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

Writer: Tim Sheridan
Art: Cian Tormey with Jordi Tarragona
Colors: Matt Herms 
Letters: Lucas Gattoni

Reviewed by: Matthew B. Lloyd

Summary

With the help of the Justice Society of America, Alan Scott, the Green Lantern defeats his lover and nemesis, the Red Lantern.  But, does he really believe Red Lantern is the villain?

Positives

 There’s a theme that Sheridan develops in this series that he brings around for this conclusion in Alan Scott: The Green Lantern #6.  The importance of Alan being gay is a believable through line for the series.  From a storytelling perspective it’s solid.  It works in the sense that the purpose of the series was to tell Alan Scott’s story since being retconned to being a member of the LGBTQ community.  Sheridan effectively demonstrates this in the conclusion as the plot points strewn about in the first five issues do in fact come together.

Cian Tormey’ art is effective and does its job.  There are some nice moments as he has a wide array of emotions to communicate throughout the ups and downs of this final issue.  Also, we finally get an appearance of Obsidian which confirms he and his sister, Jade are still part of continuity.

Negatives

The single biggest negative about this series and its culmination in Alan Scott: The Green Lantern #6, is how it devalues Alan Scott as the first Green Lantern.  Alan faces off with Johnny Ladd/ Vladimir Sokov/ Red Lantern who turns out to be more experienced, more effective and more knowledgeable about how to use will power to manipulate the Lantern flame.  He understands the Green and Red flames are related and he teaches Alan how to use will power to make the power in Alan’s ring do what he wants it to do.  For a series that should be all about how important Alan is, this aspect of the story does the exact opposite.  Alan may be the first Green Lantern, but the story that Sheridan gives us makes Alan second fiddle to Johnny/ Vlad.  It certainly comes across that Alan couldn’t have become a powerful, effective and iconic hero without Johnny/ Vlad’s instruction.  This actually lessens Alan’s importance of being the first, because now he really isn’t the first.  It also calls into question Alan’s willpower. 

Sheridan also adds aspects to Alan’s past that detract from what should be a heroic characterization.  In issue #3 we see Alan visit prostitutes.  In issue #1 we learn he had to be blackmailed into joining the Justice Society of America.  He’s also blackmailed into sex acts with J. Edgar Hoover.  While these may fit the narrative of a gay man in the 1940’s, they don’t fit the idea of an iconic DC Comics hero or a character known for willpower.  In this sense, Sheridan is more interested in writing a gay character as opposed to Alan Scott who’s existed for over 80 years and who’s never demonstrated these character traits.

Negatives Cont’d

Additionally, his love for Johnny/ Vlad seems to blind Alan to Vlad’s crimes, he even tells Vlad this as he suggests to Vlad how he can escape from the American authorities.  This is a very strange and troubling turn.  It also calls into his willpower.  Is he really unable to use that willpower to overcome his emotions and see Vlad/ Johnny for who he really is and that he’s held for his crimes?

Sheridan presents the idea that Alan’s willpower comes from his strength of being a gay man.  It seems that only by having to face the struggles of being a gay man in the ‘40’s was he able to develop his willpower.  As stated above, however, the importance of this willpower comes from Johnny/ Vlad.  This also indicates that without Johnny/ Vlad he wouldn’t have had the willpower to be able to get up every day and live his life.  He calls out Hoover who he knows hides the same secret:

“As if you Mr. Hoover, don’t know what it takes to live a secret life.  The exhausting amount of energy, of willpower to wake up every day, put on the suit, and quietly go to work for a world, that if they knew who you woke up next to would turn its back or worse- wait till you turn yours and pull the trigger.” 

He tells off Hoover and is able to free himself from the threat of blackmail.  The story demonstrates that it’s all due to Johnny/ Vlad instead of anything intrinsic in his own character.  We see that he doesn’t even know that willpower controls the power in the ring.

Negatives Cont’d

In the first five issues, Tim Sheridan goes to great lengths to show the reader what life for a gay man in the 1940’s is like.  A lot of these moments are sobering and effective.  Along the way, it’s not hard to see Alan as a different iteration of the Golden Age Green Lantern.  It’s easy to imagine that this Alan wouldn’t marry Rose Canton and have kids with her.  It’s easy to imagine that he wouldn’t marry Molly Mayne in their twilight years.  Alan isn’t questioning.  We’ve seen, in no uncertain terms, this series has shown not only is Alan gay, but he KNOWS he gay.  He’s accepted himself, it’s not an easy life but he knows what it takes to live this secret life.  Unfortunately, at the end of Alan Scott: The Green Lantern #6,  Sheridan pivots and drops the ball by trying to fit in Alan’s relationships with women.  It comes off as editorial interference and something that wasn’t part of Sheridan’s plan for the character.  This series would’ve been much stronger had Sheridan not connected the dots and Alan’s past no longer included Rose, Molly and his children.   It would’ve served the story AND character MUCH better.

This is potentially the most compelling aspect of Alan’s new history, especially considering the strength with which Sheridan has developed the importance of Alan being gay.  Sheridan throws Rose and Molly in almost as an afterthought.  It appears to only be there because it has to be.  Ultimately, it isn’t explained satisfactorily and it actually calls into more questions about Alan’s character. 

Despite all we’ve seen in the first five issues and parts of #6 that all that reinforcement of Alan sexuality…he still likes women?  Despite reinforcement of the importance of Alan’s willpower he still has relationships with women…KNOWING he’s gay?  Wasn’t the point of this series to show Alan’s recontextualized history as a gay man?

This means that Alan has misrepresented himself and lied to these women.  This is a huge problem for his characterization.  It doesn’t fit the actions of a hero, nor does it reflect the abilities of someone who relies on willpower to accomplish his super-heroing.  It leaves him a mess.

Finally, there’s a bizarre time travel bit in which Alan leaves a letter for himself to read that he’s written in the future.  It adds nothing to the issue or the series and comes off as a reminder for Sheridan himself that he’s loved.  The content of the letter does something truly strange as it reinforces the importance of the love of his biological children, something completely incongruous with a man living a gay lifestyle.  It’s not clear what should be taken from this.  It further muddles the waters…is he saying, even though you know you’re gay you’ve got to trick a woman into having your children?  The more I think about it the worse it gets.

Verdict

Alan Scott: The Green Lantern #6, like the entire series, is uneven.  There are moments that really work and are quite compelling, but it all seems to be in service to retconning Alan’s sexuality as opposed to be in service of Alan as a heroic character.  Sheridan tries to get the reader there, but the end is just unsatisfying in almost every way.  If he’s supposed to be bi-sexual that’s a different story….  If he’s a gay man with a strong will power to live his life as he is then why would he lie and misrepresent himself to women?  It’s not heroic, it’s not…nice….  It highlights how forced changing Alan’s sexuality is.  It feels like DC wants to have its cake and eat it too.  The character ends up being weaker for it.

The post Review: Alan Scott: The Green Lantern #6 appeared first on DC Comics News.

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

Writer: Geoff Johns
Art: Mikel Janin
Colors: Jordie Bellaire
Letters: Rob Leigh

Reviewed by: Matthew B. Lloyd

Summary

The recruitment drive continues and in the process of trying to “apprehend” The Harlequin’s Son, the Golden Age Legionnaire shows up, and…WOW!

Positives

Geoff Johns knows his DC Universe.  Don’t take that lightly.  It’s not something that can be said about many DC writers these days.  Mark Waid, Jeremy Adams and Johns demonstrate every month that they know the history and how things should fit together.  Johns plays a huge card this issue on a final page reveal (no spoilers).  Additionally, Johns also hints around the edges at some of the changes to history that have transpired in this “New Golden Age.”  Even though there are changes afoot as we’ve seen mainly in Alan Scott: The Green Lantern, Jay Garrick: The Flash and Wesley Dodds: The Sandman have also shown some of this new history, though all is not clear.  Like it or not, with this series and the three mini-series mentioned above, there is a new history at work here and it’s only being revealed slowly.  

The issue is peppered with references to new history as well as what history has been retained.  This not only ties in plot elements that have already been introduced, but some of the plot points seen in the adjacent mini-series.  Ruby’s story continues last issue which connects to Alan Scott: The Green Lantern, Jay and Judy are busy together which sets them up for Jay Garrick: The Flash, Quiz Kid is seen overhauling a T-Sphere that puts him in position for his appearance in Jay’s book, and we also get a glimpse of the Freedom Fighters, specifically Phantom Lady.  This allows Johns to show readers that it’s Grant Morrison’s post- Infinite Crisis iteration of the team.

