GREEN LANTERN #7
Written by GEOFF JOHNS
Art by DOUG MAHNKE and CHRISTIAN ALAMY
Cover by DOUG MAHNKE
Variant cover by IAN CHURCHILL
1:200 B&W variant cover by DOUG MAHNKE
On sale MARCH 14 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
“The Secret of the Indigo Tribe,” part 1! The GL team of Hal Jordan and Sinestro must investigate a crime that leads them to the Indigo homeworld in deep space. And what they find there will not only shock them, but also change the way you look at Lantern lore!
GREEN LANTERN CORPS #7
Written by PETER J. TOMASI
Art by CLAUDE ST. AUBIN and SCOTT HANNA
Cover by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO
On sale MARCH 21 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
In the aftermath of the bloody first arc of the series, John Stewart must bring the body of a fallen Lantern back to his family. But how can John tell them the truth: that he caused this Lantern’s death!
GREEN LANTERN: NEW GUARDIANS #7
Written by TONY BEDARD
Art and cover by TYLER KIRKHAM and BATT
1:25 B&W Variant cover by TYLER KIRKHAM and BATT
On sale MARCH 28 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
World breaker and sun killer: Invictus has come to remake us all into his vision of perfection – he just needs to burn everything in his path first. In the New Guardians’ most desperate hour, Red Lantern Bleez returns, but is even her rage a match for the wrath of a living god? All this and the origin of Invictus – and how it all ties back to Larfleeze!
RED LANTERNS #7
Written by PETER MILLIGAN
Art by ED BENES and ROB HUNTER
Cover by ED BENES
On sale MARCH 7 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+
It’s Green Lantern Guy Gardner vs. the first Red Lantern of Earth! Rancorr – once the human John Moore – was born in the fires of heartbreak and rage, but why are his powers work unlike any other Red Lantern’s? And why will he be such an important player in the upcoming Red Lantern civil war?
The following images are from tomorrow's issue of Justice League #3 featuring Green Lantern concept art by Cully Hamner, based on Jim Lee's designs.
JUSTICE LEAGUE #3
Written by GEOFF JOHNS;
Art and cover by JIM LEE and SCOTT WILLIAMS;
1:25 Variant cover by GREG CAPULLO;
1:200 B&W Variant cover by JIM LEE
The superstar team of writer Geoff Johns and artist Jim Lee continue to make history as they unleash the amazing Amazon, Wonder Woman, who joins the battle against a bizarre threat! And the not-yet World's Greatest Heroes need all the help they can get!
This issue is also offered as a special combo pack edition, polybagged with a redemption code for a digital download of the issue.
DC Universe 40pg. Color $3.99 US
On Sale November 16, 2011
I've never been a huge fan of Green Lantern in the comics, despite the fact that space adventurers battling evil aliens with the dynamic visual of magic rings that can make anything they can think of is exactly the sort of thing I like. That's why I've been looking forward to checking out the new Bruce Timm-produced Green Lantern: The Animated Series that debuts this Friday on The Cartoon Network. I like all the stuff about Green Lantern, and I'm pretty sure the record will back me up when I say that I'm a pretty big fan of Bruce Timm's animated projects. And now that I've seen the hour-long pilot, I have to say that from what I've seen, Green Lantern: The Animated Series does it right.
The first thing that really jumped out at me about the 44-minute pilot is that the producers of Green Lantern: The Animated Series seem to be dialing back a lot of the obsessive details (like the names and planets of origin of all the other Green Lanterns, or the exact wording of the oath) in favor of the grand-scale action of a space opera. There are certainly nice little nods for existing fans, and definitely enough to make kids curious about just what those characters are all about, but the focus has really been narrowed down.
I imagine that's almost essential when you're dealing with the idea of an army of 3600 intergalactic soldiers (or 7200, or whatever they're up to these days), but the paring down of what's important to the series is done really elegantly. The show never lacks for the feeling that its characters are part of something bigger, and those characters -- Green Lanterns Hal Jordan, Kilowog, Ganthet and a handful of others -- never get lost in the big picture, and come off as well-developed even in the context of a single episode.
