Happy Easter

PREVIEW: Green Lantern #19

SATURDAY SHOWCASE : Cool Green Lantern Logos

Green Lantern: The Animated Series April Episodes

Green Lantern: The Animated Series
Saturday, April 6th, 2013 at 10:00am (ET/PT) – “Homecoming”
Atrocitus and the Red Lanterns breach Oa, can Hal get there in time?

Green Lantern: The Animated Series
Saturday, April 13th, 2013 at 10:00am (ET/PT) – “The New Guy”
Hal finds out that a new Green Lantern, Guy Gardner, has been named his replacement on Earth. Hal and Guy get along like gas and fire, which doesn’t help in their battle against an entirely new threat — autonomous killing machines known as ‘Manhunters.’

Green Lantern: The Animated Series
Saturday, April 20th, 2013 at 10:00am (ET/PT) – “Reboot”
Hal tries to reassemble the team in order to take on a new threat- the Anti-Monitor.

Green Lantern: The Animated Series
Saturday, April 27th, 2013 at 10:00am (ET/PT) – “Steam Lantern”
After being blasted by the Anti-Monitor, Hal finds himself in a steampunk world!

Green Lantern Art By Ethan Van Sciver

Second “Green Lantern: The Animated Series” Comic Collection Coming January 2014

Preliminary details for the next Green Lantern: The Animated Series trade paperback release, collecting six more issues from the current Green Lantern: The Animated Series monthly comic title, have been released by DC Comics. The collection Green Lantern: The Animated Series – Volume Two is set for a January 2014 release. The Green Lantern: The Animated Series comic title features stories which take place in continuity with the animated series source material. The early details for the next Green Lantern: The Animated Series trade paperback are available below.

Green Lantern: The Animated Series – Volume Two TP
Writers: Art Baltzar, Franco, Ivan Cohen and Cecil Castellucci
Artists: Dario Brizuela and Luciano Vecchio
Collects: Green Lantern: The Animated Series #6-11
$12.99 US, 128 pg

Synopsis: Green is the color of will power, and one of the most powerful lights in the universe. The Guardians have harnessed this power to create an intergalactic police force wielding green power rings. What happens when Hal Jordan and Kilowog find one of these rings abandoned in space? Has one of their comrades fallen, or is something even more sinister happening?

New Documentary On DC Supervillains Announced

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment and DC Entertainment announced today that a new documentary is in the works on DC supervillains such as Joker, Bane, Lex Luthor, Deathstroke and Darkseid.

The project, titled Necessary Evil: Villains of DC Comics, will be narrated by legendary screen baddie Christopher Lee (Lord of the Rings, the Star Wars prequels, and Hammer horror classics), and will feature interviews with many comic book icons who have played a role in making these supervillains so infamous.

Production begins March 30, to coincide with WonderCon at the Anaheim Convention Center March 29-31.

“DC Comics is known for many things, but chief among them is the compelling, diverse and legendary society of super-villains who populate its universe. From the monstrous Solomon Grundy to the brutal Black Adam to the charismatic Sinestro, there is no single greater collection of villainy in all of fiction. These villains are hugely popular comic book characters in their own right and, quite honestly, many are often times more popular than some of our iconic super heroes," said DCE’s Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns.

CLASSIC COMIC : Showcase Vol 1 #22 "S.O.S. Green Lantern!"

"In brightest day... in blackest night, no evil shall escape my sight! Let those who worship evil's might, beware my power - Green Lantern's light!"
- Hal Jordan

Showcase Vol 1 #22
October, 1959
Executive Editor: Julius Schwartz
Cover Artists: Gil Kane

"S.O.S. Green Lantern!"
Writers: John Broome
Pencilers: Gil Kane
Inkers: Joe Giella
Editors: Julius Schwartz


"Secret of the Flaming Spear"
Writers: John Broome
Pencilers: Gil Kane
Inkers: Joe Giella
Editors: Julius Schwartz

"Menace of the Runaway Missile"
Writers: John Broome
Pencilers: Gil Kane
Inkers: Joe Giella
Editors: Julius Schwartz


Appearing in "S.O.S. Green Lantern!"
Featured Characters: Green Lantern (Hal Jordan)  (First appearance)
Supporting Characters: Green Lantern (Abin Sur) (First appearance) (Dies)
Locations: California
Items: Green Lantern Ring (First appearance)
Green Lantern Power Battery (First appearance)
Vehicles: Abin Sur's Starship (First appearance)

