In brightest day, in blackest night... in average afternoon and the smoldering wreckage of a ship...
Monday, November 18, 2013
Showcase #22
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85 comments:
I have yet to see the 2011 Green Lantern movie mostly because of three things, Ryan Reynolds, the chicken-headed alien, and the poo monster in the climax. I'll wait for the Alan Scott Green Lantern to pop up in the new DCU films.
Yeah a lot of cross reviewer references maybe it's hinting at something.
Linkara plans to end this month with magic?? My guess is Dr. Strange is going to make a appearance.
I remember reading Green Lantern - Secret Origin (or was it Secret Origin: Green Lantern?) where they gave pretty good explanation for weakness against yellow. Long story short, it was pretty much a back up plan in case of any of the Green Lanterns becaming grazy.
No offense Lewis, but I would TOTALLY watch Pollo Reviews.
4:36 REALLY Linkara! WE KNOW THAT ARC A LITTLE TOO WELL! THREE WORDS LINKARA WOMEN IN REFRIGERATORS!
You're not the only person who didn't hate the Green Lantern movie. I never understood why it got the reputation it did; sure, I can see where people wouldn't like the movie, but not to the point of being one of the worst movies ever.
As for the actual comic, I kind of wish you had spent more time looking at the other stories, but I can understand only wanting to look at the actual origin. Also, thank you for making those comments about Hal's grave robbing; now I'm not going to be able to read a Hal Jordan story for a while without thinking, "He stripped that costume off an alien's corpse."
I like Hal's origin. Not as goofy as some of the other Silver Age origins.
I also liked that scene from the GL movie. Makes perfect sense even in real life.
Presumably he's like Siegfried of the Ring Cycle - fearless until he meets the right woman.
I think I still have the reprint of this comic from 1992--mere months before Hal went crazy and killed everyone. One thing I never noticed, though: doesn't the Flaming Spear have a red tip on the cover (though not inside)? Couldn't Hal just grab it by the tip? [Insert homophobic joke here.]
One can never have enough Wonder Dogs :3
And I'm not sure if I hate the movie, cause I can't be bothered to watch it. The Dark Knight Rises made me lose all interest in Warner Bros.' current DC movie adaption philosophy <_<
Lack of fear? More like lack of adrenaline (aka that VERY useful power boost in dangerous situations).
No Zordon reference? I am dissapoint.
I wonder what would've happened if Hal didn't pass the "Honesty test", seeing how Abin Sur was, well, DYING. Hal was his one and only chance.
Superheroes are silly? If only some movies would remember...
That little bit after the credits was awesome. I was just thinking about that scene during the review, happy you included it.
I do wish to challenge the color yellow. Green is formed from 2 colors, one of which is yellow. If you're going to make one of the colors that makes up green the weakness then at least go whole hog and make the other color a weakness as well. It would at least give the writers a extra color to have fun with and bring about interest henchmen style. . .oh wait Silver Age they usually wear uniforms like that.
Are you going to eventually also get to the origins of the other green lanterns such as John Stuart, Guy Gardner, and the corps itself?
Now, now, Linkara, you're not the only one. I happened to catch the film on television one night and, honestly, didn't find it to be as bad as I was lead to believe.
I mean, okay, it's far from being the greatest superhero movie ever, but if I had the chance I'd watch it again.
I protest. My boyfriend, my best friend and I have really enjoyed the green lantern movie. And we're French.
Fantastic job with the review of Showcase #22 and the secret origin of Hal Jordan becoming the Green Lantern. I especially liked the "Insurance fraud" joke in the first half of the review.
In regards to The Green Lantern movie, I would have liked it better if it did the following:
1) Focus more on Hal being in the GL Corp and seeing Sinestro betray the corp and use the Yellow Ring. I know that was the plot from the animated feature but it was a lot better than copy/paste portions of Top Gun and add in superpowers. Perhaps one of the worst parts of the story was that Hector Hammond got the short end of the character development stick. Also, keep the story in its own world and not try to half-ass a way to make a cinematic universe ala Marvel Studios.