Positives Cont’d

There are some clever character bits and pieces that are strong.  Power Girl seems like the Power Girl we’ve known for the past 48 years and outside the DC mandated uniform bears no similarity to the awful version in her current title.  Helena Wayne gets some confirmation that what she’s attempting in giving second chances not only works, but is known in the future as a success as confirmed by the Golden Age Legionnaire.  Mikel Janin brings all of this to life beautifully; Justice Society of America #9 is a great looking comic.  

The chase for The Harlequin’s Son, Michael Mayne, points to some of the history that is different and needs to be filled in.  Mayne is a new character, and what he says suggests some things about his mother.  He seems to cast her in more of a villainous role than her pre-“New 52” history.  Mayne’s mention of his father not only raises the question of who his father is, but curiously point to the person I’m willing to suggest here- Alan Scott.  There’s a long story there, but it’s not mine to tell.  

Justice Society of America #9 ends on a reveal that again points to Johns knowledge of DC Comics history.  It’s a reveal that will be a “holy $#!+ moment for readers who know.  It’s an incredible plot development that will certainly raise a lot of questions about the current state of the 31st Century.

Negatives

The negatives in this issue, outside of delays (maybe on purpose to line up with the other mini-series?) really can’t be determined until Johns’ plot points come to fruition.  So far the journey on this new history has been pretty compelling, and only time will tell.  Unfortunately, Johns is scheduled to leave DC behind soon and what comes after this issue is completely unknown.  Jeremy Adams seems to be the best candidate to continue with Robert Venditti a close second.  It’s not like they’re going to lure Roy Thomas in for a run.  After the first issue of Dan Jurgens The Bat-Man: First Knight, I would throw his name in the ring as well.

Verdict

Johns has certainly been doing the best job of presenting DCU history changes between this title and the related mini-series (Jeremy Adams is a close second in Jay Garrick: The Flash), and this issue is a prime example of that.  The biggest question remains is if it is being done well enough for readers to embrace it.  Justice Society of America #9 presents a number of ideas and it still feels like there’s not enough space to give resolution to all of them.  Perhaps, the point is not to reveal everything, but set things up for them to be developed elsewhere and elsewhen.  This issue though is quite wonderful.

The post Review: Justice Society of America #9 appeared first on DC Comics News.

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

Writer: Geoff Johns
Art: Mikel Janin
Colors: Jordie Bellaire
Letters: Rob Leigh

Reviewed by: Matthew B. Lloyd

Summary

It’s a spotlight on Ruby Sokov as Helena tries to convince the team she’s worth saving while Alan Scott tries to convince Helena she’s an unrepentant criminal like her father.

Positives

As Geoff Johns continues building this world of “the new Golden Age,” a couple things become clear.  This isn’t completely unlike Earth-Two in the Bronze Age under writers like Gerry Conway, Paul Levitz and Roy Thomas.  These writers were filling in gaps, adding to back stories and introducing characters that fleshed out the histories of the Earth-Two heroes that had been around since the 1930 ‘s and 40’s.  And secondly, Johns is doing it with a strong focus on character, be it characters we are familiar with like Helena Wayne or new characters like Ruby Sokov or old characters with new histories like Alan Scott.  Even if Alan’s new history conflicts with the stories that old readers have come to love, Johns finds a way of making it interesting.  He is able to do the “how” well no matter the “what.”

So much of this series has been about relationships, but Justice Society of America #8 may be the most character focused issue so far as Johns highlights various relationships as he weaves in a question and a mystery.  Again, it’s the “how,” not the “what.”  The question Johns has Helena Wayne posit concerns her motivations for attempting to recruit the villains of her future in the present in order to save them.  The mystery concerns Alan Scott, Ruby Sokov and the Golden Age Red Lantern, Ruby’s father.  Ruby already has questions about her father- is he dead or alive?  Alan tries to convince her he’s dead, but as he unknowingly reveals something to Ruby.  It’s not spelled out here, but reading the clues like Alan’s over concern about Ruby and what Ruby senses, it seems that Alan and Vladimir (Ruby’s father) weren’t just enemies, but also had a romantic relationship at some point.  For further reading on this topic, check out Alan Scott: The Green Lantern #3, also out this week.

Positives Cont’d

Mikel Janin returns on art this issue, and it’s a real blessing that this series has featured Janin, Jerry Ordway and Marco Santucci.  All three of these artists have made wonderful contributions to the series and they are all do a great job.  You can’t just pick one!  Janin imbues Ruby with a real personality in his depiction from the cover and through the issue.  She’s not naturally likable from the script, but Johns and Janin have created something deeply intriguing about her that’s hard to escape.

The final pages reveal the identity of the Legionnaire who is probably the Golden Age Legionnaire teased back in The Golden Age #1.  It’s a cool reference for fans of the Legion of Super-Heroes.  No spoilers, but one can’t help wonder if Johns will find a way to work in this character’s classic history into the broader scope of things in order to give new relevance to the classic stories.  That’s a bit obtuse, but it’s worth being surprised on the last page for the full reveal.  

Negatives

If there’s a negative in Justice Society of America #8, it’s not necessarily for this particular issue, but rather the approach to rewriting the Golden Age.  I mentioned the Silver and Bronze Age approach to developing the Golden Age characters above.  There’s a difference between how Conway, Levitz and Thomas did things and what we are getting in “the new Golden Age.”  Those Bronze Age creators worked very hard to build on things that already existed from the Golden Age and add things that made sense with the characters and they tried very hard not to write things that would contradict major aspects of the characters’ histories.  Roy Thomas even wrote stories that attempted make sense of contradictory stories from the Golden Age and stories that explained oddities from the era.  There was a real reverence for what had gone before and a genuine attempt to make almost all of it work together.

In much of Johns work he’s tried to do similar things.  Johns is probably not spearheading the rewriting of Alan’s history, but something he’s got to deal with in this series.  The approach to Alan Scott in this current era appears to ignore nearly everything significant that’s happened to him from the ’80’s and beyond and instead of making his Golden Age appearance a basis for his character they are just very basic ideas to touch on instead of elements of substance that have a bearing on his character.  I believe it’s fair to say that this Alan Scott is a new version of the character, it’s not pre-Crisis or post-Crisis Alan with a “reveal,” but simply a new version of the character and it’s probably best to think of it that way.  Though the details are different, it’s similar to Wesley Dodds, the Sandman before and after Sandman Mystery Theater.  This history developed for Wesley in that series has become the history, though it contradicts things from the Golden Age, Silver Age and Bronze Age that were done with the character.  If there’s a difference in these situations, it’s that the newest changes wrought on Alan’s history change things that were genuinely interesting and progressive whereas Wesley’s original past was generally bland and one-dimensional.

Verdict

Justice Society of America #8 is another excellent issue and in some ways perhaps the best of the series.  Mikel Janin turns in another wonderful job on art and Geoff Johns continues building his world with interesting and engaging character aspects for Ruby, Helena and Alan.  It’s a can’t miss issue with the Legionnaire reveal at the end.

The post Review: Justice Society of America #8 appeared first on DC Comics News.

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

Writer: Geoff Johns
Art: Marco Santucci
Colors: Ivan Plascencia
Letters: Rob Leigh

Reviewed by: Matthew B. Lloyd

Summary

The Harlequin’s Son leads off Justice Society of America #7 as he describes himself as a monster which leads to the team tracking down a real monster…Solomon Grundy!

Positives

Certainly, one of the intriguing things about the Justice Society of America and The New Golden Age is the new characters.  Justice Society of America #7 finally gives the reader something more on The Harlequin’s Son.  With Alan Scott’s history suffering a severe retcon in Alan Scott: The Green Lantern, his erstwhile wife, Molly Mayne- The Golden Age Harlequin– gets a parallel treatment with the introduction of a son, Michael Mayne.  With the changes wrought on Alan Scott’s past, it’s unclear of how much of his history from the Bronze Age up until The New 52 in 2011, especially his history with Molly, is still in play.  However, this issue begins exploring where The Harlequin’s Son is right now.

