claims she shot him in self-defense and, since she's cute, Hal doesn't need much convincing.
We head down to the lobby where Veronica is talking to some police officers. She takes a time out to flirt with Hal a little bit, which hopefully doesn't make it into the Police Report. Ultimately, Lillian gets away with it... so, I guess, "Plan Omega" was a rousing success!
We wrap up this chapter, this arc, and this creative-run with Hal returning to his hotel room. There, he finds Arisia decked out in her grown-up clothes preparing to leave. She offers to stay, just to see how Hal might respond... but he agrees that it's probably for the best... after all, she is kinda looking like a Durlan right now... also, she's a child. He kisses her on the forehead... and she out.
--
So, that was the Peter David run! From an appearance on Oprah, to the revelation of a sorta-kinda lobotomy, to the returning of Hal Jordan's "fear sector", to... well, the Freak Show, there was a precipitous decline in quality and fun almost by the week!
All of that to get us to a... pretty anticlimactic end, no? I mean, Lillian just gets away with it, and hints (with her glance) that she's going to keep up the nefariousness in order to usurp control of the company from Veronica? Ooh, sign me up for this sequel! I can't wait to see how it plays out...
Okay, so where are we now? Well, the Freak Show is done... never to darken a comic book panel again... the Hawkes Sisters are back to business as usual, also never to darken a panel again... and the illegal Hal and Arisia relationship is over. I suppose we might look at that, at least, as a net-positive? After all, it's the only thing we get to keep! Everything else has been swept under the rug.
Art here isn't as off-putting as it has been, though Howell's Arisia does come across as rather grotesque. That's one character he never really came around on. I guess it's too bad they're both making their exit here. Next week, Mark Bright will slip into the artist's chair... and we'll all be better off for it.
Overall... the PAD run... well, I'm repeating myself here (which should tell ya how much I really have to say in the first place), but it started off pretty strong... and had a lot of fun possibilities. The "Oprah" arc was mostly satisfying, and had Hal have to deal with a lot of things he hadn't really thought about before. The revelation of the "non-lobotomy" was brave, even if they didn't necessarily stick the landing... or, ya know... even mention it again.
If David left after the first arc, I'd like to think his run would be better remembered. The Freak Show arc, though? It's just not very good. Add to that, the left-of-center art and some forgettable characters, and it's a recipe for disinterest. It was a slog when I went through this arc for the Cosmic Treadmill, and it was a slog going through it now.
Tomorrow: Wild Dog Has it His Way
Action Comics Weekly #619 (Green Lantern)
"Veronica"
Writer/Co-Plotter - Peter David
Pencils/Co-Plotter - Richard Howell
Inks - Arne Starr
Letters - Albert DeGuzman
Colors - Anthony Tollin
Assistant Editor - Dan Raspler
Editor - Denny O'Neil
Wouldja lookit that... with the new ACW "trade dress", it's almost like we've entered "Phase 2" of our little endeavor. Expect even more gooder coverage from this point on! Nothing like a fresh paint of coat to recharge the ol' reviewing batteries.
Actually... it's just more of the same, at least for today. Hal's still futzin' with the Freaks. Speaking of the "same", this issue of Action Comics Weekly marks the return of the Original Six features! It's old home week... for the next few weeks, anyway!
--
We open with... the big reveal! Our first look at Veronica Hawkes... and, well... prepare to be "whelmed". Actually, let's talk about her for a moment. Ya know, folks give Rob Liefeld a lot of guff about proportions and anatomy (much of it deserved), but wouldja look at the shape of this woman? Where does food go after she swallows? Are her legs side-by-side, or one in front of the other? How many points of articulation would an action figure of her have? Anyhoo... after a bit of a contentious/flirtatious introduction, she invites Hal into her office to discuss the Freak Show. Naturally, she denies much of her association.
She claims they were sent Hawkes' way as part of a "work release" program. Ronnie gave 'em the boot... but pure, demure, innocent, wouldn't even hurt a fly Lillian felt sorry for them... and put them to work. While on the job they... well, died. Veronica doesn't seem especially concerned, or upset by the telling, and boots Hal back to reception.
In the Lobby, Hal is met by a Security Guard who will be giving him a tour of the facilities to prove that there's nothin' hinky goin' on at Hawkes'. Meanwhile, one of the Hawkes' Sisters (you'll never guess which one!) rides a secret elevator to a room where she has a video-chat with Castle about employing "Plan Omega", whatever the hell that is.
