NYCC 2011: DC All Access Panel - Green Lantern

New York Comic Con 2011 saw the return of the talented minds behind DC's multiple Green Lantern comic book series.  At the DC All Access - Green Lantern panel, GL editor Brian Cunningham, Geoff Johns (writer, Green Lantern), Peter Tomasi (writer, Green Lantern Corps), and Tony Bedard (writer, Green Lantern: New Guardians) sat down to give the fans some insight into what can be expected from the three titles in the near and distant future.

Moderator and SVP Sales Bob Wayne, Editor Brian Cunningham, Geoff Johns (writer, Green Lantern), Peter Tomasi (writer, Green Lantern Corps), and Tony Bedard (writer, Green Lantern: New Guardians)

Kicking off the discussion with Green Lantern proper, Geoff Johns delved into the relationship between Hal Jordan and Sinestro.  With Sinstro reinstated as a Lantern and Hal drummed out for having too much Willpower, all is not well in the world of the Green Lanterns. Hal wants his ring back and Sinestro wants to get rid of the ring. Now that they are in opposite positions, the pair will be addressing the personal issues that have caused so much tension between them in the past.  Johns also teased that the Justice League will attempt to intervene by approaching the Guardians directly.  Not wanting to give too much away, Johns switched gears and focused on the upcoming Green Lantern Animated Series, due to launch on November 11th on Cartoon Network.  He stated that the first arc will deal with Hal and the Corps encountering the Red Lanterns for the first time.  A tie-in comic is also in the works, which will continue and expand on the show's stories.  Once the individual storylines have been established, the comic will then provide more connectivity to the series.

Preview page from the upcoming Green Lantern Animated Series tie-in comic

Moving the discussion over to Green Lantern Corps, writer Peter Tomasi came out and talked about what to expect from his book.  According to Tomasi, the New 52 relaunch has not affected his storytelling.  "We haven't torn everything down from previous stories," he stated.  "We just want to make everything accessible to new and old readers alike."  He also made quick mention of a looming threat to the Corps, The Keepers.  These mysterious new bad guys are the ones who possessed the power batteries before the Guardians took them away.  Needless to say, The Keepers aren't pleased.

Tony Bedard, writer of Green Lantern: New Guardians came out next to talk about the newest addition to the GL publication family.  At the forefront of GL:NG is Kyle Rayner, the youngest of Earth's GL's, who, according to the New 52, has only been a Lantern for two years.  Bedard went on to say that, "Kyle may not ever be as strong as Hal, but he's capable of doing things across the entire spectrum that others just couldn't."  An exciting prospect to say the least.  Again, not wanting to give too much away, Bedard mentioned that the mystery of why all those rings are choosing Kyle at the same time will be unfolding throughout the first year of GL:NG's run.  He also revealed that fan-favorite Larfleeze, the Orange Lantern, will return in issue #4 of the book.  Geoff Johns added that we will finally hear the Orange Lantern oath.  Tony Bedard closed with the statement that he is not concerned with giving origin stories to the characters, but instead is focusing on developing the characters themselves.

Preview page from Green Lantern: New Guardians, featuring Sinestro Corps bruiser, Arkillo

Speaking on the subject of Red Lanterns, editor Brian Cunningham revealed that the first stories in that book will take Atrocitus across the universe, discovering there are a multitude of situations that demand his attention.  Tony Bedard added that this will be something new for Atrocitus, since all he wanted in the previous story arc was to kill the rogue Guardian, Krona.  Denied that opportunity, Atrocitus is looking for "an eye for an eye and then some."  

During the Q&A portion of the panel, Geoff Johns shared his thoughts on the director's cut of the Green Lantern movie.  In addition to a multitude of interviews with the creative team from the comics, the new cut features additional scenes that, according to Johns, "added more heart to Hal's story."

To close out the panel, Geoff Johns dropped a huge bomb on the crowd, asking them to keep it secret, at least for the next 15 minutes.  As he prepped to head over to the Robot Chicken panel, he revealed that he was working with RC creators Seth Green and Matt Senreich on a DC Comics special, similar to RC's successful Star Wars specials.  Look for it in 2012!

With the future of Green Lantern in capable hands, I'm looking forward to the upcoming stories, on both the page and screen!

