Green Lantern (vol.3) #118 (1999)

Green Lantern (vol.3) #118 (November, 1999)
"Women"
Writer - Ron Marz
Penciller - Darryl Banks
Inker - Anibal Rodriguez
Color & Separations - Rob Schwager
Letterers - Chris Eliopoulos
Assistant Editor - Harvey Richards
Editor - Kevin Dooley
Cover Price: $1.99

Just love this cover... I mean, look at Kyle's face as he tries to hold Donna and Jade apart!  That's kinda the very definition of an s-eating grin, ain't it?  It's like we can almost read his mind here.

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We open with Kyle in fantasy mode... making out with his ex-girlfriend, Donna Troy.  In reality he's at a showing of his work at an art gallery with his current girlfriend Jade.  Ya see, Donna decided to attend too, and the very sight of her got our Mr. Rayner's old juices flowin'.  Jenny's not at all pleased, as you might imagine... not so much that Donna decided to show up, but for the fact that she knows Kyle's heart "skipped a beat" when he saw her.  Kyle claims he needs "closure" with Donna... so Jenny storms out.

Donna and Kyle then reconnect... and it's rather awkward, for reasons we're about to go into.  They run out of small-talk with the quickness... again, for reasons we're about to go into.

Donna seductively poses and recalls her time as a hero... which is a sorta clunky way to drop exposition, but it works in a pinch for folks unfamiliar with her character and story.  She mentions having blamed herself for the death of her ex-husband T-Long and son Robert.

As they walk through the Village, Kyle finds a book of Anton Corbijn (a Dutch Photographer) photos that he'd wanted to get Donna for her birthday while they were together.  He laughs about the lengths he went to to try and procure it... which is something that Donna has no recollection of.

Ya see, here's the thing... after a run-in with Dark Angel, Donna was stripped of all of her memories.  The life she's living now is based on a reconstruction of Donna Troy from Wally West's memories.  Kyle and Wally aren't exactly the best of buds here... so it's not really any surprise that the Kyle and Donna relationship might've gotten the short shrift when it came to the reconstruction info-dump.

Kyle attempts to give her the quick and dirty on their relationship... which kinda smells of desperation.  It's as though he isn't sure what he wants.  Does he want Donna back?  Does Donna even want to be back?  After all, she walked out on him.  Is he happy with Jade?  Is there any way he can have both?  What I'm trying to say is, we've got quite the konflicted Kyle.

Donna then tells Kyle that he's not the only one who "moved on", since she's now knockin' boots with Roy "Speedy" "Arsenal" Harper.  As you might imagine, this displeases Kyle greatly.  To which, Donna throws Jenny in his face.  This is such a weird scene... I mean, it's pretty great because it's so confusing.  It's as though both Donna and Kyle are dealing with all of these unexpected bubbled up emotions... and their only "release" is to get mad at one another.

Well, maybe that's not their only release.

When Kyle asks if the kiss stirred any old memories, Donna drops the final insult with a "no".  Donna suggests that the kiss was a mistake and suggests Kyle go find Jenny.

And so, Kyle proceeds to wander the streets... alone.  This is where the Day of Judgment tie-in occurs.  If you recall, Kyle had a brief run-in with Enchantress during the opening chapter.  Well, here it is again... in long-form.  For brevity's sake... they fight a bit, Kyle kvetches about getting home to his girlfriend... and Enchantress lets it slip that the End of the World is coming.

We wrap up back at Kyle and Jenny's apartment... where Jenny is waiting for her boyfriend to return.  When he doesn't, she leaves him a note... and leaves.

--

What a great issue... well, at least until the Day of Judgment stuff snuck in and ate up the last third of it.

I wanna talk about just how real the Donna and Kyle stuff felt... because, if we strip away the power rings and Gods and Dark Angels... we get some very human interaction here.  Least I think so.

We have a couple of confused young people... neither really knows what they're looking for... or if they're happy with what they have.  I mean, let's look at Kyle.  Donna walks out on him... he meets and falls for Jade, they shack up... then Donna briefly strolls back in to his life, and he's left questioning everything.  It looks like he's all but ready to drop Jade and run back to Donna... if only she were available.

