DC’s Infinite Frontier #0 – A Rapid Fire Review

03/02/202103/02/2021Rob Siebert 1 Comment

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

Couldn’t jam Infinite Frontier into an edition of “Weekly Comic 100s,” so we decided to upgrade the format. We’ll cover each story in this oversized issue in rapid fire fashion, and take a glimpse into DC’s future (not to be confused with Future State).

TITLE: Infinite Frontier #0
AUTHORS: Various
ARTISTS: Various. Cover by Dan Jurgens & Mikel Janin.
RELEASED: March 2, 2021

Justice League: Wait, so is Black Adam’s name changing to Shazadam or not? I thought it wasn’t.

Batman: This one’s split into two parts. I’m liking this premise where Barbara Gordon mentors Stephanie Brown and Cassandra Cain in a Birds of Prey sort of way.

Also, Bane dies. Let’s see how long that lasts…

Wonder Woman: Apparently Wonder Woman did something super big and important in Dark Nights: Death Metal, so now she’s elevated to “the Quintessence” council with Phantom Stranger, the Spectre, etc., and we need a new Wonder Woman. Which is going to be…Wonder Woman’s mother Hippolyta? I think? Honestly, I don’t really get it…

Wonder Girl: So Yara Flor, the Future State Wonder Woman, is going to be the new Wonder Girl. That could be cool. But she only gets a few pages here. Frankly, I’d rather have spent more time with her than the ladies of Themyscera. We still don’t know much about her, after all.

Green Lantern: Alan Scott: In a very heartfelt scene, Alan comes out to his children as a gay man. That’s pretty cool. I’m also excited DC is borrowing from The New Frontier, and making it canon that the Justice Society was shut down during the era of McCarthyism.

Teen Titans Academy: Not much to go on here. But I continue to be optimistic about Teen Titans Academy.

Superman: Interestingly, we focus not on Clark Kent here, but Jonathan Kent. It looks very similar to what we saw in Future State. I’m not nearly as optimistic for that sort of thing here as I am with Wonder Woman…

Green Arrow & Black Canary: It looks like they’re undoing one of the deaths from Heroes in Crisis, which is a good thing. The less we have to remember from that book, the better.

Stargirl: Right off the bat, I love the art on this one. It reminds me of the original Young Justice book. A nice little teenager superhero outing by Geoff Johns. After all these years, I still miss him on Teen Titans…

Green Lanterns: We see John Stewart, Simon Baz, and Keli “Teen Lantern” Quintela here. If they’re going to do a new Green Lanterns book, I wouldn’t mind one about the three of them as a team.

The Flash: This one gets a little far out in terms of cosmic scope. But it ends with some news that should make Wally West fans happy. I’m certainly intrigued.

Overall: A good outing, worth the $5.99 price tag. This is what I was hoping those Generations Shattered and Generations Forged books would be like. A jumping on point for various parts of the DCU.

Email Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or check us out on Twitter.

Green Lantern’s Animated History by Noah Sterling

03/22/202003/22/2020Rob Siebert 2 Comments

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

There are plenty of “History of [Insert Character’s Name]” videos on YouTube. Most of them consist of images from the comics, as fans narrate the character’s publication history. Some of them are pretty good, some of them are pretty bad, and some are strictly okay.

But then every once in awhile you come across something like this.

The subject matter is pretty self explanatory. An animated Green Lantern retrospective, looking at all the characters (the ones from Earth, anyway) that have worn the ring. What’s more, it’s got a really nice tongue-in-cheek spin. Have a look…

While this was is hardly a solo effort, the name you’ll want to remember is Noah Sterling. He served as director, co-producer, and co-writer. What’s more, the video appeared on Sterling’s YouTube channel. Sterling is a freelance media director and producer, having done quite a few online videos for Marvel. All the appropriate links can be found on his website.