Review: Green Lantern Corps #1

We caught up with Hal Jordan and Sinestro last week in Green Lantern #1, but what’s going on with the rest of the Emerald Warriors?

Like GL#1, Green Lantern Corps #1 picks up right after the events of War of the Green Lanterns.  Writer Peter J. Tomasi sticks around to continue chronicling the exploits of Guy Gardner and John Stewart, but instead of having the jock and marine square off against the latest cosmic menace right away, Tomasi pits the pair against a much more intimidating threat: civilian life.  By taking the space cops off their beat for a few pages, Tomasi brings them back down to earth, both figuratively and literally, and gives us a glimpse of how both characters handle their lives as public superheroes.  Guy, the perpetual attention-whore, finds his celebrity status working against him as he attempts to apply for a job, and John, an architect by trade, publicly uses his ring to express his disgust with the dishonest and immoral dealings in the world of construction.  It’s an unexpected, yet fascinating new direction for these characters, reminding the reader that when they’re not wearing the ring, Guy and John are still two guys with their own issues. 

But we can’t stay grounded for long.  Bookending the issue are two horrific attacks in Space Sector 3599, one on a Lantern outpost, the other on a seemingly random planet.  Mysterious doesn’t begin to describe the two events.  The reader knows just as much as the characters, putting you right alongside Guy, John, and the rest of the Corps as they begin this new chapter.

I hope the exploration of Guy’s and John’s humanity is a theme that Peter Tomasi continues to build upon.  It’s something new for fans who joined the Corps long ago, and it’s an excellent jumping off point for new readers.  Also, I recommend sticking around to learn who is killing Lanterns and committing genocide in Sector 3599.  Something tells me this threat is going to hit pretty close to home.  

And don’t worry, all you Kyle Rayner fans.  You can catch up with him next week in Green Lantern: New Guardians #1.

Review: Green Lantern #1

The Green Light of Willpower continues to shine in the galaxy.

To counter the lukewarm debut of Red Lanterns, Green Lantern #1 hit shelves this week, launching the latest chapter in the history of the intergalactic police force.  Like a handful of other DCnU #1s, GL#1 picks up exactly where the final issue of the previous volume left off.  In the wake of War of the Green Lanterns, Hal Jordan has been stripped of his ring, Sinestro is reinstated as Lantern of Sector 1417, and Ganthet is still telling the Guardians where they can shove it. 

Hal is back on Earth, unsuccessfully readjusting to life as a normal human.  However, the hero in him refuses to go quietly, and after some failed heroics, he ends up in jail…again.  He then looks to Carol Ferris for help, but even after the passionate moments they shared in the recent past, Hal manages to screw things up with her...again.  Meanwhile, Sinestro, like the rest of the Corps, is pretty miffed that he once again has a green ring on his finger, and, for some reason, he can't get it off.  To make matters worse, he learns that his own band of miscreants, the Sinestro Corps, has defied his orders to protect his home planet of Korugar in his absence.  Instead, they are enslaving the population.  In a stunning display of pissed off brutality, Sinestro kills one of his own Corpsmen and promptly destroys the fleeing ring.  Back on Oa, Ganthet, the only Guardian with a pair, bitches out the other Smurfs for allowing Sinestro to keep his newly acquired ring.  They, in turn, make a vague statement about how they must all be "united in opinion and thought" for their "new mission."  These three unfolding storylines have already captured my attention (as Geoff Johns tends to do), and have me excited to see where it all goes.  The last page alone has me chomping at the bit for #2.

Geoff Johns continues his successful run as writer for Green Lantern, once again pairing with artist Doug Mahnke, who joined the GL creative team during Blackest Night.  Johns can do no wrong in my opinion.  That’s all I can really say about that.  Mahnke, who I only saw as “Ivan Reis’s replacement” for a while, has definitely grown on me since Blackest Night.  He has perfected the upward angle perspective shot, showcasing a pissed off Sinestro. 

Green Lantern #2 cannot come fast enough.  Will our favorite Guardian be forced to undergo some Oan reeducation?  How will Sinestro deal with his insubordinate Corps?  Where are the other Green Lanterns of Sector 1417?  And most important of all, what does the future hold for Hal Jordan?  With Green Lantern Corps #1 and Green Lantern: New Guardians #1 due in the next two weeks, we will certainly be getting more from the emerald space cops, but they will be hard-pressed to match the quality of Green Lantern #1.