I was also pretty pleased that, much like they did with Batman: The Animated Series, the producers decided not to go with an origin story, because much like with Batman, there was a live-action movie out there that had already done that job for them.
Instead, we're introduced to Hal Jordan as a fully-formed character, and as much as I have difficulty with other versions of him, this is one I can get behind. He's kind of a jerk and he's kind of a goofball, but in an affable way that plays out like a combination of Jack Burton and Flash Gordon.
There are two great scenes early on that really underline it perfectly. One is our introduction to Hal as a Green Lantern, where he's test-flying a jet and sees a train about to go over a cliff after a bridge collapses, so he sets it to auto-pilot and jumps out to save the train, completely forgetting that he had the plane pointed directly at the side of a mountain when he did so.
The other comes a little later, when he's hauled off to the planet Oa so that the Guardians can yell at him for punching out an alien ambassador. Hal calmly and even pleasantly explains to them that he did it because the guy was using his diplomatic immunity to cover up a slavery ring, and there was no way he could let that one slide in good conscience.
Not only do those scenes mean that this is a version of Hal who had an honest-to-goodness Lethal Weapon 2 "It's just been revoked" moment -- which is hilarious to think about -- it also sets his character up in a way that perfectly leads to everything that follows. He's got a likeable cockiness to him, an arrogance that somehow comes from having his heart in the right place. He won't let anyone get away with anything while he's around to stop it, no matter what consequences he's incurs for himself.
In other words, he's totally honest and totally fearless, something we learn without those words ever needing to be said out loud.
I also really liked that the show is visually interesting. You'd think that would go without saying for a franchise so rooted in imagination and a character using his weapon to make literally anything, but for some reason, that's not often the case. Brave and the Bold did a great job with it and I love Justice League /Justice League Unlimited, but that show ran for six years with the most unimaginative uses of the Power Ring. Power blasts and green walls, week in and week out.
There's a little bit of that here -- including some of my pet peeve, using the Power Ring like a gun that just shoots green lasers -- but there's a lot more depth to it, and it actually lends itself to the show's characterizations. The untrained frontier Lanterns have the ol' power blast/green wall setup, while Kilowog, known for his size and physical strength, uses his ring to make hammers. That's even a plot point in the show, that he prefers to use his ring for things that aren't that complex.
It even helps to add to Hal's character: Among all the Lanterns we see using their rings -- five over the course of the pilot -- he's the one making stuff with his. Baseball bats, power drills, giant hands. It shows us why we're following Hal Jordan instead of one of the other 3,599 other Lanterns we could be getting stories about: He's the one with the imagination that goes with his impulsiveness. And when he actually does lose it and start actually punching a guy, it really has emotional impact. We can see that Hal has lost control in his anger, because it's been established that he does things a different way.
Both of those elements of the show point to one big strength: The fact that it does an amazing job telling its story through action.
It's an exciting show. More than anything else, it reminded me of Star Trek in the way used its outer-space sci-fi elements as a background for this really pulp-styled action story. During the fight scenes, the background music even has a touch of those Kirk vs. Spock fight music horns. It's not dumb by any means -- there are some really smart, really sharp moments involved -- but it doesn't get bogged down explaining anything more than what it needs to keep things moving at a brisk clip.
In fact, my favorite moment of the show is when Hal Jordan charges up his ring while saying the famous Green Lantern Oath. Instead of treating it as a solemn occasion with Hal reciting the lines in strict, stentorian tones, this is a show that has Hal spit it out as fast as he possibly can while jumping through mid-air at a spaceship. It doesn't treat the Oath like the focus, because it's not the focus -- no one wants to see a guy stand around talking about what he's going to do with his Power Ring when he could be doing it instead.
That's what I mean when I say that the show doesn't get hung up on the minutiae at the expense of storytelling. The Oath is there, but it's treated the way that an impulsive, action-oriented guy like Hal Jordan would probably treat it: Something he has to get through so that he can get back to helping people. It's not that he doesn't believe it, but that there are things more important than words when his friends are in danger.
