[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]

Writer: Jeremy Adams
Art: Xermanico & Amancay Nahuelpan and Kevin Maguire
Colors: Romulo Fajardo, Jr. and Rosemary Cheetham
Letters: Dave Sharpe

Reviewed by: Matthew B. Lloyd

Summary

Hal and company go to the United Planets to inform them about Thaaros…and it doesn’t go exactly as they plan.  On Earth, Carol Ferris makes a big decision!

Positives

While the conflict between the “renegade” Green Lanterns and Thaaros ramps up, perhaps the most interesting development in the issue is the final page cliffhanger with Carol Ferris.  Jeremy Adams wisely uses Carol’s history as a way of getting her involved in the proceedings on Oa.  Adams has been toying with the Hal/ Carol relationship since this series began.  It seemed Carol was completely happy with her current boyfriend and Hal was going to have to accept that Carol had moved on and their new status quo was going to be friendship.

With Green Lantern #11, Adams puts the focus on Carol’s desires as she forces the issue with her boyfriend convincing him to drive to Las Vegas to elope.  It’s a nuanced approach to Carol as it’s clear that while Carol is saying one thing, she is also having misgivings.  This leads to the final page surprise as Carol is confronted with another aspect of her past, an aspect that should prove to put her and Hal on equal footing.  This should force Carol to confront the truth of her feelings.  This was an unexpected though appropriate plot turn and a thoughtful examination of Carol’s character.

Positives Cont’d

It’s no secret that Thaaros isn’t automatically indicted by the U.P. Council.  Though expected, it does provide the continued tension between Hal and the renegades against the U.P. One wonders if this will lead to some sort of dismantling of the United Planets.  It would be a clever in-story way of resetting things for the U.P. to show up again in the future as part of a more traditional take on the legislative body as part of the world of the future Legion of Super-Heroes.  The United Planets as a contemporary entity has been an awkward take since Brian Michael Bendis introduced the idea during his ill conceived and executed runs on Superman and the Legion.

Like it or not, Adams also nails the Guy Gardner back up.  The art by Kevin Maguire is right on target, especially the facial expressions on Guy.  This is also seen when Carol gets her surprise on the last page.  Xermanico (I think) does a great job of communicating Carol’s misgivings throughout Green Lantern #11.  There’s a degree of subtlety here that is achieved at a high level.

Negatives

The flashback sequence with Hal and Carol as middle schoolers plays upon the long history the characters have.  Reflecting upon the childhood interest in bad boy Hal works against the more complex aspects of their relationship as adults.  The final page cliffhanger injects what is needed to bring it back around to the adult relationship between Hal and Carol.

Verdict

Green Lantern #11 takes a turn into the interior of Carol’s struggle.  The creative team does an exceptional job adding this layer to the storytelling by developing this subplot further setting it up for the next big part of this story.  Jeremy Adams continues to be the best writer at DC Comics these days understanding the balance of action-adventure and character.  

The post Review: Green Lantern #11 appeared first on DC Comics News.

[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]

Writer: Jeremy Adams
Art: Xermanico & Amancay Nahuelpan and Kevin Maguire
Colors: Romulo Fajardo, Jr. and Rosemary Cheetam
Letters: Dave Sharpe

Reviewed by: Matthew B. Lloyd

Summary

Jo Mullein leads Hal into the intrigue on Oa.  Hal finally understands the big picture that reveals United Planets President Thaaros as the man behind it all.

Positives

The lead story is well paced and looks great.  A lot of the pieces are filled in as Hal, Jo and the other “renegade” Lanterns jump into action to save one of their own.  Adams nicely connects some of the pieces from the Geoffery Thorne Green Lantern series.  While this run started out feeling very Hal-centric, with Green Lantern #10 Adams has got all the pieces moving and shaking so that it feels firmly interconnected with previous runs.

Since Hal constructed his own ring through his will, it still operates a little differently and it’s great to see that as a plot point that matters.  This keeps Hal as the focus as well as setting him apart just enough from the rest of the Corps to keep him special.  The art from Xermanico and Nahuelpan looks great throughout.  They deliver the espionage aspects and the power ringing equally well.

In the back up story featuring Guy Gardner, Adams and Kevin Maguire provide a huge dose of nostalgia for Guy and the JLI era including a guest appearance from Booster Gold.  If this is your jam, you’ll really enjoy this.  Adams hits all the right beats and writes Guy pitch perfect for that era.  Maguire’s art is great as usual and makes it the story appear it was plucked out of time.

