(I'll pick up #18 over Reis and Acuna's pink slips, dammit.)
Yeah, I picked it up. Rachelle and Sally kept blogging the storyline and I had to check it out.
I should really fucking hate this storyline.
I don't.
I hate aspects of the storyline. I still hate the fucking costume. I fucking hate Acuna's art. I really fucking hate the emotional divide between the Zamarons and the Guardians, they get to study love rather than willpower*? Yuck! How fucking stereotypical can you be?
The most irritating part was the Dela Pharon retcon. The original story with Dela (Star Sapphire III) in Green Lantern #41 had a new Star Sapphire pretending to be Carol and trying to trick Hal into marriage. This was part of her usurping Carol as the Zamaron Queen. As well as defeating Carol in battle, she felt a need to steal Carol's position, identity, and boyfriend. It was an interesting story that played up the Zamaron role-reversal by making Hal the "bride" in an old plot. The story itself was about Carol.
By making the Star Sapphire parasite attracted to Hal, he destroyed that story and made the whole thing about Hal.
That wasn't the only point in the whole storyline that made me want to throw things at Johns, but its the part I find hardest to forgive.
But...
It fits in with Hal's character and Carol's character, and restores Carol to her proper place in the franchise. Carol's back to flying airplanes herself. There was an appearance by Tom. It adds the Zamarons into the franchise plotline, which they need to be into, and in the end they aren't so obsessed with love/lust anymore. (It also conveniently changes their appearance back to that of female Maltusians, rather than white human women).
The story is problematic, but moves towards a much better status quo. (Eventually this parasite crap will need to be retconned out, though.)
And the ending left me with a little smile. Cheered me out of a pissy mood. I'm back to reading the GL mainbook again.
Hopefully Acuna'll be gone next issue.
*Anyone wanna take bets on the Controllers' specialty?
I'm glad that it made you smile. There were some awkward moments, certainly, but Hal seemed to be having SUCH a good time throughout it, that I forgive the retcon. I thought that it portrayed Carol in a very good way, and I'm actually starting to like Cowgirl.
ReplyDeleteHeh...I loved the end too. More than anything else I like that there is potential for a Carol/Hal thing again. No offense to the Cowgirl, who I actually like, I'm all about Carol. She was an awesome character who was finally becoming a fully realized character again when Emerald Twilight hit and I'm glad to see Johns finally got around to addressing that.
ReplyDeleteBtw, anyone else think emotions are like Pokemon in the DCU? ("We have to collect them all!")
"I really fucking hate the emotional divide between the Zamarons and the Guardians, they get to study love rather than willpower? Yuck! How fucking stereotypical can you be?"
ReplyDeleteI think they wanted to study all emotions, not just love. It's just that they discovered that crystalline entity and became too focused on the one emotion.
Derek -- Yeah, but there's still that emotional divide. The male section studies logic and reason, the female section studies emotional.
ReplyDeletePisses me off that its specifically love, too, since anger would've fit Star Sapphire just as well (if not better, given the degrading of the character into a parody of female rage over the years).
Today, I finally made it into town and was able to visit the comics store; when I brought my stack of acquisitions to the cash register, the clerk saw the copy of Green Lantern #20.
ReplyDelete"Star Sapphire! You know what her superpower is, right?" He winked at me. "It's the hotness. It's all about the hotness." He grinned broadly at me and waited for me to reply.
At this point I realized I had three options -- I could (A) say something withering, (B) inflict a long and uber-nerdly lecture on the Sapphire's powers upon him or (C) gaze at him blankly with my very best expression of polite incomprehension until he turned as red as his hair (he looked like a plumper version of Jimmy Olsen) and rung up my purchases.
I opted for C. Was that the right one?
I admire your restraint. I'd have gone right into B and called him a few names for not knowing the GL franchise as well as I do.
ReplyDeleteStunned silence is not only polite, but potentially withering.
ReplyDeleteRagnell-
ReplyDeleteWhat aren't you liking about the art? Not that I'm trying to change your mind, I just wanted to hear what about Arcuna's art annoyed you.
Though I didn't care for Hal's greasy-looking hair, I thought the luminous quality Arcuna brought to the character coloring was interesting.
Mark -- Its stiff, and the figures are awkward. There's no fluidity or energy to the artwork. Its fauxtorealistic art.
ReplyDeletePacheco and Reis were much better fits to the GL book (even Van Schiver is considerably better than Acuna), and over in GLC Gleason kicks Acuna's ass on a regular basis, and on time every month.