The Security Guard brings Hal into the lower levels, to a floor referred to as the "Automated Facility Center", which is to say... there are a lot of robots here. Suddenly, a door slams behind out man, and he's attacked by... duh, the Freak Show!
As the battle rages, we dip out for a moment to check on Arisia... who, by now has completely packed her bags. Before going to leave, however, she decides to stick around a little longer... just long enough to give Hal Jordan a piece of her mind.
She may have to wait awhile, as back at Hawkes'... the Freak Show pull a demented "Care Bear stare", focusing all of their energy-based hoodoo in Hal's direction. This renders him... uh, well... let's just say it "renders" him.
Castle is especially pleased...
--
Lemme start with the Good News. This chapter is the penultimate chapter of the Freak Show arc... which is to say, there's only one week of this left!
So, what'd we learn here? The Veronica Hawkes diet works! There's something called "Plan Omega" (which we'll learn all about next week)... and Arisia is going to tell Hal off next time she sees him.
The Veronica reveal was a bit of a let-down... not that I was expecting to recognize her or anything, but... I mean, if she's just going to be "some lady", what was the point of obscuring her face over the past several weeks? I mean, this isn't a "ta-da" reveal or anything. I suppose it could've been a way for us to mentally connect her obscured face with that of the one in cahoots with the Freak Show... and if you haven't figured out the real deal on that yet...
Anyhoo, Hal looks to have been rendered into hot jelly... which, as far as cliffhangers go, ain't the worst one yet! Overall though, this arc has underwhelmed and dragged on far too long. Looking forward to having this one in the "rear view".
Tomorrow: You want fries with that?
Action Comics Weekly #618 (Green Lantern)
"First Encounter"
Writer - Peter David
Pencils - Richard Howell
Inks - Arne Starr
Colors - Anthony Tollin
Letters - Helen Vesik
Associate Editor - Dan Raspler
Editor - Denny O'Neil
Hey, now that's a neat cover... wonder if it might be an homage or something. Hmm... yeah, yeah... we all recognize it. We'll talk more about it later in the week.
Now, though... it's time to get back to the Freak Show, whether we want to... or not.
--
We pick up with Hal still stuck in Stasis' stasis "bubble" thing. If you recall, Stasis was yet another never-before-seen member of the Freak Show faction... and hopefully he's the last! We pan out and observe that Castle, who we're going to assume is the "leader" of this stable, is watching this all go down from afar... through a spyglass.
Hal continues to fight his way out of the bubble, prompting... sigh, Incinderella to clap-up some fire to try and burn him up. This only results in Hal being freed from Stasis' stasis... and before we know it, we're back to battlin'.
Hal quickly gets the upper-hand, however before he can... I dunno, arrest the Freaks, Castle "castles" in, swapping places with Hal... sending him to wherever he was watching through the spyglass. According to Castle, it's "a few miles away", though that really isn't represented in the art... it looks like he might be a block or two away.
While Hal catches his breath and "wills" his costume back into one piece, we shift scenes to Arisia's place. She receives a call from her agent about a modeling gig... but, she turns it down, claiming that she will be leaving Chicago... "for good". Boy, hope she didn't have a contract!
We next rejoin Hal as he approaches Hawke's Industries... you might recognize it as the gaudiest building ever built in Chicago. Great big flaming "H" logo takes up an entire outer wall of the place! We pop inside to find our shadowy villainess being alerted to Green Lantern's arrival... she refuses to see him.
Hal decides to wait her out... he is eventually joined by young, sweet, demure Lillian Hawkes (but, waitasec, isn't she? Hmm..). Lil feigns ignorance about the entire Freak Show facade... er, I mean... since she's the "good" Hawkes sister, she has no idea... er, did I just give it all away? Sorry 'bout that.
Lillian immediately suspects... or projects, rather... that her sister, Veronica is likely the queen of the whole magilla, making Hal very interested in having a one-on-one chat with her. As luck would have it, this takes us right to our cliffhanger panel!
--
Ya know... this really isn't great, but at the same time... I can't get too mad at it.
I mean, it's telling a story... and all the nuts and bolts, as obvious and seam-showy as they are, are there. This is linear basic super-heroics storytelling 101. Sometimes that's all we can ask for.
I think I might've gave it away during the synopsis, but David is really making it apparent that Lillian is stacking her "innocence" a bit deep. There isn't a panel she's in where she isn't projecting her virtue... which makes it stupifyingly obvious the direction we're headed.