Having Helena go after Solomon Grundy as an ally (she’s already done it in the future) plays on a couple of details from past comics.  The Huntress faced off against Solomon Grundy in a solo story from Wonder Woman #273, and in the ’80’s in Infinity, Inc., Alan Scott’s daughter, Jade was close with Grundy.  In Justice Society of America #7, Helena calls Grundy her friend.  While things don’t go as planned, the fact that the Solomon Grundy nursery rhyme is used to add some understanding is not only fun, but cleaver.  Taken these elements with Grundy and the Harlequin’s son, it makes one wonder if Obsidian and Jade, Alan’s children with Rose Canton (Golden Age Thorn) are being replaced by Michael Mayne and Helena Wayne in some sense.  Or perhaps, it is not Helena who is replacing Jade, but rather, Ruby Sokov.  We haven’t seen much of Ruby Sokov, yet, but, not only is Ruby a precious stone that is also a color like Jade, what we do know about Ruby describes her power functioning like Jade’s as well as turning her skin red.

Positives Cont’d

Power Girl and Mister Terrific seek out Cameron Mahkent, the Icicle in an attempt to recruit him for the team Helena wants to put together.  Power Girl is suffering mightily in her own current ongoing series. and seeing her portrayed accurately here is great, and it gives me hope that some writers actually do care about the characters they are writing.  Johns also includes an appearance of Jean Loring.  I’ve wanted to see her redeemed, and while it doesn’t look promising right now, there’s always a chance.  Jean plays a role in Yolanda Montez’s storyline as she begins to feel Eclipso taking over.

Marco Santucci turns in another great job on the art in Justice Society of America #7 in making everyone look distinct and carry the action.  Santucci conveys a myriad of emotions as he is able to reveal what’s going on behind the characters’ faces.  Sometimes he is describing a thought or simply keeping them in character.  The meeting with Mahkent demonstrates this in a particularly deep fashion.   Johns’ script is fairly sparse so Santucci handles most of the storytelling.  Johns does end the issue with a surprise as he picks up another plot thread with the appearance of some heroes from the future.

Negatives

If it turns out that Jade and Obsidian have been eliminated from continuity, it will be sad.  It’s a guess at this point, but a guess that feels right.  It would always help if this book were a monthly, I just need more of these characters!

Verdict

Justice Society of America continues to be a fun read for fans of these characters.  Johns likes to include as much history as possible and reference bits that expand the overall scope of the story.  There’s been a lot of world building since issue #1 and Justice Society of America #7 continues to add to it.  It’s clear with this issue that the history of the DC Universe and the Justice Society has changed and readers can’t always count on what has happened before still being included.  It’s nice that Johns tries to remind readers of what is still canon.

The post Review: Justice Society of America #7 appeared first on DC Comics News.

Who are Jade and Obsidian?

Jennie-Lynn (Jade) Hayden and Todd (Obsidian) Rice first appeared in All-Star Squadron #25 cover dated September 1983 as part of a time travelling team of Justice Society of America characters who were mid controlled by the Ultra-Humanite to interfere with events during World War II.  Jade and Obsidian are twins and they make their most important entrance in Infinity, Inc. #1 when they along with other sons, daughters and proteges of the Justice Society burst in on the team and petition them for admission.  The pair believe that Alan Scott, the Golden Age Green Lantern is their father.  This storyline plays out over the first year and a half of Infinity, Inc. with the full story revealed in Infinity, Inc, Annual #1 from December 1985.

Alan Scott had married Rose Canton, the Golden Age Thorn who was operating under an alias.  On their wedding night the personality of The Thorn took over.  She disappeared that night not knowing she had become pregnant.  When Canton realized that The Thorn was a threat she put the twins up for adoption.  Alan Scott never knew what happened, including that the woman he married was in reality one of Jay (The Flash) Garrick’s adversaries.  The twins were adopted separately and each developed powers. Jade had a similar power set to the Green Lantern except that the green energy manifested directly from her body without the need for a ring or lantern for recharging.  It also caused her flesh to turn green when using the power.  Obsidian had the power of shadows and darkness much like The Shade.  He could engulf an opponent in the darkness terrorizing the individual.  He could also manifest a shadow self which was intangible.  

Jade and her father hit it off right away.  Obsidian and Alan Scott had a difficult relationship right out of the gate.  Marc Andreyko utilized this friction to expand on Todd’s character revealing him to be gay in the pages of Manhunter #18 in 2006.  The relationship between Alan Scott and his children was a long running subplot throughout Infinity, Inc. and subsequent JSA titles all the way up to the relaunch of the entire DC publishing line in September 2011 with the New 52 initiative. 

Where did they go?

At this point, Jade and Obsidian ceased to exist as there was no Justice Society in the New 52 and when the Earth 2 comic launched it was with new versions of Alan Scott, Jay Garrick and such on a new parallel Earth.  In this reality, because the elimination of Todd Rice as a representative of the LGBT community no longer existed, writer James Robinson wrote the Alan Scott of Earth 2 as gay in order to maintain representation.

At the end of Doomsday Clock the pre-New 52 JSA returned to continuity.  Around the same time, James Tynion IV penned a story for the Green Lantern 80th Anniversary 100 Page Super Spectacular.  This story recounted Alan Scott’s origin from All-American Comics #16, but with a twist- he wasn’t just on the train when it crashed, he was hidden away in a car with another man having a romantic encounter and subsequently blamed himself for the man’s death.  This led to Alan Scott coming out to Jade and Obsidian in the pages of Infinite Frontier.  However, it did not address any other aspect of Scott’s past including his marriage to Rose Canton, or his second marriage, this time to Molly Mayne in the pages of the aforementioned Infinity, Inc. Annual #1.  It now seemed incongruous that Scott as a man in his ’60’s would enter into a second marriage when he married Molly Mayne if he was indeed, gay.   It raises lots of questions about Scott’s integrity and honesty.  It’s certainly believable that Scott would have tried to live as straight and marry Canton earlier in his life, but a second marriage as an older man when no one would have any expectations of him to marry at that age doesn’t really make sense.  Nor does it make sense that he would have finally come out at over 100 years of age, which is what we see in Infinite Frontier.

The New Golden Age

In November of 2022,  DC Comics finally brought the JSA back in a big way.  Under a banner of “The New Golden Age,” a mini-series, Stargirl and the Lost Children and the current Justice Society of America series were launched along with The New Golden Age #1 one-shot that served as an introduction to both titles.  Writer Geoff Johns introduced a number of new characters including a number of “forgotten” Golden Age sidekicks.  He also reintroduced the Golden Age Aquaman who hadn’t been seen since two brief appearance in All-Star Squadron #59 and #60.

Two of Johns creations were The Harlequin’s Son and the Red Lantern.  The Harlequin’s Son is exactly who he sounds like he is, the son of Molly Mayne, the Golden Age Harlequin.  Nothing has been revealed about his father yet, but some of the pertinent facts we have are that Michael Mayne is gay and that he used his mother’s gagets and he started out as a villain.  We also know that Sylvester Pemberton attempted to recruit him to Infinity, Inc. when he was forming the team.  This is not how it happened back in Infinity, Inc. #1, however, as that team was formed by Hector Hall and Lyta Trevor.  Pemberton was a member of the JSA at the time and sitting at the table when the youngsters broke in on the JSA meeting.  It’s not clear who else was recruited to this team now, but if Pemberton was doing the recruiting, it seems that Hector Hall and Lyta Trevor may not have been there at all.  The Harlequin’s Son’s Who’s Who entry in The Golden Age #1 also indicates that his relationship with his mother remains complicated.  

Johns also introduces readers to a new Golden Age arch-nemesis for Alan Scott- The Red Lantern.  In the early ’50’s the Red Lantern would have a daughter who would go missing.  This daughter is Ruby Sokov.  In Justice Society of America #1 we see that in the future, Helena Wayne as the Huntress along with Power Girl have resorted to recruiting villains to join the JSA due to dire circumstances.  We see Ruby and she appears much like Jade, only red instead of green.  Like Jade, Ruby manifests her power directly from her body.  Both she and her father are powered by the Crimson Flame, something similar to the Starheart which powered Alan and Jade.

