Green Lantern (vol.3) #59 (February, 1995) "Green Christmas" Writer - Ron Marz Pencils - Darryl Banks Inks - Romeo Tanghal Color - Steve Mattsson Letters - Albert De Guzman Assistant Editor - Eddie Berganza Editor - Kevin Dooley Cover Price: $1.50 Hey, it's the fifth day of the Twelve Days of Christmas on Infinite Earths! Yesterday we checked in on Hal Jordan as he celebrated Christmas... guess it's only fair we give Kyle some time. Let's check out a very lonely Titan-ic Christmas Eve. --
It's Christmas Eve (I've been starting a lot of pieces like that lately) and Kyle is arriving at Titans HQ. This is from that odd time where Green Lantern was a member of the Titans rather than the Justice League... might sound strange, and it is... but, dude really dodged a bullet, staying away from what might be the worst Justice League team line-up of all time! Anyhoo, Impulse bum-rushes him and they play fight... until Roy shows up to ruin everybody's fun.
He reads Kyle the riot act for being late... ya see, nobody wants to have monitor-duty on Christmas Eve, so it's based on seniority... and wouldn'tcha know it, Kyle's at the bottom of the totem pole. The lecture wraps up while they walk through the halls of the headquarters, and ends with them on a first name basis.
Green Lantern's real name is overheard by some new New Titans... Damage, Impulse, and... the fake-Terra. They all share their civilian identities before the kids leave Kyle by his lonesome.
Well, not completely... Kyle runs into the person he's relieving at the monitors... Donna Troy. She's wrapping gifts for her son, Robert... and mentions that she and EX-husband, *grumble* Terry Long have decided to put their differences aside for the Holiday. We'll talk about how that all went down pretty soon...
Donna leaves, and Kyle's left to his own devices. He doodles some very 90's doodles... including a NIN logo, Donna Troy in a manga style, and writes the word "NOT!" as well. He then falls asleep...
What follows is actually quite interesting... the ring taps into his memories, and projects the likeness of the original woman in a refrigerator, his former squeeze, Alex! I forgot about this scene... it's really quite well done. Kyle is furious at his ring, and demands it stay out of his head. He decides it's time to "get some air" and leaves the monitors just as Doctor Polaris shows up on the screen.
Kyle flies over the streets of New York City, and comes across a bell-ringer Santa getting held up by some thugs. It doesn't take all that long for Kyle to wrap'em up... but notices that his ring is just about out of juice. He leaves the baddies with Santa, and heads off for a recharge.
After "In Brightest Day"ing, Kyle leaves home and runs into Doctor Polaris as he wrecks havoc on Rockefeller Center. Of particular interest here, Kyle is unsure how he could know if his ring is ever "fully" charged. I like that dude's still learning the ropes here... I feel like in current comics, he'd have just figured it all out right from the start. It's nice to see a little bit of self-doubt... especially in a Green Lantern, whose whole thing is predicated on will-power.
We get a very short tussle between Kyle and Polaris... in which Polaris uses his powers to move the statue of Prometheus. Kyle simply blasts him... and that's all she wrote. Kind of anticlimactic, no? Of note, after getting walloped, Doc doesn't seem to remember what he'd done.
We wrap up with Kyle returning to Titans HQ. He is soon joined by Donna Troy, who just put Robert to bed so that Santa may visit. She's got a gift for Kyle... it's mistletoe... the story ends with them sharing a kiss.