Negatives

The only time I’ve liked Guy Gardner was in his original appearances in the sixties and seventies and then under Robert Venditti in Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps as one of the “Four Corpsman.”  Green Lantern #10 sees Guy in his less nuanced iteration and it’s difficult to take him, as it’s always been for me.

Verdict

Green Lantern #10 continues to ramp up the excitement.  It took a little while to get to this moment but it seems that this title is now where Jeremy Adams has been heading since issue #1.  Something big is just around the corner and the scope has expanded nicely to encompass not only the recent continuity but older events as well.

The post Review: Green Lantern #10 appeared first on DC Comics News.

[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]

Writers: Jeremy Adams and Phillip Kennedy Johnson
Art: Xermanico and Montos
Colors: Romulo Fajardo, Jr. and Adriano Lucas
Letters: Dave Sharpe

Reviewed by: Matthew B. Lloyd

Summary

Sinestro begins his revenge on Hal Jordan with an attack on Ferris aircraft.  It’s all a surprise to Hal when Carol calls on him to get to the bottom of it.

Positives

The art by both Xermanico and Montos is fantastic.  They make both stories look great.  Montos captures some real depth of emotion for John Stewart and Guy Gardner.  Xermanico does the same though the complexity of Hal and Carol’s relationship.  It’s great to see it as part of the story, but even better that the art communicates it so effectively.  

The story with Guy and John has a couple of interesting aspects.  Firstly, there’s an intriguing multiversal component with the Revenant Queen, but just as compelling are the decisions John is making about his dying mother.  It’s a unique problem that’s not covered in super-hero stories.  How much attention it gets in the continuation in the forthcoming Green Lantern: War Journal #1 remains to be seen.

With Green Lantern #3, Jeremy Adams brings the three major players of Hal Jordan’s turn as Green Lantern together.  Hal clearly has just as much history with Sinestro as he does with Carol.  Both of these relationships are complex.  It cleverly sets Carol and Sinestro as parallels in Hal’s life.  There are a number of ways each relationship could go and they aer both legitimate reasons to come back and see where things go.  Focusing on these three characters invigorates the book with a nod to the history of the series.  Additionally, it makes the series about the people and not simply the heroics.

Negatives

There’s a bit of a hangover from Knight Terrors as the opening of Green Lantern #3 doesn’t follow exactly from the ending of Green Lantern #2 or Knight Terrors: Green Lantern #2.  It’s still a shame this series had to be interrupted by the Knight Terrors event.  It may prove to be helpful to go back and reread the first two issues of the series as a refresher. 

Verdict

Green Lantern #3 is a good issue that suffers from having to overcome the Knight Terrors event.  It has to work a little harder to get the momentum going again after the great first two issues that this Green Lantern relaunch built.  While there remains an awkwardness, the issue does reset the focus and bring Hal into contact with his greatest nemesis, Sinestro.  The triangle of Hal, Carol and Sinestro isn’t a love triangle, but an interesting intersection of lives that is unique in comics.

The post Review: Green Lantern #3 appeared first on DC Comics News.

The most notable of these castings has to be Guy Gardner, who will be played by longtime friend of Gunn, and pop culture icon, Nathan Fillion. This isn’t the first time Fillion has played a Green Lantern as he has voice Hal Jordan in numerous animated features.

Joining Fillion in the DCU’s take on the Man of Steel is Isabela Merced and Edi Gathegi as Hawkgirl and Mister Terrific, respectively. Merced is best known for her roles in Sicario: Day of the Soldado and as the titular character in the live-action Dora the Explorer movie, while Gathegi previously played Laurent in the Twilight films and Darwin in X-Men: First Class.

While not thought of as one of the most popular Green Lanterns, Guy Gardner definitely has a strong following, and can serve as a great way to introduce the Green Lantern Corps to a wider audience and bring it into a more favorable light, especially after the critically panned 2011 film starring Ryan Reynolds.

There is also a Green Lantern TV series slated for the DCU that will focus on Hal Jordan and John Stewart, so it’s likely that Fillion will reprise his role as Guy Gardner in that, with his role in Superman: Legacy possibly serving as a launching point for the series.

There have been many rumors of a possible film or series based on the superteam The Terrifics, and with the inclusion of that team’s leader, Mister Terrific, this may actually become a reality.