As I wrote the review for the forthcoming Justice Society of America #7, I realized that Johns was playing with an element associated with Jade back in Infinity, Inc.  In this new comic, Johns is associating this relationship with a different character.  It got me thinking, and I realized Jade and Obsidian haven’t been seen for a while.  In fact, despite all the JSA characters that have been seen in this new series, Jade and Obsidian haven’t been seen at all.  I went back through The New Golden Age #1 and the first 6 issues of Justice Society of America to determine if I had missed a background appearance.  I  hadn’t.

post-Crisis– Iron Munro, Helena Kosmatos Fury, Flying Fox and…Helena Bertinelli

If they weren’t there, where were they?  As I pondered, it occurred to me that Michael Mayne and Ruby Sokov have some of the same energy as Obsidian and Jade.  Obsidian and Michael are both gay and both have had difficult relationships with the one parent they know.  Jade and Ruby are both powered organically though their respective father’s used a ring to direct their energy powers.  Also, both characters skin color is affected by the energy they wield.  Ruby and Jade are also names of precious stones that suggest the colors associated with their powers.

It struck me at this point that these new characters may have been designed to replace Jade and Obsidian in continuity, much like what was done with the Earth-Two Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman and original Helena Wayne after the Crisis on Infinite Earths.  After all timelines were merged into one single Earth at the end of the Crisis on Infinite Earths,  some characters were deemed redundant and others simply couldn’t exist.  For doppelgangers, characters who were identical to their Earth-One counterparts like Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman and Green Arrow, the Earth-One versions were retained.  Characters with unique identities like Jay Garrick and Alan Scott who didn’t resemble their Earth-One counterparts Barry Allen and Hal Jordan remained as the first generation of heroes from the 1940’s.  Helena Wayne could no longer exist because her father the Golden Age Batman no longer existed.  Helena’s best friend, Power Girl, was unique in her identity as to be unrecognizable as Supergirl and remained though she was given a new back story and origin unrelated to Superman (this truly is a separate story for another time!).

With these characters gone, there was an in-story void and energy that needed to be filled.  Roy Thomas came up with most of these replacement characters inserting Iron Munro for Superman, Flying Fox for Batman and Helena Kosmatos who would be the Golden Age Fury.  Helena Wayne was reimagined as Helena Bertinelli and retained the Huntress identity as well as a tenuous connection to the Bat-family.  Having thought it through, it seems like Michael Mayne and Ruby Sokov are taking the place of Obsidian and Jade in the new timeline.`

Despite the Pain…It Makes Sense

One of the biggest questions about the retcon of Alan Scott being gay was how it would affect his children and his history and his marriage to Molly Mayne.  It hurts to see Jade and Obsidian go, but in this new history with a gay Alan Scott it makes sense.  One can imagine that this time around Alan Scott has never been married.  This means he didn’t misrepresent himself and marry two different women under false pretenses.  The exact nature of his relationship with Molly in the Golden Age is still in question, but we do know that she still had a career as the Harlequin.  A close reading of the Harlequin’s Son’s Who’s Who page indicates she wound up on the side of the law eventually.

Eliminating Jade and Obsidian clears Alan’s past of any inconsistencies so that it is free to be explored without having to over explain what happened.  This has always been an issue in retconning Alan Scott’s sexuality.  It truly makes no sense if you keep his history, but you also lose what was there with the character if you rewrite the entirety of his history.  You lose Obsidian and the dynamic between father and son with whom through difficult years searched for common ground and a positive relationship.  It leaves Alan Scott as mostly a blank slate as all the character work done with him through the Bronze Age up to the New 52 just isn’t.  Without it, though- Who really is Alan Scott?  We get some glimpses in Alan Scott: The Green Lantern #1 and his inclusion as a gay man is driving that series as even his membership in the JSA if forced by blackmail.  It’s certainly a different vibe than what Johns shows of the first JSA meeting in The New Golden Age #1 which while referencing Alan’s concerns subtly also shows him to be involved and cognizant of the magnitude of the event with no apparent misgivings.

I could be wrong.  I could be seeing things that aren’t there.  But, I don’t think I am.  

One clue that points in the opposite direction is the image on the Who’s Who page for The Harlequin’s Son.  One of the background images shows Michael Mayne in combat against Jade and Obsidian.  However,  when reading the page, it’s clear this could never happen.  The text explains that after being cleared of murder, he turned to acting and refused to join Sylvester Pemberton on Infinity, Inc. when Pemberton was putting the team together. Jade and Obsidian would have debuted at that time, so there couldn’t be an era in which Mayne was active as a villain and Jade and Obsidian were operating.  It’s not a friendly fight either as Jade and Obsidian are clearly interrupting him as he commits some sort of crime.  

RIP Jade and Obsidian.  Comic book limbo welcomes you.  

The post Have Jade and Obsidian Been Eliminated from Continuity? appeared first on DC Comics News.

One can’t blame those writers for following the entertainment trends of the era, it only makes sense.  Except when it doesn’t; when the approach doesn’t fit the core essentials of the character.  Those writers were crafting tales that fit popular trends because it’s what they thought would sell, they were not, however, focusing on the elements that had made Batman popular to begin with.  And, this is where we are today.

It’s not hard to see how many of today’s comic book writers are  writing for the time and not for the character.  It’s not easy to always balance that.  You can’t write Batman like he’s still in 1940, unless it’s a period piece of course.  The trick is to keep the character grounded at his core while exploring relevant issues that make the story feel contemporary while losing nothing of what makes Batman who he is.  Unfortunately, it seems many writers in comics today are making these same mistakes.  DC Comics as a whole seems to not understand the difference at times.  There are some recent examples we can look at to see what’s going on as we explore what makes a character that character especially ones with a long publishing history.

Alan Scott, The Green Lantern  

There are different kinds of changes that can be wrought on a character, marriage, children, death of a loved one, loss of powers, etc…..  Sometimes, characters can be reinvented, though it seems that it’s rarely for the better as a reworking that eliminates the core elements of the character most likely will alienate fans of the character.  There’s a lot of this going on at DC Comics in a number of titles, and the most recent example is Alan Scott, The Green Lantern.  This is easily the most incendiary topic in this editorial.  It would’ve been such even had writer Tim Sheridan not gone on X (formerly known as Twitter) to essentially call anyone who did not support the book as a homophobe or bigot.  He has actually completely overlooked the larger issue, which is the topic here- Is Tim Sheridan actually interested in the character of Alan Scott and his 80 year history?

Alan Scott first appeared in All-American Comics #16, cover dated, July 1940.  That first story presents the origin of The Green Lantern.  While there was very little deep or nuanced storytelling during the Golden Age for the character, writers did eventually pair up Alan with an adversary, the Harlequin, a criminal who would not only match wits with the Green Lantern, but who was also interested in his romantic affections.  This should be familiar to readers as Batman and Catwoman have had a similar relationship since their first meeting back in Batman #1 (Spring 1940).  While Bruce and Selina never dated or got married in the Golden Age, the two flirted with Selina even trying to put aside her criminal ways at times .  Batman let her go on more than one occasion because he was so enamored with her, including that first appearance.  It wouldn’t be until the Bronze Age that Bruce and Selina got together, got married and had a daughter in continuity.  It was the continuity of Earth-Two, but it’s a very similar situation to Alan Scott and Molly (The Harlequin) Mayne.

Like the Bat and the Cat, Alan and Molly finally got married in the Bronze Age.  Both pairs of characters had a similar dynamic as hero/villain/love interest.  Bruce and Selina’s marriage resulted in daughter, Helena Wayne, the Huntress, but ended in tragedy as Selina died trying to protect her family after a false claim by a former confederate.  Devastated, Bruce was never the same and died in action a few years later.  Alan and Molly got married only after Alan learned that his first marriage had resulted in the birth of twins that his wife had hidden from him.  When Alan and Molly got married in their twilight years (Infinity, Inc Annual #1) they had a ready-made family.  Not to say it was always easy (Alan had to rescue her soul from Hell at one point), but the couple remained happily married until Flashpoint and the launch of The New 52 in 2011 when all previous DC continuity was restarted.