That emphasis on action does lead to a few noticeably weird plot holes, though. The entire premise of the show is that the Red Lanterns are out on the frontier of the galaxy killing off any of the isolated frontier Lanterns that they can find. Incidentally, the Red Lanterns were a pretty interesting choice for villains, but they work out pretty well in the context in which they're presented. There's a nice contrast set up between Atrocitus and Kilowog, they feel like fresh territory as opposed to a bad guy like Sinestro, and, maybe most importantly, all that blood-vomiting they do in the comics is played off with more of a firebreathing sort of effect.
Anyway, the frontier is 18 months away from Oa (and Earth) at a Green Lantern's "top speed," which seems weird, because we see Hal bop over to Oa in the span of a few seconds while fully planning to get back to Earth by five to go on a date with Carol Ferris. Then, it's revealed that while the Green Lanterns' rings would take 18 months to get to that part of space, the Guardians also have this new spaceship that can get them there over the span of a commercial break, because it's powered by... a Green Lantern power battery.
It's certainly not a huge deal since the rest of the show is so good, but it does seem pretty strange, even in the context of a show about little blue aliens who hand out magic wishing rings.
But then Hal Jordan steals the spaceship by, and I am not kidding about this, seducing a computer, and all is forgiven.
I was worried about how Timm's designs would translate to the computer-generated animation they were using for this show, but it's actually very impressive. His broad-shouldered, top-heavy figures move really well through the areas around themselves, and it looks natural and smooth.
It's also surprisingly expressive. The still shots don't really do justice to how fluid it is, but the one above comes closest to showing the range they're able to give their characters. Hal smirks and rolls his eyes, Kilowog gets mad and shakes his head in regret, and there's another character who is given this "I only had one day 'til retirement" look that comes through perfectly even on his alien features. The voices, too, fit very, very well, making it a really enjoyable show to watch. I just wish it had a better opening sequence.
The one-hour premiere of Green Lantern: The Animated Series airs this Friday, November 11 on Cartoon Network at 7 PM, and after seeing it, any skepticism I had about this show is gone.
This year's New York Comic-Con is well underway and on Saturday, Warner Bros. Animation showed the one-hour premiere of Cartoon Network's Green Lantern: The Animated Series during its panel session.
Though it's not the entire episode, here's a chance to watch the first scene of the debut, which airs Friday, Nov. 11 at 7 p.m.
Green Lantern comes to the small screen in a new CG-animated action series from Bruce Timm(Batman: The Animated Series, Justice League). Based on the DC Comics character, Green Lantern: The Animated Series follows risktaker Hal Jordan. The series is set deep into space and finds him on the Guardian Frontier, where he is forced to take down the Red Lantern Corps.
On a war-torn world where invading forces fight insurgent forces, the innocent always suffer the most. When a child screams with red-hot rage at the madness around her, she is answered by her weapon of retribution: Atrocitus.