2) Less CGI and more practical effects. Between the God awful CGI suit and the lackluster aliens done in post, this was a film that could have used a special effects studio that could translate the world of Green Lantern without using CGI as a crutch. I would find it more believable if they got Doug Jones to play Tomar-Re than have Geoffrey Rush to voice a CGI character in post.
There's lot more to this but I think I've covered the major issues. If I missed anything, feel free to post a reply.
Huh I thought I was the only one that liked the movie. I don't see what the hate is all about. Deadpool fans it's understandable, but seriously, they did nothing wrong.
Finally! My favourite Green Lantern after Kyle Rayner!
I liked the movie as well. The biggest problem I had with it was that I believe it could have been better if it was split into 2 (less stuff thrown at us, more focus and world building).
Also you could do a Secret Origins month for super pets one year!
Well Linkara I actually enjoyed the Green Lantern movie
A couple little problems aside, I actually really like the Green Lantern movie. So it's not just you. :D
This is definitely a good origin, but it's one that's suffered a lot from being repeated too much. Between comics, cartoons, and movies, DC has retold this at least five times in the last ten years, to the point where I, at least, am really tired of it. Especially since none of the other re-tellings have come close to matching how great New Frontier handled it.
About the definition of psicopath: yup, that does sound like Hal.
Also, are you really expecting anything from the guardians of Oa? (even if they were not invented at the moment) Probably the biggest monsters and arguably the cause of all evil in the DC universe? (in-universe, not whoever is running the company right now)
What were your thoughts on the Green Lantern Animated series by Timm and co.?
Oh hai, Lensmen!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lensman_series
"Radiation Sender"
I think these villains also need a thesaurus
There's a point where suspension of disbelief fails Linkara. The color yellow might work, were it something in The Invisibles or something. But I think you'll notice that most of the heroes of DC and Marvel are not vulnerable to a color.
The idea of a galactic law enforcement agency? Somewhat believable. Idea of an advanced alien having mental powers? Again, somewhat believable. Idea of an alien with mental powers having a device that has the ability to check every person on the planet and choose only the best? Okay, that's pretty weak, but it still fits the story. Idea of being vulnerable to a color for no adequately explained reason? Doesn't fit the story and doesn't have any kind of logic behind it.
And next time is Thor? Not Dr. Strange, but he is a refreshing older kind of hero what with all the 'modern' heroes in Marvel.
Question: What keeps the Green Lantern from simply creating an airtight bubble around the rocket so that the fuel can no longer ignite, or what prevents him from just grabbing something else with his power-ring and simply whacking it?
It's the same issue I keep coming back to when it comes to Green Lantern; Most of them seem to lack any form of imagination. Someone is wearing yellow/emitting yellow radiation/etc? Remove the floor/ground below them, grab a telephone-pole as a baseball-bat and smash them, collapse a building on them, and so on and so forth.
Good review, though.
Whatever problems the 2011 movie has, that cheekbones line redeems everything for me.
Yeah, add me to the list of people who liked the Green Lantern film. It was silly and anti-climatic, but there's worse films out there. Reynolds, as much as I love the guy, was miscast as Hal Jordan, however; he's incredibly charming and good with women, two things that Hal Jordan isn't. I think he would have been better off as Kyle Rayner or even Wally West rather than Jordan. Still, the film wasn't too bad, and I've seen a whole lot worse. Hell, I'd say Dark Knight Rises was a worse film.
See, I actually liked the Green Lantern movie quite a bit... sure, it's extremely flawed, but the only true weakness was the villains... Hammond has never been interesting enough to carry a film, and Parallax is just retcon fodder. But Reynolds did a good job as GL, Mark Strong was amazing as Sinestro, and most of the supporting cast did a great job with the material they had.
You are not alone. I too enjoyed the Green Lantern movie. Although, personally, I believe that ANY of the Earth Green Lanterns, including Alan Scott, could have made a better movie than Hal Jordan.
I'm surprised Linkara didn't mention that Green Lantern's weakness to yellow was also a tribute to the Original GL, Alan Scott's own weakness: against anything made of wood!