Because, she's with Roy.  This is where it gets even more interesting.  There's this odd passive-aggressive repartee here... Kyle wonders why she bothered to show up if she was already spoken for... not that their "getting back together" was ever really back on the table.  Donna's defenses then kick in, and she calls Kyle out for shacking up with Jenny... when, really... she has no right to say anything about Kyle "moving on".  She's the one that ended things.

It's this intensity... this weird, irrational intensity between the two that makes this such an incredible scene.  All of these emotions bubbling to the surface... all of this regret... all of this confusion.  It's really just so well done.  They're mad at each other... but they're really grasping for reasons to be mad.  I think we've all been there.  Halfway through every sentence you blurt out, you ponder why you're even speaking at all.  All you're doing is making things worse... 

... or just dragging it out longer.  Ya see, when we opened this story, the watchword was "closure".  Kyle wanted closure with Donna due to the weird way their relationship broke down.  Perhaps neither Kyle nor Donna is/was quite ready to "tie a bow" on their relationship.  Closure... when you think about it, can be as drawn out a process as you allow for it to be.  You can literally be in perpetual closure for the rest of your life, without actually "tying that bow".

I feel like Donna and Kyle might not have been ready to put their baggage behind them at this point.  I mean, I'm no expert, but a romantic and passionate kiss (in the rain, even!) doesn't really say "we're done" to me.

But really, you guys... this was one hell of an issue, Marz and Banks deliver yet again... but then, Day of Judgment.  We've already discussed that event in long-form... so, you can get my thoughts on it elsewhere on the blog.  Basically, it didn't rock my socks... but I also can't get mad at it.  In this issue though?  It was most unwelcome.  I would have loved another half-dozen pages of Kyle and Donna hashing it out... but, the crossover gods demanded the post-staples sacrifice... and unfortunately, they got it!

Overall... I'd say, even in spite of the shoe-horned crossover, this was an amazing issue... and one I would highly recommend.  For your convenience, this bugger is available digitally.

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Green Lantern (vol.3) #119 (1999)

Green Lantern (vol.3) #119 (December, 1999)
"Spectre of the Past"
Writer - Ron Marz
Penciller - Darryl Banks
Inker - Cam Smith
Letterer - Chris Eliopoulos
Colorist/Separations - Rob Schwager
Assistant Editors - Harvey Richards & L.A. Williams
Editors - Kevin Dooley, Bob Schreck & Mike Carlin
Cover Price: $1.99

Well golly, but that's a lot of editors for a single book!  What is this, Marvel?  Well, no... because even with that many editors Marvel couldn't ship a book without spelling and continuity errors.

This is a somewhat special installment, as it's the second Green Lantern #119 we're covering here!  That's your random Chris is on Infinite Earths trivia for the day.  Speaking of the site, I haven't really said much about it... but on the right side of the page, you'll see a button called "The Fall and Rise of Hal Jordan"... it looks something like this:

If you click on it, you can read all of our Hal-centric discussions from Emerald Twilight through Green Lantern: Rebirth.  It's the shakiest decade of Hal Jordan's life, and for the first time (on this site) you can read them all in chronological order!  If'n you're interested, give it a click!

Enough plugging!  Today... we're revisiting the fallout of Day of Judgment, a story we covered in long-form not all that long ago.  Kyle acted a cad (I guess?), and Hal got himself some new duds.

Annnnnd, go!

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We open with Kyle arriving back to his apartment... and to a very angry Jennie Lynn Hayden.  Turns out Kyle and his old flame Donna Troy locked lips during the Day of Judgment event.  Since I don't recall that happening, I'm going to assume it went down in one of the tie-ins.  Anyhoo, Jennie asks Kyle if there's anything between he and Donna... and when he hesitates, she decides it's time for her to go.

We shift ahead... ya know, I write "shift" a lot on this blog... and every so often I wonder how many times I might've misspelled it.  Like, left the "f" out.  Anyhoo, we join Kyle at Radu's (what I wouldn't give for a "Radu's" mug!).  It's here that he (and we) learn that Radu was, at one time, a married fella.  This might be important later...

Kyle starts ramblin' on about his girl troubles, when he hears the familiar voice of someone who's "been there, maaaaaaan", Hal Jordan!

Hal takes Kyle for a little walk "in between places"... showing him just a bit of what he's now capable of.