-- Decent enough issue, from such a weird time in both Green Lantern and Titans history. This comes from such a... horrendous time for the Titans... I like to think that New Titans quietly drifted away into cancellation shortly after the Titans Hunt, and the next few years didn't happen. I've never been able to read straight through... my New Titans rereads usually begin to peter out just after #100. It really became difficult to read... but, I suppose that's a discussion for another day. On the other end, we've got Kyle wrapping up his first year as Green Lantern. A pretty exciting time for the character and the title... there were so many story possibilities on the horizon... surely, we'd be seeing Hal/Parallax at some point... and seeing Kyle meet all of the DC heavy-hitters was pretty entertaining. Here we learn that not only are Donna and Terry divorced... but she's just about ready to move on with our man Kyle... I guess that's moving up in the world, right? I don't recall how I felt about their potentially knockin' boots... it seemed like one of them "blink and you miss it" kinda things. I don't remember them being an item for all that long... but I could be mistaken. Roy is kind of a jerk here... and these Titan tots are really quite lame. Damage, the fake Terra, and Impulse before they de-aged him for Young Justice. Yeesh. I guess it's not so bad compared to the spike-haired Supergirl, emaciated Starfire, and Beast Boy would could only change into that creepy winged baboon thing that they replaced... but still, yeesh. What a sad state of affairs for (what's left of the) New Titans. Where this issue shines is in its depiction of Kyle as a super-hero in training. He doesn't have all the answers just yet, and he's still very much playing it all by ear. He doesn't appear to have complete control over the ring... and isn't even clear on how long to charge it. I really like that... it provides Kyle with almost a "point of view" quality, where he's kind of our set of eyes into the greater DC Universe. I'm cool with Kyle being unsure and even doubtful... it was these qualities that attracted me to the book and this character. The baddie here... ehh, Dr. Polaris doesn't really do all that much. Pretty much just an excuse to throw in a quick fighty scene to break up the monotony... nothing great, but nothing offensively bad either. Overall... this issue is such a strange time capsule... but I gotta say, it's definitely not must-reading. -- Letters Page:
Green Lantern (vol.3) #36 (February, 1993) "The Ghost of Christmas Light" Writer - Gerard Jones with Joe Filice Penciller - Gene Ha Inker - Romeo Tanghal Letterer - Albert DeGuzman Colorist - Anthony Tollin Assistant Editor - Eddie Berganza Editor - Kevin Dooley When I picked this issue for today's discussion I really had no idea that it picks up with Hal's day immediately following the Superman (vol.2) #76 we talked about yesterday. Let's check in with Hal and see how he spends Christmas Eve... --
It's Christmas Eve and we open with Hal and his on-again off-again, Carol Ferris passing the Northern Lights as they begin their descent. This was a time in which Hal tried running his own air-cab company. Carol is tagging along on Hal's family Christmas, because he didn't want her to be alone. In the Northern Lights we see the familiar visage of our old friend Dr. Light... the male one... who did some really lousy stuff to Sue Dibney.
They land and are immediately met by Hal's brother's family. The kids are excited to have Uncle Hal take them up for barrel rolls, and Jim Jordan mocks Hal's gray temples... remember those? Jim's wife, the nosey Sue catches up with Carol, and mistakenly refers to her as Hal's girlfriend. Carol is quick to correct her, as she's decided they're gonna keep it casual for the time being.
What follows is a fairly uncomfortable car ride through town... well, at least for "Aunt" Carol, who is getting the third-degree from Sue. Sue's "thing" during the Silver Age was that she was, well... a pain in the ass. It's nice seeing this carried on into the Chromium Age.
They arrive at the third Jordan brother Jack's house. Inside Uncles Jeremiah and Titus Jordan are debating the merits of crime-fighters. I really like this... I think many of us know which relatives are going to try and bend our ear for some political clap trap during a family get together... this scene was well done. I really like that everyone outside of the immediate debate are vacating the area so they don't wind up involved. Of particular note, they are discussing the recent death of Superman. Hal is interested to hear how people outside of his normal "social circle" have taken the news, and seems perplexed that it has somehow become a political issue. C'mon Hal... everything ultimately becomes a political issue.
Uncle Titus (or maybe Jeremiah) calls over to Hal and tells him to be careful... that Green Lantern character is back, and is hanging about in Hal's hometown. C'mon Unc'... a Green Lantern... with graying temples... in the same city as your nephew... with graying temples... Anyhoo, Sue and Carol are still talking, discussing Sue's belief that her husband Jim is (or was) Green Lantern. Carol is about to spill the beans about Hal... but luckily he stops her. I mean, really Carol... what's your problem? Just giving out a man's secret identity like that. Not cool.