From what I hear, originally Scott's ring had only power over metal- therefore, it would not affect wooden objects. Over time his powers were expanded but the wood weakness remained. Probably a case of writers not paying much attention.
As for the Green Lantern movie, I haven't seen it yet. I just don't feel compelled to rent it from what I've heard. If it ever airs on local TV, I'll catch it.
This guy: Reynolds as Wally West? Maybe, depending on how that Flash movie shakes out. Reynolds as Kyle Rayner? No. Really no.
Casting each Lantern:
1. Alan Scott (Matthew "sorry for appearing in all those crappy Rom-Coms" McConaughey)
2. Hal Jordan (Jake Gyllenhaal (he CAN be ridiculously charming, but he knows his way around someone intentionally offputting and massively flawed as well (see also: Donnie Darko and Jarhead)
3. Guy Gardner (Of all the Lantern's, Reynolds probably would have been best fit here (not a great choice, but better as Guy than as Hal or Kyle), but I'd probably go for, shockingly, a dyed red William Fichtner. That'd be a cool and out of left field move and I don't think Lantern's NEED to be beefcake symbols, ESPECIALLY not this one.)
4. John Stewart (Fans, generally, want Idris Elba for this and...I completely agree.)
5. Kyle Rayner (Miles Teller. Though I think Max Landis' "Kyle the goth" concept is STUPID, I do think some sensitivity is needed along with the charm, such that Reynolds reads like tone-deaf casting. Teller knows sensitive, as his roles in stuff like Rabbit Hole and The Spectacular Now showcase.)
6. Simon Baz. (Don't know.)
Personally, I disagree with the "It's a comic book, you shouldn't nitpick" sort of explanation for the justification of something like the Green Lantern's weakness to the color yellow. It feels a lot like the "Just turn off your brain" explanation, which essentially states that it's OK to have an underwhelming or poorly explained story since one shouldn't "think about it too much."
The reason that something like Superman's weakness to kryptonite works is that it is an element emitting radiation that could affect him, similar to how uranium would affect us as human beings. It's easy to wrap one's head around, as it seems more like a biological flaw rather than an arbitrary weakness. With the Green Lantern's vulnerability to yellow, much like Wonder Woman's loss of her powers when she was bound by a man, it seems more like a flaw to have a flaw, to simply copy what Superman did without a serious justification other than "because."
Green Lantern isn't someone who really requires a weakness like Superman because he's not all powerful. Superman- especially in the silver age- was essentially a God, able to alter the very laws of physics through strength alone and invulnerable to all harm. The weakness of Kryptonite was a good way to give Superman a sense of peril and danger. It's also important to note that this was an aspect that was added later, and not part of his inception like it was with Green Lantern. With the Green Lantern, despite the power of the ring, he can still be hurt by conventional means. He can still be victim to a bullet or a knock on the head, or even running out of power at an inopportune moment. He has plenty of weaknesses already, so the weakness to the color yellow seems an arbitrary and in some ways unnecessary contribution to the mythos. To the point that most modern interpretations simply drop it entirely.
It's not so much that the weakness is "absurd," it's more that it isn't justified.
Hate to be the guy that asks, but what were your thoughts on Lights Out, I know a lot of people hated it, I liked it.
I also though The GL movie was entertaining, but flawed.
And great review as usual, I like the new theme (both regular, and secret origins), and cannot wait to see what the heck Thor's origins will be.
I thought the Green Lantern movie was good
The whole, "without fear" thing is a reason that I liked the new 52 run of Green Lantern. In Kyle Rayner's quest to become a White Lantern, he has to learn that fear is a healthy reaction in order to embrace the Fear of the Emotional Spectrum. Also, in Green Lantern Corps, John Stewart explains that Green Lanterns are not fearless, but are just able to overcome fear.
Yeah, it's weird how much hate the Green Lantern movie got. Not my favorite superhero movie, but nothing horrible and I've there've definitely been worse. And I didn't realize James Newton Howard scored it until I saw that in the credits, I'll have to check that out!
Surprised to find Creeper Hal, though - that seems like it would've been kinda villian-y behavior even in those days =/ Ich.