They are then teleported to Ferris Aircraft, where we learn that Tom and Carol are having a pretty rough time "keeping the lights on".  Everything's riding on their latest prototype... and if it's a flop, it just might be curtains for them.  Carol asks Tom to leave... and then suddenly finds Hal Jordan going through her mind.

Hal-as-Spectre presents himself before reaching into Carol's head... and retrieving the Star Sapphire gem.  She is (understandably) shocked... first to see Hal, second to see that the Star Sapphire was still a part of her.

Hal encourages her to stop blaming herself for everything she had done under the influence of the Star Sapphire... and, well... she does!  Hal hands her back the Gem... and, armed with her... uhh disbelief, she makes it vanish.

Suddenly, everything's hunky dory in Ferris world.  She instantly forgets everything about this odd "visit", and finds herself with a new positive attitude.

Hal is happy that he was able to do one last "good deed" before losing himself completely to the Spectre.  He takes Kyle home and they share a moment that Kyle won't even remember.

We wrap up with something completely different.  Radu is locking up for the evening... and is being watched by a sniper (with the most generic of guns).

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Ehhh.

Had higher hopes than usual for this one... but really feel as though it under delivered.  I mean, just looking at that cover... it feels like something big is gonna go down.  I was really hoping for a bit more Hal/Kyle bonding... but for the most part, Kyle just hangs out in the background.

I get that this is a Hal story... but I can't help but wonder why it wasn't included in the Day of Judgment Secret Files & Origins rather than eating up an issue of Kyle's ongoing?

I guess I appreciate it for tying up some loose ends between Hal and Kyle... and it was neat seeing the Star Sapphire get a mention/cameo... but, really... I feel like this could have been more effective as a 6-8 page story in the SF&O... or at least less of a distraction to this series.

I've said it before... and I'll say it again, Ron Marz never fails to treat Hal with respect.  I'd say "I'll never understand..." why those H.E.A.T. goons got so upset, but being a lifelong comic fan... yeah, I get it.  But the idea that Marz somehow hated Hal... that's just wrongheaded.  I've never seen a Marz-penned story that treated Hal unfairly.  I suppose Emerald Twilight could be argued... but I've already said my piece on that.

The art here feels a bit... I dunno, muddy?  I see we have a new inker... but, I never associate such muddiness with Cam Smith.  Maybe it was a rush job... maybe it was the colorist.  Either way, Banks' work did not come across with its usual level of polish here.

Overall... not an issue I'd suggest breaking your back to track down.  If you come across it (or if like me, you're a completionist)... yeah, grab it... it's not a bad story... just an underwhelming one given the circumstances.  This issue is available digitally.

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A HEAT.net ad in a Green Lantern book?!

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Green Lantern (vol.3) #0 (1994)

Green Lantern (vol.3) #0 (October, 1994)
"Second Chances"
Writer - Ron Marz
Penciller - Darryl Banks
Inker - Romeo Tanghal
Colorist - Steve Mattsson
Letterer - Albert De Guzman
Assistant Editor - Eddie Berganza
Editor - Kevin Dooley
Cover Price: $1.50

It's been awhile since we discussed Zero Hour... it's actually been just about a year!  I meant to cover this issue right afterwards, as it feels like it could be the sixth chapter (#-1?) of the event... but for one reason or another, never got around to it.

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Spinning right out of Zero Hour: Crisis in Time #0, Ollie just shot Hal in the chest with an arrow... while Kyle had him in a full-nelson.  Turns out this sent both of the green guys into the timestream... or "outside of time" long enough for the universe to be recreated.  Either way, they wind up on Oa... and they start'a fightin'.

Hal pulls away, knowing that Oa might just be what the doctor ordered... he can "recharge" here, and go back to trying to make everything "right"... only problem is, it's not working!

Hal frantically pounds into the ground... realizing he cannot access the power since he has no battery nor ring.  Kyle uses this distraction to sock'em in the mush with a construct... cyber-glove-thing.  Hal is sent flying... and lands, as luck would have it... right next to Kilowog's charred remains.