His work for Marvel is lovely, as expected. I’m excited to see him branch out into the DC Universe, and hopefully numerous other pop culture realms. Based on his style, I’ll bet he draws a pretty awesome Hellboy.

Hmm, do you think he’s in the market for voice actors?

I mean, I’m just puttin’ it out there. Shamelessly? Yes. But still…

Contact Rob at primaryignition@yahoo.com, or @RobertJSiebert on Twitter.

A Dear Justice League Review – Keep It Simple, Superheroes

02/05/202002/03/2020Rob Siebert 1 Comment

TITLE: Dear Justice League
AUTHOR: Michael Northrop
ARTIST: Gustavo Duarte
COLORIST: Marcelo Maiolo
LETTERER: Wes Abbott
FORMAT: Softcover
PUBLISHER: DC Zoom
PRICE: $9.99
RELEASED: September 2019

By Rob Siebert
Fanboy Wonder

I love this idea. Love, love, love it. Love. It. It’s so simple, yet so brilliant. In a culture where the Avengers are sitting at the cool kids table, this is how you introduce the Justice League to a young audience.

Fan mail. That’s it. That”s the premise. Yes, there’s an evil force consistently in the background. But the meat and potatoes of Dear Justice League is the heroes answering emails from young fans. The heroes all get roughly the same number of pages. Ergo, marquee characters like Batman and Wonder Woman don’t seem more important than say, Hawkgirl or Cyborg.

The questions fall on a spectrum between things kids can relate to and the comedic and zany. For instance, Batman gets asked: “Have you ever been the new kid in town?” On the other hand, Aquaman gets: “No offense, but do you smell like fish most of the time?” The King of Atlantis then proceeds to wander about the Hall of Justice trying to get the answer from other heroes.

But it’s not just the premise that makes the book. The winning formula comes when you combine the premise with Gustavo Duarte’s cartoony, “pencil sketch” style. It’s a perfect fit in every sense of the word. He captures the essence of each character, giving them a comedic spin without getting too silly. I really can’t say enough good things about it. It actually reminds me a little bit of the Pixar-style Justice League that artist Daniel Araya showed us several years ago.

My only complaint about this book? Cyborg doesn’t get a question! Alright, he does. But it’s a cop out question! C’mon. We can’t give the guy something with some meat to it? Heck, I’ve got one! “Hey Cyborg. Why don’t you hang out with the Teen Titans anymore? I thought you and Beast Boy were BFFs?”

Dear Justice League may have a lot of laughs. But I’m absolutely serious when I say it’s become one of my favorite League stories of all time. We’re talking top five. Maybe even top three. Frankly, I wouldn’t mind if something like this were part of the ongoing Justice League series. There’s absolutely no harm in taking a break from the Dark Multiverse and Martian Lex Luthor for something a little lighter and simpler.

Maybe that’s something the DC brain trust should keep in mind more often. Somebody should send ’em a poster that says “K.I.S.S.: Keep It Simple, Superheroes.”

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A Green Lanterns #15 Review – Anxiety Attacks!

01/24/2017Rob Siebert Leave a comment

TITLE: Green Lanterns #15
AUTHOR: Sam Humphries
PENCILLER: Miguel Mendonca. Cover by Tyler Kirkham and Tomeu Morey.
PUBLISHER: DC Comics
PRICE: $2.99
RELEASED: January 18, 2017

***Looking for more? Check out Green Lanterns, Vol. 1: Rage Planet.***

By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

For many people, clinical anxiety is a tough thing to understand. There’ve literally been books written about loving people with anxiety, and how anxious individuals can maintain healthy relationships. But writing about anxiety, and conveying those feelings is very hard. Trust me, I know.

That’s what makes Green Lanterns #15 so special. Sam Humphries, Miguel Mendonca, and their cohorts take readers inside the mind of an anxious person as well, if not better, than anyone I’ve ever seen. Jessica Cruz and Simon Baz have never been more real than they are in this issue.