Don't worry I liked the movie to, though it wasn't without flaws. Green Lantern was the first superhero I loved and the first comic series I read, so I really liked this episode. His origin got a little less silly here and there but has stayed constant. The one question that always pops up is why the hell was Abin Sur in a spaceship when GL's can fly???
"Don't worry I liked the movie to, though it wasn't without flaws. Green Lantern was the first superhero I loved and the first comic series I read, so I really liked this episode. His origin got a little less silly here and there but has stayed constant. The one question that always pops up is why the hell was Abin Sur in a spaceship when GL's can fly???"
It was explained in a future comic that Abin had been put into a state of paranoia by aliens who could foretell the future, so he was afraid of losing the charge of his ring in the middle of space and decided to fly in a ship... aaaand unfortunately that ended up being his downfall.
I don't mind GL's weakness to the color yellow half as much as I mind the fact that the bravest people on Earth are always white American men (except John Stewart, but hey, two out of three ain't bad/good).
Also, that last wall Hal phased through was clearly yellow, so how did he do that?
Pretty good and as you said, it's not the most ludicrous thing ever.
I loved Green Lantern: First Flight from the DC direct to DVD movies and have met to get more into this character.
And the schedule says Journey Into Mystery which means Thor.
Oh no, next week's origin is Doug Henning! I always knew there was something weird about him!
I think they overemphasize the "fearless" aspect for the Lanterns cause it is sort of a strange thing they're getting into. With them pretty much being forced to face the toughest of the universe and whatnot and the fact they are space cops, they have to show something that makes them more capable than a typical being. But then again you are right that you have to know at least what fear is, considering that without a knowledge of fear you can't be fearless. But hey, Hal's not as weird as Alan was with this sort of thing so that's not bad. And honestly Carol's rather liberated for the late 50s being sort of against whatever Hal pulls...but then again this is the same company that had Wonder Woman already.
BTW: already saw new things in the intro like "shrunken Linkara" and your new "I am a Man" bit in the new outfit. So the opening going to keep changing from now on or just couldn't show those until they were on the show?
I'm guessing, Zatana, Zatara or Dr.Strange Or Doctor Fate for the magic user. Although, since I'm not the expert and I have a basic knowledge of super Heroes, You could toss me a curve ball as to which magic use you're hinting at. Never seen the GL Movie. I have seen Hal Jordan the animated movie Justice League: Doom
Anonymous 6:37: Wonder Woman's weakness of being bound by a man wasn't exactly "a flaw to have a flaw." It was "a flaw that justified Marston's bondage fetish." Green Lantern's to yellow, though, is exactly that.
So no origins of female heroes again this year?
You know how many female origins you've done? One. Two if you count female members on a team.
I can only assume that this is a sneaky build up to next year when you'll do nothing but female origins for three years to balance things up.
I actually thought the 2011 Green Lantern movie was pretty good. I just didn't do a written review of it after I saw it because at that point in the year, almost every movie I'd seen was a superhero movie of some sort and I was feeling a little too burnt out on them to do much thinking about the Green Lantern.
I quite like that they stuck pretty close to this origin story for him when they did the movie. As others have said, it's a shame that they went so heavy with the CGI, but otherwise, pretty good.
Excellent work as always, man. Did the cybermat always work on the carpet, or is that a relatively new thing?
Hey I enjoyed the movie OK maybe not as fun as the GL Cartoon but it had it's moments I think the reason every one hated it was because they where expecting another Dark Knight or Iron Man when all they got was something equal to say X-men or Spider-Man
Life insurance? So Abin Sur's last name is Sanchez?
"BTW: already saw new things in the intro like "shrunken Linkara" and your new "I am a Man" bit in the new outfit. So the opening going to keep changing from now on or just couldn't show those until they were on the show?"
Obviously wanted an updated "I am a Man!" with the new outfit, but the use of Puppetkara was so good that I wanted to put it in the theme song and we didn't really need Comicron One in the intro.