Hal's guilt really starts to eat at him here... he wishes he'd have just one more chance to fix things.  Kyle places his hand on Hal's shoulder and tells him that he's plum out of chances.  Hal pleads... and recounts his recent failures... his inability to save Coast City.  Since he failed his city... he feels as though he can no longer be one of the "good guys", and so... he'd have to become "a bad guy".

This is where Kyle starts to buy in.  These two might have more in common than their taste in jewelry.  Kyle tells Hal about what happened to his girlfriend Alex when he became Green Lantern... and fills him in on his quick and dirty origin.  I guess that's kind of the point of these #0 issues.

Hal tells Kyle that being Green Lantern was what his life was all about... and then, in a really odd bit... that doesn't feel terribly organic, Kyle removes his ring... and hands it over to Hal.  Really weird.  Anyhoo, Hal proclaims himself as "Green Lantern again!" to which Kyle responds "--Probably bound to happen sooner or later anyway."  If you only knew, pal!

And so, with his new-old ring, Hal continues rooting through Oa in search of the "power".  It's at this point that Kyle realizes he juuuuuuust might have made a mistake.  No duh.  Hal's going on and on about restoring everything... having learned absolutely nothing from his Emerald Twilight... or Zero Hour missteps.  Kyle calmly asks for his ring back... whiiiiich doesn't go over all that well.

Hal and (a depowered) Kyle fight their way into a Green Lantern crypt.  Kyle is able to get the jump on Hal... toppling a glass coffin on top of him.  This is also a bit weird.  Hal is surprised because the ring should have protected him.  Kyle informs him that the "rules changed"... I don't remember it ever becoming less powerful... maybe I missed something.  Anyhoo, Kyle reclaims the ring... but it might already be too late!

Parallax rises... he's been recharged just enough to continue the fight!  After a brief skirmish, he makes Kyle an offer.  In his new "perfect" world, he can have his girlfriend Alex back.  Ya see, this is why we don't try and get buddy-buddy with the bad guys, Kyle... they will use your secret shame against you!

Kyle, of course, turns down the offer... though it looks like it breaks his heart to do so.  He's about done with this mess... and decides it's time to wrap this caper up.  Seeing as though Hal thinks Oa holds all of his power (like a battery)... Kyle sets to overloading it.

And he does!

--

Not a bad little brawl!  I'm kind of a sucker for Hal vs. Kyle drama anyway... but this was really well done.

That's not to say it's perfect though... so let's get my minor quibbles out of the way to start.  First... Kyle handing over the ring?  That just seems... I dunno, stupid?  I get that we're supposed to think of Kyle and inexperienced in his role and somewhat naive... but this act really misses that "off ramp" altogether!  This is just pure stupidity.  It's not like he didn't just see Hal almost restart the entire universe, right?

There's also the bit about the rules of the ring having changed.  That might just be me forgetting that part... I know some of the rules changed (the yellow impurity)... but didn't realize the ring-wearer was no longer protected.  Can't hold that against the book... just something that doesn't make all that much sense to me.

Finally... the ending.  It just... ends.  Kyle overloads and explodes Oa... then it's just on to the next thing?  I feel like there should have been a bit more in the way of resolution here.  Especially if we're treating this as a coda for Zero Hour.  I dunno, maybe that's just me.

For everything else... I enjoyed it!  Kyle's inexperience is highlighted... and outside him handing over his ring, was handled quite well.  He wants to believe the best in Hal... and truly seems touched when his predecessor starts "opening up" to him.  Kyle and Hal's relationship was always kinda weird... but in a good way.

We look at different "families" of characters... take the Flash, for instance.  The Flash "family" is a pretty tightly-knit crew.  Jay, Barry, Wally and the rest were portrayed as close, often guest-starring... or becoming supporting characters in the main title.  Even the Superman and Batman "families"... they were tight.

The Green Lantern "family" (remember, there's no Corps anymore) was never quite that way.  Alan and Hal... besides sharing a name, didn't seem to have any real "bond", at least not to me.  The same can be said for Hal and Kyle... they know each other, and might share a few awkward conversations... but they don't feel like "family"... and they don't need to!  Of course, post Green Lantern: Rebirth so much of this is lost... but, whattayagonnado?

Overall... I'd definitely recommend checking this one out... try giving it a look the next time you read through the Zero Hour event!  This issue is available digitally.

