I've been catching up on the GL books. I read all of Rise of the Third Army last night and tonight (and reread a lot of the New 52 runs from before), and I'm going to try and get through Wrath of the First Lantern this week.
Do I really need to try and read Wrath in the printed order, or do all the parts pretty much stand on their own?
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DarcsteelWildcardNC United StatesRegistered Userregular
So just finished GL #20
Ok I dont understand how Volthum aquired a ring and a lantern in the first place. When we first see him in his astronaut gear he already has the lantern and the ring (plus the crazy eyes). If he didnt get his ring until the guardians gave up their emotions and forged the first lantern then what was he carrying before. And beyond that where the hell did he come from, why did he jump back in time to Oa of all places, and considering how the gaurdians felt about humans why did they let him stay. Otherwise a great issue loved Hal and Sinestro bitch smacking the avatars of their powers (Nekron. Rise) and love the resolution between Hal and Sinestro (I mean their last fight not the 20 years later stuff)
It just occurred to me how weird it is that joy and sadness aren't included on the emotional spectrum, since they're such basic feelings.
It has willpower in the emotional spectrum. Logic was never that high a priority.
Everyone always says this and it isn't really true
Willpower isn't so much on the spectrum as it is the middle point between all other emotions
It isn't an emotion it is overcoming emotion. Putting your fear or rage or love behind to you focus on doing what needs to be done. I mean there is a reason the rings say "You have the ability to overcome great fear" when they select a recruit.
So, technically it is on the spectrum but if you actually do more than just go WILLPOWER ISN'T AN EMOTION it actually has a very logical and necessary place on there.
Ok I dont understand how Volthum aquired a ring and a lantern in the first place. When we first see him in his astronaut gear he already has the lantern and the ring (plus the crazy eyes). If he didnt get his ring until the guardians gave up their emotions and forged the first lantern then what was he carrying before. And beyond that where the hell did he come from, why did he jump back in time to Oa of all places, and considering how the gaurdians felt about humans why did they let him stay. Otherwise a great issue loved Hal and Sinestro bitch smacking the avatars of their powers (Nekron. Rise) and love the resolution between Hal and Sinestro (I mean their last fight not the 20 years later stuff)
Personally, I was thrown by the abrupt resolution.
Hal resurrects Nekron, and then he can suddenly cut off Volthoom from the emotional spectrum and turn him back to a normal human? Okay... I guess it could have be a result of Nekron being there, and him being the antithesis of the spectrum.
There's plenty to address in the future I guess, which is good. I want to see the new team come up with some new stuff without being scared to flesh out the old stuff.
Personally I don't think the Indigo Tribe has ever been written well.
I liked them better when they were mysterious. They became a lot less interesting once they started speaking english. Plus they're a bit too similar to the sapphires with the whole forced redemption angle.
I'm trying to decide what I think of New Guardians.
The first 12 issues were really damn good.
Then in 0 and 13+ it's editorial bullshit after editorial bullshit, forced crossover after forced crossover, and the main storyline gets super-compressed.
And then our hero fails to accomplish his mission after getting worfed before the big battle and barely doing shit within it.
I don't know if it was actually DC's intention, but I had noticed that the emotions they went with were all motivating forces. Joy and sadness don't really create a call to action the way fear or compassion do.
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Golden YakBurnished BovineThe sunny beaches of CanadaRegistered Userregular
I think it's mentioned somewhere that the spectrum is all emotional/living driving forces. Sinestro says during the Origin storyline that green/willpower is the embodiment of the will to live, the most fundamental drive.
i'm not going to do some full review or analysis of the story, but i thought Venditti's opening issue was very strong. clearly still tied to the continuity established by johns, but also a unique voice and a unique take on how the Corps works. The new direction seems strong and something that should generate plenty of story. He already has a better voice for Hal who always seemed pretty one dimensional under Johns.
Billy Tan's art is serviceable. On some pages it's really good, on others it is really really bland. We'll see if he improves from his first issue.
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Werewolf2000adSuckers, I know exactly what went wrong.Registered Userregular
Yeah, I though Venditti did a pretty good job. The slight back-tracking on Hal and Carol is probably going to piss some people off, but it was really kind of inevitable. But yup, lots of nice banter ("Stop taking my side."), a surprisingly up-beat tone in some places.. I think this was the "Well, I'm in" moment for me:
Corps had some really awkward and stilted dialog, and I'm still not sold on John being a core protagonist, but it was nice to see that Soranik and Salaak were back to being key players in the title, and it's awesome to get a more cosmic feeling going in these books, which I felt was sacrificed when the buildup to blackest night started and we got a book that was pretty much all space-fantasy characters with similar cultures and anthropomorphic designs.
The new corps members they showed were really diverse and had really interesting backgrounds (mostly), and I'm interested in getting to know them.
Interview with Jordan and Walker about the direction they're taking New Guardians in. Both stressed multiple times that this is no longer an ensemble book, that this is Kyle's book and they're focusing on Kyle and his development. The interview has me really excited for their first issue. It's about time that Kyle was the focus of his own book again.
