Comicscape - October 13, 2004

By: Tony Whitt
Date: Wednesday, October 13, 2004

OPINION:

As I write this, I'm on a train to visit a friend in Atlanta, my laptop perched on a pillow on my knees, a techno version of the 60s SPIDER-MAN theme blaring in my headphones, and a huge picture of a Dalek from DOCTOR WHO staring out at me from the desktop. God, am I a geek or what? If it weren't for my Brooks Brothers polo shirt, no one would know I'm gay at all...

Anyway. On to more important things. Last week I asked about your feelings concerning the imminent return of Hal Jordan and its effect on Kyle Raynor. From the latest (and last) issue of GREEN LANTERN, it appears that, while Kyle will continue to be a Green Lantern, he will no longer be Earth's Lantern - for the simple fact that he's taken off for parts unknown. Again. (If you haven't read that issue, I apologize - but I figure that, if you're reading this column, you probably have read it.

The question originated with Mark Farrington, who was writing about titles that should not be cancelled and whose letter I think is well worth looking at

again: "A title that I strongly feel should not be canceled is the current Green Lantern series. I know this is a heated topic, but I will try to discuss this both rationaly and impartially. Having been born in '82, I grew up on the SUPER FRIENDS and Silver Age DC/Marvel, and as a result, I am all too familiar with Hal Jordan. And while he is definately a respectable character, his story came to end. Unfortunately, it failed to do so in the minds of some fans, which resulted in the creation of H.E.A.T. To satiate H.E.A.T's rabid hunger, DC brought back Hal as the Spectre. Meanwhile, Kyle Rayner continued to develop and become the Green Lantern in the eyes of many fans. Anyway, this is beside the point. While I love Kyle, bringing Hal back is an incredibly aggravating step backwards for DC. I would be much happier if they killed Kyle off and replaced him with someone new. At least that way, we'd see further development of the DCU as opposed to the stiffled growth that we seem to be witnessing now. Hal Jordan's 'turn to the dark side' made him a much more interesting and multi-dimensional character. It seems like such a waste to simply undo all of this. Both Hal Jordan and Barry Allen have had better stories told about them after death than [they did] while they were alive. (And I am an incredibly big fan of The Flash mythos, [but] my love for those characters has only increased because Barry Allen has stayed dead, not including his recent and foreshadowed cameos.) Ironically, I am quite pleased with Ollie's return and the success of the Green Arrow series, but all in all, I feel that canceling a current series and replacing it with the predecessor of the current series is annoying to say the least. Yes, I'm aware that this trend of bringing back Silver Age characters is not going to go away with one letter, but here's hoping that it's a start."

While your remarks were geared more towards the overall trend of relaunches, Mark - a topic which I've had several requests to cover again - it brings up several issues at the heart of the Green Lantern issue, mostly notably whether Hal Jordan's story truly had come, or should have come, to an end, or whether bringing him back was a real necessity. It may be a crowd pleaser, but you're not the only one who feels strongly that it's not the wisest thing to do from a narrative point of view...

"The Wooz," for example, "agree[s] with Mark Farrington. I've been reading comics for about two years through trade paperbacks myself, and I don't agree with ending GREEN LANTERN and bringing Hal back. I like Hal as a creepy spiritual guide, as he is now. This isn't just a step backwards, it's a nullification of the last decade. What was the point of creating the new character, developing him, and then just getting rid of him? It's a waste, and it shows a complete lack of respect by DC for its readers. Come to think of it, I suppose I sound like the folks who got angry when the powers that be got rid of Hal. I may stop reading Green Lantern after this. I won't care much to see Hal back, so what's the point? And here's the danger: DC is pushing away readers (again!) with this stunt. What happens in five, ten years when they find sales down again (I assume this is why Kyle is getting the axe)? Comics aren't really doing all that well, and DC is just asking to lose sales with this.