“A Day in the Life” spotlights Jessica, our newest Green Lantern who lives with anxiety every day. Lucky, her partner Simon always has her back. But even those closest to Jessica don’t understand what she goes through on a day-to-day basis. Things don’t get any less tense when the Justice League comes calling about a monster wreaking havoc.

Full disclosure: Having anxiety myself, I may be biased on this one. But I’m part of the demographic this issue will effect the most: People with anxiety. We see Jessica having to summon a hero’s bravery just to get out of bed in the morning, and that’s what it feels like sometimes. It sounds overly dramatic. But those who’ve been there know what it’s like. Each new day can mean a new battle with your own emotions.

Humphries has always excelled at taking us inside Jessica’s mind. Her thoughts will skew one way, and she’ll have to push back against them. Case in point, her inner monologue on the page at right. Racing negative thoughts are fought with positive thoughts. Ot one point we actually see those caption boxes stacked on top of one another to convey the speed of her racing mind.

The issue’s high point is the splash page where Jessica actually has an anxiety attack (shown below). Her thoughts take a nosedive into all the worst cast scenarios, and the spiral is a tremendous way to convey it. The pained expression on her face is beautifully rendered by Mendonca. Her gripping the bedsheets so tightly is a great visual.

Simon’s role in this story is important. He’s part of Jessica’s support system. But he’s not perfect. He gets frustrated. But he keeps trying. Because that’s what you do when you care for someone. I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating: I hope they don’t make Jessica and Simon a couple. Too predictable. They’re toying with a Jessica/Barry Allen romance, though I doubt that goes anywhere.

Miguel Mendonca has been around for awhile, but this is my first exposure to him. All I can say is, I want more. He’s one of those artists that’s great with little details in human expression that allows readers to lose themselves in the issue. I’ll reiterate that the center image of Jessica at left is gorgeous. There’s also a scene late in the book with she and Simon at her kitchen table, and we get two close-up shots that look beautifully real. From Simon’s little smile, to Jessica tucking her hair behind her ear. What we get here is very much in the style of a traditional superhero comic. But there’s a great element of believability and realism to it. As believable and real as it can be when you have a giant monster throwing a submarine…

You can certainly argue there’s an element of corniness to the issue. In particular, this stretch of dialogue from Jessica: “I have to fight anxiety every day. It’s the biggest battle I have. Catching that submarine today? That was nothing. Nothing.” Stuff like that creates an after school special vibe, which is a groaner.

I tend to give that sort of thing a pass when it’s in service to a greater good, as is the case here. Again, I’m probably biased here. But this issue offers great awareness for mental illness, and is something I’d happily put in the hands of someone suffering from anxiety.

That’s probably the best compliment I can give to an issue like this. I wish I’d had something like it in my darker hours. As for Green Lanterns as a whole, it continues to be one of the most underrated books DC has on the market right now.

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A Green Lanterns: Rage Planet Review – A New Chapter Begins

01/14/201701/12/2017Rob Siebert 1 Comment

TITLE: Green Lanterns, Vol. 1: Rage Planet
AUTHORS: Sam Humphries, Geoff Johns
PENCILLERS: Robson Rocha, Ed Benes, Ethan Van Sciver, Tom Derenick, Jack Herbert, Neil Edwards, Eduardo Pansica.
COLLECTS: Green Lanterns: Rebirth #1, Green Lanterns #1–6.
FORMAT: Softcover
PUBLISHER: DC Comics
PRICE: $16.99
RELEASE DATE: January 25, 2017

By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

Green Lanterns almost makes me sad that there are human ring-slingers besides Jessica Cruz, Simon Baz, and Hal Jordan. This feels like such a natural next chapter in the Green Lantern saga. The next generation learns to overcome fear, while Jordan mentors them from afar. Makes perfect sense to me.

