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Post by Admin on Jan 18, 2012 13:01:37 GMT -5
Please let us know what you think!
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Post by HoM on Jan 18, 2012 16:08:31 GMT -5
A brand new year and a brand new Green Lantern series. Isn't life grand?
After the pretty heavy events of the last series I wanted to draw a line and say "all change" so I decided that instead of following up with Hal, Guy, Hank and all those other characters who you've read (and grown close to) over the last few months (and years before), we should change gears and focus on another character who was introduced way-back-when: John Stewart. John is one of my favourite characters in comics and television, and so this was a great opportunity that I had to take. He's a completely different Green Lantern. He thinks more, he's got a life beyond the ring... so I hope I don't let myself down (and the reader) when I try and show that. He also doesn't wear a mask. What could possibly go wrong?!
That all said, I'm not going to say you won't see Hal Jordan again. You'll see plenty of him when the time comes. But for now John Stewart is our Green Lantern, and as you can see from the back-up tale delving into his past... he's been part of the DC2 for a damn long time.
I hope you enjoy this debut issue!
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Post by kylebridges on Jan 19, 2012 15:57:25 GMT -5
As a big time John Stewart fan, I am so excited to see what's next for the character. Plus, I'm such a huge Grundy fan that I'm happy whenever and where ever he shows up. Great issue Charlie, well done.
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Post by David on Jan 20, 2012 13:05:30 GMT -5
Any doubts I had about John Stewart carrying Green Lantern are--- thankfully!--- laid to rest. Not much of a Kyle fan, and while I like Guy, I like him best on a team, but John is a leading man and Charlie treats him as such. Some great character work here. Interesting choice to have him waive his secret identity (his reasoning why is pretty solid, but then, cops don't have super-powered lunatics gunning for them)--- I just hope it doesn't come back to haunt him. You know, like it did to Hal . Evil Star was a droll delight. He almost seemed cartoony, which I loved (it can't be so heavy all the time!); I get the impression if he had mustachios, he'd be twirling them! Hope to see more of this villain. Ah, the return of Adam Strange...! I almost forgot about the mystery of Rann's destruction that Hal and Guy were investigating when the Predator reared his ugly head. SPOILERS!!!!!!!! So, is this the long-heralded return of Darkseid? With the Fourth World back into play, things are sure to heat up pretty fast around here! Speaking of Fourth World, the back-up story was a neat little callback to the DC2's earliest days. It was fun seeing the other side of the coin to the invasion, and to be reminded how significant that event was to our shared continuity. I admit the "Shakoor" backstory is going over my head, but I'll be back for next issue regardless, so no worries there! Great cover from Matt! Love the strong, confidant portrayal of John Stewart, and that slight arch of the eyebrow speaks volumes! Interesting art effects, too, with the colors and background shading; the subtle integration of the former Earth Lanterns was a neat touch! Obviously this is fan fiction, but this title always gives me the impression of having just read a great, fun comic. So, thanks ;D!
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Post by Matt Erkhart on Jan 20, 2012 16:07:21 GMT -5
Thanks for the kudos on the cover, David!
I wanted to catch a few things with this, especially being a First Issue, and the first time we see John as the title character... First issues are like first meetings in that way: you get that impression right off that sticks with you forever.