"I don't know if this idea has been sent to you before, but if you visit The Unofficial Green Lantorn Corps Web Page, they suggest the creation of a title called GREEN LANTERN CORPS. Granted, some of their ideas are out of date now, thanks to the Ion arc in GREEN LANTERN, but some of the ideas are still workable. The idea of John Stewart and Hal Jordan as leaders of a new corps, along with the new Guardians and Ganthet, would have been great fun to read. That way DC wouldn't alienate those who enjoy reading Kyle and would regain Hal's fans. I think it would have been an epic title, since a Corps can deal with even larger threats than even a single Green Lantern. This would also have allowed for a large cast, of Lanterns and Guardians.

"Maybe some good will come of this, and maybe DC will do something like what I've suggested, though I personally doubt it." True, it could go either way... I do like the idea of having a title that allows for all the people who have held the position of Green Lantern to participate, though, as this would allow not only Kyle to have a continuing place in things but also Jon Stewart and even (shudder) Guy Gardner.

And speaking of Jon... Bernard E. P. Harris (Bernardeph from last week) writes, "Maybe it's 'cuz Im black, but I still like John Stuart... I like his possibilities. Plus, I've always been a huge fan of the 'I don't have anything to hide' lack of a mask. In the universes of Big Two superheroes, that's Sam Jackson-level bad ass... He's a ex-marine, he had a rough childhood, and I've always seen him as humanity's

hero. Kinda like the old GREEN ARROW/GREEN LANTERN series. John strikes me as the guy who's fighting for the people, which is not always the way he's written, but hell, this is a guy, to me, who has had the most real world life of all these characters. No happy Smallville farm, no billionaire flights around the world, just a regular guy who had a shitty life, entered the military to escape the streets ([like] thousands of boys over in Iraq right now), and now he has this tremendous responsibility in his lap... Maybe I should've written about him [as a character deserving his own series], because though he's had 'em, I don't think they've ever captured that life. Plus, he's the GL in the [JUSTICE LEAGUE] cartoon series, so his fanbase is building. Out of all the guys in spandex, he's the one I most believe at the end of the day just goes home, takes the tights off, and becomes a real person. I mean, basically, he's just a cop....But that didn't answer the question. Sorry...Kyle's had his run. If you don't give it to Hal, then at least give Hal his own series (see how I tied it back to last week). I wanna see him have to adjust [to being back from] wherever the heck he was as Spectre, which was everywhere, to now being a mortal man again. And if he doesn't get the Earth gig, then send him somewhere else. I wanna see that internal conflict. Sure he's alive, but that just means he's gonna die again. What does that do to a man's mind?"

Leo Paolini writes, "I think Kyle should continue being Earth's GL, even though I adore and respect Hal. We could get our share of heroes like Hal and Barry through stories like THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD mini-series by Waid. Bringing back Superman and healing Batman's back was a hard sell, but bringing all the dead Silver Age heroes like Ollie and Hal [is] too much. (And I have purchased GREEN ARROW 1-40 in a row as well as HAWKMAN 1-25...) Death should count for something. Just look at the 'X-Deaths' (Colossus, Phoenix, etc.)... It's ridiculous. If we've left Morpheus [from THE SANDMAN series] to rest, why can't we leave Hal to rest in peace as well ? It's time the icon heroes of the Silver Age pass the mantle to younger generations. Batman said 'Times change, people change'- in a Rucka issue I don't recall- and if times change, so should heroes. I stopped reading comics for 2 years (due to my thesis and other priorities), and now that I am back full steam, I've noticed not much has changed in two years (ok..so everybody knows who's Daredevil and Catwoman knows Bruce is Batman, etc).

"To sum up: DC should kill or retire the Silver Age heroes (or leave them as Jedi-like spirits, whatever) and leave room space for Connor, Kyle, etc. Hell! Now I am faster and stronger than my old man. People age and die...and so should loved comicbook heroes. Even if it hurts." This is a good point, Leo, and one which this column has discussed before regarding the mutability of death - or, as one of my favorite commentators puts it, "the revolving door of Death." Even when it's done well and with a modicum of respect for the character, such as Colossus' recent return in ASTONISHING X-MEN, it entirely cheapens the idea that a series like IDENTITY CRISIS is currently propounding - that these characters can die and that they do lead risky lives - and destroys any sense of closure for that character when they finally do kick the bucket. If that ever happens.