And Hawkgirl gained major popularity during the early 2000’s with the Justice League animated series, and bringing her into this universe may open several possible storyline doors going forward.

Gunn also recently revealed that David Corenswet would be taking on the role of Superman/Clark Kent, while Rachel Brosnahan would be Lois Lane, so the cast is really shaping up to be something special.

Superman: Legacy is scheduled for release on July 11, 2025.

Source: Vanity Fair

The post ‘Superman: Legacy’ Casts Guy Gardner, Hawkgirl, & Mister Terrific appeared first on DC Comics News.

[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]

Writers: Jeremy Adams and Phillip Kennedy Johnson
Art: Xermanico and Montos
Colors: Romulo Fajardo, Jr. and Adriano Lucas
Letters: Dave Sharpe

Reviewed by: Matthew B. Lloyd

Summary

Hal doesn’t let his failure stop him as he follows some advice from Kilowog and the mystery deepens for John Stewart and Guy Gardner.

Positives

Nostalgia can never be underestimated, but Green Lantern #2, like last issue, has a familiarity that is truly engaging.  Jeremy Adams not only gets Kilowog’s voice right, but also the way he interacts with others, especially Hal.  Additionally, Adams gets some personality traits that remind the reader of what’s likable about Hal as well as the complexity of the character.  And, just for kicks, Adams brings in an appearance of the Demolition Team who first appeared back in Green Lantern (Volume 2) #176.  (FTR- I bought that issue new off the stands!) And, where’s Rosie’s cigar?  This callback to the mid-’80’s reminds the reader that Hal’s entire history is in play including some of his lesser known adversaries.  The appearance of the Manhunter costume last issue functioned in a similar fashion, although the Manhunters are certainly adversaries with higher stakes than the Demolition Team.

In the same vein, Hal’s ability to utilize the Oan energy in the Manhunter to create a power ring connects this series to Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps, the series in which he first fashioned his own ring out of energy.  As Adams uses Hal’s history and character to drive the issue, the same is true for his relationship with Carol Ferris.  Adams doesn’t try to convince the reader that they SHOULD be together, but rather approaches the situation with the same complexity as he approaches Hal’s character.  It’s easy to want Hal and Carol to be together, but as the history of that relationship it may not be the best thing for either of them.  Carol shows all the conflicting emotions that make this feel like a real relationship.  Will Carol’s fiance Nathan turn out to be a douchebag?  Only time will tell, but this may be a classic Silver Age love interest that is actually better off without the hero.

Positives Cont’d

Grant Morrison, in both seasons of The Green Lantern, approached the Carol question as well.  It’s not out of the question, but Hal and Carol could potentially end up as friends, maybe best friends and that would truly be unique and an additional layer to their relationship.  So far, this feels like it could tread new ground and not simply “ship”  the classic relationship.  Carol’s such a smart and capable woman it doesn’t fit that she would continue to go back to Hal when she constantly points out how he doesn’t hold up his end of a romantic relationship.  It makes perfect sense that this is an important subplot for this series.  Like Adams’ run on The Flash,  the personal life of the main character is just as important part of the series.  This grounds the book so that despite all the fantastic super-hero stuff that happens readers are able to have something very relatable.

Green Lantern #2 looks great, as well.  Xermanico captures both aspects of these stories both in the exciting Green Lantern sequences as well as the concerned Carol sequence.  Adriano Lucas provides some outstanding uses of color especially when Hal is flying in downtown Coast City and the page of Hal falling back to Earth he combines with Xermanico for a truly spectacular image.  Not to be outdone, Montos in the John Stewart second feature gives a clinic in faces as he makes John and his Mama feel real.  The reality of these expressions include the reader in their conversation in a fascinating way.  Furthermore, this John Stewart story, though moving slowly presents the reader with a couple of mystery that Phillip Kennedy Johnson is revealing slowly and so far it’s working.

Negatives

Like Adams’ The Flash,  it’s difficult to find a negative in Green Lantern #2.  The John Stewart feature is moving slowly, and that may not sit well with everyone.  Perhaps, there should’ve been some follow up with the appearance of Sinestro’s appearance last issue, as well.  Overall, these are very minor because what we get is so strong.

Verdict

DC Comics may not be smart enough to keep Jeremy Adams on The Flash, but at least they are keeping him on something!  Green Lantern #2 is only the second issue of this newest volume of Hal Jordan’s adventures, but it’s already proving to be the full package.  The beautiful art supports a character driven story that draws the reader in with its familiarity and attention to the complexity in Hal’s character and relationships.  