By the time The New 52 launched, fans of Alan Scott had more than a costume and power set to like about the character.  Heck, even more than just the fact he was a traditional hero!  During the Bronze Age, writers, chiefly Roy Thomas filled in the gaps between the Golden Age and “the present” to develop a more complex Alan Scott with compelling story elements in his long life.  Not only had Alan been duped into marrying Rose Canton (the Golden Age Thorn) but he’d fathered two children with her in their short marriage whose existence she’d hidden.  It was a surprise to Alan when he found out and it provided a whole new avenue of stories and character nuance to explore.  Alan’s relationship with his children Jennie-Lynn (Jade) Hayden and Todd (Obsidian) Rice were central to Alan’s character from the mid ’80’s until Flashpoint in 2011.  When Todd was revealed to be gay, it provided a whole other level to the friction between father and son that had been present since their first meeting.  Even if it wasn’t intended by creators Roy Thomas and Jerry Ordway, it was a natural interpretation of his character that writer Marc Andreyko seized upon when he outed Todd in Manhunter Volume 3 #18.  This insightful reading of the character by Andreyko was not only a contemporary element for inclusion, but yet another addition to Alan Scott’s story that grew the character deeper and more complex.  Scott is a man of the 1940’s and homosexuality was viewed very differently than it is today, or in the ’80’s when Rice was first created.

Even outside those aspects of Alan Scott specifically related to his sexual orientation, he was shown in the Bronze Age and beyond to have a very close friend in Jay Garrick, the original Flash.  Their bonding extended to their respective wives as well.  This was 80 years of storylines and character development when all was seemingly thrown away when James Tynion IV retconned Alan’s sexuality in the Green Lantern 80th Anniversary issue.  

With the launch of The New 52, DC Comics presented a new take on the concept of parallel Earths and the multiverse which had played a significant role since its introduction in The Flash #123.  In Earth 2 #1 (2012) we meet Alan Scott, a young man unencumbered with any history as he is a brand new version of the character who has yet to become Green Lantern.  This Alan Scott is gay.  Writer James Robinson wanted to have a gay character since Obsidian had been wiped from existence with Flashpoint.  Making Alan Scott this new gay character makes sense in a metatextual way. 

The New 52 Earth 2 characters were last seen with any sort of significance in Earth 2: Society #22 in 2017.  In a matter of five years, the New 52 Alan Scott was obsolete as DC had already launched the Rebirth initiative with the promise that the original Justice Society of America would return “soon.”

After a time travelling appearance in Justice League #32 (2019), the Justice Society of America including Alan Scott and Power Girl (more on that later) returned not only to continuity, but the present in Doomsday Clock #12.  It would’ve seemed that the original Golden Age Green Lantern was back with his history and character intact.  It was then a surprise that raised many questions about Alan and his history and family when the aforementioned Green Lantern 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super-Spectacular retconned Alan’s sexuality.  

With the publication of Alan Scott: The Green Lantern #1,  this mini-series serves to re-contextualize Alan’s history.  With that being the purpose, how much are DC Comics interested in the substance of the character of Alan Scott?  When you eliminate a character’s history and motivation, relationships etc, what’s the interest in the character then?  All that’s left is the superficial aspects, a name, a costume, a power set?  Is Alan Scott: The Green Lantern writer, Tim Sheridan actually interested in the attributes that made  Alan Scott a founding member of the JSA?  The stories that have shaped him?  The substance of his character as a founding member of the JSA and one of the first heroes of the DC Universe?  The established history with his teammates, and family?  Or, is Sheridan interested in the idea of Alan Scott?  Is he just a JSA character that can provide representation?  Is he invested in the established history and depiction of Alan Scott or simply writing the story of a gay man in the 1940’s?

If the substance of Alan Scott’s history and character attributes are changed is it really still the same character, or is it the substance of a new character wearing the superficial particulars we associate with Alan Scott?    We can’t see how much history has changed, because very little has been done with that so far.  We’ve seen Jade and Obsidian in Infinite Frontier, but there’s no guarantee they are still in play.  The same goes for Molly Mayne-Scott.  Is that marriage still something that’s part of these characters’ history?  In this recontextualization will we learn that Alan lied and misrepresented himself to both his wives?  Is this an heroic action? We’ve seen a retcon in Justice Society of America and The New Golden Age that indicates Molly had a son who has grown up into a character known as The Harlequin’s Son.  This is new, so what else has changed?  A quick examination of Alan Scott: The Green Lantern #1 depicts what we do know has changed.

In this first issue, Alan is blackmailed by FBI head J. Edgar Hoover in joining the JSA.  This is a massive change from the established origin of the JSA.  The JSA formed when British Agent Intrepid asked The Flash, Green Lantern (and Batman in pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths continuity) to help with a mission in Europe which was first told in DC Special #29 (September 1977).  It led to all the founding members coming together with a final save of Washington, DC from a special Nazi bomber and stopping the assassination of U.S. President, Franklin Delano Roosevelt.  Is this still the JSA’s origin?  If so, was Alan Scott involved?  

While some of the ideas that Sheridan introduces are compelling and fitting for the story of a gay man from the 1940’s, it doesn’t fit Alan Scott ‘s 80-plus year history.  Changing something about a character that fundamentally changes the character’s history and make up does not honor the substance of the character or engage the fanbase that’s built up around the character over the years.  For Alan Scott, that’s 80 years.  There have been so many stories with so much consistency in Alan’s portrayal, changing things doesn’t  genuinely fit.  He’s now a reluctant hero not that interested in using his power to fight evil and and is being controlled through blackmail.  It’s a change that seems to be there for other reasons and is not pertinent to the core of the character.  What if Superman was Superman only because he was being blackmailed over the fact he was an alien.  What if that was the mitigating factor in his decision to be on the JL and/ or to be a hero at all?

It’s this that raises my question about Sheridan’s interest and even DC Comics’ interest in the character.  It doesn’t make sense to move a character away from the aspects that brought the character appeal over the years.  Ignoring these established things in favor for traits that are topical would logically turn fans away as seen with Batman in the ’50’s and ’60’s.  It’s something we’ve seen recently with another well established character that has since changed back.

“Ric” Grayson

The reasons behind the “Ric” Grayson era of Nightwing may be different from the motivation for changing Alan Scott’s sexuality, but the results are the same.  When Nightwing was struck with amnesia he developed a new personality that severed all his relationships with the Bat-family- Bruce, Alfred, Barbara Gordon, his brother Robins, etc.  Not only were these relationships severed, but “Ric” forgot his history and his personality shifted somewhat.  Without Dick Grayson as part of the Bat-family, memory of his history or friendships and his past as a blank slate…he was no longer the character people liked.  He was no longer the character that appealed to readers.  “Ric” was a different character, with a different outlook on things and different relationships.  While this direction may have garnered new fans, and kept some, readers were ecstatic to have Dick return. 

Essentially, everything people liked about Dick Grayson was gone with “Ric.”  Dick is a character that has a long history and to eliminate that takes away what people like about the character.  It’s no different than what’s being done with Alan Scott.  The change to “Ric” was an in-story change, but the results were the same.  This situation is different when compared to Alan Scott because it doesn’t appear that DC or the writers didn’t care about him.  Instead, it felt like they wanted to either kill time or have a reason to change his name from “Dick.”  It’s important to remember, however, that like Batman before him in the 60’s, readers lost interest in Nightwing because he was divorced from the elements that had made him popular.  There are some other DC Comics characters that are suffering the same treatment as Alan Scott.

Power Girl … Paige Stetler ?

Alan Scott isn’t the only JSAer suffering an identity crisis that suggests the writer isn’t really invested in what made the character popular.  Power Girl has recently been relaunched in a new eponymously titled ongoing series from DC Comics.  Power Girl has been around for nearly 50 years, like Alan Scott, the New 52 resulted in a new version of the character.  Unlike Alan Scott, the New 52 version had minor changes to the character.  Especially notable is that Power Girl maintained her personality, attitude and a very similar history with one of the most significant aspects being retained, her friendship with Helena Wayne, the Huntress.  This is of course the New 52 version of the Huntress who managed to be very similar to her original incarnation with all the essential elements intact.  While there is now a third version of Helena Wayne appearing currently in Justice Society of America, it’s her bestie Power Girl who’s suffering at the hands of writer, Leah Williams.

The chief element of Power Girl’s characterization that fans point to for liking the character is her personality.  From the outset, she was portrayed as a brash, confident, outspoken young woman.  She’s always wanted to be her own and make her own way and not rely on her cousin, Superman.  More than anything this has defined her character.  Her history after the Crisis on Infinite Earths suffered, but her original origin was returned to her in 2005.  Through it all she maintained her personality that had won her fans.  It is very perplexing then that despite professing that the Power Girl in current continuity is this original version when the most glaring inconsistency is her personality in this new series by Leah Williams.  It’s diametrically opposed to what readers have come to love about the character.  It’s like seeing Batman as a snarky, wise-cracking, bombastic street acrobat.  It just isn’t who the character is.  Furthermore, the writing itself contradicts the stories that are referenced in the comics themselves as well as the official DC Comics blog that servers as a primer for readers on the character and this series.

