"Green Lantern Corps"

The New 52 From A Newbie’s [Kinda] Perspective: Part 3

Here is the third and final part of my reviews of the New 52. Let the high praise and/or carnage come to an end.

Green Lantern Corps #2 Review

Peter Tomasi continues his return run on Green Lantern Corps, starring Guy Gardner and John Stewart, part of DC Comics’ The New 52 relaunch. Issue 1 was great, let’s see how #2 stacks up….

Green Lantern Corps #1 Review

The inaugural issue in this volume of Green Lantern Corps marks the return of Peter Tomasi to the book, who also had the longest run on GLC before the relaunch and did wonders with the title. While he’s not reuniting with Pat Gleason on this run, Fernando Pasarin definitely doesn’t disappoint!

Where To Start Reading: The DC Comics Relaunch

On August 31st DC Comics will relaunch their entire fictional universe (the “DC Universe”) with 52 new #1 comic issues, all of which will be ongoing books that are released once a month. No matter if your a die-hard fan or new to comics 52 new books of an entirely relaunched universe can be a lot to process.

Our “Where to Start” for the DC Comics relaunch is a streamlined list to help you with all of DC’s new books; 10 titles that we think are the most essential and cover the many pockets of the whole DC Universe. The list is written in order of their release date, so you can plan accordingly, we’ll explain why we think each book is important along with a related suggestion for another #1 that you might enjoy.

Favorite New Comic Book Characters of 2010

As 2010 comes to a close we take a look back at some of our favorites from the year; there will be many more categories to come, each author getting one pick. And after reading our favorites from the last year we want to hear yours!

Favorite Comic Book Villain/Team of 2010

As 2010 comes to a close we take a look back at some of our favorites from the year; there will be many more categories to come, each author getting one pick. And after reading our favorites from the last year we want to hear yours!

Favorite DC Comic Books of 2010

As 2010 comes to a close we take a look back at some of our favorites from the year; there will be many more categories to come, each author getting one pick. And after reading our favorites from the last year we want to hear yours!

Favorite Comic Book Artists of 2010

As 2010 comes to a close we take a look back at some of our favorites from the year; there will be many more categories to come, each author getting one pick. And after reading our favorites from the last year we want to hear yours!

Green Lantern Corps #55 Review

Green Lantern Corps #55

So Tony Bedard has been doing pretty good things with this title, and Green Lantern Corps #55 is another great example of that. It’s flowing nicely, the stories are good, the characters are being portrayed nicely, and the art has been stellar since Tyler Kirkham joined the team.  I’ve enjoyed the latest arc a lot, it’s filled in some gaps here and there and it’s been greatly entertaining. Bedard has been able to add to the already large history of the GLC in a way that fits, makes sense, and is really enjoyable.

Like I said, Bedard has done well with this title, and it’s getting better each and every month. It seems like he’s really getting used to the characters and the protocol that comes with writing the GLC, and he’s adjusted to it very well, while also adding a unique flair to the stories that only add to the already good stories he’s been writing. The Weaponer is a villain I’ve come around to, he shows a lot of promise and there’s some great stories that could be told with him. This particular issue does a great job of explaining the secret pact between Guy Gardner, Ganthet and Atrocitus. I love the way Bedard presents the story in a way that fits the characters and the situation he had presented in the previous issue. Overall, Bedard was a great choice to write the title after Peter Tomasi went to do Brightest Day and Emerald Warriors.

Tyler Kirkham is quite the breath of fresh air at the moment. Doug Mahnke’s work on the main Green Lantern title has been pretty sub-par lately, and after the previous artist on this series, Ardian Syaf, it’s nice to see an artist with an attention to detail and a great eye for emotion in characters. Kirkham brings a lot of power to the page, taking what he’s given in the script, combining it with the dialogue and creating a bond between the written words and the art that is very rare today. I think Kirkham works on the title because Bedard is a great writer and their styles seem to work amazingly. I hope Kirkham is around to stay for a while, I enjoy his work on the title just about as much as I enjoyed Pat Gleason’s.

Overall, the creators on this title are doing great things with the characters, and turning out a product that is incredibly entertaining and high quality in general. If you aren’t reading this series, pick up the rest of this arc and don’t stop now.

Email me at moyermason@yahoo.com, or follow me on Twitter! I’m @MasonACB

Green Lantern Corps #52 Review

Green Lantern Corps #52

Green Lantern Corps #52 is not only the conclusion to the “Revolt of The Alpha-Lanterns” storyline, but also the last issue for artist Ardian Syaf. This story arc was the first since Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason’s run on the series, and the story is honestly pretty damn good. The art was a little hokey, but next issue will see the debut of Tyler Kirkham of New Avengers/ Transformers fame on the series. Anyway, here’s the review:

Tony Bedard‘s first run on this series was actually pretty good. I had high expectations, and he came as close as you can get to fulfilling them, especially with this conclusion to the storyline. This storyline was a major plot point in the GLC mythology, because it really helped round out the tension created since the creation of the Alpha-Lanterns. We finally went somewhere with that concept and explored it pretty well. He proved himself writing Kyle Rayner, Ganthet and John Stewart in the early issues, and this issue he did great things with Boodikka and Hannu. He really did something cool and fresh with the Alpha’s, and I’m really looking forward to what he will explore next. It kind of seems like he’s approaching the series by exploring old bits of information and concepts that weren’t fully explored. His next arc involves the man who forged Sinestro’s first Qwardian ring, so he obviously is digging into GL lore.