After a contentious squabble, Hal is pulled away. Ya see, it's his turn to play Santa Claus! He does some fancy verbal footwork, and convinces his brother to don the beard and bells while he takes care of the camcordering. All throughout the issue we've seen Dr. Light's ugly mug showing up in various light sources... here, perhaps the funniest of all, his face appears superimposed over the angel atop the Christmas Tree!
We check in with Dr. Light, wherever the hell he is... we learn that he had died in an issue of Suicide Squad... and has been transformed into, whatever the hell he currently is... kind of a being of light itself... but still with a physical form. He was attracted to the Jordan house due to Hal's green light.
Back with the fam, Hal and Carol argue again... Carol is stressed out by all the pressure on her to... I dunno, grow up... having people dependent on her, people wanting her to make babies, it's all just too much for the former Star Sapphire. Hal kind of humors her until he hears his brother, Santa Claus enter the living room. He leaves Carol on the porch to start filming.
Inside, the kids are going wild for Santa... and it looks like, for a brief moment, Carol might just be enjoying herself. Hal is doing his best Ansel Adams-with-a-camcorder, when suddenly... the Christmas tree attacks! Well, the string of lights on the Christmas tree, that is...
Suddenly, and as if by magic... Green Lantern is on the scene. Curiously, Hal has gone missing... c'mon Jeremiah (or Titus) notice things! One of Hal's nephews goes to pull the plug... but gets friggin' shot by a laser for his troubles. This causes Sue to go into a blind rage as she starts beating up the Christmas lights... it's really quite a scene. With the distraction in place, Hal is able to fire off a shot to sever the power cord.
Crisis averted? Nah, not yet... Dr. Light is now in the real world. He blasts Hal with a yellow blast of energy... then just takes Lantern to pummel-town. He is able to split into a number of Dr. Lights... and each one has two fists with which he can punch Hal up real good.
Hal tries to reason with the baddie... asks why he's here. Light tells him he's there for his green light... and so, Hal's all "okay"... and lets him look into the power battery... which either explodes or sucks the poor fool in... the art isn't clear.
With the coast clear, Hal helps Jim outside with the rest of the family. Jim, brain surgeon that he is, ponders if perhaps he is unconsciously Green Lantern... oi.
After making sure everybody is okay, we rejoin Hal and Carol as they talk in private... the issue draws to an end with Carol... get this... proposing marriage. Ruh roh.
-- I've often seen this era of Green Lantern written off as "skippable" or of no consequence... and while there is certainly an argument for that, that shouldn't be the blanket statement for the latter Gerard Jones era. This issue right here was some pretty good stuff. The Dr. Light stuff I could take or leave, but I really enjoyed visiting with the Jordan clan. Weird seeing Silver Age concepts like Hal's nosey sister-in-law thinking her husband is Green Lantern popping up... that stuff was silly way back when, but somehow it fits in and doesn't seem too terribly out of place here in the moody 90's. Speaking of moody... the art was kind of ehhh. This Gene Ha isn't quite the Top 10 Gene Ha yet, but his work is perfectly serviceable here. Not spectacular... and certainly not helped by the muddy coloring, but didn't really hurt the overall package. Quite the change of heart for ol Carol here, no? I guess nobody is immune to being overcome by the Christmas spirit. During this time, she is still recovering from having the Star Sapphire persona "permanently" removed from her psyche... just another step by DC in endowing a measure of progression unto their characters. We also see Hal getting some "old" jokes here too. Silly Jordans, don't you know he's not old... just possessed by a giant yellow fear bug! Overall, a decent enough issue with enough Christmas in it to be enjoyable. A nice slice of life piece... with enough superheroics to keep the action fans pleased. Won't rock your socks but it's worth checking out. -- Letters Page:
Superman (vol.2) #76 (February, 1993) "Funeral For a Friend/4: Metropolis Mailbag II" Story & Art - Dan Jurgens Finished Art - Brett Breeding Letterer - John Costanza Colors - Glenn Whitmore Assistant Editor - Jennifer Frank Editor - Mike Carlin Cover Price: $1.25 Welcome to day three of the Twelve Days of Christmas on Infinite Earths. Today we're going to discuss a very special issue. This is actually the issue in which I was introduced to many of the DC Universe mainstays and heavy-hitters. I don't think I've made it any secret that my introduction to DC was through the Death of Superman storyline... sure, I had assorted issues in my collection before that, but I never actually cared until the tail-end of 1992. I've been looking forward to rereading this one just to imagine myself checking out so many of these characters for the first time. It feels like a lifetime ago... and I guess an argument can be made that it was! --
It's a rainy Metropolis Christmas Eve as many of DC's heavy-hitters organize atop The Daily Planet building. Captain Marvel is the last to arrive. The heroes have a brief rain-soaked discussion about the death of their friend... and loss in general. Tonight is not all about talk, however, they are all there for a purpose... to fill in for Superman on the night that he tries to grant some wishes. Of particular interest here is Robin, who is the relatively newly-minted Tim Drake at this point. He has his own feeling about the loss of the Man of Steel, yet feels foolish sharing them. Such a human reaction... really like it.