As for passing the torch...I admit to having mixed feelings on that score. The only way that would work properly is if all the major characters, of both Golden and Silver Age provenance, eventually passed that torch, and as future history stories of KINGDOM COME have shown us, those "top-tier" characters such as Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman are going to be fighting the good fight well past retirement age. On the other hand, characters like Green Lantern, Green Arrow, and the Flash actually have torches that can be passed - there's more than one ring, there's more than one guy who's excellent with the arrows, and there's more than one person in the DCU imbued with the Speed Force. Whether Dick Grayson would ever step into the role of Batman at this point is an open question; Kal-El is still the last son of Krypton, despite various appearances by relatives and pets; and Diana has already been passed the torch, if we accept a post-CRISIS reading of her situation. But that's going off on another tangent altogether - as you've pointed out in your letter, these Silver Age characters have already been killed and/or retired once, and bringing them back does little more than pleasing the crowd.

Travis A. Clark keeps it short and sweet when he

writes, "Simply put, I like Kyle. Kyle seemed to always be learning, while Hal seemed to be constantly whining. How many times did he visit the grave of Abin Sur? Enough already. Kyle at least had depth, while Hal... well, Hal was Hal." While I'm sure that there are people out there who would argue vociferously against this point of view, I actually share it, and on these grounds: even during those periods when Hal was "developing" as a character, such as during his "road trip to find America" with Ollie, it was a shallow form of character development that simply does not compare with the far deeper development of character that Kyle has enjoyed from the very start. Again, provenance is the issue - Hal was created in the 50s, when characterization was limited to making sure he had a love interest and a few friends to hide his identity from. Subsequent fforts to "grow" him were always hampered by those beginning. Kyle, on the other hand, had his origins in the early 90s, at a time when people had grown used to having their heroes be real people as well as cleverly drawn characters. Wince if you will when reading Kyle's earliest forays, but compare them to his last few, as written by the same writer who created him. Now go back and read Hal's earliest adventures, then compare them with later ones. Is there development of the same sort? Is there consistency of character? Is Hal's appeal based on the fact that he's just a stronger Lantern than Kyle, or is it based more upon nostalgia and the (understandable) desire of comics fans that nothing in the comics world change, ever?

Bryant Williams also feels Hal's return is a look backwards: "I think that bringing back Hal Jordan as the Spectre was a bad idea. Bringing him back as the primary GL is taking a giant step back for DC. (Before I go any further, I want to point that I'm more a fan of the Green Lantern concept as opposed to being a fan of either Hal Jordan or Kyle Rayner.) One of the most impressive things to me as a reader is that DC's heroes age, retire, die (sometimes permanently), and are replaced by new generations and versions. This has occurred in DC's continuity since the onset of the Silver Age - take, for example, the lineage of the Flash, Starman, and Hourman. I truly believe that DC has told all of the stories that they can with Hal Jordan as the Green Lantern (with the exception of a follow-up to the story that ran in ACTION COMICS WEEKLY where he battled Lord Malvolio, the evil Green Lantern - I'd like to see Malvolio return). I'm all for the return of the Green Lantern Corps and various other aspects of the Green Lantern concept that I'm fond of, except for falling back to Hal Jordan as the primary GL." I think many of us feel the same as you, Bryant - the Silver Age version of the Green Lantern concept is an exceptional one, as evidenced by the fact that the Alan Scott version can also fit so seamlessly into it. But, to play Devil's Advocate here: if that concept is so incredibly well-drawn, then why not bring the character it originated with back, as well?