Though, to be fair, New Guardians was a great book before all the editiorial mandated crossovers. 1-12 were fantastic. Then 0, 12-20 were very rushed and had to fit the paradigm of the other series during events.
interview with Venditti about Lights Out. for all those complaining about yet another crossover event, this crossover is contained to just the GL books and only for the month of October. 5 issues total (GL, GLC, GLNG, RL, and GL Annual #2 in october) with the lead-in prologue being the Relic issue from September. Sounds like the goal of the mini-event is to shake up the Johnsian structure of the all of the various Lantern corps.
I didn't read Larfleeze yet, but I did flip through it and it seems it's just going to be its own fun cosmic thing.
But Red Lanterns was kind of a toss-up. The actual Reds themselves are super-boring with out all the tongue-in-cheek touches that Milligan brought to the book. Soule at times seems to have a handle on Guy, but just like the other books, it feels like guy is regressing as a character just so the plot can advance.
New Guardians from last week was a bummer. The tower guardians are already talking and acting a lot like the old oan guardians, and that's a shame because the way Johns portrayed them had made me think they could be totally normal, almost human guardians from a blank slate, preserved from a time before the guardians had grown completely sterile. I'm not sure how I feel about Kyle in the book, but he doesn't seem entirely right. I guess it could be his reaction to the assignment, but all his cheer and perseverance has been wiped away, and that always really made him for me and it's what was so great about him as the torchbearer.
I may just be used to how all the old writers did these titles, but at the end of the first month, the only one I really loved was plain GL, while GLC also had some keen moments. I'm still hesitant on Red and New Guardians, and I hope they can turn around fast because they don't really feel like the Kyle and Guy I'm used to from the last 9 years.
HadjiQuest on
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Golden YakBurnished BovineThe sunny beaches of CanadaRegistered Userregular
Nng. Didn't like either of them.
Larfleeze's backstory sort've flies in the face of what's been established for him before. The element of Larfleeze's family has always been played really seriously before, but the depiction in the book was just sort've gross and ridiculous.
I like Larfleeze, but I was dubious of him being able to carry a series by himself. More so now.
And Red Lanterns seem like just a convoluted excuse to get Guy to become a Red Lantern.
I wish they'd rejigger the Red corps so they're more like their animated series counterpart. Bring in Razer and feature him in stories about 'young angry space-muslim' dealing with his crappy life in a terrorist cell. I'd totally read that.
Larfleeze #1 doesn't seem to standalone from the backups in Threshold. I initially skipped Threshold, but I guess I'm going to go back and pick it up, especially since it only lasts 8 issues.
Larfleeze #1 doesn't seem to standalone from the backups in Threshold. I initially skipped Threshold, but I guess I'm going to go back and pick it up, especially since it only lasts 8 issues.
Yeah, this is why I only flipped through it. It seems to be following right from the Threshold backups.
What do you guys think of this rumor about a possible 6th Lantern series about the Sinestro corps?
We don't need another book right now, and it's really lame that they're bringing Sinestro and the Sinestro Corps back so quickly after Johns. That whole set of characters should've been left alone for a few years.
I was surprised after the big event that the main GL corps title didn't become the source for the non red/green corps stories, a small arc/one shot series for the various corps would be nice.
(like instead of trying to give each corps it's own title)
drained the blue lantern corps central power battery, severely injured saint walker, depowered all of the other blue lanterns, then disintegrated them all with a giant laser cannon. saint walker was the only one who got away. the loss of the blue light in the universe seems to have an affect on kyle's white lantern powers.
i'm not upset by this because the GL universe can use a big of a deck-clearing and i don't think any of it is actually going to stick for long anyway.
Rans on
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Golden YakBurnished BovineThe sunny beaches of CanadaRegistered Userregular
Eh.
Profoundly disinterested in continuing with this series if the writers think the only way to up the ante
is to come in a slaughter every character and concept that was introduced along with the corps. I either didn't care about the Blue Lanterns who died, or was interested in them enough to want to see them do something.
It's funny that Larfleeze did something interesting with the concept of powerful beings coming out of the rift to another universe, but that book seems to be largely going for laughs rather than anything deep or serious. Which I feel is another unfortunate turn they've taken.
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It has willpower in the emotional spectrum. Logic was never that high a priority.
Also, we're running out of colors. "The Sea Foam Lanterns are making me feel sad! Oh nooo..."
Do I really need to try and read Wrath in the printed order, or do all the parts pretty much stand on their own?
Willpower isn't so much on the spectrum as it is the middle point between all other emotions
It isn't an emotion it is overcoming emotion. Putting your fear or rage or love behind to you focus on doing what needs to be done. I mean there is a reason the rings say "You have the ability to overcome great fear" when they select a recruit.
So, technically it is on the spectrum but if you actually do more than just go WILLPOWER ISN'T AN EMOTION it actually has a very logical and necessary place on there.