The post Review: Green Lantern #2 appeared first on DC Comics News.

[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]

Writers: Leah Williams and Joanne Starer
Art: Marguerite Sauvage and Natacha Bustos
Colors: Marguerite Sauvage & Marissa Louise and Tamra Bonvillain
Letters: Becca Carey and Ariana Maher

Reviewed by: Matthew B. Lloyd

Summary

It’s the showdown between Power Girl and Johnny Sorrow, as PG learns about herself.  Plus, Fire and Ice get up to some trouble in Baltimore with Guy Gardner and a visit from Superman!

Positives

This wrap up story of Power Girl vs. Johnny Sorrow that ran in Action Comics #1051-1053 wisely focuses on Power Girl’s character.  Power Girl since her first appearance back in All-Star Comics #58 (February 1976) has been a unique character with a unique personality that has made her a fan favorite.  The conclusion to “Head Like A Whole” allows Power Girl to move past a block in her mind/emotions as she finds her new place in the Super-family.  This only works on a macro level as the detail will be pointed out in the “Negatives” section below.

Marguerite Sauvage has a unique style that adds an ethereal quality to the look of the story.  This often works, especially in the scenes that are supposed to be in the mindscape.  The action is pretty good as PG and Omen overcome Johnny Sorrow.  Sorrow’s plan is interesting as it connects directly to Power Girl specifically.  

Positives Cont’d

It’s nice to see friendship in comics and that’s the basis of Fire and Ice in this issue.  Readers will instantly recognize their rapport from their Justice League International days.  The art style of Natacha Bustos is a nice change of pace as it suggests this may be more character focused and less of an action series.  There are a number of variant covers that feature a classic style Power Girl that are really nice.  Amanda Conner provides one that echoes her run on the character from the aughts.

Negatives

While focusing on Power Girl’s character is a great approach for a story, it’s unfortunate that it appears that DC Comics hasn’t decided who Power Girl currently is.  Or, if they know, they haven’t told Leah Williams and Geoff Johns.  This isn’t the only current appearance of Power Girl in the DC Universe, she’s also appearing in Justice Society of America written by Geoff Johns, and what we’ve seen in that series as well as The New Golden Age #1 seems to indicate that Power Girl doesn’t have the same history that the one we see in Power Girl Special #1 does.  The only thing that seems to match up is her new costume showing up in last week’s Justice Society of America #4.  This lack of congruence in troubling and also distracting because it takes away from the impact Williams attempts to bring to the character.  Not knowing makes it hard to understand exactly what PG is going through.

Giving Power Girl these identity insecurities and an inability to fit don’t really work if one understands what the character has already been through.  Not only has Power Girl already dealt with this sort of thing before (JSA: Classified #1-4), she’s always been characterized as a brash, confident and not looking approval from anyone- certainly not the main Earth Super-family.  To get this wrong in PG’s portrayal demonstrates a real lack of understanding of what makes the character unique as well as a fan-favorite.

It’s important to get the character right.  Kara’s (not calling her Paige) lack of familiarity with common idioms as seen in Lazarus Planet: Assault on Krypton #1 demonstrates that Williams doesn’t really know the character’s history.  It doesn’t make sense.  She also called Omen her best friend…um, that’s Helena Wayne…in every version of the character!  This history mystery bleeds over into this issue when Johnny Sorrow tells her the two of them are the last survivors of their world.  But, Kara is one of two survivors from Earth-Two- we already saw the Psycho-Pirate referenced in Lazarus Planet: Assault on Krypton #1.   So is this supposed to be the Earth-2 iteration of Power Girl?   Overall, the lack of consistency in PG’s history and characterization makes it difficult to enjoy the issue or trust anything that Williams tries to tell the reader about the character.

Negatives Cont’d 

While Sauvage has an interesting and unique style that works well for Omen and the mindscape setting, her depiction of Superman is, well, kind of creepy.  Really creepy actually.  The older version which Power Girl sees in her mind’s eye is aged as one would expect, but he also appears emaciated.  When PG runs into main-continuity Clark, it’s not much better.  It’s an unsettling depiction of the Man of Steel.  Additionally, Sauvage’s style is too delicate for Power Girl.  This is part of the problem with the way Superman looks as well.  There should definitely be a weightier quality to PG and Supes.