GREEN LANTERN #4
Written by GEOFF JOHNS
Art by DOUG MAHNKE and CHRISTIAN ALAMY
Cover by DOUG MAHNKE and KEITH CHAMPAGNE
Variant cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL
1:200 B&W Variant cover by DOUG MAHNKE
On sale DECEMBER 14 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
They’ve pillaged and enslaved his homeworld. Now the fear-mongering Sinestro Corps must face newly reinstated Green Lantern Sinestro. Can the renegade GL liberate Korugar from the army he assembled? GREEN LANTERN CORPS #4
Written by PETER J. TOMASI
Art by FERNANDO PASARIN and SCOTT HANNA
Cover by ANDY KUBERT
On sale DECEMBER 21 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
John Stewart has gone from being a Green Lantern soldier to prisoner of war! And in the process, he learns who the Corps’ mysterious enemy truly is and what they really want. The truth will rock the Corps to its foundation! GREEN LANTERN: NEW GUARDIANS #4
Written by TONY BEDARD
Art and cover by TYLER KIRKHAM and BATT
On sale DECEMBER 28 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
The Green Lanterns’ homeworld is under attack! Members of each of the Lantern Corps have laid siege to the powerful Guardians of the Universe to reclaim their stolen power rings, but only now has the Orange Lantern Larfleeze entered the fray…and he’s not alone. The secret behind the stolen rings will be revealed and the status of Kyle Rayner within the Green Lantern Corps will be changed – forever! RED LANTERNS #4
Written by PETER MILLIGAN
Art by ED BENES, DIEGO BERNARD and ROB HUNTER
Cover by ED BENES and ROB HUNTER
On sale DECEMBER 7 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+
A Red Lantern’s tale never has a happy ending, so brace yourself for the tragic tales of Skallox, Zillius Zox and Ratchet. Their violent destinies set the stage for their
new life as seekers of bloody vengeance!
When deadly conflicts emerge across the universe, it's up to Guy Gardner, John Stewart and an elite GreenLantern strike force to keep the peace – or else.
To celebrate the relaunch of the DC Universe with 52 brand new #1 issues, IGN is doing an interview series with the creative teams behind this historic comics event. For the month of September, IGN Comics is your place to go behind the inner workings of these new books and find out what to expect from the new DCU.
We sat down with Green Lantern writer and all-around DC Comics mastermind Geoff Johns to talk about his plans for Hal Jordan and Sinestro.
IGN Comics: In many ways Sinestro has been the star of the book for quite some time, did you plan that or did it just gradually happen as you continued writing?
Geoff Johns: Actually this was always the long-term plan. If you look back, I forget which issue it is, but I did a little bit of a flash forward and showed some events in the future. One of them is Sinestro with the ring. It's actually in the book. It was one of the earlier issues where I planted it. It was really subtle so it's hard to see.
IGN: Yeah, that's one of those reasons I need to re-read the run within a week.
Johns: Yeah, one of the cool things about it is because he used to be a Green Lantern people thought it was a flashback, even though every other image was a flash forward.
IGN: My next question was going to be when you got the idea of giving Sinestro his ring back, but you sort of already answered that.
Johns: That was probably some time around the Sinestro Corps War. Just like, how could he ever become a Green Lantern again? Because at that point you're like, was he ever truly a Green Lantern? Did he ever truly believe in it? Did he ever truly want it? And what would have to happen to get him to become a Green Lantern again? And the truth was that it was just very interesting to dovetail the stories of Hal, who's been over aggressive and diving into everything head first non-stop, ignoring everything else around him and not really thinking about the consequences or thinking things through, but wanting to do nothing but be a Green Lantern.
And then there is Sinestro who wants to do anything but be a Green Lantern and then just put them both in a place than you never thought they'd be. Hal doesn't have a ring and Sinestro does. That's got to really make Hal mad and frustrated and even Sinestro isn't happy about it.
IGN: What aspects of Sinestro are you looking to explore by putting a ring on him? And conversely, what are you looking to explore by taking Hal's away?
Johns: I want them both to take a really good look at themselves. Because when Sinestro has that green ring on he's forced to look at himself. What he used to be, what he became, what that ring means -- does it mean anything? And the fact that the arc explores Sinestro having to go back to Korugar to take care of the mess he made. Will he admit that he made a mess? How does Korugar react to him as a Green Lantern again?
IGN: Is redemption even an option at this point?
Johns: I think as Sinestro says, he doesn't need redemption. Redemption is too simple for him. He's much more complex than that. And Hal's going to find out that he's much more complex than he lets on. Hal just doesn't like to stop. Hal's biggest problem is that if he stops to think about who he is and what he is doing, it's going to mess him up pretty good. He's always moved and jumped and gone into the fray just because there is so much stuff that he doesn't deal with, that he doesn't want to deal with, and so long as he keeps moving he thinks he can avoid it all. And that's all subconscious to him but that's really what the story is about; taking a good look at yourself. What is good? What is bad? How relative is it? Is redemption even real? What does it even mean?
