Green Lantern (vol.3) #137 (June, 2001)
"The Bonds of Friends and Lovers"
Writer - Judd Winick
Pencils - Darryl Banks
Inks - Rick Faber
Colors - Moose Baumann
Letters - Chris Eliopoulos
Associate Editor - Michael Wright
Editor - Bob Schreck
Cover Price: $2.25
Uh-oh, it looks like somebody wants to end the romantic entanglement between Kyle and Jade. I wonder what sort of monster that could be tearing up that photo?!
Ready to find out...
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We pick up where we left off last issue... which we haven't covered here, but stands to reason it would've been the cliffhanger... where Kyle has just proposed marriage to Jade! She is taken aback, then hugs him... kisses him... and turns him down! She calls him a stupid, stupid man, and tells him he's probably jumping the gun a little bit. Ya see, they finally got this whole relationship "thing" right, and she figures the worst thing they can possibly do is "push" it. Annnnd, she's probably right.
She clarifies that this isn't an outright rejection of marrying Kyle... it's more of a "not yet", which I suppose softens the blow... at least a little bit. She still wants the (Power) Ring though! Ya see, he was proposing with a Green Lantern Ring that had been in Batman's possession for a little while now.
He sheepishly hands it over, and the first thing she does is whip up a construct wedding dress. Real jerk move there, Jen.
We jump ahead to later that day, Kyle's at work when his assistant Terry Berg pops in with some coffees. T-Berg sees that Kyle's a bit out of sorts and asks him what's up... Kyle tells him about his proposal attempt to the green gal, and Terry doesn't really react all that well to the idea. He actually throws a little tantrum.
He even goes so far as to refer to Jennie as a "green-skinned freak". I'm not sure if that racist or speciest (is "speciest" a thing?). I mean, she's human, right? Just that her skin is full'a chlorophyll... which, I guess wouldn't make her a different race, necessarily. Uh, I'm not sure I'm supposed to be talking about this. Anyhoo, we'll just let T-Berg say it.
Terry apologizes, and clarifies that he's not mad at her... he just doesn't want Kyle to be with her... because, well... you know.
Shortly after Terry storms out, Kyle is joined by his Art Director, Andre Whatshisface. Kyle (who is depicted as wearing his Green Lantern ring like all the time) tells Andre what just happened between he and Terry. He believes that the kid might've just "come out" to him. Now, here's where it gets a bit funny. Kyle asks Andre how he handled "coming out".
To which, Andre comes out to him... as a straight man! It's actually funnier than I'm making it sound... one of the rare times Winick managed to get a chuckle out of me. Andre then flips the script, asking Kyle what he thinks people picture when they imagine an unmarried artist living in Greenwich Village.
Back at the homestead, Jennie razzes Kyle about being an offensive dipwad. Another cute scene, that gets a smile. I tell ya what, when Winick's on, he's really on. Banks' facials here are spot-on as well.
But then, out comes the soap-box. Kyle wonders aloud how he should handle the Terry situation. His mind immediately goes to "the kid should speak to a therapist". C'mon, Kyle... you don't make a good strawman.
Jennie lights into Kyle, and tells him that what Terry needs isn't a therapist, but a friend. She insists Kyle talk this out with him... and so, next thing we know, Kyle is at the Berg residence in Maplewood, New Jersey. Upon entering Terry's room... it's, uh... stereotypical. There's a "Hunks" poster, as well as a Bette Midler one. There's an rock poster behind him obscured by a word balloon which, we'll eventually... thankfully learn reads "Ferrets".
Kyle sits down and asks Terry if earlier that day he was trying to tell him that he's gay. Terry says he isn't sure what he is. All we know so far is he's just an ordinary teen-age Bette Midler fan.
Kyle then starts talking as though he were the "mentor" figure in a Public Service Announcement. He ensures Terry that there's nothing wrong with him, and empathizes with how confusing this all must be. He also tells him that he'll always be around to talk if he needs him. Oh yeah, and that he's flattered...
... but that he's with someone. Terry cuts through the B.S. and reminds Kyle that, not only is he attached... he's also, ya know, not gay. Kyle volleys back with the fact that Terry's only 16... and the last thing Kyle needs is to be invited to "take a seat". Note that he's not leading with the whole "not gay" thing. More on my thoughts on that down below.
Kyle then rubs salt in the wound by asking if he can have a hug. Seems like one of those "least I can do" motions that a rejector offers to a rejectee... not that *cough* I'd know anything about that... ahem.