The Fire and Ice story doesn’t have as many notable problems as the lead story in Power Girl Special #1, but there are a few things that should be mentioned.  Firstly, this story could have taken place at any point in the run of Justice League International.  Nothing distinguishes it as being new except for the note that it takes place before Green Lantern #1.  (That’s the #1 by Jeremy Adams and Xermanico that JUST came out, not the one from 1960 by John Broome and Gil Kane or the one in 1990 by Gerard Jones and Pat Broderick).  There’s no new concept here, everything feels like it’s always felt with these characters, including the Ice and Guy Gardner relationship.  Robert Venditti did a great job of rounding out Guy Gardner in Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps.  Venditti was able to make Guy feel more rounded and complete.  Guy in this issue is just the same old annoying, bad boyfriend, conceited male chauvinist. 

The lack of depth in this story is  disappointing.  The last appearance of Fire, Ice and Guy was in Tom King’s wildly out of continuity Human Target.  I’m not advocating for a series set in that continuity, but seeing a Fire and Ice who were a little more fleshed out and with some nuance would’ve been nice.  This is not much more than a teaser, and I’m not quite sure what’s being teased- a series in which Bea has to protect Tora from Guy and it annoys Tora, or a Thelma and Louise style road trip revolving around their friendship?   

Verdict

DC is trying to hard to reinvent Power Girl.  Power Girl Special #1 tries to get the reader to connect with the character, but that’s the problem, it tries too hard.  Inconsistencies are a huge cause of concern.  The underlying feeling that we aren’t really sure who this Power Girl is supposed to be makes it difficult to grasp who DC wants her to be because there is no explanation, there is no continuity.  Furthermore, there is no established history for any version of the character since 2016 that one can reference.  Unfortunately, it seems like once again DC hasn’t bothered to lock down continuity for a character.  Maybe they think it hinders new readers?  What it actually does is disenfranchise longtime readers who know the continuities and are trying to make sense of new and sometimes multiple versions of characters.  I get that things are going to change, but at least make it clear what’s happened and what hasn’t.  For Power Girl, this reads as if Williams took the basics of the character and cherry picked certain events from her Wikipedia page without any knowledge of continuity or that Geoff Johns was crafting his own version of the character in Justice Society of America, a version that relies heavily on  Power Girl’s pre-New 52 history.  Power Girl’s basics aren’t basic.  She’s more complex.  She’s had a lot of development and it’s not easy to boil her down to essentials like one can with Batman or Superman.  If you’re going to rebrand Power Girl with psychic powers and call her Paige, just create a new character, because that’s essentially what’s happening here.  I wouldn’t recommend this issue or the announced series for fans of Power Girl.  Power Girl fans should turn to Justice Society of America.

Fire and Ice is so short and unfocused it’s really hard to gauge what’s coming next for the duo.  Based on this tease, I’m not sure what readers could be looking forward to in a series.  However, there’s a chance that the forthcoming Fire and Ice series could be good, since there’s not a lot to go on in Power Girl Special #1.  Both stories have something going for them in the art department, but it doesn’t always work.  

The post Review: Power Girl Special #1 appeared first on DC Comics News.

[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]

Writer: Jeremy Adams, Phillip Kennedy Johnson

Artist: Xermanico, Montos

Colours: Romulo Fajardo Jr., Adriano Lucas

Letters:  Dave Sharpe

Reviewed By: Derek McNeil

Summary

Green Lantern #1: Spinning out of the events of Dark Crisis, the Guardians of Oa at the heart of the Green Lantern Corps have quarantined Sector 2814, home of the planet Earth—and its champion along with it! A heartbreaking defeat has sent Hal reeling, returning home to rediscover his roots…and find the man responsible for ruining his life: Sinestro. From the visionary team of Jeremy Adams and Xermanico omes a tale of redemption, loss, and finding out that maybe…just maybe…you can go home again. At least if you’re willing to hot-wire a power ring to do it. Also featuring part one of John Stewart: War Journal from writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson and artist Montos!

Positives

One thing that I’ve love about the Dawn of DC initiative is that DC is giving many of their long-time characters a more familiar status quo – but with new elements that show the characters have evolved and are still evolving. There is no wholesale retconning of DCU history back to the pre-Flashpoint era. Instead, their history through the New 52 and Rebirth eras are acknowledged and kept as part of each character’s backstory. However, some of the changes from those eras may be reversed or undone, they still happened.