Synopsis for "S.O.S. Green Lantern!"
An alien peace officer named Abin Sur of the Green Lantern Corps crash lands in the middle of the California desert. As he lay dying, he commands his power ring to seek out a worthy successor - one who proves to be fearless and strong-willed. Miles away, test pilot Hal Jordan is examining a flight simulator when a corona of green light envelops him, pulling him along with the simulator to the spot of Abin Sur's crashed vessel. Abin Sur tells Hal that the power of the ring selected him to take on the role of the Green Lantern. He gives him the ring, his costume and a power battery. He instructs him that the ring will obey his every command, but is powerless against anything colored yellow. He further tells him that the ring's energy must be charged from the power battery once every twenty-four hours. Hal agrees to accept the responsibility of wielding the ring in the cause of justice, and with that, Abin Sur passes away. Hal Jordan is now Green Lantern.

Appearing in "Secret of the Flaming Spear"
Featured Characters: Green Lantern (Hal Jordan)
Supporting Characters: Carol Ferris (First appearance)
Carl Ferris (First appearance)
Villains: Saboteurs (Single appearance)
Other Characters: Frank Nichols (Single appearance)
Locations: California
Coast City
Ferris Aircraft
Items: Green Lantern Ring
Green Lantern Power Battery
Vehicles: The Flaming Spear

Synopsis for "Secret of the Flaming Spear"
Test pilot Hal Jordan goes to the office of Carol Ferris, daughter of Ferris Aircraft's president and CEO Carl Ferris. He asks Carol out on a dinner date, and Carol agrees. Suddenly, an S.O.S. pipes through the office intercom. A Ferris aviator piloting the experimental Flaming Spear is in trouble. Hal sneaks away and changes into the Green Lantern. He flies out towards the runway and helps bring the Flaming Spear safely to ground. His ring picks up a strange radiation emanating from the nose of the plane. Tracing the energy signature back to its source, Green Lantern finds that a group of saboteurs are responsible for disrupting the Flaming Spear's flight path. When Green Lantern appears before them, the thugs begin shooting at him, but he uses his ring to make their bullets explode. One of them picks up a yellow lamp and heaves it at Hal Jordan. As the power of his ring is vulnerable against anything colored yellow, the lamp succeeds in striking Jordan's head, knocking him down. The saboteurs take this opportunity to make their escape. Green Lantern revives and gives chase, but quickly discovers that their getaway car is colored yellow as well. He uses his ring to spike the vehicle's tires causing it to skid to a halt. The three criminals attempt to flee, but Hal binds them with tendrils of green energy. With the threat abated, Green Lantern changes into his civilian attire and returns to Ferris Aircraft. Carl Ferris calls Carol and he into his office for an important announcement. He tells them that his wife and he are going on an extended vacation for the next two years. During this time, Carol will retain full control of the company. After Carl leaves the room, Hal asks Carol if they are still on for their dinner date, but Carol tells him that as his new boss, their relationship will be "strictly business" for the next two years. Back in his locker room, Hal laments the fact that his power ring can grant him his every desire except the one thing he wants most in the world - Carol.

Appearing in "Menace of the Runaway Missile"
Featured Characters: Green Lantern (Hal Jordan)
Supporting Characters: Carol Ferris
Villains: Doctor Parris (Single appearance)
Other Characters: Unnamed Colonel (Single appearance)
Locations: California
Coast City
Ferris Aircraft
Items: Green Lantern Ring
Green Lantern Power Battery

Synopsis for "Menace of the Runaway Missile"
After partaking in a test flight, Hal Jordan tries to ask Carol Ferris out on a date, however she rebuffs him stating that she is going to the celebrity ball to meet Green Lantern. That night, Hal changes into Green Lantern and has a romantic interlude with Carol until he notices a missile in the sky. Speeding off to try and stop it, he realizes that the missile is coated in yellow paint and his power ring cannot effect it. That is until he notices that the nose cone of the missile is not yellow and is able to stop it by creating a net with his power ring.
Tracking the missile to its source, he captures its creator: a scientist who put his evil ambition ahead of his country. After Green Lantern turns him over to the military, he returns to the Ferris Aircraft Company the next day as Green Lantern to apologize to Carol, who coldly rebuffs him.