IGN: How will the Corps react to their one time nemesis joining their ranks again?
Johns: Well, they don't know yet. All they know is that Sinestro got a ring on his finger and the Guardians too him away. We're going to see that reaction though; it's not going to be pleasant for Sinestro.
IGN: Do you have any interest in exploring Sinestro and Soranik's relationship?
Johns: We'll eventually get there, but for now the book is going to focus on Hal and Sinestro.
IGN: I haven't read Green Lantern #1 yet so this might be moot, but with Sinestro taking center stage, how much of Hal will we see in the comic?
Johns: Yeah, read the book. [laughs] Yeah I think you'll be surprised actually. It's one of the things we wanted to keep under wraps, that Hal was in the book so much, because it makes it more unexpected. Hal's role in the book is not at all what people would expect, and that's what the whole point is to the new 52; our favorite characters in stories that you've never seen them in. Or takes on them that you didn't quite think about.
IGN: You talked before about how pretty much everything you've done in Green Lantern up to this point is still intact, how do you go about making that accessible in a new #1 book?
Johns: I tried to make it as accessible as possible. Really everything you need to know happens in that book. And thankfully the movie introduced Sinestro and Hal Jordan to a lot of people who didn't know who they were. And we've got the animated series coming out this fall, so hopefully the awareness for Green Lantern is pretty high up there. But I think the book reads well standing on its own.
IGN: And now that Hal doesn't have the ring any more, is there going to be time for Hal and Carol to sort out their relationship?
Johns: You have to read the book. [laughs] It's pretty funny. Hal is such an idiot. He just is. Both between Green Lantern and Justice League #1, this guy really needs to get his s*** together. That's why I like him. He's not stupid; he's a smart guy. He just reads people very wrongly. But the Hal and Carol stuff is front and center in the first arc. Hal is a character himself and where he's going is definitely a part of the book. Like I said before, it's all about Sinestro and Hal. It's really character driven between those two guys -- it's a cosmic odd couple.
IGN: Assuming Hal at some point gets his ring back, will things ever be the same between him and the Guardians?
Johns: Nothing will be the same between Hal and anybody from here on out.
IGN: You mentioned the plant you had of Sinestro with the ring earlier on, are you catching up to how far you've plotted or do you still have more stories to come?
Johns: I was just talking to Brian Cunningham, he's my editor on Green Lantern, and right now I have enough stories to fill up probably another 2 to 3 years at least.
IGN: Wow, that's awesome.
Johns: It's just this character. I've been writing him for a while now but these characters and the mythology of Green Lantern, the tapestry of stories that you can tell and weave together is kind of never ending. And the fact that we can turn it on its head right now and explore it in a whole new direction is pretty great. As long as I'm creatively jazzed and people are psyched about the book then I'll be around.
IGN: Anything else you want to add about what's coming up in Green Lantern?
Johns: Just that we are taking the characters to places they've never been before. That we'll shed a light on a side of them that maybe some of us never knew they had, and at the same time we'll still have that great cosmic action and cosmic conspiracies and mysteries. One of the future arcs is called The Secret of the Indigo Tribe, where we learn all about who founded them and what they're really about. We'll be exploring a lot of different aspects of the Green Lantern mythology, but the whole time there will be a far more focused beam in on Sinestro and Hal as characters before anything else.
IGN: Thanks so much for taking the time to answer our questions, Geoff. Can't wait to see what happens next.
Though it was announced long before the revelation of DC's relaunch, the new ongoing Red Lanterns series was poised to be a fresh new voice in the ever growing library of Green Lantern titles. Written by Peter Milligan with art by Ed Benes, Red Lanterns will focus on Atrocitus and his band of rage-fueled warriors -- including Dex-Starr, the lovable blood-vomit spewing kitty.
Red Lanterns #1 doesn't debut until Wednesday, but IGN's got your exclusive first look at a few pages from the issue.