After several years of Hal’s solo adventures centering around adventures in outer space and other dimensions, Jeremy Adams has brought Hal Jordan back to Earth, looking to resume his old job as a test pilot for Ferris Aircraft and rekindle his romance with Carol Ferris.

The issue’s introductory text gives us some interesting information. The Guardians of the Universe have disappeared, which seems a bit repetitive. How many times have the Guardians disappeared so far? But the important thing is that they seem to be out of the picture for the time being.

Positives Cont.

Also, the United Planets seem to have been making some surprising moves. They have seized control of the Green Lantern Corps. However, they seem to have a a secret agenda concerning Sector 2814, home of the planet Earth. They have declared it an “unsafe liability” and reassigned Earth’s Green Lanterns to other sectors.

This sounds somewhat nefarious. It seems someone powerful in the UP has plans for Earth, and they don’t want Earth’s Green Lanterns to interfere. This sounds very unlike the United Planets Brian Michael Bendis established in his run on the Superman books. The UP Bendis established was somewhat in awe of Superman and were generally well-disposed to Earth and its heroes.

It sounds like some corrupting influence has infiltrated the UP. While it’s spells bad news for Hal and his allies, it certainly provides a more fertile ground for interesting stories than Bendis’ original concept.

Also, we see that Sinestro is also on Earth. Is he mixed up in whatever is going on with the United Planets? Or is he got his own agenda. Whichever s the case, it’s only inevitable that he will be causing trouble for Hal in the upcoming months.

Positives Cont.

Given that Hal has been a full-time space cop for the past several years, younger readers might not be aware of Hal’s employment troubles. In the 60s and 70s Hal went through periods where he had been fired from Ferris Aircraft and tried a number of other day jobs to make ends meet. Carol doesn’t appear happy to see him and he gives a disastrous performance in the flight simulator this issue. So, it seems unlikely that he’ll be going back to his old test pilot job soon.

Speaking of which, the presence of the flight simulator was a nice callback to Hal’s origin story. In that story, Abin Sur summoned Hal to him, bringing along the flight simulator Hal was using along with him.

And the villain that Hal encounters, Steel Fury, is wearing armour created from a Manhunter robot. And the Manhunters were created by the Guardians as their first attempt at creating a cosmic police force. I wonder if this is just a reference to Green Lantern history or a tease that the Manhunters might be making a return.

This issue also includes a backup story featuring John Stewart. We are shown that John is also on Earth. This leads me to wonder if this story is set before the United Planets quarantined Sector 2814. Or if John has also quit the Corps and returned to Earth.

Positives Cont.

However, we only see John on Earth briefly before Phillip Kennedy Johnson moves the action to a parallel Earth. Here we see Guy Gardner and another unnamed Lantern attacked by a villain called the Revenant Queen, who is seeking revenge on John Stewart. Presumably, she would be after that Earth’s John, but I suspect she will be coming after his Earth-0 counterpart.

Negatives

Overall, I liked the Hal story in Green Lantern #1 better than the backup. But, it’s still unclear what’s going on in the latter, so I will have to reserve judgement on this story for now. What Johnson’s shown us so far is intriguing, and he is a capable writer, so I am optimistic he will deliver a great story. But will it outshine Adams’ main feature? That remains to be seen.

Verdict

Both Adams and Johnson provide intriguing jumping on points for their Green Lantern stories which are bolstered by superb artwork from Xermanico and Montos, respectively. While the John Stewart backup is intriguing, my attention is primarily drawn to the main story. Jeremy Adams has worked true magic for Wally West. So, I am eagerly looking forward to see if he can do the same for Hal Jordan.

The post Review: Green Lantern #1 appeared first on DC Comics News.

Warner Bros as a parent company of DC has had no problem pulling the plug on HBO Max shows in the past, so hopefully with HBO Max’s involvement we can see these shows released. We’ve seen so many projects get the ax in the last few years. From  Ava DuVernay’s New Gods and James Wan’s The Trench to the heartbreaking cancellation of Batgirl. As fans of DC we are used to projects getting canned. Hopefully with a renewed focus and vision guiding DC on film/TV we can expect these all to see the light of day!

The post HBO Max Isn’t Guaranteeing All Announced Shows Will Be Released appeared first on DC Comics News.