I got to say, I am probably one of the few people who doesn't "get" the notion of superheroes being silly. If they really were then we wouldn't have such emotional reactions to One More Day or Countdown, etc. You said it yourself: they are OUR mythology, OUR exemplars of what is right and true. Bright colors? Really? That IS silly? I guess in a jaded world such as this, God knows I need a little opitimism
"I got to say, I am probably one of the few people who doesn't "get" the notion of superheroes being silly. If they really were then we wouldn't have such emotional reactions to One More Day or Countdown, etc. You said it yourself: they are OUR mythology, OUR exemplars of what is right and true. Bright colors? Really? That IS silly? I guess in a jaded world such as this, God knows I need a little opitimism"
Not that, more that our first instinct upon receiving superpowers is to put on said bright colors and costume and fight crime and supervillains and aliens and mole people.
Ancient mythology is silly, too. Zeus becomes a swan to seduce women. THAT is silly.
"Yes, while you may be fearless, I did not need to know what turns you on!"
It's underage space-elves, FYI.
I was never bothered by the yellow weakness but some of the jokes surrounding it are funny. Probably the most entertaining part of ASBAR is when Crazy Steve meets with Hal in his yellow painted safehouse, and offers him a lemonade. Of course Miller ruins the whole thing with Batman's narration about the Guardians not being that stupid and Hal having some kinda phobia, and his wetdream about using the ring for some kind of Holy Terror-esc campaign.
Great video.
Linkara:"Ancient mythology is silly, too. Zeus becomes a swan to seduce women. THAT is silly."
It makes ya wonder if Zeus was just trying to attract the bestiality chicks. Seriously, how many animal forms has he taken to seduce women?
Also, I did kinda like the Green Lantern movie, I just thought the climax wasn't right for it, should have been a super power fight with Sinestro in my opinion.
you are the only person to like Green Lantern, and only person to hate Man of Steel
you should seriously think about you'r life
"Not that, more that our first instinct upon receiving superpowers is to put on said bright colors and costume and fight crime and supervillains and aliens and mole people."
............................makes sense to me. :-\
"Ancient mythology is silly, too. Zeus becomes a swan to seduce women. THAT is silly."
Then why worship him? I guess I just don't get the disconnect between being a aware that superheroes are silly and revering them. If something is silly, I ignore it. Ok, let me rephrase that. I get it but I have kind of a selective obliviousness to it. I guess that's suspension of disbelief, IDK.
Never having read any Green Lantern comic, it's just that the weakness being yellow just sounds so stupid on the surface because people without knowledge or enough willing suspension of disbelief will ask themself a million questions. Like: What would happen if a Green Lantern would be helping someone move his/her piano to a high place and one of the tired movers was packing out a banana at the time? Would the ring instantly malfunction, dropping the piano Looney Tunes Style?
The rings are more believable because it's an actual device making all those magical things but the weakness just being ''yellow'' is way too vague.
Marionette: Actually, it's currently three (Wonder Woman, X-Men, Fantastic Four), if you count female members of a team. The problem is, he kinda wants to do the big team origins (Avengers, JLA, Defenders, JSA and Champions, probably in that exact order) and between those 5 teams, there are only 2 serious female founders (Wasp for The Avengers and Black Widow for The Champions) left.
I didn't watch the Green Lantern movie. :P
Good origin, though. Although, if Hal feels no fear(and from the panels it looks like he has no emotions, period) wouldn't that make him a sociopath rather than a psychopath?
"Ancient mythology is silly, too. Zeus becomes a swan to seduce women. THAT is silly."
Yes, and Poseidon made a woman fall madly in love(and have sex) with a bull, Aphrodite turned a cat into a woman, Zeus turned into a shower of gold and a bull, Athena sprang fully grown and in armor from Zeus' head(though to be fair, he had swallowed her mother), Cronos ate his children, etc...
Greek mythology is pretty silly all around.
Puppetkara is adorable. He should do a review. ;)
It is worth noting how much the GL Corps outright steals from E.E. "Doc" Smith's Lensman series. Considering how much you mentioned cultural influences for other heroes, I'm disappointed they didn't get mentioned.