We wrap up with Kyle and Terry sitting down and wrapping up their conversation. Kyle tells Terry how brave he is by coming out.
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This was a lot of fun. I feel like I'm saying that a lot. "This was a lot of fun"... say it so much, it almost feels meaningless. Well, I hope it doesn't sound meaningless, because I'm bein' sinceeyuh ova heeyuh.
Let's jump right to the crux of this issue, Terry Berg coming out to Kyle. I give Winick a lot of guff for some of his less-than-subtle writing... but, I really feel like this was handled about as well as I'd have liked. Let's go to the initial argument. Terry's a sixteen year old boy, who is dealing with his sexuality, and who happens to sorta-kinda but definitely be crushing on his boss. A boss who can't seem to shut up about his knockout girlfriend.
Stands to reason that Terry might lose his cool and lash out. It also stands to reason that Terry might not be as forthcoming with his emotions... disguising jealousy with anger, and disappointment with rage. We can see that in his lashing out, he appears to regret the things he says just as soon as they leave his lips. The "green-skinned freak" comment especially. The kid's confused and angry... and isn't sure how to properly express it. He isn't sure if he's even allowed to express it. I really feel like this might have been the perfect scene for depict this situation.
From there... Winick pulls back the tension, and gives us a legit "laugh/chuckle out loud" moment between Kyle and Andre. I hate using such a trite statement as "roller coaster of emotions", but the juxtaposition here is just so well done. Kyle's basically an emotionally punch-drunk rope-a-dope here... and he's unwittingly insulting everyone around him. I think many of us have been in that situation a time or two before... recreational beverages optional.
The soap-box does come out... but in a far more subtle way than it would had this issue come out during "current year". Kyle doesn't make the best strawman here. He really doesn't. Since Winick himself alluded to the stereotype of the "unmarried artist living in the village", I feel like it's okay for us to use it too. Now, being as though Kyle is an "unmarried artist living in the village", it stands to reason that he's (using Winick's own stereotype via Andre) been around plenty of gay men and women of varying ages. You'd assume he'd be comfortable with that, and not call for a visit to the therapist straight out the gate... right? This bit seemed to have been written just to facilitate Jade's speech... and doesn't do Kyle any favors.
I get that Kyle's being written as the good-looking guy who's oblivious to the fact that he's good-looking... but, that's a trait that can only be "charming" for so long. I mean, within months of making his debut, he had Donna Troy and Jade fighting over him. Dude should know by now that he's "in demand". His obliviousness only comes off as his being aloof at this point. Aloof... or extremely stupid.
Kyle's chat with Terry to close out the issue was well done, though perhaps a bit too "after school special-y". I did take note of Kyle's glossing over the fact that he's not gay... which, back in 2001 sounds like he's just doing his best to let Terry down gently. Discussing the other reasons why they can't be together, to make the orientation of the situation the least of those factors. To my mind, he's doing what he can for Terry not to feel different. I feel like in 2019, this scene would be all over social media as Kyle officially "coming out" as bisexual... because, we just don't do subtlety anymore.
Overall... this was a really fun issue, that tackled a serious issue about as well as I've ever seen it handled. It wasn't done for shock, it wasn't done to bait USA Today into slumming it in the comics ghetto for a hot-minute... then again, last I looked, this isn't a Marvel book. I feel this was done with an earnestness... this is clearly a very important subject to the writer, and I gotta say, he handled it with grace, class and most importantly, the respect it deserves. I highly recommend checking it out... it is available digitally.
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Letters Page:
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Green Lantern (vol.4) #1 (July, 2005)
"Airborne"
Writer - Geoff Johns
Art - Carlos Pacheco, Ethan Van Sciver & Jesus Merino
Colors - Moose Baumann
Letters - Rob Leigh
Assistant Editor - Harvey Richards
Editor - Peter Tomasi
Cover Price: $3.50
Last week, we took a look at the first issue of Green Lantern in The New-52!, and I was pretty surprised to discover that he hadn't already covered this Green Lantern #1. Could'a sworn we had.
I was actually hoping to cover all of the Green Lantern #1's... but, we won't be able to cover vol.3's... for obvious reasons. You can probably do some Googling if you're unaware.
Anyhoo... who's ready for a "Cooler than Most" Hal Jordan?