The blog states that this version of Power Girl is the original pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths, Earth-Two version.  It references her first appearance in All-Star Comics #58, her changing back story and return to form in JSA: Classified.  What’s confounding is that while these new stories by Leah Williams reference her past, including the Karen Starr identity and supposedly her job as a Tech company entrepreneur, Williams doesn’t appear to understand the substance of them.  

In the back up stories from Action Comics #1051-1053, PG is being attacked by Johnny Sorrow.  He claims that he and Power Girl are the last two survivors from their universe.  If PG is from the original Earth-Two, this doesn’t make any sense.  It’s well established that Psycho-Pirate is the only other survivor from Earth-Two as well as the only one who remembered the Multiverse for decades after the Crisis on Infinite Earths wiped out the multiverse.  Furthermore, Johnny Sorrow was never an Earth-Two character.  He appeared in Earth 2: Society, but the blog makes it clear that the Earth 2/ New 52 Power Girl is a different character, and these new stories aren’t about her.  In fact, Johnny Sorrow made his first ever appearance anywhere in New Earth continuity (post-Crisis, post-Zero Hour) in Secret Origins of Super-Villains 80 Page Giant #1, (December 1999).  He would have no memory of any life on Earth-Two, since he never appeared in that continuity.

The blog explains that Power Girl was raised in a simulation on her symbioship, however the title scrawl from Power Girl #1 says she was sent to Earth to watch over baby Kal-L.  Both Kryptonians were sent as infants so PG could certainly not look after baby Kal-L as she was a baby herself.  Her ship took longer to arrive, and thus she was raised by it arriving on Earth as a young woman when it took longer than anticipated.

The blog states that she doesn’t wear the “S” symbol because she didn’t work long with Superman on Earth-Two.  This is patently false for a number of reasons.  Her reason for not wearing the “S” can be found in All-Star Comics #64, her 7th appearance ever as seen in the image below.

And interestingly, the blog clearly indicates that the All-Star Comics stories are part of her past, a past that did include time together plus she made the decision about the “S” BEFORE she revealed herself to the world.  Also, the title scrawl mentioned above claims she DID work along side Superman.  

One of the most curious and off-putting aspects of Power Girl’s portrayal in this series is her 180 degree personality shift.  The blog claims the biggest thing for PG is her identity:

“A Power Girl so far removed from her point of origin, so many worlds and continuities away, that anyone would have a hard time telling who she’s really supposed to be—much less herself. This is a Power Girl who needs to undergo some serious soul searching to find out what she’s really about, which is where we find her today.”

It’s not clear how PG got to this point.  We have the Karen Starr identity referenced so we know that part of her history is intact.  The blog says she has returned with the rest of the JSA during Doomsday Clock.  The quote from the blog above tries to make readers believe that she’s having some sort of identity crisis, but as it states elsewhere in blog, that was resolved in Infinite Crisis and the JSA: Classified storylines.  Leah Williams suggests these identity issues in her stories, but never explains how PG went from a confident, independent woman insecure, unsure of herself and dependent on Superman for an identity (she wears the “S” now).  When did that happen?  It’s diametrically opposed to how she’s always been portrayed.   It doesn’t make sense and it appears that Williams (and blog writer Alex Jaffe) isn’t aware of the substance of the character.  To Williams she’s just an alternate Supergirl, instead of a distinct character that has always behaved differently from the main universe Supergirl.  In fact, it appears that is the length and breadth of Williams’ understanding of Power Girl.

There’s another bizarre quality to Williams’ portrayal of Power Girl.  She writes Power Girl like she’s new to Earth, like her rocket landed, she met Kal-L and a few days later found herself lost and showed up on the main DC Earth.  She seems wholly unconnected with her past with the JSA which is currently on display in Justice Society of America which is currently publishing.  That book acknowledges Power Girl’s past and provides a depiction that is in line with her established personality.

The question remains: Is Leah Williams actually interested in Power Girl as a character?  Does she understand anything about her history or personality?  These are the elements that won Power Girl fans over the years.  Williams seems to be ignoring them outright, or she’s just ignorant of them to begin with and has made no attempt to make them make sense.  Either way, it points to a lack of interest in the character other than the most basic superficial description, simply an alternate Supergirl, like Sheridan’s Alan Scott, a version of the character that doesn’t utilize the history of the character and shows no interest in the substance of the character.

And, There’s More…

This situation isn’t confined to Power Girl and Alan Scott.  The new Wonder Woman series from Tom King’s pen indicates much the same.  King is known for his controversial takes on characters, more often that not bending characters to fit the stories he wants to tell.  The new Wonder Woman is no different, and in this case the intent from the outset seems less rooted in an interest in Wonder Woman, but a desire to tell a story that requires great leaps in status quo and characterization to make work.  When did all those Amazons emigrate to the U.S.?  Are there even enough Amazons on Themiscrya to be statistically significant even if they ALL moved to the U.S.?  Why would Diana sit by and wait if the killer was identified as an Amazon immediately?  Why wouldn’t she investigate immediately?  The real reason is that that is not the story King wants to tell.  He doesn’t even seem to want to tell the story from Diana’s POV as The Sovereign is narrating the tale.  Very little so far indicates that King is interested in Wonder Woman outside the broadest definition of her.

It’s not new though, Human Target depicted all the Justice League International characters wildly out of character except for Guy Gardner.  He was already broken so King didn’t have to break him.  Strange Adventures turned the hero, Adam Strange into the villain.  King does it in nearly all of his stuff, the most notable outlier being Superman, “Up in the Sky” which perfectly depicts the Man of Steel.  If a writer has to change the fundamentals of a character is his/her interest really in the character or the idea of the character?

Even the new Birds of Prey comic doesn’t seem to really be interested in the core concept of the Birds of Prey.  Kelly Thompson is approaching the book like the concept is just a team of women.  She isn’t including founder Barbara Gordon, or centering the series on the relationship between Barbara, Dinah (Black Canary) and Helena (Huntress) Bertinelli.  In fact, Dinah is the only one of these characters in the comic.  Combined with the fact that the series reads like Thompson was looking for an excuse to write Harley Quinn, a character who has zero business being involved with the Birds of Prey, it again appears that the writer isn’t actually interested in what the made the Birds of Prey concept popular to begin with.  Instead, it’s being rebranded as something else, which would indicate that this rebranding is what Thompson is actually interested in and not the substance of the concept as it was developed over the years.  For Thompson, Birds of Prey is just a team of women characters, and again that’s the absolute basic definition of the concept with no substance.

The Balance Between Character and Story … Both Matter

I won’t say that some of the the stories mentioned above don’t have compelling aspects.  However, the big question is whether or not they work for the characters with which they are associated.  At one point comic book writers understood they were writing characters.  Characters that had histories, personalities, ways of operating….  Readers were following these characters because of how they had been built up and developed over he years.  Readers followed the continuing stories because they were invested in the substance of the characters.  Like people in the real world, we are attracted to substance, not color, gender or any other superficial element.  It’s the person inside that matters, and if that changes, that’s when relationships break down.

Even Alan Moore when writing Watchmen created his own characters instead of using the recently acquired Charlton characters that he had originally intended to use.  That story would have destroyed them for further inclusion in the DC Universe.  And, that’s what a lot of these writers are doing.  Adam Strange can’t be used in the DC Universe if Strange Adventures is “in continuity.”  The same goes for the characters in Human Target.  Everything readers liked about Power Girl has been removed from her characterization.  Fans just want to forget this run already, especially since they are getting the Power Girl they love over in Justice Society of America.  Alan Scott is completely out of step with his history and characterization and Sheridan’s aspersions about the JSA make this series inaccessible to existing fans of the team and Alan Scott.  

Creating new characters is the best option if one is not actually interested in existing characters but just the ideas of the characters and not the substance of the characters that have been developed through the years.  There’s got to be a balance.  Create a new character if necessary to tell a story, but don’t destroy or bend existing characters unrecognizably in order to tell a story.  We can only hope that some of these takes get cancelled and return the characters who were beloved to begin with.  We can also hope that writers will have the opportunity and means to tell their stories in a manner that will allow them to be judged on their own merit.  With long standing characters it’s difficult to separate the quality of the story, the writing, the themes if they do not fit the character.  It’s a balance, and the pendulum is swinging away from the importance of the substance of characters to simply the broadest definitions of them leaving the stories that MADE these characters left out in the cold.