Brodie Williams (no relation to Bryant, far as I know) writes, "I never have been a huge Green Lantern fan. Not that I have anything against the character. He just never hit my radar screen as an individual character. He was a member of the JLA, and that was about it. The great Neal Adams stories were before my time. That said, I like the idea of Hal's return, but I'm conflicted about his recent past. Mass murderer, Parallax, and Spectre are so far outside my view of Hal Jordan, yet real enough to overshadow his valiant(?) return." That's another excellent point - has everything that Hal Jordan has done since his death truly amounted to the level of redemption necessary to forgive his sins and give him his life back? This of course begs the question of whether those sins should ever have been committed (to paper) in the first place, but tabling that question - is his return earned? Guess we'll have to see how Johns writes it...

And finally, Nathan Crowder

writes, "The idea of relaunching GREEN LANTERN simply to reinstitute Hal Jordan, the dead Green Lantern, reeks of ignorant sluttishness to the most ignorant and sluttish degree. It has the same deficiency of logic as uninstalling Windows XP and replacing it with a Windows beta test. Stories are supposed to progress, not regress. Hal's time has been done for a long while. It's time to let him go with some dignity. And that's my two cents." While I suspect many share your viewpoint, Nathan - though perhaps not in terms as strong as your own - it's obviously not time to let him go in DC's estimation, and it might be worth our while to revisit this question in a year or so to find out whether the results were worth it...

Anyway, I doubt this topic is any more dead than Hal himself is, so if you feel the need to sound off about it, send your thoughts to me via the web site contact address here or e-mail me directly. Please use CAPS when giving the title of a series you want to mention. And as always, don't forget our discussion boards! Next week, I'll publish any late responses I get (provided they're not rude, of course) and then cover something quite different. In the meantime, here's this week's listings:

THIS WEEK:

Two choices for your younger DC fans: either SCOOBY DOO #89 ($2.25) or the TEEN TITANS GO! VOL 1: TRUTH, JUSTICE, PIZZA and TEEN TITANS GO! VOL 2 HEROES ON PATROL trade paperbacks, each for $6.95. Heck, buy all three!

No, it's not THE IRON GIANT, but it's just about as appropriate for the kiddies - it's the MARVEL AGE: SENTINEL - VOL 2: NO HERO digest trade paperback for $7.99. There's also MARVEL AGE: SPIDER-MAN TEAM-UP #2, featuring the pairing of Spidey and Captain America, for the unheard-of early 90s price of $1.75! Heck, even adults should appreciate that!

A new Silver Banshee in ACTION COMICS #820 ($2.50)? Wow, these folks don't stay under warranty for long, do they?

The joy of Bat-stories past is available to you this week in the BATMAN: HUSH VOL 1 and VOL 2 trade paperbacks, each for $12.95, and the DARK KNIGHT STRIKES AGAIN trade paperback for $19.95. Otherwise, you'll have to make do with more "War Games" madness with Act 3 Part 2 in BATMAN: LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT #184 ($2.50) and Act 3 Part 3 in NIGHTWING #98 ($2.25). The pervasive nature of the crossover beast even creeps its way into GOTHAM CENTRAL #24 ($2.50). Doesn't this sort of thing usually end in the summertime?

It's the end of an era - or at very least the end of a story arc - in BLOODHOUND #4 ($2.95), a title I've heard not a single bit of buzz about. Anyone out there reading it and willing to recommend it?

Find out why Bullseye's homicidal and lovin' it in BULLSEYE: GREATEST HITS #2 (Of 5, $2.99). You know you always wanted to know.

It's

an "Avengers - Some Disassembly Required" crossover and it's got the Red Skull in it, so it must be CAPTAIN AMERICA #32 ($2.99). Seriously, when was the last time you remember seeing that mad kook anywhere but this book?

I hate to say it, but seeing the real Challengers in action again in DC: THE NEW FRONTIER makes me even more sad that Chaykin's CHALLENGERS OF THE UNKNOWN #5 (Of 6, $2.95) has nothing to do with them. How about a new ongoing series for the originals, DC? But only if Darwyn Cooke writes and draws it!