Rage Planet sees Earth’s newest Green Lanterns, Simon and Jessica, become co-protectors of Sector 2814. But Simon isn’t convinced he needs a partner, and Jessica is plagued by her crippling anxiety. Not exactly ideal circumstances. Especially when Atrocitus and the Red Lantern Corps are about to bring “Red Dawn” to Earth. Simon and Jessica will soon have no choice but to work as a team.

Green Lanterns has its share of problems. It feels a little bit padded to fill the six-issue main story, has a revolving door of artists, and essentially features a stock story about reluctant partners. But Sam Humphries does some terrific character work in this book, particularly when it comes to Jessica Cruz.

A Green Lantern who suffers from clinical anxiety seems like such a natural development that I’m surprised it’s taken this long for us to get one. The entire mythology revolves around the idea of overcoming fear, after all. But Humphries makes up for lost time by taking us inside Jessica’s head and perfectly conveying her anxiety. The constant second-guessing, the belief that she’s not good enough, the panic attacks, the isolation (she didn’t leave her apartment for three years prior to becoming a Lantern). Hokey as it may sound, as someone who has dealt with anxiety myself, Jessica makes me feel represented. She’s a tremendous addition to the Green Lantern mythos.

This series gets us recaquainted with Simon Baz, who in many ways fell to the wayside prior to the Rebirth relaunch. His character can be tough to nail down, as he’s stubborn and distrustful. But also overly confident at times. I’ve always thought him carrying a gun despite wearing a Green Lantern ring was silly. I understand the need to distinguish him from the other Lanterns, as there are so many of them. But logically, that’s like keeping a pocket knife with you in case your chainsaw breaks down. Still, he and Jessica make a good buddy cop duo. I’m hoping Humphries resists making them a couple.

On a surface level, the Red Lantern stuff makes for a fine first arc. But there’s not much to it. It’s essentially Atrocitus wanting to make Earth a giant ball of pulsating rage. It’s not nearly as interesting as the Phantom Lantern material, which really gets moving in the next volume. But fans generally know who/what the Red Lanterns are, and they have a little mainstream recognition from different TV shows and video games. So it makes sense from an attention-grabbing perspective. The book’s most interesting moment with the Red Lanterns involves Simon temporarily relieving Bleez of her rage. It’s a nice “What have I done?” moment.

Ethan Van Sciver tags in, and then quickly tags out again on the pencil for the initial Rebirth issue. There’s been tremendous value in his work on these characters since he did the original Green Lantern: Rebirth story in the early 2000s. I’m always impressed by his attention to little details. His images never look real, per se. But there are often enough little details to evoke a feeling of realism, even when he draws weird aliens. Case in point: Our little blue friend in the image above. Look at the little details in his helmet, his five o’clock shadow, the wrinkles in his sleeves. You don’t necessarily notice things like this at first. But go a long way in making Van Sciver stand out.

Various artists start and stop in this book. But the one with the most page time is Robson Rocha. Like Van Sciver, his work is very detailed. His facial work isn’t exactly subtle, but it makes an impact. Jumping ahead a bit, that’s part of what made his work on Green Lanterns #9 so good. His rage-possessed civilians look downright beastly. So much that at certain points he nearly veers into comedic territory. He also draws Jessica and Bleez a little too sexy at times. But by and large, he’s a solid fit for this series.

This book doesn’t break a lot of new ground in terms of the Green Lantern mythos. But the buddy cop format is charming as hell, and the characterization of Jessica Cruz is terrific. Relative to some of DC’s other offerings, Green Lanterns isn’t making a lot of noise in terms of sales. But it’s bound to be a pleasant discovery for readers.

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A Justice League vs. Suicide Squad #1 Review – The 2016 Playbook

12/24/2016Rob Siebert Leave a comment

TITLE: Justice League vs. Suicide Squad #1
AUTHOR: Josh WIlliamson
PENCILLER: Jason Fabok
PUBLISHER: DC Comics
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASED: December 21, 2016

***WARNING: Spoilers lay ahead.***

By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

It’s fitting that Justice League vs. Suicide Squad is DC’s last big release of the year. This is essentially a snapshot of the Warner Bros/DC movie playbook for 2016. Of course, it’s a also hook for new readers who’ve seen the movies.