The post Are Today’s Comic Book Writers Actually Interested in the Characters They Are Writing? 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: Geoff Johns

Art: Mikel Janin, Jerry Ordway, and Scott Kolins

Colors: Jordie Bellaire and John Kalisz

Letters: Rob Leigh

Reviewed by: Matthew B. Lloyd

Summary

The mystery deepens for Helena Wayne as she meets the Justice Society in 1940.  Dr. Fate tries to “share” her memories with the rest of the team, but things go haywire!

Positives

With The New Golden Age #1 and Stargirl: The Lost Children, Geoff Johns and DC Comics have begun reinvigorating their Golden Age legacy characters.  In the Silver and Bronze Ages, these characters lived on a separate parallel earth known as Earth-Two.  With Justice Society of America #2, despite taking place on the main DC Earth and ostensibly “in continuity,” it genuinely feels like the creative team is carving out its own corner of the DC Universe that feels like a separate timeline.

In Stargirl: The Lost Children, Emiko Queen and Oliver Queen are part of current continuity, yet Oliver’s time in the past as the Golden Age Green Arrow is such a different feeling character from the traditional Earth-One Green Arrow.  Likewise, Helena Wayne in the Justice Society of America is a character that channels not only her own pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths continuity, but brings her dad (yes, main continuity, Prime Earth) Bruce Wayne along for the ride.   

As she wakes up  in an infirmary at the beginning of Justice Society of America #2, having arrived in 1940 at the end of last issue, she thinks she hears her father’s voice.  It’s a small thing, but a detail that connects the ideas in a meta way.  Readers know that Batman was originally part of the JSA, but his history doesn’t show that after all the reboots.  It’s how Johns is able to connect the past with the present in a way that acknowledges the characters histories.  Sliding Helena’s timeline forward is the same sort of thing.  

Positives Cont’d

These elements point to great world building.  It’s honestly ok if it doesn’t feel like the main DC Universe.  That’s what was always special about Earth-Two and the JSA- it didn’t feel like the main DCU.  They could co-exist and here we have it again in a new way.  It helps that most of the characters are different, but more so in this case it’s the fact that we are getting elements of the past woven into the present continuity .

This makes new characters like Judy Garrick and Salem, the Witch Girl who we see more of in this issue more likable and feel more appropriate.  Like issue #1, there are other glimpses of events at the end of the issue that readers may remember.  Alan Scott in his Sentinel days is seen 8 years ago, 13 years ago, Selina Kyle stepped out on a balcony in her Catwoman garb for the first time and Khalid Nassour gained the helmet of Fate just a year in the past.  

Mikel Janin, Jerry Ordway and Scott Kolins combine on art again, each providing wonderful visuals for a distinct part of this time travel story.  Jerry Ordway’s work always recalls the Earth-Two stories of the ’80’s in All-Star Squadron and Infinity, Inc.  Besides being a fantastic comic book artist, this adds another nostalgic element to the series that is greatly appreciated.

Per Degaton is finally revealed and named in full as Selina Kyle Wayne plays an important role in the story.  The plot is developing nicely, but it is moving at a measured pace in order to provide space for the character development and world building that is so critical to a comic like this.  This isn’t “villain of the month,” and it shouldn’t read like it.

Negatives

The real question here is will this series based on so much history bring in new readers?

Verdict

The world building continues as Johns, Janin, Ordway and Kolins deliver another great issue of this new series.  The details bring out so much in the story as the nostalgia anchors the new elements.  This book looks great, it’s fun and by having Helena on a journey of discovery, it allows readers to see things through her eyes.  So if you don’t know what’s going on, neither does she and even a new reader can discover this corner of the DC Universe with her.

The post Review: Justice Society of America #2 appeared first on DC Comics News.

[Editor’s Note: This review DEFINITELY contains spoilers]

Writer: Geoff Johns
Art: Diego Olortegui with J.P. Mayer & Scott Hanna, Jerry Ordway, Steve Lieber, Todd Nauck, Scott Kolins, Viktor Bogdanovic, Brandon Peterson and Gary Frank
Colors: Nick Filardi, John Kalisz, Matt Herms, Jordan Boyd and Brad Anderson
Letters: Rob Leigh

Reviewed by: Matthew B. Lloyd

Summary

Someone is targeting the Justice Society of America throughout time in all its incarnations.  A mysterious narrator guides us on the journey resulting in a satisfying reveal as the future daughter of Batman and Catwoman stands revealed as the once and future Huntress.  

Positives

This could be a long section!  Whenever DC Comics decides to do a book that features the Justice Society or those characters traditionally associated with Earth-Two, there has to be a balance between nostalgia and modern relevance.  Geoff Johns, no stranger to the Justice Society or Golden Age legacy characters channels a monumental amount of nostalgia that in most cases would be enough to carry an issue.  Additionally, he sets up a mystery on multiple levels.  The main villain doesn’t seem that hard to guess for longtime fans of Earth-Two stories, but the narrative is peppered with numerous additional questions that must be answered.  Those mysteries are more interesting than the villain, but stopping the villain is not only imperative to the survival of the Justice Society, but it is essential to answering some of the questions set before the reader in The New Golden Age #1.

The nostalgia component comes from incidents.  Johns pulls moments from the history of the JSA that will be recognizable to fans.  Each different segment is drawn by a different artist as well, ensuring that the reader isn’t confused about what time each segment takes place in.  Jerry Ordway handles the 1940 segment.  Johns incorporates the moments leading up the “photograph” of the JSA that is the cover image on the team’s first appearance in All-Star Comics #3.  Johns weaves the narrative and plants clues to the larger mystery in these scenes with the JSA.  

Perhaps, the most surprising scene from the past is taken from the 1970’s incarnation of the JSA.  Johns not only drops more clues that flesh out the mystery and how it’s affected the JSA through the ages but sets it in 1976 when the stories were originally published.  We get to see Power Girl in her youth as she interacts with Dr. Mid-Nite and Dr. Fate.   I’ve read those comics numerous times over the years, and it’s a truly lovely thing to see referenced so significantly in a modern comic. but it also presents some questions about how time is working.  

Positives Cont’d

With the events of the original Crisis on Infinite Earths, the original Earth-Two was erased from existence.  With the current state of the DCU and the Omniverse etc…one can reasonably assume that it is out there somewhere.  However, we aren’t getting a comic about that.  The New Golden Age #1 appears to take place on the main DC Earth- whatever that is called now.  In keeping with the nostalgia that permeates the issue, Johns appears to be righting a wrong that was a result of the Crisis.  The narrator turns out to be Helena Wayne, the Huntress.  However, it’s not the original Earth-Two Huntress, instead it’s the future daughter of the Batman and Catwoman from the main DC Earth.  The Crisis wiped her from history, and now she returns to the JSA in some fashion.  Interestingly, she’s at the heart of the mystery, the detective that seems to have the most knowledge of what’s going on, however, many characters have an inkling that something isn’t quite right, especially Dr. Fate, Kent Nelson.  The inclusion of the Huntress in conjunction with the appearance of Power Girl in the issue leads to questions about their pre-Crisis friendship and their iterations that were featured in Earth 2 during The New 52.

The title of the issue, The New Golden Age is certainly appropriate as Johns introduces a number of new characters that he will explore in Stargirl: The Lost Children and the new ongoing Justice Society of America series.  It all began in the Stargirl Spring Break Special in 2021.  Johns is finally getting to follow up on concepts introduced in that comic.

Essentially, Johns is presenting a “new” take on the Golden Age.  This is the part that should feel fresh and relevant.  This ensures that this isn’t a retread of what’s come before.  It’s also the aspect that will rely most on the execution.  How will old readers react to new Golden Age characters being introduced.  We’ve seen this before.  Roy Thomas in his heyday at DC Comics did the same thing in All-Star Squadron.  We met new Golden Ager Firebrand, Danette Reilly and Amazing Man, Will Everett.  Post-Crisis, he introduced new characters to fulfil the roles of the characters that were erased from history, the Golden Age Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Arrow and Aquaman.  This is Johns doing the same sort of thing.  However, it’s hard under value Thomas’s attention to detail with the actual stories published by DC in the Golden Age.  One would be hard pressed to find an example of Thomas disavowing any of those tales.  