The Freak Show... still sucks. I'm sorry, these characters, as full of PAD charm as they are... are just the worst. Really can't get invested in their story... though, I suppose I'm probably not meant to. I doubt highly anyone looked at Incinderella and thought, "Hey, let's get that dame on the Suicide Squad... stat!" Though, I suppose I've been wrong before!
Overall, not all that bad a chapter... there is some forward momentum... Hal's at Hawkes', Arisia is leaving town... these are things that'll be followed up on. Also worth noting, Richard Howell's pencil has seemed to calm down a great deal... this is the "cleanest" his work has been yet. So, while not a high point of Hal Jordan's Action Comics... it might still be worth flipping through.
Tomorrow: Burying the hatchet... Blackhawk style.
Action Comics Weekly #617 (Green Lantern)
"Assault on a Green"
Writer - Peter David
Pencils - Richard Howell
Inks - Arne Starr
Colors - Anthony Tollin
Letters - Helen Vesik
Assistant Editor - Dan Raspler
Editor - Denny O'Neil
Hey gang, I'm going to be honest... I wasn't sure this post was going to go up. Up until yesterday's look at the Action Comics Weekly Preview, all of the posts from the past week had been written well ahead of time. Generally speaking, ever since moving to the Action Comics Daily format, I'm usually at least a week ahead. But, after this week my "buffer" of posts ran out, and I was left thinking it might finally be the right time to hang it up... or at least go on "hiatus". Just didn't really feel like it mattered, ya know?
Then... I thought of some words from a very wise individual, who has been trying to instill in me that Chris is on Infinite Earths has long since ceased being a "blog"... and it has transformed into a "resource". This same wise individual was extremely excited and supportive when I switched to the ACD format, because, well, it hadn't been done before. He told me, time and again, that this place would become the place for all things ACW... anytime a future comics historian wanted to know about the odd stories that took place in this weekly anthology, they could come here and find out!
It's for that reason that I decided to keep going. Also, because I do believe that very same wise individual would be mighty disappointed if he found out I ended the streak... this week.
So, famous last words... and with apologies if my heart doesn't seem completely in it over the next little while: Let's try and see this one through.
--
Hal joins Arisia at her sublet, where it would appear she has a bit of a shrine to Disney's Lady and the Tramp... which she is meditating in front of. I guess that makes sense, considering... ya know, she's a child. He attempts to apologize for snapping at her, but she is unresponsive. Our man isn't sure if this is actually meditation or just the silent treatment... and so, he leaves. No sooner does he go, than Arisia opens her eyes, and moans his name.
We follow Hal over to Police Headquarters, where Rensaleer was able to procure the prison records for those two Freak Show members who crashed the Tech Expo. Turns out there's a pretty good reason why they were so elusive... ya see, the both of 'em are listed as deceased!
We shift scenes to the office of "a" Hawkes. I mean, we know who we're supposed to think this is... and, since this isn't our first rodeo, many of us probably know who this will actually turn out to be. Whatever the case, she is shrouded in darkness. After receiving a Facetime from Castle (on a doohickey that looks like one of those table-jukeboxes you might find at a 5 and Diner), she instructs him to use... Incinderella to stop Green Lantern. Incinderella? Sheesh.
Back at Police HQ, Rensaleer gives Hal the quick and dirty about Hawkes Industries. The C.E.O., Milton passed away a year ago, leaving the operations to his elder daughter Veronica. Lillian is noted as having been given a "minor post". Hal takes his leave, and during his flight, happens across a rooftop-washer-woman who is fretting about losing her hung laundry to a gust of wind. Yeah, really.
Hal makes the save, and our lady gives him a hug... which soon becomes heated. Yes folks, it's here that we meet Incinderella.
The rest of the Freak Show appear, and a fight is on! Runaround Sue zips passed Hal with such speed, that he believes for a moment that his old friend Barry Allen has returned! Sue snatches Hal's ring off his finger... without considering that he might still be able to control it, even if he's not wearing it. The power ring "punches" her in the face.
Hal lunges in for another round, only to be halted by... yet another new member of the Freak Show, Stasis! We wrap up with Hal stuck in... well, stasis. The state of stasis, not the guy Stasis. Oh! And the geeks finally formally introduce themselves as "The Freak Show".
--
So yeah, this is still pretty silly, ain't it?
Let's consider something for a moment. The whole gimmick for the bad guys (as far as we know at this point) is that they'd been declared legally dead. While kinda "ehh", I feel like there's still potential for this to get interesting. I mean, as we trudge along through this arc, I'm pretty sure that whole plot point is forgotten about... or, at the very least is immaterial... but, we'll play along for now.