Meanwhile, across town... we meet up with our old friend Mitch. You remember Mitch, right? The punk kid from Ohio who got lippy with his mother until Doomsday and the Justice League destroyed his house... yeah, him. Anyhoo, he feels responsible for the death of Superman, and ran off to Metropolis in order to apologize to... Mrs. Superman?
On an outdoor stage some nutjob has orchestrated a press conference so that she may tell the world about her super-secret affair with Superman. Among the press is the Daily Planet's own, Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen. As you might imagine, this is all quite difficult for Lois to digest... it's not long before she walks off.
Jimmy notices the odd looking Mitch and asks him if there's anything he might do for him. Mitch spills the beans about wanting to apologize to Mrs. Supes, but Jimmy drops the proper knowledge on him. Mitch decides it might just help him to talk to anyone who was close with Superman... well, I guess Superman's Pal might fit the bill! Jimmy offers to buy Mitch a meal with Bibbo at Hobb's Bay Grille.
We rejoin Lois as she visits Clark's apartment for the first time since his passing. The panel layout here is truly wonderful... long, thin, uncomfortable panels... we can actually feel Lois' dread as she enters. It's at this point that Clark/Superman's death is becoming "real". Not that his actual death and funeral weren't... but this signifies the fact that life will have to go on without him.
She enters and begins to cry... fearing that she is now all alone. Lois' internal monologue is interrupted by a friendly voice... Ma and Pa Kent have arrived. This is a particularly difficult scene for me, though it wasn't always. I'm not sure if I've just grown sappy in my old age, or it's that I've become so much more familiar with these folks... but the scenes with the Kents are always the ones that "get" me. The Lois and Kents reunion is interrupted by (a very blonde) Lana Lang. This is a wonderful little "support group"... I mean, who else could any of these four go to in order to talk about this? Not like Ma is going to ring up Batman.
We shift back to the Daily Planet where several heroes are rooting through the mail room... a mail room filled with letters to Superman. Guy Gardner has some choice sarcasm for the entire endeavor... which I like to think is his defense mechanism. He comments that all of these letters signify just another person that wants something. Wonder Woman scolds him and they continue looking through for some wishes to grant.
Gardner winds up finding a letter from an older woman who has a terminal disease. Her request for Superman is to find her son who ran off some three decades earlier. He figures this is just the wish for him to grant... but he hopes there will be some need to "bust some heads" along the way.
Flash and Wonder Woman find a letter from... well, lookit this, a woman whose house was destroyed during the battle with Doomsday! What the heroes notice is that the letter is primarily a thank you for saving the lives of her children. Wonder Woman decides that they will do whatever they can for this family.
At Hobbs Bay Grille, Mitch dines with Jimmy and Bibbo. He shares his story with them... telling them that if Superman hadn't come back to save them he would probably still be alive. Bibbo talks him down and tries to put the entire event into perspective. We learn that some/most of Mitch's guilt is due to making fun of Superman before everything went down. He thought Superman was lame... and it's only because of Superman that he and his family are alive today. Not even his own father cared enough... but Superman came back.
