Green Lantern: A History

I used to read a lot of comic books when I was a kid... and while Marvel books may have been cooler, I was more drawn to the characters of DC... my favorite being Green Lantern. As I hit my twenties, it was the period when DC running sensational stories.... Superman killed, Batman's back broken, and Green Lantern turned evil. There was plenty of other stuff going on in my life, so I more or less drifted away. A few years back, I had to squeeze my life into the back of a pickup to move a few states a way, so I had to jettison most of my comic books. Goodbye Batman, farewell Spidey, happy trails Groo.

But I made room for the Green Lanterns and Justice Leagues. These were my favorites. And so on the precipice of the new movie, which could make him a star or could make him a joke, I decided to write up a history in tribute to my favorite childhood heroes.

The A-Team (2010)

In 1972, a crack commando unit was sent to prison by a miliatry court for a crime they didn't commit. These men promptly escaped from a maximum security stockade to the Los Angeles underground. Today, still wanted by the government, they survive as soldiers of fortune. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire... The A-Team.

For those not aware of the pedigree, The A-Team was an TV action series that debuted in 1983. It revolved around a team of four special forces guys who each week would hire themselves out to some to some family trying to save their home or their farm or whatever from some corrupt guys trying to run them out.

A Game of Thrones - Season 1, Episode 7

"A king does not need a chair to sit upon. He only needs a horse."

Episode 7: "You Win or You Die"
I think it was last episode that I mentioned that there was something that bugged me about Littlefinger that I would come back to later, and now's the appropriate time. Spoilers below the cut...

Machete

"You just f**ked with the wrong Mexican."

In the early eighties there was just a three-score movie rating system: G, PG,and R. It was a pretty big divide between the latter two, and the result was that anything less than an R-rating for an action movie was the kiss of death.

Waterworld

"Nothing's free in Waterworld."

At the time it was released, Waterworld was the most expensive film ever made, and as of today, still ranks #7 when adjusted for inflation. It is considered one of Hollywood's biggest flops (although it actually did turn a profit worldwide), which is a shame, because it probably discouraged a lot of people from watching it, and it isn't half bad.

Daleks take a break....

"The children of time are moving against us, but everything is falling into place."

I just commented a couple of days ago that I thought they should give the Daleks a rest for awhile. And according to Slashdot, wishes do come true. Showrunner Steven Moffat has confirmed that the Daleks are taking a break. When a portion of the fanbase cried out, however, he clarified it was just for this season. I would have gone for two seasons myself, but this will do.

The DC Universe reboot

So the big news in the comic book world yesterday was the DC comics was 1) rebooting all its books at #1, and 2) going to make all of its comic books available for digital download the same day it becomes available in print.

I know this makes me a blasphemer among comic nerds, but I've thought for ages that characters should be rebooted every ten or twenty years. Let me explain why...

About two years ago in the world of Batman, Bruce Wayne was presumed dead, and the new Batman became Dick Grayson (the former Robin). His chief rival was Red Hood, aka Jason Todd... the SECOND former Robin, who was presumed dead and recently returned with huge grudge. So the original Robin, now Batman, selected Bruce Wayne's son, Damian, to become the new (fifth) Robin. Tim Drake (the third Robin) was miffed to no longer be part of the dynamic duo, so he redubbed himself Red Robin, and went off in search for Bruce Wayne whom he had a hunch was still alive. Did I leave a Robin out? Oh, yeah... Stephanie Brown.. briefly the fourth Robin before being killed in action... but she got better and is now operating as Batgirl.

Yes, Gotham City has a Robin infestation. Get my pellet gun.

I truly don't know what the state of Gotham City is now, but the reality is that the books I got my hands on were actually pretty good. The team of Dick Grayson and Damian Wayne was pretty interesting to me, because I liked the reverse dynamic of Robin being the darker one of the pair, being that Damian was raised to be an assassin, and Batman trying to lighten the kid up. 

The point that I've spent way too long getting to is that continuity just gets too convoluted as time goes on. I think it does more to hinder storytelling that help it. Complete reboot sits better with me than retcon, which has turned the history of many DC characters into an absurd mess. Dead characters can stay dead, at least until the next reboot. And less baggage in general if, say, I just saw the Green Lantern movie and want to pick up a book for the first time.

And a new digital era is a great way to do it. The biggest reason I don't more consistently follow comics is how expensive they've gotten.... they haven't announced pricing yet, but I'm hopeful that it will be something like a dollar a book. Or let me subscribe to the entire line for $20. And maybe books that don't do enough sales to stay in print can still continue digitally.

On the other hand... I'm tired of origin stories. The first month there will be 52 first issues. If it's 52 origin stories, this may kill my interest before it even begins.

There is one thing I hope they do...and that is, at least for the time being... let the current universe live. DC has 52 universes, after all. Why not just say that universe continues on, while shifting the focus to new universes?