"Then why worship him?"
Because he has power. Zeus - and pretty much any Greek god except Hades (he doesn't really care) - is VERY unforgiving if you anger him.
Well Linkara, next Monday is Thor's origin. I know you write your own material, but I want to let you in on something I have observed in the early Thor comics. They were double story issues, one being a "modern" Thor story and the second one being a "Tales of Asgard" where background knowledge is given about Thor and the Asgardians. In these tales it noticeable that Thor can't fly nor call lightning in most of these stories. So at one point in the review you can joke " Apparently gods need a college education to shoot lightning". Hopefully if you plan to use this joke, it will be more comedic than what I am capable of. Finally please use Manowar's "Thor the Powerhead" at some point in the review, or Therion's cover of said song.
First: Anonymous, Linkara is FAR from the only person to like Green Lantern, I rather enjoyed the movie myself and FAR from the only person to hate Man of Steel. I've heard many people complain about that movie.
Second: The yellow weakness is far from vague. The ring does not effect things coloured yellow, it's really that simple. It's also very necessary since without the weakness there's no way for Green Lantern to actually be threatened.
I did enjoy this one. The only thing really missing from the origin story was any sort of real demonstration of the main character's powers, such as a fight with a villain of some kind, so I guess it's good they added in a couple extra stories, where he does exactly that.
For those saying Hal didn't need a weakness because he wasn't all-powerful... Yes. In the Silver Age, he pretty well was. In this comic alone, he turns metal to water, and passes through solid objects, and I've seen him un-transmogrify the entire Justice League after they were warped and distorted by an alien teleportation mirror. Take it from somebody who loved the Silver Age. If any character needed a weakness, it was the Green Lantern. I also think that enough good explanations have been given over the years for the yellow thing, that I just don't see the problem with it.
Actually, come to think of it, didn't Pollo have a run on the show as the main character, lasting about a minute? Right after the first time he helped you defeat Mechakara, he briefly took over as the main character for the rest of the episode, but then relinquished the spot to you again for the next episode; probably realizing that he shouldn't push things too far.
Finally, Linkara, you were not the only one who didn't hate the Green Lantern movie. I, for one, didn't hate it. I didn't -love- it, but I felt it was middle-of-the-road fare overall. There were elements to it that I hated (Hal's idiocy and Amanda Waller being thin,) and elements that I loved (anything to do with Oa or the Power Ring,) so it basically averages out in my mind, but I don't hate it.
"It is worth noting how much the GL Corps outright steals from E.E. "Doc" Smith's Lensman series. Considering how much you mentioned cultural influences for other heroes, I'm disappointed they didn't get mentioned."
*Shrug*
I go by what the books and sites say. I've never even heard of the Lensman series before and there's no evidence to suggest they outright stole anything other than similar ideas that may be present.
Huh. You know, of all the origin stories beyond X-Men, this is the one I honestly expected you to rip into the most. No offense intended, it's just that the tale was squarely focused upon explaining the origins of the character while providing no form of real action or way to display Jordan's power. Still, nice to hear that a few of the old origin stories still hold up today.
Also, if you're interested, it's been alleged that part of the reason Green Lateran turned out the way it did was because WB execs hijacked the production and re-shot/rewrote a lot of it. It's only an accusation suggested by a few secondary who were on set, but it would explain a few things.
Also, may I please ask something? I recently made a recap article on an old Gerry Anderson TV series called Captain Scarlet. Basically it was outlining how the series was underrated and overlooked when it came to surprisingly dark children's television, and a few people liked it. A couple requested that I look over it in the same style as History of the Power Rangers, presumably with a similar format but as a text document.
As this actually sounds like a fun idea, could I please have your permission to cover the series in a similar style?
"Also, may I please ask something? I recently made a recap article on an old Gerry Anderson TV series called Captain Scarlet. Basically it was outlining how the series was underrated and overlooked when it came to surprisingly dark children's television, and a few people liked it. A couple requested that I look over it in the same style as History of the Power Rangers, presumably with a similar format but as a text document.