Back at Clark's apartment, the gang is discussing how they are going to go about explaining Clark's disappearance... and Lana wonders if it might be time that the secret comes out. Ma and Pa give that thought the ol' nuh-uh... and the foursome agree that the secret stays between them.
We shift to Wonder Woman standing in front of an apartment door. Inside is... Mitch's dad! He first thinks she's there as a gag, or a singing telegram. She informs him that she is quite real, and fills him in on what just went down with his children and ex-wife.
We next see some cameos... Nightwing and Maxima are delivering gifts to a homeless shelter, and Guy Gardner shanghais the old woman's son and facilitates a mother and child reunion. I like to think that Guy didn't even talk to the guy... just zapped him with his ring and brought him home.
We join Flash and Green Lantern as they help a team of construction workers building a house for a certain Ohioan family. We jump back and forth between scenes of Mitch paying his respects at Superman's tomb and his family home being rebuilt. Of particular note, Jimmy swears he hears the faint sound of drilling at the tomb... hmm...
As construction nears completion Mitch's father, Roger reunites with his mother, Claire. We find out that Claire never told Roger what went down with Doomsday... and right then and there, they decide they want to give being a family one more try. Yeah, a bit too sappy and convenient... but, whattayagonnado... it's Christmas.
We wrap up with Jimmy and Mitch leaving the tomb... just as Cadmus is making off with the coffin! To be continued...
-- Well, what can I say about this one? As I mentioned above, this issue really was my introduction to the non-Super non-Bat DC Universe. This was my first time really seeing Green Lantern, the Flash, and Wonder Woman in the comics. Such a strange time to see them too, right? Just as the biggest gun of them all is out of commission... I was pretty disappointed both then and now by Captain Marvel only showing up for a panel or two. I thought I'd forgotten him playing a bigger role here, but... nope. Guess it's really neither here nor there... just would've been cool to see him do more here. The Mitch scenes bugged me as a kid... I'm not sure if I had the desired reaction to the lad... but I thought he was the worst back then. In my current more *ahem* mature state, I can see the merit in him showing up... still think he's kind of a jerk though. Boy he really let it all out during his dinner with Bibbo, right? Issues with guilt... abandonment... guilt... death... guilt... loss. Mitch got some stuff to work out, eh? I mentioned in the synopsis... Mitch's folks reconciling, expecially under the circumstances, seems really "easy". It neglects to take into account the prior complexities of their relationship in an attempt to give us something of a "love conquers all" bit... which, if it were in any different book, I might be a bit more upset... but it's Superman... during the death... at Christmas. Any complaints that I have can't measure up to all of that. I think Mitch shows up several years later... with powers (seriously)... maybe then we'll find out how his folks made out. The scenes that most stuck with me... were really a very small part of this issue. They were the scenes with the Kents. When I was a kid, I saw Ma and Pa as Superman's "Aunt May"... and I didn't see that as a good thing. I really didn't like having them around... can't put my finger on why I felt that way... but, what can I tell ya, I was 12. In the years that followed, I grew to appreciate them... even really like them. It soon became that the only way I could see Superman was as Ma and Pa's son. The New-52 Superman always felt wrong to me due to their absense. Of course they still raised him... but, I felt as though they should still be around. As I stated above... these scenes have become particularly difficult for me in more recent rereadings. I always think back to Louise Simonson describing these scenes during the documentary that came with the Superman: Doomsday animated feature. She actually struggles to get through her statement... almost choking on her words as she fights back tears. Ever since then, I have a similar problem getting through these scenes. If you haven't seen that doc... it's highly recommended... and is legally available on YouTube uploaded by Warner Bros. Actually... I'll just include it here:
Overall... if you're a fan of Superman or DC Comics, there's a very good chance you've already read this... it would be silly for me to type "recommended"... because, of course it is. -- Letters Page:
-- Interesting Ads:
--
On the third day of Christmas on Infinite Earths, I gave to you... Superman (vol. 2) #76, JSA #55, and a Batman and the Outsiders #19 Review