So yeah, that much is interesting... or at least has the potential to be. They're also working for one of the Hawkes sisters... which was established last time out... which, for me... kinda lowers the stakes. Just doesn't seem like that big a deal. Maybe this re-read will change my mind... but I doubt it.
I wanna talk for a moment about the contrived set-up to ensnare Hal here. I mean, did Castle call Incinderella for help, and she was like "Yeah, right after I finish my laundry..." to which he replied, "Laundry? That's perfect! The Laundry's the thing wherein I will catch conscience of the Ring!" (lookitme, breaking out some pseudo-Shakespeare!).
Just seems so silly... first that Hal would even stop to help, because... c'mon... it's just laundry. Second that he'd actually drop to the roof to give the washer-woman the opportunity to jump his bones. Just so many tumblers gotta fall into place for this to work. Oh well, I suppose the fact that it gets us from Point A to B is what matters... and the quicker we get there, the quicker this arc will be over!
Tomorrow: Be cautioned, there's gonna be some mature-ish language in Blackhawk!
Action Comics Weekly #616 (Green Lantern)
"Safe at home"
Writer - Peter David
Pencils - Richard Howell
Inks - Arne Starr
Letters - Helen Vesik
Colors - Tony Tollin
Assistant Editor - Dan Raspler
Editor - Denny O'Neil
Last week we entered the next (and final) phase of the Peter David era of Action Comics Weekly. It's not a high-point... let's just get through it, Priest (the creator and the character) are waiting for us out the other side!
--
If you recall, last week Hal got himself "castled" into a yellow-lined electric safe. This time out, we don't exactly pick up where we left off, but with a brief peek into Arisia's head. Ya see, she imagines Hal dead... and looks to be literally suicidal during his funeral procession. Worth noting, Guy Gardner appears to find the whole thing a complete hoot! When we snap back to reality, well, Hal's still locked in a yellow-lined safe... and the breathable air is rapidly running out. In a shocking bit of continuity, Hal laments the loss of his fearlessness!
Now, in the cop-out of all cop-outs, Hal uses his ring... like physically uses it, to... get this... scrape off the yellow paint inside the safe. This way he can actually will himself free... which he intends to do, but first only after constructing a drill to punch in an air-hole.
Next, he constructs... well, a dollar store Hulk. Remember, at this point Peter David was about a year into his epic run on Incredible Hulk... so, I'm sure this got some nyuks at the office. The Construct-Hulk smashes the safe, which finally frees our man.
Arisia rushes over to check on him, but Hal is so annoyed that she let the baddies get away that he dismisses her curtly. Being the rational teen-ager that she is, Arisia proclaims that her beau must now hate her. Hal takes off in pursuit of the Freak Show.
We shift scenes to the bathroom of Veronica Hawkes, the stunning lady in red from last week, as she is being attended to by... uh, attendants. She refers to herself as a "benevolent dictator", which is always the sign of a sympathetic character.
Bathtime is interrupted by the arrival of Ms. Hawkes' little sister, Lillian. She's depicted as so demure and innocent that I immediately distrust her... and you should too.
We rejoin Hal as he crashes Lt. Rensaleer's family barbecue... and it's a good thing too, as the Lieutenant proves himself so inept at grilling that he nearly burns his house down. Hal describes the two Freak Show baddies to him, hopeful that he could run them through the police computer system. And by "describe", I mean, makes constructs of them.
We wrap up with the Freak Show... and we learn that the spokesmodel that tossed Castle into the safe last issue is actually one of their number! She's referred to as, and I'm not making this up, "Runaround Sue". Dion must be spinning in his grave... well, if Dion's dead, that is. The geeks attend a meeting with a woman... wearing an "H" branded ring on her finger... indicating she's a Hawkes. Uh-oh.
--
Well, the Freak Show rolls on... and, it's still kinda lame.
Let's start with the big sorta-reveal at the end. The Freak Show (which now includes Runaround Sue), report in to someone wearing a Hawkes-Ring. We've got two key suspects at this time, the "benevolent dictator" Veronica, and the demure, innocent brunette Lillian. Anybody wanna hazard a guess?
We'll just leave that there. Don't wanna spoil the whole thing... though, if you've consumed fiction at any point in your life, you probably already know where this is headed.