Anyway, I wanted to show John in a certain way (alot of which comes from my HUGE love of the Bruce Timm Animated Justice Leagues). I wanted John STANDING. Not flying, John isn't Hal. He's down-to-earth, in the dirt WITH the rest of the human race, not above it. I wanted him looking RIGHT at you, because he's that meet-your-gaze kind of guy. And I wanted that look of certainty and defiance that basically says, "I'm it. I'm the man with the Ring. NOT the ring with a man behind it. Charge at 0%, if you're up to no good, your ass is still mine." If anything, as a bad guy you WANT John Stewart to use the ring on you just so he doesn't beat you to a pulp USMC-style. A bubble-cage causes fewer contusions. :-P
And when Charlie told me he wanted the other 4 Earth-Lanterns in there, I immediately wanted to show that sense of legacy and kinship. Easy to pull off since the DCU's Blackest Night has given us a great visual vocabulary for emotion in the different colors. So you get that Band of Brothers fraternal love (violet), the solid, undeniable strip of Hope (blue), and the rest is just will, Will, WILL... Because of course, it's still a GL book. :-)
Funny thing is, I did the cover with just a vague description of what Charlie had in mind, hadn't read the issue myself, but afterward reading the issue (especially the flashback!), it's evident Charlie and I have a very similar take on the character and what he's all about. It's great when you have that kind of synergy between writer and artist. Kind of makes me wish I had more time for this stuff so I could do interiors for a book like this. My GOD would I rock some 1966-Batman-TV-Show-style canted angles in the "Lair of Evil Star". XD So cool.
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Post by David on Jan 20, 2012 18:19:30 GMT -5
Ha! The next issue NEEDS to be called "In the Lair of Evil Star!"
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Post by HoM on Feb 5, 2012 18:13:49 GMT -5
As a big time John Stewart fan, I am so excited to see what's next for the character. Plus, I'm such a huge Grundy fan that I'm happy whenever and where ever he shows up. Great issue Charlie, well done. Thanks Kyle, this issue was actually quite hard to work on; there's a lot of expectation with a new #1, so I needed to make it work on quite a few levels. I think I achieved it! John's voice is one I want to feel more confident with, but at the moment I think I'm doing okay. He's doing what he can for anyone he can, because he's pretty damn awesome. I wanted to open the issue with a really odd set-piece, so I thought... Solomon Grundy. Then I thought... multiple Solomon Grundies. Then I thought airborne Solomon Grundy virus and then I had to rationalise that storytelling choice... fun times! Glad you approve, and thanks for reading!
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Post by HoM on Feb 5, 2012 18:22:53 GMT -5
Any doubts I had about John Stewart carrying Green Lantern are--- thankfully!--- laid to rest. Not much of a Kyle fan, and while I like Guy, I like him best on a team, but John is a leading man and Charlie treats him as such. Some great character work here. I've said elsewhere, but writing John is actually a bit of a challenge. I'm trying to find his "defining" trait. Hal is fearless, Guy is a hothead, Kyle is an artist, Hank wants to impress, but John... is a good man. Is that enough to carry a character? Any input would be welcome. Interesting choice to have him waive his secret identity (his reasoning why is pretty solid, but then, cops don't have super-powered lunatics gunning for them)--- I just hope it doesn't come back to haunt him. I think it's going to be interesting. With his new job I knew I needed to do something I hadn't done in a long time with this title, and that's introduce a bloody supporting cast. When it came to my Batman runs the supporting cast were the villains, running around doing their thing. I don't think you can count Robin, Red Hood, Nightwing, Alfred as supporting characters because they're integral, they're as much of the Bat-titles as Batman himself is... I never had a Silver, a Vicki, anyone like that, so I thought... why not build a world around John? You know, like it did to Hal . #4! Evil Star was a droll delight. He almost seemed cartoony, which I loved (it can't be so heavy all the time!); I get the impression if he had mustachios, he'd be twirling them! Hope to see more of this villain. God, I know, right? I have such plans for Evil Star. #3's back up is a look back at his origin, starring a familiar face to long time readers in the role of GL, but he's going to be quite an interesting fellow as the months come and go. I wanted to use him years ago and set something up in #25 which I'm touching on next issue (blimey!). So many plot threads, so little time! Ah, the return of Adam Strange...! I almost forgot about the mystery of Rann's destruction that Hal and Guy were investigating when the Predator reared his ugly head. Yes, I