As this actually sounds like a fun idea, could I please have your permission to cover the series in a similar style?"
You do realize I don't own a trademark on that style of analysis, right? XD You really don't need my permission to do so, so go ahead.
"So no origins of female heroes again this year?
You know how many female origins you've done? One. Two if you count female members on a team.
I can only assume that this is a sneaky build up to next year when you'll do nothing but female origins for three years to balance things up."
I think the problem is it's hard to say how many female heroes are iconic enough to do at this point. Jean and Sue were lucky to be on teams and WW obviously is WW and essentially the grandma of them all. Next year we will be getting Wasp and hopefully we'll move forwards with more heroines and maybe villainesses in the future. (if we do get villainesses, then Catwoman's probably an easy one; heck she appears in the same issue as the first appearance of the Joker!; then again the closest is probably Black Widow since she at least started a villain...though I fear the Rocky and Bullwinkle jokes with that)
As for Thor: things really get weird with his origin both in story and in real life. We have Lee and Kirby wanting another "strong man" who wasn't a monster, leading to Thor being made a hero out of a normal guy; before anything regarding Asgard was brought in and they had to do the whole "there was no Donald Blake, it was just Odin teaching him humility" retcon...yeah it works ultimately but it's sort of a mess just getting there (and usually why people don't even acknowledge Donald Blake anymore)
"Oh no! I cannot affect the missile because it is yellow! Oh wait, the tip is red I'll just lasso it by that instead. :)"
"You do realize I don't own a trademark on that style of analysis, right? XD You really don't need my permission to do so, so go ahead."
Indeed, but after a commenter specifically mentioned HOTPR it felt wrong not to get your permission before attempting the project.
Thank you for giving the go-ahead none the less.
Wait, but the concept of Secret Origins Month hasn't changed, just the logo... Nitpicking is fun :)
Personaly, I love the Avengers' theme song, so I'm all for it, though the font is kinda bleh.
And yeah, Geoff Johns repeatedly trying to make Hal be the greatest Green Lantern ever bugs me. I'm sorry, but the guy is a massive idiot, and that's when Johns writes him. Apparently, a disdain for authority is one of his likeable traits... yeah, I got Guy Gardner for that. Hal is jsut a loud mouth jackass. I know people like him, but he's just not for me. I like every other Green Lantern, even Sinestro, more than I like Hal.
That experimental ship is adorable. Look at it!
Lucky they retconned the honesty thing out. I mean... Sinestro...
Regarding the yellow thing, I think it's jsut that it sounds stupid. Kryptonite is a radioactive substance that they kinda tried to justify. Yellow is a colour...
I love that How named himself after the power battery. I mean, not Abin Sur? ... Dick.
I've never thought that Hal has no personalty... just that he is a massive dick.
Great video, Linkara. Can't wait for Thor's origin. I dunno how stupid magic was compared to science.
Btw, I'm wondering whether you are going to give Wasp her won video, or not. I'm not very familiar witht he character beyond some background knowledge, her involvement in Secret Invasion, her Earth's Mightiest Heroes counterpart, and her appearance in Uncanny Avengers (in which she comes off as shallow and pointless... and as another thing Rick Rememnder uses to hate on Rogue).
"you are the only person to like Green Lantern, and only person to hate Man of Steel"
No and no.
Hal being a creeper doesn't surprise me, since... well... that's the way he is. Unfortunately, Green Lantern is a lot like Spider-Man in that way, where I like the power set and concept, but don't like the character (either for refusing to grow up and be an adult or for being an unrepentant jerk). The Green Lantern movie, cartoons and comics (I've read a few volumes of Geoff Johns's run) introduce us to cool aliens and imaginative powers... unfortunately, it's all focused on a womanizing moron who seems to cause more problems with his ring than he solves.
Great episode on Hal Jordan, whose origin is surprisingly one of the more plausible origins in the Silver Age.
Incidentally, are you going to do an episode on Emerald Twilight?