The relationship between Hal and Arisia takes a bit of a hit here... which, I mean, it's not a moment too soon, is it? I don't quite feel the hot-or-cold reaction from Arisia... I mean, Hal snapped at her in a time of stress. Sure it's uncool, but... to just decide that he now must hate her? It just doesn't feel like we've built to that point yet... and it comes across as manufactured.
Some things I wasn't expecting were the bits of continuity from the previous arc... both the Rensaleer appearance and the mention of Hal's sorta/kinda-but-totally-not lobotomy. I'd just read through this run last Fall, and I already forgot some of the finer points.
Overall, this was certainly something I read. The Freak Show ain't the coolest... and the Hal/Arisia schism feels completely inorganic.
Tomorrow: Blackhawk formally meets his client... who is very much not a "tomato"!
Action Comics Weekly #615 (Green Lantern)
"Freaks"
Writer - Peter David
Pencils/Co-Plotter - Richard Howell
Inks - Arne Starr
Letters - Todd Klein
Colors - Anthony Tollin
Editor - Denny O'Neil
Let's address the elephant in the room... yes, Wild Dog is our cover-boy this week, and yes, we'll be starting a brand-new Wild Dog story arc this week! Happy Days are here again. Though, to stop us from getting too excited, yes, we're still getting Black Canary chapters.
This time out, we... well, don't build on much of anything that came before (outside of Arisia being a model). Hal's pseudo-lobotomy doesn't come up... which makes me wonder if this was a mandate from on high to "bury" that little spur, or just happenstance. Could go either way, I suppose.
Let's get to it!
--
We open with... great googly-moogly, is that supposed to be Arisia?! Looks like something out of a dollar-store ElfQuest knockoff! Yes folks, this is the start of the Richard Howell era. Welcome to the book, sir. Anyhoo, she zaps a Life Model Decoy with the "Hurican", Hi-Tech Industries' latest and greatest in personal self-defense! Ya see, we're at a Tech Expo, and this is one of Arisia's first legit modelling gigs!
While she shills, Hal wanders around the Expo Center... and walks past a brand-new Hand-Activated Electronic Safe. I wonder if that'll come into play later!
Back at Hi-Tech's Booth, a Huckster... hucksters, until being approached by a Lady in Red. She's referred to as "Veronica", and is evidently a rival inventor... or tech-merchant. After exchanging pleasantries she takes her leave, bumping right into our Hal on her way out. He is immediately taken with her beauty... because, he's Hal. Worth noting, however, we do not get a look at her face.
The Hi-Tech Huckster decides to attempt to "one up" Veronica by demonstrating his "Collapser"... an invention that isn't quite ready for prime-time. Before he can, however, a gaudily-dressed muscle man bursts on the scene! Hal rushes into a Phone Booth to change "Lantern Up". Nyuk nyuk.
Before he can intervene, another baddie shows up. They surround Arisia, and thankfully name one another. The baldie is called Siphon, and the belly-shirt wearing goof is called Castle. They're members of the "Freak Show"... and, for better or worse, we'll be getting to know them much better over the next few weeks.
Hal manages to snag Siphon in a construct cage. Castle rushes over to the next booth and grabs the spokesmodel for that Hand-Activated Super Safe. She immediately snap-mares him right on into the safe, and slams the door shut behind him!
Now, here's the trick. We call this dude "Castle" because his powers are not unlike "Castling" in Chess. And so, he "castles" with Hal... who now finds himself locked in the safe. And the kicker is, the inside of the safe is painted... yellow!
--
So, yeah... a far less, uh, "cerebral" Green Lantern story arc starts today. We meet some members of the Freak Show... we sorta meet Veronica... and Arisia is looking like dollar-store Dewshine.
See what I mean? Let's get the art out of the way. It's not that it's bad or anything... it's just not terribly pleasant, and quite jarring when compared with the work that's come before (Gil Kane/Tod Smith). Howell's going to be with us for a little while, so hopefully his style starts to grow on me. It never has in prior reads, but, you know what they always say, "Sixth Time's the Charm!".
Let's look at the Freaks... starting with our man, Castle. This fella strikes me as a "very Peter David" sort of villain... which isn't a bad thing. So, what's his power, and why is he called Castle? Well, click the pic below and it'll take you to some information on all'a that.
So, yeah... this is the direction Green Lantern will be headed in for the next several weeks. I'll be honest, for me this is the low-point of "Hal Jordan's Action Comics"... and was the absolute toughest slog to push through when putting together the Cosmic Treadmill series of ACW episodes. We'll take it as it comes, and try to remain positive.
Tomorrow: The Return of Blackhawk!