Dark Horse fans, it's time to get out that extra arm and leg you keep in the closet for occasions like this: your company is bringing you the BERSERK: VOL 5 trade paperback for $13.95; BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL #94 ($2.99); GRENDEL: DEVIL'S REIGN #5 (Of 7, $3.50); both the MEGATOKYO VOL 1 and VOL 2 trade paperbacks, each for $9.95; and MILKMAN MURDERS #4 (Of 4, $2.99). Thank the Force you didn't have any STAR WARS books to buy this time, as well!

Is it much further Papa Smurf? Yes, it is! ENGINEHEAD #5 (Of 8, $2.50) still has a while to go. Whoever said "Getting there is half the fun" didn't have to read most of DC's mini output...

Emma's powers continue to blossom - and no, we don't mean the power of that infamous rose between her legs on that cover a couple of years back - in EMMA FROST #16 ($2.99). Can I just say once again that Scott Summers has no taste anymore? Hurry up and come back already, Jean!

Doctor Juris is on the run in FALLEN ANGEL #16 ($2.95), and the Angel's his only ally. Almost enough to make up for the lack of a CAPTAIN MARVEL title each month - at least until David is allowed to bring back SUPERGIRL or SPIDER-MAN 2099.

Damn, is every city in the DCU falling apart lately? Bête Noire's got a power vacuum, Gotham's getting torn apart (again, at length), Metropolis is missing a good chunk of its people (in one title, anyway), and Star City's still being victimized by its very own kingpin in GREEN ARROW #43 ($2.50). Talk about urban decay...!

That kid's still in prison, but he's out of solitary in HARD TIME #9 ($2.50). Wanna see how he got there? Pick up the HARD TIME trade paperback for $9.95. It's Steve Gerber without the ducks - which, depending on the reader, is either a good or a bad thing.

As I mentioned last week, the Monolith is guest-starring in HAWKMAN #33 ($2.50). Shame that intercompany crossovers are not happening for the moment, or else the same thing that allows the Monolith to show up in this title would make it possible for Howard the Duck to show up in HARD TIME. Which, depending on the reader, et cetera, et cetera...

And you think you're immune to pain because of that nose ring and that tattoo on your ass that says "Jimmy Stewart Lives"... Check out the Humanoids METABARONS VOL 2: BLOOD AND STEEL trade paperback for $14.95, and see what real endurance is all about. (No, I don't mean endurance for reading it - it's good, really.)

From

Image this week comes SAVAGE DRAGON #118 for $2.95 (rapture, joy, yay) and the WICKED WEST graphic novel for $9.95, which doesn't have anyone green in it that I know of.

In not quite as "final" a way as Thor's this week, IRON MAN #89 ($2.99) promises the end of one chapter and the beginning of a new one. Shame they had to go appoint Tony in an election year...and he was getting so good at it...

Ah, here we go... The JIMMY OLSEN ADVENTURES BY JACK KIRBY VOL 2 trade paperback for $19.95. Now that's entertainment!

Oh, no, not Extant! You'd think that Extant and the Justice Society would never have to mingle again, but they do, in JSA #66 ($2.50). Can Geoff Johns make it work? Or is it going to be more deep hurting - mostly for any remaining old guys from the original team?

A good reason to read JUSTICE LEAGUE ELITE #4 (Of 12, $2.50): a glimpse back into Vera and Black's past in Manchester! (Great, now every time I read her dialogue, I'm going to be hearing that accent from QUEER AS FOLK UK...)

DC Focus is the best move the company's made in years, if only for KINETIC. I kid you not. Check out issue #7 ($2.50) this week - I love this book more than my luggage.

Hysteria threatens Manhattan - and no, not because the Republicans are back in town - in MARVEL KNIGHTS: 4 #11 ($2.99). (Oh, boy, I can just see the letters coming in now...geez, it's just a joke, and not even a good one at that...) There's also MARVEL KNIGHTS: SPIDER-MAN #7 ($2.99), which features the symbiote that dare not speak its name (though Marvel does as often as they can get away with it...).