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Letters Page (Featuring... a lot of freaked out Lantern fans!):

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DC Versus Marvel #1 (1996)

DC Versus Marvel/Marvel Versus DC #1 (1996)
"Round One"
Writer - Ron Marz (with thanks to Peter David)
Pencillers - Dan Jurgens & Claudio Castellini
Inkers - Josef Rubinstein & Paul Neary
Letterer - Bill Oakley
Colorist - Gregory Wright
Separations - Digital Chameleon
Assistant Editors - Chris Duffy & Joe Andreani
Editors - Mike Carlin & Mark Gruenwald
Cover Price: $3.95

Growing up there were a handful of consistent "battles".  Different brands facing off for the consumer's dollar... I'm talking about McDonald's versus Burger King... Coke versus Pepsi... WWF versus WCW... Disney versus Warner Bros. (heyyy)... and of course, Marvel versus DC Comics.

In the mid-1990's, post speculator bubble-burst... the Big Two comics companies became a bit more amiable toward working together.  Suddenly, it felt like hardly a month would go by without a prestige format inter-company team-up book hitting the shelves.  It was a strange time... 

When it was announced that Marvel and DC would have some knock-down drag-out event, many of us raised an eyebrow.  Our (or at least, my) curiosity was piqued... and then they announced the voting gimmick.  Yuck.  Right then and there, I lost complete interest in the event... figuring that this will be 90% gimmick to 10% story.

Thinking back, the only good thing about the ballot gimmick is my memories of comics enthusiasts arguing about how these fights would've panned out... had they occurred in "real life".  Ay yai yai.

While I'm thinking of it... I also really dug the rumor that Marvel and DC were going to trade a character for a year.  Scuttlebutt was that Daredevil was heading to DC in exchange for Catwoman.  Imagine if that actually came to pass!

Well, with that ringing endorsement out of the way... let's celebrate our SIX-HUNDRED FIFTIETH daily discussion with Part One of the landmark event... DC versus Marvel (or if you prefer, Marvel versus DC).

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We open our story with Spider-Man... that is, Ben Reilly.  He's swinging through the sky above Manhattan, talking to himself about just how much he loves... Manhattan, and... ya know, having his life back.  Clone Saga, don'tchaknow.  His monologue is interrupted by the tingling of that pesky Spider-sense... which draws his attention to a strange glowing box in an alley.  Now we're not talking Cosmic Cube here... it's really more like a radioactive refrigerator box.  As he approaches, the box triggers something in Spidey causing him to vanish.

He reappears... in Gotham City!  Right in front of the Joker, no less!  Spidey's pretty dumbfounded (he doesn't even know what a "Gotham" is), while Joker seems to have a vague memory of having tangled with Spidey before... though, one that wore a different costume.  Ben doesn't quite follow... because that was a Peter story.

Back in Westchester County, 616 Universe... X-Men members Gambit, Storm, and (bone-clawed) Wolverine do battle with the unstoppable Juggernaut.  Just as Marko is about to put a pounding on Wolvie's face, he blinks out of reality... and winds up outside the Daily Planet Building in Metropolis.  He gets socked by Superman-on-the-spot.

Back in 616 Manhattan, that radioactive refrigerator box starts emitting beams of light.  The man guarding it looks troubled... and tries to hold it back, but it's to no avail.

For the next little while, we jump to single-page scenes to introduce the rest of our cast.  Really makes a humble comic synopsizer's job difficult.  First, we meet Captain America who is fighting... Hydra.  I hate it when families fight!  He vanishes...

Next in Gateway City DCU, Wonder Woman saves a whole lotta humanity from a falling bridge... then she vanishes.

Back at Marvel, the Hulk smashes some trees to make firewood.  This is during that great Peter David run where the Hulk is able to maintain his Banner-brain while in his super-strong body.  I believe this has been retconned to be called "Professor Hulk", a name I never dug.  Guess what?  He vanishes...

In Hawaii, Superboy wears a pair of ladies as gloves.  Okay, not really... but it sure looks like it, right?  Anyhoo, his on-again/off-again squeeze Tana Moon doesn't take kindly to his antics... and just wishes he'd disappear.  Well, you're in luck Ms. Moon...

In deep space, Lobo beats up some fraggin' bastiches... then vanishes.