And in a very pleasant development, Justice League vs. Suicide Squad is pretty damn good. At least, so far.

When the Justice League learns of Amanda Waller’s Task Force X program, they interrupt a the Suicide Squad’s latest mission to bring them in. Naturally, Deadshot, Harley Quinn, and the team aren’t coming without a fight. Meanwhile, several prisoners have been broken out of the Catacombs, “the most top secret prison in the world.” A threat is emerging that may give the Justice League and the Suicide Squad a mutual enemy.

I think one of the reasons this story works so well is that there isn’t an exorbitant amount of exposition to get through. Yes, we have the typical captions that introduce the characters (i.e. “Deadshot. Expert marksman. Has a death wish.” We also have a two-page scene where the League finds out about the Squad, and we go over why they don’t like them. But other than that, we’re mostly doing the business of the plot. It’s easy to understand why these two groups wouldn’t get along. You don’t need all of the build-up and the layers you would for, say, Civil War or Avengers vs. X-Men. The mere knowledge of the Squad’s existence is enough to prompt a fight.

The only downside to that additional time for character moments is that Williamson’s use of Captain Boomerang for comic relief comes off grating. One thing this book hammers home as much as anything is that ol’ Digger is horny as hell. I guess it makes sense, given he’s in prison. Plus, whenever he goes out he’s got the over-sexualized Harley Quinn with him. But he doesn’t need to be Captain Innuendo. We also have a little exchange where Simon Baz asks, “Aren’t boomerangs a little lame?” Not nearly as lame as that line. Way to go, Simon. Antagonize the murderer who Flash just told you was no joke.

The larger story Williamson is setting up involves a third team, led by our mystery prison breaker…the returning Maxwell Lord, dressed in his Omac Project and Justice League: Generation Lost era garb. Per usual, Lord is hardly a mustache-twirling villain. He’s out to save the world. What that means exactly remains to be seen. But the team he’s assembled (shown below) consists of Lobo, Dr. Polaris, Emerald Empress, Johnny Sorrow, and Rustam. Certainly an…eclectic crew. But they all have one thing in common: They hate Amanda Waller. Considering how expansive the cast of this book already is, we can’t guarantee all these characters will get a chance to shine. But I can definitely appreciate Williams putting a renewed spotlight on some of the company’s more obscure characters.

Jason Fabok is in top form here. As I’ve said previously, his is art has an undeniably epic quality to it. So he’ll always be a solid fit for big event stories like this, or Darkseid War. I compare him to Jim Lee, Andy Kubert, or Ivan Reis in that sense. He’s very much like Lee in the way he makes use of splash pages and two-page spreads that are either explosive, or have a lot of intrigue. His characters also tend to be very charismatic and expressive. Particularly Harley Quinn, despite the over-sexualization. There’s also a really nice splash page where Superman catches Deadshot in mid-air. Those two characters are such a great contrast. That image almost sells the premise by itself.

By the way, the country that the big confrontation takes place in is called Badhnisia. I was blown away when I typed that into the ol’ Google machine, and found out it’s actually a long standing country in the DC Universe. A little on the nose, don’t you think?

Lending a certain subtle consistency with other big DC event comics are Alex Sinclair’s colors. Sinclair has worked on big books like Batman: Hush, Infinite Crisis, Blackest Night, Flashpoint, Justice League: Origin, etc. Sinclair’s work is always quality, and he’s a tremendous asset.