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We open in the way back when, where we meet Hal Jordan of Ferris Aircraft. A couple of pilots are discussing some stunt he'd pulled... and how it's pretty clear that Carol Ferris has the hots for him. Also, they don't think Hal will ever be cleared to fly again. Little do they know that he's about to be zapped by an emerald beam... and delivered deep into the desert. As he is nyoinked, a voice tells him that the Brightest Day will become the Blackest Night. Hmm...
We know where this is headed, right? Hal is plunked down right before a dying Abin Sur, who offers him the gig... and he takes it. I feel like I've gotta mention, Hal comes across as almost too cool during the post-Green Lantern: Rebirth retelling of his origin. This was one of the bigger criticisms at the time, though, I'm sure those arguments have been lost in the digital sands by now.
We jump back to the present, and join a five-card dogfight between Hal and his buddy Shane. This whole thing seems like the absolute worst way to play a hand of cards... but remember, this Hal is too cool for school.
We jump ahead a bit, and join Hal and Shane at a bar inside Edwards Air Force Base. They catch up a bit, Hal learns that Shane's done some "adulting" since their last visit... got married, started a family, ya know... that sort of stuff. Shane mentions that they'd all thought Hal perished during the decimation of Coast City... which is, probably the best way to casually write off Hal's disappearance.
Later on, Hal retrieves his ring from his locker... just as John Stewart is attempting to get a hold of him. Apparently, there's an abandoned spacecraft lingering in orbit, and so Hal decides to join him to check it out.
With Hal away, we head over to Barstow, where a Private is hauling a covered load. A waitress playfully inquires about what's under the tarp... and it's one'a those "If I tell ya, I'd have to kill ya" sort of propositions. The waitress's meathead fiance, Chris (no relation) butts in to make sure the flirting ceases.
Back outside, the Private checks in with an associate named Johnson, who is trying to get a peek at the cargo himself. He claims that there's a "moaning" sound coming from it. The Private pulls the ol' "If I tell ya, I'd have to kill ya" once again... and they leave.
We rejoin Hal (with John) deep in space. They discuss such matters as restarting the Green Lantern Corps. Hal thinks it's a silly idea, considering there are only five Green Lanterns left (Hal, John, Guy, Kyle, and Kilowog... if I'm remembering right). Eventually they come across the abandoned spacecraft... and it's completely yellow. Hal posits that whoever it is didn't realize the yellow impurity was a thing of the past.
The Lanterns bust in, and discover... nothing. Just blackness. Not even a seat to sit in. Hal checks the fuel cells... and they're empty. Looks like whoever used this rig was only planning on it being a one-way trip.
Back in Barstow, the waitress and her meathead fiance get into an argument. Eh, I guess they're not actually engaged... more like, engaged-to-be-engaged... which sounds kinda "high school" to me. Anyhoo, they are approached by... a strange-looking fella, who kills them both! Kills the dude first, probably because he doesn't want to be accused of "fridging".
Next stop, Coast City... which is in the middle of it's grand rebuild. Hal's narration clues us in that there are big government incentives to live there... but, not so many people have taken the bait. Really can't blame 'em, considering. Also, there's gotta be some radiation still lingering, right? Not all of us have Power Rings to protect us.
Hal heads inside his apartment, and is greeted by his brother, Jim. They have a touching, though contentious, reunion. They talk about their parents, as well as the all-new Coast City. Jim ain't keen on moving the family back to town... which, again... can't blame him!
Suddenly, a low-flying plane produces a sonic boom that shatters all of the windows. Hal scurries off to Lantern-up and check out
what's goin' on.
Hal takes off, and catches up to the damaged aircraft. Upon getting a closer look, he deduces that the engine on this rig is clearly of extradimensional origin.
After helping it to land safely, we meet the pilot... Captain Jillian Pearlman, otherwise known as "Cowgirl". They flirt for a bit, because that's kinda what Hal does.
We wrap up back with that tarped load coming out of Barstow. From under the cover, we can see a glowing-red eye. Then, we hear it... "No Man Escapes--" Oh dammit.
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Alright... not a bad start to the new volume!
Gotta get it out of the way. It's been said, and it's certainly true, Hal does come across a little "too cool" here. He doesn't seem like a dude who goofs up from time to time... a guy who second-guesses himself, which I guess works in that it makes him a more fitting Green Lantern candidate... but, it also causes him to become a little less relatable. This is the "Fonzie" Hal Jordan, less a guy you'd wanna have a drink with, and more the dude you mutter under your breath about anytime he walks by.