[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]

Writer: Joshua Williamson

Artist: Daniel Sampere

Colours: Alejandro Sanchez

Letters: Tom Napolitano

Reviewed By: Derek McNeil

Summary

Dark Crisis #2: As the good people of the world mourn the loss of the Justice League, the forces of evil have seized the opportunity to wreak havoc in a world without its heroes! Leading the charge is a super-powered Slade Wilson…but this time there’s something dark fueling his rage. With a massive army laying siege to Titans Tower, only Nightwing will have what it takes to stand in the way of Deathstroke’s forces-but is this a fight Dick Grayson can win? Look, up in the sky-reinforcements are on the way! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s…uh-oh…it’s Cyborg Superman. The world burns as Pariah and the Great Darkness make their play for planet Earth in this jaw-dropping second issue!

Positives

Dark Crisis #2 begins with a brief recap of Pariah’s origin, reminding us that the character arose out of the original Crisis On Infinite Earths. Through this retelling. Pariah explains that his motivation for his recent villainous actions is to reverse that Crisis and bring back DC’s original Infinite Earths.

This means that Pariah has bought into the idea that the end justifies the means. And this allows him to see himself as the hero, despite unleashing massive death and destruction. This reminds me very much of Hal Jordan as Parallax in Zero Hour, one of DC’s more successful crossover events. Hal was willing to destroy everything to recreate a better universe, but Pariah wants to recreate an entire Multiverse.

It also raises the question of how killing the Justice League is supposed to accomplish this. To me, this seems a pretty clear indicator that he did more than simply end their lives. He’s somehow using them as part of his plan to restore the original DC Multiverse.

And I’m certain that his alliance with the Great Darkness will prove to be his downfall. The Darkness wouldn’t want to recreate the Multiverse. That would go directly against its nature. It wouldn’t want to destroy the current Multiverse just to replace it with a bigger and brighter one. The Darkness is playing its own game – a game in which Pariah is just a pawn.

Positives Cont.

We also see the conclusion of Deathstroke and his Secret Society of Super-Villains on Titans Tower. The fight goes poorly for the Titans, eventually coming down to a one-on-one fight between Nightwing and Deathstroke. I really like this idea, as Deathstroke is, at his core, a Titans villain. And there is a special enmity between him and Nightwing. I really think DC should concentrate on building Slade up as Dick’s arch nemesis rather than as an antihero. And it looks like they actually might be taking the character in that direction.

The fight ends rather abruptly, as Superman shows up at the last moment to prevent Slade from killing Nightwing. Slade wants to press his victory and finish off the Titans, but Pariah pulls on his leash, commanding “Do not kill the superheroes. I need them. Remember your mission. Sow chaos, create a Crisis… Bring my Dark Army to you”.

This reveals another interesting part of Pariah’s plan. Apparently, a Crisis is necessary for it to succeed. I wonder if this is connected to the “Crisis Energy” that figures in Dark Nights: Death Metal.

Deathstroke’s motivations are interesting as well. His particular beef seems to be against the idea of legacy. This fits with the character’s history. After all, his son Grant was attempting to follow Slade’s legacy when he was killed during an encounter with the Teen Titans, a group consisting mainly of sidekicks continuing the legacy of DC’s greatest heroes.

The thing is, his motivations clash with Pariah’s. Deathstroke just wants to put an end to legacy superheroes, not destroy the world. It seems obvious that Pariah will betray Deathstroke. Is Deathstroke planning to betray him first, or will the Great Darkness betray them both? The DCU’s villains allied against the world’s heroes. It’s clear, though, that this alliance is built on very shaky ground.

Positives Cont.

We also see Black Adam put in an appearance during the battle’s aftermath. He expresses his contempt for Jon’s attempt to lead a new Justice League as well as disappointment in Dick’s leadership of the Titans. He then declares his intention to take over leadership of the new League: “It is my burden to lead this team”. Black Adam is another villain that’s been cast as something of an antihero in recent years. His recent appearances in Justice League have even had him going through a redemption arc. But is he the right leader for the team? Is leadership of the League even right for him?

Daniel Sampere’s artwork in this series is nothing short of fantastic. It seems that a new Justice League title will inevitably arise out of this event, and I would love to see DC tap Sampere for that job. This series has a huge cast of DC characters and he absolutely nails the look of each one. And he does a masterful job of depicting this issue’s explosive fight sequences.