Based on the solicitations, it looks like the artistic teams on this book will fluctuate as the weeks go by. We’ll see names like Fernando Pasarin, Robson Rocha, and Howard Porter tag in. I can’t say I’m looking forward to those transitions, especially given the quality of what Fabok and his cohorts gave us here. But from a plot perspective, Justice League vs. Suicide Squad starts out strong. Now it becomes a matter of telling a compelling story while balancing all these different characters, and not letting it all become a mess.

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A Green Lanterns #9 Review – Too Many Strings Attached?

10/24/201610/23/2016Rob Siebert 2 Comments

TITLE: Green Lanterns #9
AUTHOR: Sam Humphries
PENCILLER: Robson Rocha
PUBLISHER: DC Comics
PRICE: $2.99
RELEASED: October 19, 2016

***WARNING: Spoilers ahead.***

By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

Sam Humphries may be the best writer we’ve seen on a Green Lantern book since Geoff Johns. This Green Lanterns title has been that good. With Jessica Cruz he’s given us one of the best portrayals of clinical anxiety I’ve seen in comics

But this issue brings up an important question…at what point have you pulled too many heart strings?

Green Lanterns #9 introduces us to Frank Laminski, a pilot who desperately longs to be a Lantern after being rescued by Hal Jordan. A middle child perpetually in second place, Frank becomes obsessed with becoming Earth’s next Green Lantern. But after years of working to overcome his fears, and seeing others get power rings, Frank becomes more and more desperate. Until he learns of the Phantom Ring, a power ring anyone can wield. But to get it, he’ll have to go through Simon Baz and Jessica Cruz.

Frank Laminski is heartbreakingly relatable. At times it’s almost brutal. We see his torment, his rejections, his almost pitiful desperation, and finally his diminished resolve. It’s all clearly field by a need for personal validation. Humphries channels the same emotions he used with Jessica, particularly with the line, “Please, I need to know. Am…am I wasting my life?”

What makes it all the more crushing is that Frank has such hope. He says things like “I believe a man has the power to change his whole life. All you have to do is push yourself beyond what you thought was possible.” And yet, his situation is largely a hopeless one. Hope is powerful. But it isn’t everything…

Humphries weaves Frank’s story nicely into the Green Lantern mythos. We see his desperation grow as he watches John Stewart, Guy Gardner, and the others debut as heroes. He also pokes some innocent fun at the number of Green Lanterns Earth has. (“There were plenty of rings to around around, it seemed.”)

My question about heartstrings relates to the scene where Frank is at his lowest point, and seems to be praying to the Green Lantern rings to choose him. At that moment, a Green Lantern ring appears to him, and is about to welcome him to the corps. The ring then changes its mind, realizes its made an error, and travels to Guantanamo Bay to find Simon Baz. I loved seeing Frank’s resolve finally break, and I love that he thinks the rings are watching and can hear him. But is the appearance of the ring a little too on the nose? It works, and it conveys that Frank might actually be capable of wielding a ring. But is having the ring tell him “you are not capable of overcoming great fear” too overindulgent? I suppose it’s a matter of taste.

This is my first exposure to Robson Rocha. I can see traces of Ivan Reis and Doug Mahnke on these pages, meaning we’ve got something very consistent with two widely successful Green Lantern artists. He makes Frank very expressive. It’s very easy to feel Frank’s hope, pain, and agony, because it’s very accessible. And as always, colorist Blond treats us with a gorgeous palette.

Even as someone who enjoys Hal Jordan, Guy Gardner, and a lot of the other Green Lantern “legacy” characters, I’m almost sad Green Lanterns isn’t the only GL book being published right now. This feels like the next logical chapter of the ongoing Green Lantern saga, and we’re seeing some tremendous character work. This is Sam Humphries’ first go-around with these characters and this world. But to his credit, it feels like he’s been with them for years.

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A Green Lantern #0 Review – Sensationalist Diversity

09/05/201206/22/2016Rob Siebert 2 Comments

TITLE: Green Lantern #0
AUTHOR: Geoff Johns
PENCILLER: Doug Mahnke
PUBLISHER: DC Comics
PRICE: $2.99
RELEASED: September 5, 2012

By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

Judging from his first appearance, Geoff Johns, Doug Mahnke and DC Comics are about a decade too late with the story of Simon Baz, the first Arab American Green Lantern.