Even in our opening pages, we've got a couple of pilots coming across as very jealous of Hal... his ability, courage, and how much it seems that Carol has a "thing" for him. I mean, I don't need Hal to be a complete boob... but, this feels like something of an over-correction.
I'm guessing that much of this has to do with undoing Emerald Dawn... ya know, the whole drunk-driving incident. That's fair enough, I suppose. I wasn't around when that series came out, so I couldn't say how it was received, at least initially. Not sure how the Hal-Faithful cottoned to the idea that he'd nearly killed a bunch of folks while driving drunk. I'd imagine it'd be at least somewhat divisive.
I'm somewhere in between, I guess. On one hand, I don't mind heroes having flaws... but on the other, actually driving drunk is a choice one has to make. It's such a stupid thing to do... and I could totally see people coming away from that miniseries with some pretty hard feelings toward Hal. Especially those affected by some jackass who chose to drive drunk.
So, while I'm a big "lore" guy... and a proponent of "everything matters", I get why that story might be a problem for some/many. I suppose at the end of the day, I don't have much of an issue with them wiping that bit away.
Hal's disappearance after the decimation of Coast City is handled about as well as it could be here. Basically, after the event in question, Hal just "hit the road". It's an easy enough excuse, that sorta fits with his character. I mean, old Hal was something of a roaming vagabond from time to time, right?
This issue does a great job of setting the table for what's to come. I mean, there's a mention of Blackest Night... a story that wouldn't actually happen for nearly a half-decade. Bits and pieces of Hal's "Secret Origin" are dropped... which is a story that would be fleshed out like 2-3 years later too! I mean, there's just so much planning going on here... which, to me, is a great thing!
What's never so great is... the Manhunters! Now, we've discussed these goofy robots a whole lot here over the years... but, I don't think we've ever looked at them under Johns' watch. I look forward to revisiting this era, to see how he handled them.
Overall, despite some of my misgivings about Hal's "coolness", this was a really good issue. It's been collected in Green Lantern: No Fear, and is available digitally (for 99-cents!).
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Teen Titans (vol.5) #1 (September, 2014)
"Blinded by the Light, Part 1"
Writer - Will Pfeifer
Artist - Kenneth Rocafort
Colors - Dan Brown
Letters - John J. Hill
Associate Editor - Rickey Purdin
Editor - Mike Cotton
Group Editor - Eddie Berganza
Cover Price: $2.99
Before we start, I want to preemptively apologize for anything I say today that winds up not making much sense... or if I ramble, ya know, more than usual. Turns out, ya boi is sick... second day in a row waking up with a decently high fever, and what feels like a 45-lb. head. But, we don't take sick days here... yet. So, mea culpa in advance!
I recently heard that DC would be cancelling Titans (vol.3), which was one of the books I was most looking forward to post-Rebirth. I remember even writing a review where I expressed concern that it would eventually get cancelled... something that, at the time, I found rather troubling. Fast-forward a couple of years, however, and the cancellation feels more like a mercy-killing. Overlong crossovers and events have really stifled the forward momentum of so much of DC's output... and Titans, really hasn't been all that great since around Metal.
Now, I say all that, so that I might say this... cancelling a book is sometimes the right call. I remember when I heard that The New-52! Teen Titans (vol.4) was being canned... I, as a completionist who absolutely loathed the book, could not have been happier! I've read a fair amount of bad New-52! comics, but, lemme tell ya, Teen Titans was probably the worst of the worst. As a Titans fan... and a Scott Lobdell fan, that really sucks to say... but, really, I can't even put into words how much I hated that book.
So, when they announced a couple months later that Teen Titans would be coming back with a brand-new volume... my hopes weren't all that high. Could anyone salvage this team? Would anyone even want to? Well, let's take a look at the first issue back.
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We open with Cassie Sandsmark walking through Times Square. She's on the phone with somebody, when suddenly she loses her cell signal. Moments later, a hooded figure appears on her screen... promising to give a "little excitement"... which makes me assume he's going to show up and hand out Slim Jims. Instead of beef sticks, however, this hooded figure introduces us to their "compatriots" on board a school bus out of Wilmington, Delaware. Ya see, they're loaded down with explosives... and that bus is going to head directly for S.T.A.R. Labs... so, ya know, bummer times. Cassie checks in with Red Robin, then Wonder Girls up to stowaway atop the bomb-bus.