Ardian Syaf, I’ll be honest, it’s a good thing he’s leaving the series. In the beginning of the series him seemingly forgetting power rings was kind of acceptable, but four issues into the arc I’d expect a little more attention to detail. His portrayals of certain characters is a little off, and it seems like it’s easier for him to draw odd looking aliens rather than humanoid looking beings. He draws some amazing constructs and his action scenes are nice, but overall his style seems too rough for the series, especially right after the departure of Patrick Gleason.

Overall, the story in this issue was great, while the art was far from spectacular. The Alpha’s were actually used in a non-typical way and character moments were plentiful, but lack of detail on the art side takes away from the overall experience.

–moyermason@yahoo.com

Green Lantern Corps #50 Review

Green Lantern Corps #50

After a two month absence from doing reviews, I’m back and eager to review my two favorite series in comics, Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps. Let’s get started, shall we?

This months issue of Green Lantern Corps marks a milestone for the series, as it is #50 so far, and it doesn’t look like it will be stopping anytime soon. The series has been a big moneymaker for DC, consistently coming in the Top 10 best selling comics per month list, and igniting interest in a whole audience it had never reached before. This issue continues the “Revolt of The Alpha-Lanterns” storyline, in which Cyborg Superman has taken control of the Alpha’s, and is building a Central Power Battery, for reasons unknown. The arc is the first with Tony Bedard writing the series with Ardian Syaf penciling, and is refreshing when compared to the last few years of non-stop events and tie-ins.

Tony Bedard’s writing is fast paced and completely story driven. If you blink, you’ll miss it if Bedard wrote it. His writing style doesn’t really conform to what we’ve seen on the title in the past, instead it reminds me a lot of Green Lantern volume 3 with it’s epic scope and fast pacing. The GLC is still in the process of recovering from the Blackest Night, which left them basically starting over. Bedard’s take on the characters is interesting, and it’s great to finally see some John Stewart development after years of him taking the backseat in the main GL title, and Ganthet is steadily becoming a pretty compelling character. He hasn’t touched on Kyle too much, just his relationship with Soranik and his new outlook since Blackest Night. Tomasi seemed to inject a lot of sensitivity into Kyle, but when Blackest Night rolled around he knew the character would have to change. Bedard has given Kyle a more determined, tough attitude, and I like it.

Ardian Syaf is definitely a capable artist, and when it was announced that he would be taking the art duties on this arc, I was ecstatic. Since then, I’ve been partially let down. His facial expressions and perspective seems skewed at times, like looking through an off-balanced camera lense. He can definitely draw amazing battle scenes, and Vicuente Cifuentas inking and Randy Mayor coloring alongside Carrie Strachan make some pretty sweet visuals. The opening page with Kyle flying at high speed is bad ass, and conveys a sense of urgency or panic. The only bad thing about the art is that Syaf keeps forgetting power rings, the second page has a panel which shows a ring-less Ganthet flying away from a ring-less Alpha Lantern, who are supposed to have two rings.

The story has had me hooked from the very beginning, and I can’t wait for the conclusion. I just hope Bedard will follow up this arc with an even better one and continue with the character development and fast pace. Here’s how the issue stacks up:

–moyermason@yahoo.com

Green Lantern Corps #49 Review

Green Lantern Corps #49

Continuity fun fact: the reason the Guardians are old gnomes is because of the sheer will required to create the GL Central Power Battery. Every time I see a new green CPB being made, I can’t help but remember this. Still, what a way to start the issue! with the Cyborg Superman questioning the creation of the Alphas as he stands before his battery, Very like him. He’d also made his own CPB before, using the shards of the original back in early Volume 4, so this has precedent. But why no yellow rings? Or green rings for that matter? Did he feel like he didn’t need them anymore?

This issue has Boodikka and John travel to Stel’s world. And there’s nice characterization from Boodikka. FYI: she DID have a fling with Lobo in the middle of a battle. During Trinity. I can’t recall offhand if the feud with Kreon actually happened, though. This is really the first time an Alpha has had a conversation without being “on” and it’s nice to see. This is a great scene from John and Boodikka. But the Alphas are NOT drawn with 2 GL rings. I think they forget they were supposed to have two of them.

We get some development of Kyle still being in love with Jade. And we get a Brightest Day tie-in. Evidently Deadman’s net has not disappeared (why not?) and some Qwardians have found it. I like that we’re gonna get something from those guys. The Qwardians have been portrayed as such losers lately, and totally inconsistently as well. Let’s see if Bedard does better with them.

We get Kyle, Soranik, and Ganthet come to the planet, but are assaulted by a few Alpha Lanterns. Actually, I recognise the new Alphas from the Sin Corps War Special! Geez, they need to update the list of GLC members… After this and Blackest Night that list is definitely outdated!

Another great issue of GLC. Although, like the previous one, there’s some continuity problems. The fact that the Cyborg doesn’t have any rings bothers me. I mean … why not? Seriously. And how easy is it to make these Central Power Batteries? But, the Cyborg has been shown to have the capability and, as a master of technology, it makes sense that he’d be able to do so.

The art, as usual, is great. No complaints here! Every page is rich with detail. My only beef is that he forgot Alphas have two Power Rings.