Back in Westchester, the X-Men try to explain what just happened to the Juggernaut.  While Professor X strains his brain, that glowing light surrounds Wolverine, Gambit and Storm... and they vanish!

We get a pair of pages showing the various Marvel and DC characters as they get hammered by the vanishy light, before settling in at the Batcave, where Bullseye is holding a knife to Robin's throat.

This is actually a really good scene... Batman hurls a 'rang at Bullseye, who catches it and sends it back!

Batman ducks the returning-'rang, and manages to kayo the baddie.  When the dust settles, Robin begins to glow... then vanishes!  He reappears at the Massachusetts Institute that Generation X calls home.

We return to Metropolis... whose skyline is now home to both The Daily Planet Building... and Four Freedoms Plaza.  Clark Kent arrives at work in time to meet his new editor... J. Jonah Jameson!  Seems the new owner of the Planet forced Perry White out on his keister.

The next several pages are a Clark Kent written editorial on the weird goings on of late... strange new heroes and villains making the scene and doing battle.  Among the images, we can see Captain Marvel (Shazam!) fighting Doctor Doom... and Jack Knight Starman teaming with Doctor Strange, which is pretty neat.  There's a lot of potential here...

Clark is interrupted by Lois, who introduces him to photographer extraordinaire... Ben Reilly!  Well, his professional name is Peter Parker... that sure doesn't make things more confusing, does it?

We next jump to a scene of cosmic proportions featuring my favorite sleep-aid, the Spectre!  He, along with the Living Tribunal sense that something is amiss.  That Spectre, always about twenty-pages too late!

We wrap up with a pair of identical (though differently colored) characters... who might just be the cause of all this inter-company hoo-doo.

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If I had a dime for every "chill" I got while reading this issue... I'd have zero dimes!  Okay, I exaggerate... a bit.

Now it's easy for me to play armchair quarterback some two decades later... but, I feel like this could've been so much more epic had they used the more iconic versions of the characters... or just took the damn thing (completely) out of continuity.  If you ask me, a series like DC versus Marvel/Marvel versus DC should be as evergreen a book as either of the big two put out!  Give this to a "new reader" today, they'd be completely lost!  Bone-clawed Wolverine... Ben Reilly Spider-Man... mullet-head Superman... wha--?

I understand why they used the contemporary characters... which only makes me wonder if there might've been a better time in both companies' history to make an attempt at such an endeavor (speculator bubble bursting be damned).  Makes me shudder to think what would've happened if Marvel and DC waited until now to do this... with all of Marvel's forced "substitute" heroes.  Yikes!

Another thing... for a book of this magnitude, it feels like there should've been more of a story to hang our hats on.  Sure, it's only the first issue... and we still have to wait for the votes to pour in... but, still... this just didn't grab me.  When I first read JLA/Avengers, or Superman vs. the Amazing Spider-Man... hell, even other mid-90's fare like Spider-Man and Batman or Spawn-Batman... there were instant chills and investment right off the bat.  This, not so much.  This feels more like (if you're a pro-wrestling fan) the WCW Invasion of comics... something that had to happen, but it feels like their heart wasn't really in it.

Also, this book needed art which doesn't look sorta rushed.  If you flip through this quickly, you might confuse it for an inventory story from an issue of X-Men Unlimited... which, again... is a damn shame.  The artists credited here are super talented (Dan Jurgens is one of my absolute faves), but it just doesn't come across here.  It's not every page (many look pretty spectacular)... but there are a handful of unpleasant ones here.  Maybe it's the inking... maybe it's that rotten mid-90's blistery-glossy paper... maybe the series was just something they were trying to "fit in" to schedules.  I dunno.  It just doesn't feel like it was a "passion project" to anybody... and a story of this magnitude almost needs to be.

Do I recommend checking this out?  Well, yeah.  As a half-assed comics historian, I couldn't outright tell you to avoid such a momentous event... that would just be silly.  I'd probably caution you not to expect something on the level of a JLA/Avengers... but, really now... few things are.  Considering how the companies are now both owned by corporate giants... and are mostly being kept alive to pump more air into the superhero movie bubble, it's not likely that this kind of event will ever happen again.  I've been wrong before though...

Overall... as a curiosity, this is worth flipping through.

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Decision '96!

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