Notes
"S.O.S. Green Lantern" is reprinted in Secret Origins #2, DC Special Blue Ribbon Digest #22, DC Silver Age Classics: Showcase #22, Millennium Edition: Showcase #22, Green Lantern Chronicles Volume 1 and Green Lantern Archives, Volume 1.
"Secret of the Flaming Spear" is reprinted in DC Silver Age Classics: Showcase #22, Millennium Edition: Showcase #22, Green Lantern Chronicles Volume 1 and Green Lantern Archives, Volume 1.
"Menace of the Runaway Missile" is reprinted in DC Silver Age Classics: Showcase #22, Millennium Edition: Showcase #22, Green Lantern Chronicles Volume 1 and Green Lantern Archives, Volume 1.
This is the first appearance of Hal Jordan, the Silver Age Green Lantern. He makes a chronologically earlier appearance in a Justice League origin story in Justice League of America #144. He chronologically appears next in a flashback tale in Green Lantern (Volume 2) #10. That event takes place one week following events from this issue. His next actual appearance is in Showcase #23, following the third story from this issue.
Although this is the first and only canonical appearance of Abin Sur, he will appear in numerous flashback sequences in the following years. His next chronological flashback appearance takes place in Green Lantern (Volume 2) #16.
First appearance of Carol Ferris. Carol will become Hal Jordan's on-again/off-again lover, and even his adversary when she takes on the mantle of Star Sapphire. Carol makes a chronologically earlier appearance in Green Lantern (Volume 2) #10. She appears next in Showcase #23.

Vote Green Lantern To Victory In Injustice Battle Arena

You willed Green Lantern past Aquaman & Solomon Grundy in the Injustice Battle Arena, but Superman is ready to stop Hal Jordan. VOTE to move Green Lantern to the finals here.

Red Lanterns #18 Preview

Green Lantern's Uncertain Future

It seems that Green Lantern maybe hitting a crossroads so to speak. With what has gone on recently, creative changes, the animated series ending after only one season, mixed reception to recent story lines, as well as the bad movie reviews and sales, there is an uncertain future. Not that this hasn't happened before, the series has been canceled, new main Lanterns introduced (Guy, John, Kyle, and Simon), creator changes but arguably Green Lantern has never been on a high like it has in recent years. Since Geoff Johns took over in 2005 we've seen Green Lantern become a top selling comic, with 4 ongoings, spawned top selling toy lines with over 40 plus figures, introduced the multi colored Corps, a number of animated videos, the TV series, big budget movie and he has rewritten the Green Lantern mythology. The characters popularity has never been higher whether you liked what he did or not, so he does deserve some credit. But with what has happened recently including Johns leaving the books one must wonder what will happen. While Johns is still "there" who is maybe making the decisions is anyone's guess, the possible death of John Stewart set off a fire storm with fans who were already not happy with the cancellation of the animated series. So what does DC do now, creator changes are necessary, introducing new characters and even killing off current ones, new story lines, can all spur interest with new readers and old alike. Still DC needs to be careful how this is all handled and unfortunately it hasn't been handled overly well as of late. Should John Stewart be killed off, maybe but it has to be handle right and can be a necessary evil so to speak and there are going to be fans that won't agree with it, look what happened when Kyle took over Hal's fans revolted, but in the long run it all worked out and Hal is back anyway. DC needs to just do good stories and let the chips (or Ch'ps) fall where they may, they will not please everyone but they need to make a true effort to keep fans happy and interested, had they keep the animated series going then killing off Stewart would not have been as big a deal. Two wrongs can't be righted very easy but one wrong can be righted in time remember it's comics no one stays dead, even the dead.

Ten Goofiest Moments In The First Ten Issues Of Green Lantern

From CBR.com from June 2011,

All ten issues were written by John Broome and all ten issues were penciled by Gil Kane (although a few other artists pitched in for one of the stories in #4) and Joe Giella inked most of the stories, with Murphy Anderson inking a handful.

As always, this is all in good fun. I don’t mean any of this as a serious criticism of the comics in question. Not only were these writers certainly never imagining people still reading these comics decades after they were written, great comics often have goofy moments (Kirby/Lee’s Fantastic Four is one of the best comic book runs of all-time and there were TONS of goofy stuff in those 100 plus issues!).