Positives Cont’d

Johns seems to be doing something similar, but also vastly different.  At the end of The New Golden Age #1, there are Who’s Who style pages for 13 new Golden Age characters.  It may be hard for longtime readers accepting the childless Jay and Joan Garrick as parents of a time lost daughter, but the Who’s Who page and her appearance on the last page of the story go a long way in breaking the ice for even the most stone-faced fan.  Additionally, Johns (one assumes Johns wrote all the entries) gives these characters very Golden Age style origins.  One of the most exciting characters to appear here is the Golden Age Aquaman.  Last seen in continuity (I think) in All-Star Squadron #60 (August 1986), Johns incorporates his original origin from his first appearance in More Fun Comics #73 as well as including his brief All-Star Squadron membership as part of his backstory.

Finally, the different artists all turn in a solid job with Jerry Ordway brining his own nostalgic aspect to the proceedings having been the most important artist on Earth-Two and JSA characters during the ’80’s on All-Star Squadron and Infinity, Inc.  Diego Olortegui captures the different moments in Helena’s life with a focus on her emotions.  His work here helps Helena feel significant as the character through whom the reader experiences the story.

Negatives

The New Golden Age, like any book that attempts to retcon will fall under heavy scrutiny from longtime fans.  It’s hard to change history and characters that have been around for 80 plus years.  There are questions about Molly Mayne (Scott?) that need to be answered satisfactorily.  There are also some new sidekicks that will need solid reasons explored for being where they are.  Some of that modern relevance does seem out of place.

It’s not clear if the recent (in comic book terms) retcon of Alan Scott’s sexuality will play a large role, or any role at all.  Alan makes a comment to Doiby Dickles about something that could be construed as an oblique reference to it, but there are so many mysteries in the issue that it could also be a reference to that.  No matter, incorporating the retcon of Alan’s sexual orientation will always feel forced and incongruent based on the history of the character and that DC is just “checking a box.”

Additionally, one wonders how the racial and ethnic diversity of the “missing” characters will be handled.  Roy Thomas introduced Amazing Man, Will Everett in the pages of All-Star Squadron #23 (July 1983.)  Everett was based on a real Golden Age character Amazing Man created by Bill Everett (creator of Sub-Mariner) for Centaur Publications.  However, Thomas made DC’s Amazing Man an African American, and laudably, Thomas didn’t shy away from the issue of race in the comic.  Everett even faced distrust from members of the All-Star Squadron. The writer even made Everett consider fighting against the heroes because of his feeling as an outsider, being an African American in the America of the 1940’s.

One hopes that Johns will approach these characters of diversity and inclusion with the same depth and not automatically make all the heroes enlightened and modern in their thoughts and beliefs.   It’s not a storyline that’s always easy to read.  If not treated authentically, it will not feel genuine.  It will feel forced like we are rewriting history.   Take the time to make the inclusion and diversity be something of substance and not just a box to check.  

Verdict

The New Golden Age #1 is a heck of a fun issue!  The pages drip with multiple forms of nostalgia while setting up a few mysteries.  There is a heavy focus on character, and not just Helena Wayne, but all along the way the issue is peppered with moments that lend some sort of insight.  The Who’s Who pages at the end do the same.  It’s hard not to be interested in every single one of these “lost” characters on some level.  It’s been too long since the Justice Society has had a prominent role in the DC Comics Universe.

It’s hard to judge what this does for readers unfamiliar with the concept save for the solid set up and character bits.  For longtime fans, it’s about as good as one could expect without Roy Thomas coming back to pick up where he left off in 1986.

The post Review: The New Golden Age #1 (One-Shot) appeared first on DC Comics News.

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

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis

Artist: Scott Godlewski

Colors: Ryan Cody

Letters: Dave Sharpe

Reviewed By: Matthew Lloyd, Derek McNeil

Summary

Justice League Vs The Legion of Super-Heroes #4: Now it’s the Legion of Super-Heroes’ turn to get stuck in a time they don’t belong in, the 21st century. Time for the greatest heroes of the future to see the reality of their heroes of the past. All this is happening because the Great Darkness is coming, and even as the truth behind it is about to be revealed, it may be too late to stop all from becoming nothing. It’s the heroes of two eras in ways you’ve never seen them before!

Positives

Matthew: Let’s be honest, there aren’t a lot of Positives as we hit issue 4 of this series.  Scott Godlewski continues to keep things interesting in the art department, but he’s not given a lot of interesting material to work with in Bendis’ script.  There are a couple of interesting lines from Bendis that are worth mentioning.

Positives Cont.

When Brainiac 5 walks into the bunker he automatically attempted to connect to the computer with his voice only.  Cleverly, Bendis has Brainy admit he’s only ever been in a world that has computers that are voice recognition enabled.  This feels like a genuine experience that someone from the future would have.

Derek: Yeah, Godlewski is basically carrying the book. Unfortunately, while a great story can sometimes save poor art, the reverse isn’t true. This series is great to look at, but it has little else to offer.

Matthew: In another part of the issue, the Gold Lantern who’s been thrown further into the past meets Alan Scott, the Golden Age Green Lantern.  It’s a neat moment, but way too short.  Well the idea is cool, but it’s not executed very well.

Derek: That pretty much wraps Bendis’ writing in a nutshell. He comes up with some really good ideas, but rarely goes anywhere with them. When I saw Alan Scott, I thought this could lead to something interesting. But Alan does nothing to contribute to the story during his brief appearance.

Negatives

Matthew: I don’t think it’s a stretch to ask if anyone even cares about this series at this point.  It doesn’t help that the series has gone bi-monthly.  However, it seems to be the overall pacing of the series that’s the biggest issue.  Everything is taking so long to develop that it’s hard to feel any sort of tension or drama with the events.  The first issue had a decent set up, but not much has happened since.  It feels mostly like a set up for something else.

Derek: I know I’m finding it difficult to stay interested in this story. The story ends with the caption “To Be Continued…?” as if the series might not carry on past this point. And I thought to myself “Why bother continuing it?”. It doesn’t really seem to be adding anything to the overall Great Darkness story being told in the Dark Crisis event.

Matthew:  All the talk of the “great darkness” isn’t really paying off.  For those readers who know what the Great Darkness really is this story feels aimless.  Even within the confines of the story itself, there’s no real development of the darkness for a reveal with some sort of payoff.

Negatives Cont.

Derek: And what’s worse, is that we already know how this story ends, thanks to the delays this series has encountered. In Justice League #75, Green Arrow states that the League has recently encountered the Great Darkness and defeated it – evidently referring to this series. We already know that the League will be back in their own time and at their proper ages by the end of this series. By the story’s end, the status quo will have come full circle. You could cut this piece of the overall Great Darkness story and it wouldn’t make a lick of difference.

Matthew: It’s hard to believe, but the dialogue seems to be getting worse.  There are moments that the dialogue is confusing from a storytelling standpoint as well as dialogue that is just there because Bendis thinks he’s being clever.  I don’t think he has any clue as to how Black Adam should speak.  It’s more of a distraction than anything effective in any capacity.

Derek: Bendis has always been a little too impressed with how clever his dialogue is. Yes, occasionally he will come up with witty things for his characters to say. But more often than not, it’s just something inane. And you’re absolutely right about him not having a good grasp on how the characters should talk. There were multiple instances in the main Justice League title where he put words in Batman’s mouth that the Dark Knight would never utter.

Verdict

Matthew: It’s not worth following this series.  There’s literally nothing of interest going on and there’s almost no chance anything of significance will happen.  Coupled with the fact Bendis’ Legion is uninspired, it’s best to just put this away and hope we get a classic Legion reboot and let Bendis leave the DC Universe well enough alone.

Derek: I suspect that Joshua Williamson and the other plotters of Dark Crisis and Flashpoint Beyond arranged it so that this story would be ultimately separable and irrelevant to the overall Great Darkness story. It’s likely just meant to keep Bendis occupied so that he doesn’t mess up the overarching Dark Crisis storyline. While I’ve been enjoying their new Great Darkness Saga very much, readers could very easily skip it. In fact, they probably should.

Matthew’s Score:

Derek’s Score:

Average Score:

The post Review: Justice League Vs The Legion Of Super-Heroes #4 appeared first on DC Comics News.