Martonimos: That's the OTHER great thing about the Green Lantern mythos for those who don't like Hal's whole deal: They can focus on someone else. Alan Scott, Guy Gardner, John Stewart and Kyle Rayner are ALL there and availiable to adapt if they don't like the idea of Hal Jordan as their main character. IF Warner Bros actually had someone in their production side that knew there were multiple Green Lanterns (or even multiple Lantern Corps (Saint Walker movie, anyone?)) and cared more about bringing the power set and general concept to screen and offered an "open Lantern" offer to artists? We'd have a MUCH better Lantern movie than the 2011 attempt.
You say that Geoff Johns tried to convince people he was greatest Green Lantern, and I say he kind of succeeded. I've seen so many Favorite Green Lantern polls where Jordon wins by a pretty huge margin, also a lot of comic fans credit Johns for making the title a big seller it is right now after he brought Jordon back to life in Green Lantern: Rebirth.
So Linkara, this is way off topic, but since I know you're a fan, how did you like The Day of the Doctor?
"I go by what the books and sites say. I've never even heard of the Lensman series before and there's no evidence to suggest they outright stole anything other than similar ideas that may be present."
I've always found the claim that the creators of the silver age Green Lantern were unaware of Lensmen a little suspect. While it's quite understandable for someone of our generation not to know of the series (I likely wouldn't have discovered it if I hadn't seen the anime that was very loosely based on it), the stories were huge when they first came out, some consider it the first space opera, and it's inspired many of the great names in scifi literature, television, and movies (like Heinlein, J Micheal Straczynski, and Lucas).
Broome was writing for scifi pulps around the same time as Heinlein's later installments in the series and was a fan of scifi growing up; It's certainly possible that he somehow avoided reading Lensmen, it seems more likely to me that he at least encountered it in passing even if he forgot about it later.
Anyway there's no real shame in Broome being inspired by Lensmen even if it is the case... The main themes that they share is an ancient alien race who bestows a tool to the civilized races of the galaxy that is used by an incorruptible galactic police force.
We'll never no for sure, later writers certainly saw the connection when they created Arisia and Edorre, but my belief (and I admit I could be wrong) is that Occam's Razor suggests the pulp-scifi reading, and writing Broome likely came into contact with it at some point.
I too liked the Green Lantern movie. Not without it's flaws of course, but I was entertained overall. Not sure why it has such a bad reputation
If they ever do make that Justice League movie, I wouldn't be opposed to Ryan Reynolds reprising his role as Hal Jordan.
I read a story once where a GL died on some planet, and his ring went in search for somebody without fear. It found the guy in an insane asylum; because only somebody insane would be totally without fear.
I thought the movie was okay. Not great, as it should have been, but okay. And the line you quoted 'you think if you hide your cheekbones, I won't recognise you' made it for me.
Anonymous - "I do wish to challenge the color yellow. Green is formed from 2 colors, one of which is yellow."
You're half right. When it comes to pigment, green is half yellow. When it comes to light, though - which the lanterns use - green is a primary colour, and yellow is made of blue and green (I think).
~ Mik
Your mention of the Green Lantern movie in the prologue got me thinking - I've seen Hal Jordan's origin story retold about 4 different times, counting the film.
There's the movie, then there's DC: The New Frontier and it's animated adaptation, and the Green Lantern: First Flight animated film, and the Super Friends episode where the Legion of Doom tries to retroactively block each of the Superfriends origins (which in turn retells the origins of Green Lantern, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman).
Come to think of it, I bet only Superman, Batman, and Spider-Man have had their origin stories told and re-told more often than Green Lantern has.
I guess Matt Murdock wasn't anywhere near at the time.
Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. Fear causes me to be passed over for free swag from outer space.
Also, looting the corpse... who knew Hal was a gamer.
I had always imagined that the ring's weakness meant that electromagnetic radiation operating within a certain range of wavelengths that we identify as "yellow" disrupted the energy of the ring.
Then they did the whole fear monster thing and completely blew my theory out of the water.
And finally, would Sauron be able to take control of the Green Lantern Corp?
DriveByPost:
"And finally, would Sauron be able to take control of the Green Lantern Corp?"
It is a fear we all have to live with. It casts its shadow over everything we've built here.
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