Plus, I suppose they're rather obvious and wouldn't necessarily make for good heroes and villains.
https://twitter.com/Hooraydiation
I mean are you ever unhappy that there is hope?
Personally, I was thrown by the abrupt resolution.
There's plenty to address in the future I guess, which is good. I want to see the new team come up with some new stuff without being scared to flesh out the old stuff.
I liked them better when they were mysterious. They became a lot less interesting once they started speaking english. Plus they're a bit too similar to the sapphires with the whole forced redemption angle.
The first 12 issues were really damn good.
Then in 0 and 13+ it's editorial bullshit after editorial bullshit, forced crossover after forced crossover, and the main storyline gets super-compressed.
And then our hero fails to accomplish his mission after getting worfed before the big battle and barely doing shit within it.
// Switch: SW-5306-0651-6424 //
i'm not going to do some full review or analysis of the story, but i thought Venditti's opening issue was very strong. clearly still tied to the continuity established by johns, but also a unique voice and a unique take on how the Corps works. The new direction seems strong and something that should generate plenty of story. He already has a better voice for Hal who always seemed pretty one dimensional under Johns.
Billy Tan's art is serviceable. On some pages it's really good, on others it is really really bland. We'll see if he improves from his first issue.
EVERYBODY WANTS TO SIT IN THE BIG CHAIR, MEG!
The new corps members they showed were really diverse and had really interesting backgrounds (mostly), and I'm interested in getting to know them.
Also, the end twist
Interview with Jordan and Walker about the direction they're taking New Guardians in. Both stressed multiple times that this is no longer an ensemble book, that this is Kyle's book and they're focusing on Kyle and his development. The interview has me really excited for their first issue. It's about time that Kyle was the focus of his own book again.
Though, to be fair, New Guardians was a great book before all the editiorial mandated crossovers. 1-12 were fantastic. Then 0, 12-20 were very rushed and had to fit the paradigm of the other series during events.
// Switch: SW-5306-0651-6424 //
Oh good because what the GL titles need is another crossover
Wait no the opposite of that
That ring's just cut out from this GLC #21 cover they didn't use.
EVERYBODY WANTS TO SIT IN THE BIG CHAIR, MEG!
well, whatever. so far the first issues of the new creative teams have been pretty good so hopefully this will be a good story too.
interview with Venditti about Lights Out. for all those complaining about yet another crossover event, this crossover is contained to just the GL books and only for the month of October. 5 issues total (GL, GLC, GLNG, RL, and GL Annual #2 in october) with the lead-in prologue being the Relic issue from September. Sounds like the goal of the mini-event is to shake up the Johnsian structure of the all of the various Lantern corps.
But Red Lanterns was kind of a toss-up. The actual Reds themselves are super-boring with out all the tongue-in-cheek touches that Milligan brought to the book. Soule at times seems to have a handle on Guy, but just like the other books, it feels like guy is regressing as a character just so the plot can advance.
New Guardians from last week was a bummer. The tower guardians are already talking and acting a lot like the old oan guardians, and that's a shame because the way Johns portrayed them had made me think they could be totally normal, almost human guardians from a blank slate, preserved from a time before the guardians had grown completely sterile. I'm not sure how I feel about Kyle in the book, but he doesn't seem entirely right. I guess it could be his reaction to the assignment, but all his cheer and perseverance has been wiped away, and that always really made him for me and it's what was so great about him as the torchbearer.
I may just be used to how all the old writers did these titles, but at the end of the first month, the only one I really loved was plain GL, while GLC also had some keen moments. I'm still hesitant on Red and New Guardians, and I hope they can turn around fast because they don't really feel like the Kyle and Guy I'm used to from the last 9 years.
I like Larfleeze, but I was dubious of him being able to carry a series by himself. More so now.
And Red Lanterns seem like just a convoluted excuse to get Guy to become a Red Lantern.
I wish they'd rejigger the Red corps so they're more like their animated series counterpart. Bring in Razer and feature him in stories about 'young angry space-muslim' dealing with his crappy life in a terrorist cell. I'd totally read that.
Yeah, this is why I only flipped through it. It seems to be following right from the Threshold backups.
What do you guys think of this rumor about a possible 6th Lantern series about the Sinestro corps?
We don't need another book right now, and it's really lame that they're bringing Sinestro and the Sinestro Corps back so quickly after Johns. That whole set of characters should've been left alone for a few years.
But yeah, especially with how GL20 ended, the guy needs a break.
// Switch: SW-5306-0651-6424 //
(like instead of trying to give each corps it's own title)
i'm not upset by this because the GL universe can use a big of a deck-clearing and i don't think any of it is actually going to stick for long anyway.
Profoundly disinterested in continuing with this series if the writers think the only way to up the ante
It's funny that Larfleeze did something interesting with the concept of powerful beings coming out of the rift to another universe, but that book seems to be largely going for laughs rather than anything deep or serious. Which I feel is another unfortunate turn they've taken.