Tim asks that she make sure nobody gets hurt during this exercise, then checks in with Beast Boy and Bunker. He asks Beast Boy to inconspicuously board the bus, while sending Bunker straight over to S.T.A.R. Labs as a last ditch effort if they need him.
Speaking of S.T.A.R. Labs, they're getting the same video call... only it's somehow even more annoying than the one Wonder Girl received. The hooded figure goes off about Black Holes and the Singularity. Those are them kinda words that makes ya feel smart! The S.T.A.R. Board of Directors round-tables the situation... including Manchester Black and a Mr. Power... as in, Josiah Power?
Back aboard the bus, one of the goofs threatens to kill a child... which, of course, leads to Cassie having to interject. She pulls the dude out by his neck and hurls him off the bus. Doesn't look like it kills him though.
Next, the terrorists decide to just toss that little girl out the back of the bus... luckily, Red Robin is there to swoop in for the save. Ya know, I still think the wing-suit is one of the lamest things to come out of The New-52!, though, in fairness, it's a pretty long list.
Then Gar inconspicuously transforms into a Bengal Tiger to scare the terrorists. What he doesn't realize is that, a tiger on a bus is likely to scare just about anyone... good guy or bad!
Next, Raven makes an appearance, taking a pair of baddies into the "Nightmare Realm". Upon return, the lead hoodie triggers the explosives on the terrorist's vests as a way of winning at any cost.
Cassie tackles the triggered terrorists and flies them out the back of the bus... where they go boom!
At this point, Gar tries to stop the bus from crashing into S.T.A.R. Labs... but it's a no-go... er, a no-stop. The gas pedal has been locked in place, even removing the keys doesn't help. Lucky for everyone, Bunker is in place!
Miguel explains that the smaller he makes his "bricks", the softer they are... which is why the bus crashing into his construct wasn't a whole lot messier. One dude they saved though, isn't too keen on a gay kid coming to their rescue. Well, he never actually says that, but it's what Bunker assumes he's about to say... and so, Bunker smashes the dude into a wall with some construct bricks... and hops onto his soapbox for a bit.
Gar tells Miguel to cool his jets... because, it's "current year", and everybody is carrying a smartphone armed with a video camera!
We wrap up at a different S.T.A.R. Labs building, where the original hooded figure (who somehow made it off the bus... if they were ever there to begin with!) kills a dude, and vows that this isn't over.
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Well, I'll say this much... it's better than what came before it! At least here, the team appears to actually like each other! I keep thinking back to the first New-52! volume... woof, these were some awful people. Awful brats who treated each other like garbage. Could never understand why they'd even try and stay together.
I remember when this came out, I really couldn't get a "bead" on where people stood on it... most of the comments made online were in reference to the cover... and how over-sexualized Cassie was depicted as being. I think that really affected the way a lot of folks "received" the book. Their perceptions were already tainted before even opening the thing.
I try not to concern myself with such things as the latest internet outrage. Hell... who could even keep up anymore? I look at that cover, and I'm more annoyed with the shoe-horned social media garbage that I barely even noticed Wonder Girl's shape! Oh well.
Let's talk story. I'm not sure if it's the fever talking, but I really don't know why the hooded terrorist would warn the Titans about their bus-go-boom plan. Maybe I missed something there, but it just seems fishy. I'll concede that, though I enjoyed this issue far more than the previous volume, it wasn't enough to get me to continue reading. I still bought the book, because I'm an idiot... but, outside an issue here and there, I didn't read all that much of it. What I'm saying is, this might all become clear in the next couple of issues... I just wouldn't know.
Miguel's outburst at the end... might've been him jumping to conclusions a little bit. The dude who they rescued didn't outright say anything about being saved by a gay kid... for all we know, his next word could have been "kid" or "freak" (considering one of them is green). Sure, he was probably going to say something anti-gay, but this makes Bunker look a little too anxious to use his powers on ordinary folks. Though, I'm sure that's kind of the deal they're going for here.
Overall, a tremendous improvement on the initial volume of New-52! Teen Titans, but I feel like I'm being beaten over the head with all this social media stuff. I suppose I shouldn't hold that against the book, considering that "kids these days" are all about their smartphones and social media applications. Maybe I'm just annoyed that this is the first volume of the Titans to make me feel old. This issue is available digitally.
Now, back to bed.
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