Odd that I'm having trouble finding any info on the MARVEL MASTERWORKS: GOLDEN AGE CAPTAIN AMERICA VOL 1 hardcover variant with dust jacket for $54.99 that's due out this week, but I'm sure those of you buying it already know what's in it. And even if you don't, pay the fifty-five bucks, anyway. It's your patriotic duty, don'tcha know.

Deena's missing in POWERS #5 ($2.95). She's probably off renegotiating her contract so she can make a guest appearance in KABUKI.

Are you a glutton for punishment? Obviously, or else you wouldn't be reading this column... Well, if you're into that much pain, you'll be into the PUNISHER: BORN trade paperback for $13.99; and if that's not enough, there's also THE PUNISHER #12 ($2.99), which finishes up a story arc about something or other. Whatever it is, don't worry, I'm sure it's got guns in it.

I'd tell you what SECRET WAR BOOK THREE (OF FIVE, $3.99) is about - but wouldn't you know, the damn thing's a secret! (Or it could just be I've never gotten hold of a copy, inlaid with gold foil or otherwise.) Buy it and tell me about it.

Jennifer

dukes it out with Champion - literally, in a boxing ring, with gloves and everything! - in SHE-HULK #8 ($2.99). When's the last time you read a series that was this much fun that Peter David wasn't writing? And if you say ALPHA FLIGHT, I will come to your house and smack you sillier...

Is it much further, Papa Smurf? No, there's only more issue after STARJAMMERS #5 (Of 6, $2.99). Whew.

And now for something completely different... John Cleese is partially reponsible (culpable?) for the SUPERMAN: TRUE BRIT hardcover for $24.95, which I've reviewed this week.

Those of you pining for the fjords now that Thor's "taking a rest" will have to get your Nordic fix from THOR: SON OF ASGARD #9 ($2.99). In this issue, Sif, Amora, and Brunnhilda all fight for the young Thor's affections. Kind of like JERRY SPRINGER but with hammers being thrown instead of chairs.

There's Ultimates on one side, X-Men on the other side, and something truly awful in the middle in ULTIMATE NIGHTMARE #3 (Of 5, $2.25). Could it be that this is where Bill Jemas is hiding? Of course, there's only mutants in ULTIMATE X-MEN #52 ($2.25), unless you count the Fenris Twins and their space monkey sidekick Gleep. Oops, sorry, wrong twins...

Vertigo releases this week: the action's still taking place in New Orleans (and not in its bastard cousin St. Roch, thank you very much) in 100 BULLETS #54 ($2.50); Snow White goes into labor in FABLES #30 ($2.50); a teenaged girl has to deal with a jealous god (literally) when she discovers boys in the MY FAITH IN FRANKIE trade paperback for $6.95; and the SWAMP THING: REGENESIS trade paperback for $17.95 has something to do with swamps, some of them quite near New Orleans (or St. Roch...whatever). Fun for the whole family - but only if your whole family is over 18!

Folks, I have not heard the most glowing things about WARLOCK so far, even though his appearance this week in SHE-HULK, which I have read, is a hoot. Issue #2 ($2.99) is out this week, so why don't you tell me whether you'd like to crank it or spank it, to borrow a couple of overused phrases?

Wildstorm shows their humorous side this week with ASTRO CITY: A VISITOR'S GUIDE ($5.95) and the finale issue of AUTHORITY: MORE KEV, issue #4 (Of 4, $2.95); their suspenseful side in the action-packed EX MACHINA #5 ($2.95); and...well, I guess their non-Alan Moore side in TOM STRONG #29 ($2.95), as Ed Brubaker's writing this one. Can that boy do anything, or what?

And finally, the X-titles are thin on the ground this week, both in quantity and quality: DISTRICT X #6 ($2.99) looks the most promising;X-FORCE #3 ($2.99) just features a lot of mutants bitching at Cable all the way through (and I can't say I blame them); and what can one say about X-MEN: THE END - BOOK ONE: DREAMERS AND DEMONS #4 (Of 6, $2.99)? Not a lot, really.

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Comicscape is our weekly Comics column.