Negatives

With two masters like Joshua Williamson and Daniel Sampere on the job, there’s little to complain about as long as they keep up the level of quality they’ve already established, then I’m happy.

Verdict

DC’s had mixed luck with their major event series over the years, but it looks like Dark Crisis is shaping up to be one of the better ones. Williamson and the other DC writers have put a lot of care into planning this story and it shows. I can hardly contain my anticipation to see how Williamson’s story will play out.

The post Review: Dark Crisis #2 appeared first on DC Comics News.

[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]

Writer: Tom King

Artist: Greg Smallwood

Colors: Greg Smallwood

Letters: Clayton Cowles

Reviewed By: Derek McNeil

Summary

The Human Target #6: The most acclaimed book of the year continues! After a tragic confrontation leaves a Justice Leaguer dead, Christopher Chance, the Human Target, is one step closer to solving his own murder…but also one step closer to his own grave. With only six days left, can he find the truth through webs of lies?

Positives

There has been some discussion about whether or not Tom King’s Black Label miniseries like Mister Miracle, Strange Adventures, and The Human Target are canon to DCU continuity or not. When asked, King described these series as “continuity adjacent”. That is, the stories are written in line with previously established continuity, but he leaves it to future writers to either ignore the events of these series or incorporate them into the official history of the DCU.

However, after reading The Human Target #6, I am almost certain that this particular series will be deemed non-canonical. This is because of the shocking occurrence of Ice and Christopher Chance killing Guy Gardner. Of course, Guy was kind of asking for it by being his usual belligerent self. But Guy’s death in itself isn’t the main problem. After all, DC characters die and come back all the time. It’s not even that the hero of this series killed him. Christopher Chance doesn’t have any compunctions about killing. And Guy did provoke him.

The problem is the role Ice plays in his death and her reaction afterward. Ice is shown to be very cold (no pun intended) about it. This flies in the face of her characterization throughout most of the character’s history. Now, this isn’t a bad thing, as it works within the story King is telling. But it’s inconsistent with her previous depiction. And I doubt this version of Ice will become the official version of the character.  However, I do believe that this version is capable of attempting the murder of Luthor and seducing her unintended victim to cover it up.

Whether canon or not, the manner of Guy’s death is truly poetically apt. After Ice freezes him solid, Chance punches him in the face, shattering him to pieces. That’s right, Guy Gardner died from one punch! One punch! Bwah-ha-ha-ha! This is absolutely priceless. If Guy was to be taken out, then this is the most appropriate way for it to happen.

Positives Cont.

Oddly enough, Guy wasn’t the JLI member that I expected Chance and Ice to encounter this issue. After their dinner with Martian Manhunter last issue, the investigation would lead to Fire next. But that doesn’t go down well with Tora, causing her and Chance to fall out. However, before long she is back with him. But is this because she is irresistibly drawn to him? Or did she realize that she can’t manipulate his investigation if she isn’t with him?

Chance ended up not having his face-to-face with Fire in The Human Target #6, but the ending makes it clear that they will be meeting in #7. Instead of having to seek her out, he finds Fire waiting for him in his office. What is interesting is that she tells greets him by saying, “It’s been a long time”. This implies that these two have a previous history. And going from his reaction, “I am a #%@%&& idiot”, Chance is only realizing this now.

This would seem to indicate that their previous acquaintance happened before Fire’s superheroine days. Beatriz Da Costa was formerly a secret agent for the Brazilian government before becoming Fire. So, I suspect there is an interesting story waiting to be told here.

I continue to be impressed by the fantastic art and colors of Greg Smallwood. I hope DC makes regular use of his talent on future projects. His bright and vibrant style is perfectly suited to a story featuring the Justice League International. And this would easily translate to explorations of other eras of DC’s history. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for other projects he works on.

Negatives

I have no problems with the issue itself, but I do have to express a bit of disappointment at the recent announcement that The Human Target is going on hiatus for the summer, with #7 not appearing until this September. I suspect that this is to allow Smallwood extra time to prepare the artwork for the second half of the series. Given how great the art has been so far, I fully support giving him as much time as necessary if that’s what’s necessary to keep up this superb level of quality.

Verdict

The shocking events of The Human Target #6 make it clear that Tom King’s series is outside of the official continuity – or that it should be. However, that doesn’t prevent it from being a damn good story. It’s going to be a long summer, waiting for the series to resume, but I have high expectations that it will be worth the wait.

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