The stuff they show us as they introduce this new hero is plucked straight from some of the more scandalous and controversial headlines of the past decade, and it has all the subtlety of a wrecking ball. Case in point: On the very first page we see the twin towers up in smoke. On the second, we quickly cut between Simon washing graffiti off a mosque wall, then he and his sister being harassed and beat up, then we see him being racially profiled by security guards.

Get it?

Since being laid off from his auto factory job, Simon has turned to stealing cars to make ends meet. But one night, he gets more than he bargained for when he finds a time bomb in his latest acquisition. The cops take him in for interrogation, and we proceed with a scene that includes the line: “I’m a car thief, not a terrorist!” Then, as they prepare to WATERBOARD this poor sap, a Green Lantern ring (presumably the one lost by either Hal Jordan or Sinestro in last week’s Green Lantern Annual #1) bursts in and saves him.

I don’t think most fans have a problem with superhero comics being made a bit more diverse, and of the two major companies, DC is certainly the one that needs it more. Johns himself even said in a recent interview that there was no Muslim representation in the DC Universe. Considering this is the year 2012, that’s a pretty glaring omission. So I appreciate what they’re trying to do, here. And they story that they’re telling would be great…if it were being told 10 years ago. But in 2012 it feels like a pretty safe story that’s being told more for publicity’s sake. Does this kind of racism still occur today? Absolutely. But there’s a certain cheap quality to hitting us with 9/11 imagery, waterboarding, etc. That’s not to say that it doesn’t do what it’s designed to do. Johns and Mahnke make Simon Baz into a sympathetic character who stands up for what he believes in regardless of the cost to himself. Thus, he’s a perfect candidate to wield a Green Lantern ring. I just wish it wasn’t so obvious that, like Alan Scott being made into a gay character, this is DC changing something and then shouting: “Look at us! Look what we did! We’re diverse!!!”

One thing I find interesting is the number of parallels between Simon Baz’s first appearance, and John Stewart’s first appearance from back in the early ’70s, when the civil rights movement was still in full swing. This was also at the height of the groundbreaking work being done by Denny O’Neil and Neal Adams. Back then John was far from the straight-laced military man we know today. Like in Green Lantern #0, we see our new hero face corrupt cops. John stops a racist officer from harassing a pair of black men playing dominoes on the sidewalk. He then opens Hal Jordan’s eyes by taking down a racist senator. These are the same sorts of themes we see present in Green Lantern #0, except we don’t have Hal there to have his eyes opened as he sees the world through this new hero’s eyes (though perhaps we will, given time). Corrupt peacekeepers, racist government officials, it’s all still there. It’s presented a bit differently, and perhaps it’s a bit more subdued than it was in the ’70s. But John and Simon would have a lot to talk about.

I suppose the DC fan in me would have liked to have seen the company be a bit more gutsy with this kind of material. I don’t doubt that this kind of thing still happens, but the execution feels dated and overly sensationalized. Had this been printed during the Bush administration, we might have had something a bit more special. Still, it’s nice to see the publisher making an effort to diversify things.

Image 1 from fanboymorphine.blogspot.com. Image 2 from gamespot.com.

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DC’s Infinite Frontier #0 – A Rapid Fire Review

Green Lantern’s Animated History by Noah Sterling

A Dear Justice League Review – Keep It Simple, Superheroes

A Green Lanterns #15 Review – Anxiety Attacks!

A Green Lanterns: Rage Planet Review – A New Chapter Begins

A Justice League vs. Suicide Squad #1 Review – The 2016 Playbook

A Green Lanterns #9 Review – Too Many Strings Attached?

A Green Lantern #0 Review – Sensationalist Diversity