SPECIAL MENTION

Imagine if modern Hal Jordan was given opportunities like this bit from #3?

I think Antonio Cromartie would be given a run for his money (just because I am a sweetheart, I will give you this link to explain the Cromartie joke to non-NFL fans).

This trick from #1 is a neat one. I have no idea how it is supposed to work (I just imagine a guy spinning the door like mad and then changing his clothes in front of everyone), but it sounds good!

In #3, one of the few good guys from Qward looks to Green Lantern for help. Luckily, for some reason, a newspaper columnist wrote about the Hal/Carol/Green Lantern love triangle.

How hard up is that newspaper for gossip?

In #5, I just adore the one guy at this party where Hector Hammond is making a scene…

“He’s mysterious.”
“He just showed up recently.”
“He is really smart.”
“I don’t like him.”

Awesome.

I love this bit from #7 where we learn that Sinestro has a predisposition to be evil…

So the dude’s name is Sinestro, he has a pre-disposition to be evil due to a quirk in his brain, and you STILL make him a Green Lantern? Good job, Guardians!

Who would ever want to escape from Sinestro’s energo-sac?

In #5, Hector Hammond discovers a meteor that evolves things around it. This leads to two hilarious bits.

1. The professor he shows it to is like, “This can’t be real! These are how plants will look like in a thousand years!” How the hell does he know that?

but even more hilarious…

2. Is Hammond going “undercover” as a student but not bothering to cover up his gray hair. And the professor still falls for it!

I love the idea (from #1) that Carol just calls up her dad, “Hey, can I marry Green Lantern?”

And she takes the idea ever further by determining that she will ask this guy she barely knows to marry her in issue #3!!!

At least she and Green Lantern at least do have some sort of relationship. What is Hal thinking in #6 talking about marriage like that?

And I love his logic that her lying about being with Green Lantern is some coup for him.

10. The Silver Age was anal, too…

In #10, we actually see an entire issue devoted to Hal explaining how he came up with the oath…

after three stories…

Yikes.

9. Can’t argue with the logic…

In #9, reporter Sue Williams is positive that Hal’s younger brother Jim is Green Lantern, and she goes to great lengths to prove it…

but that’s nothing compared to what her plan is…

Yes, she’ll marry him if that’s what it takes to find out his identity!

You might think that that is a bad reason to marry someone, but in the Silver Age of DC it is practically the most romantic reason. After all, Iris West absolutely despised Barry Allen and she still married him (and by the way, Sue did, indeed, end up marrying Jim. Somehow she has not been killed off yet.)

8. Thanks for the favor!

In #1, Hal Jordan almost crashes his plane…

we then learn it is because the Guardians were making an “energy duplicate” of him…

Good job avoiding interfering with his normal life, Guardians! You almost killed the guy!!

7. Just trust me, it worked…

This is an…interesting use of Hal’s powers in #7.

“Yeah, the Carbon dioxide moved the..uh…atomic…uhm…mechanism of the clock, yeah, that’s the ticket!”

6. Judicious use of editor’s notes

I love this bit in #6 where Julie Schwartz quickly explains away a power of Hal’s RIGHT AFTER he uses it!!!

Hilarious.

5. Speaking of amusing editor’s notes…

So, in #1, the Guardians erase Hal’s memory of them (for some weird reason that is never really explained)…

So that’s on page 9. On page 12, they recap what we read THREE PAGES EARLIER!!

I know kids are dumb, but they’re not THAT dumb, are they? Wait, never mind, don’t answer that!

4. Carol “Fickle” Ferris

In #4, some bad guy is impersonating Green Lantern at a party…

Damn, that’s cold, Carol!

3. Not quite as cold as the way Julie Schwartz talks about Carol…

Check out how Schwartz explains Carol Ferris to new readers in #7…

“Yeah, she’s his boss, but really, who’s kidding who? Her role is in the kitchen…wait, I mean…her role is as Green Lantern’s romantic interest.”

2. This is the guy who took out pretty much the entire Green Lantern Corps?

Early on, Hal was far less of a bad ass, as seen by this bit from #5…

and this one from #7…

“Green Lantern is vulnerable to the color yellow…and his own incompetence!”

1. I hope the DC relaunch somehow uses this plot…

From #7, I think I’ll just let it speak for itself…