True to form, I read Green Lantern #11 first today, fully expecting disappointment. I expressed my earlier ennui about Katma, I was pissed off about a new backstory element introduced in Green Lantern #10, I wasn't expecting John to have more than a page or two, and I'd realized that Johns was lying when he promised Kyle (who I just haven't been seeing enough of lately) would appear in issue 11. It seemed I had nothing to look forward too.
But I read it, and I enjoyed it (even when the plot element I disliked intensely came up). Hal was as jerkily appealing as ever -- if he didn't have such a beautiful face I'd hit him (fortunately, he was hit for me many times this issue without doing any damage), and had all those lovely soft facial expressions (confusion, disbelief, mischeviousness) I like to see on guys. Guy was brash, cheerful, and seemed subtly perceptive, while also having at least one charming soft facial expression. Kilowog and Salakk had lines, Soranik had a cameo (Nikkie was actually doing medical work! Another Doctor for Scott's list come Green Lantern Corps?), and the Corps again seemed like a very large police force.
And though I was once again pleased by the inclusion of many background female Green Lanterns, I came away with the feeling I wouldn't mind this creative team doing a book with an all-male cast.
But I can't imagine where that idea came from...
So Green Lantern doesn't have an all male cast because they occaisonally show female characters standing around in the background?
ReplyDeleteI think your idea and mine of what qualifies a character for being considered "in the cast" are slightly different.
I've actually just started reading GL, mainly because your constant posts about the books have intrigued me. I started with issue #10, as OYL seemed a good place to start. So far, I'm enjoying it very much.
ReplyDeleteIs it the flashbacks that are bugging you? Or is it the opening sequence of #10, which seems to be fallout from the events that will be described in 52? (I'm sorry if I'm vague. I'm trying not to spoil plotlines for those who haven't read.)
Tom -- It's fun, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteMainly I'm bugged by the fashbacks. I was enjoying the lighter tone after Rebirth and I can see the Angst Train barreling down. Also, when I was Military, that was sacred. It was jarring to see that element introduced to a comic book character (at least, introduced to Green Lantern. I know they've done backstory before with others.)
Marionette -- I'm surprised you don't consider Brik and Soranik (who was pretty much the central focus point in Recharge, playing opposite Guy) or Cowgirl and Susan full cast members of Hal's book. They get at least as much panel-time over a year or so as Alfred does in Batman.
You see, that's the thing about supporting cast members -- they don't always get lines, but they are still part of the cast. Like John is a supporting cast member who's shown up three times (less, actually, than Cowgirl) in Green Lantern.
Unless you saw fit to make that silly comment without first reading more than the odd issue or two the series or the miniseries, in which case I can see how you missed the entire supporting cast.
Of course, I can see where the attitude that these supporting cast members that we love and enjoy as well as the main characters aren't really cast members comes in to play when the decision is made to kill them for the purposes of the plot. In which case I'm sure you can see where I get defensive when my favorite supporting cast members are trivialized by an offhand comment such as yours.
It is fun. :)
ReplyDeleteI see where you're coming from re: the flashbacks, especially given that you were in the military. And now that I think about it, it's odd that DC would see a need to introduce even more angst to Hal's character--I would think that his time as Parallax was a more than large enough source of internal conflict. Hal certainly seems upset enough by it.
Ragnell, I took a look through GL 9, 10, & 11, and 1 & 5 of Recharge. I did notice that Soranik got some lines in #1, but she didn't seem to be planning to stay, and it was hard to tell whether she appeared at all in #5, though I'm guessing maybe she was the female lantern on the final page?
ReplyDeleteNo female lanterns get anything interesting to do in 9, 10, or 11 of GL except agree with other people or get tied up.
But no, I didn't check every GL related comic from the last year. Should I really need to?
marionette: I hope Ragnell doesn't mind me jumping in here but, oh...wow. Soranik was *major* in 2, 3 and 4. As in the most important of the rookies. Basically earmarking her for second lead of GLC, after Guy Gardner. Only Kyle and Guy were more prominent in the mini-series and that's because they're the leads with the built in fanbase.
ReplyDeleteAnd honestly, you *should* check the issues. There are issues of the Flash, I'd imagine, where Linda Park and Joan Garrick aren't featured prominently. More than one in a row even.
Does that mean they're not important? No. It just means the lead character is a man. There are whole issues of Batman without Alfred, there are whole issues of Superman without Lois.
One could make a case taking five random or *even* sequential issues of any of these comics and make the same claim as your making about Green Lantern.
And quite honestly. They would be wrong. As you are.
Back to the butt shot...
ReplyDeleteI was flipping through GL #11 because of Kalinara's nice write up of the new Guy/Hal relationship, when I came upon that image.
A two page-spread, and a full quarter of it, half a page, is devoted to Hal's surprisingly firm buttocks. It's freakin huge!
I used to think you girls were cherry-picking images but now I just have to assume it's canon.
That, apparently, is the best angle for GL watching.
Oh goodness, reading back through my own comment, grammar is not my friend, is it?
ReplyDelete*buries head in hands*
(And yeah, it totally is the best angle. :-) Everyone had an ass shot in this issue. Hal had the biggest of course. Guy had one. Even *Salakk* had one! It's a beautiful, beautiful thing.)