needed to tidy up Adam Strange. I was intending to let Rann lie for a while but Jay used the place, I knew I couldn't just take an entire planet out of play, so I thought I would use this #1 as a chance to follow up on a story I always intended to tell in one way or another. Their return was originally intended to be a lot more passive. But then a thought occurred to me... So, is this the long-heralded return of Darkseid? With the Fourth World back into play, things are sure to heat up pretty fast around here! Oh man, keep reading. Speaking of Fourth World, the back-up story was a neat little callback to the DC2's earliest days. It was fun seeing the other side of the coin to the invasion, and to be reminded how significant that event was to our shared continuity. You know how much I love our continuity, so I wanted to insert John in between the events, to give him some context. As you can see from the back-up, he was front and centre on one of the IXE fronts. Next issue things heat up, and it's also going to go a way to explain his actions in the main chunk of #2 as well. I admit the "Shakoor" backstory is going over my head, but I'll be back for next issue regardless, so no worries there! God, I was looking for a mystical city full of magical artefacts... and I stumbled upon Shakoor... which is from Count Duckula... so... Great cover from Matt! Love the strong, confidant portrayal of John Stewart, and that slight arch of the eyebrow speaks volumes! Interesting art effects, too, with the colors and background shading; the subtle integration of the former Earth Lanterns was a neat touch! Love love love this cover. Great #1 debut. Thanks for making it a corker, Matt! Obviously this is fan fiction, but this title always gives me the impression of having just read a great, fun comic. So, thanks ;D! Bloody brilliant news! Cheers for reading, Dave!
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Post by HoM on Feb 5, 2012 18:24:09 GMT -5
Anyway, I wanted to show John in a certain way (alot of which comes from my HUGE love of the Bruce Timm Animated Justice Leagues). I wanted John STANDING. Not flying, John isn't Hal. He's down-to-earth, in the dirt WITH the rest of the human race, not above it. I wanted him looking RIGHT at you, because he's that meet-your-gaze kind of guy. And I wanted that look of certainty and defiance that basically says, "I'm it. I'm the man with the Ring. NOT the ring with a man behind it. Charge at 0%, if you're up to no good, your ass is still mine." If anything, as a bad guy you WANT John Stewart to use the ring on you just so he doesn't beat you to a pulp USMC-style. A bubble-cage causes fewer contusions. :-P And when Charlie told me he wanted the other 4 Earth-Lanterns in there, I immediately wanted to show that sense of legacy and kinship. Easy to pull off since the DCU's Blackest Night has given us a great visual vocabulary for emotion in the different colors. So you get that Band of Brothers fraternal love (violet), the solid, undeniable strip of Hope (blue), and the rest is just will, Will, WILL... Because of course, it's still a GL book. :-) Funny thing is, I did the cover with just a vague description of what Charlie had in mind, hadn't read the issue myself, but afterward reading the issue (especially the flashback!), it's evident Charlie and I have a very similar take on the character and what he's all about. It's great when you have that kind of synergy between writer and artist. Kind of makes me wish I had more time for this stuff so I could do interiors for a book like this. My GOD would I rock some 1966-Batman-TV-Show-style canted angles in the "Lair of Evil Star". XD So cool. I love this. I love it. This is exactly what I'm talking about when it comes to John Stewart. Down to Earth. In the dirt. Fighting side by side with the common guy. Fantastic. Thanks, Matt!
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Post by Alex on Feb 26, 2012 10:07:48 GMT -5
Charlie, while I promise I will catch up with your work on the previous volume of Green Lantern, the new #1, with a new lead and new status quo were to much to pass up.
I think you set things up here very nicely. You don't need to know much to much back story (though it adds to it) to get into the think of things here, just John's the Green Lantern and here's the story.
Much of my understanding of John comes from the Timm/Dini universe and I think you did a good job of hitting the mark with the character. Not about the flashy constructs or doing things with flair, just sort of a get things done quickly and efficiently type a guy.
Like David, I kinda enjoyed seeing the other side of the Apokolips Invasion. Regular people (for lack of a better term) usually get lost in those big events and seeing how they react to them, and not just standing waiting for the capes to do everything.
You've got me hooked and will get on issue 2 shortly, as well as the previous volume.
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Post by HoM on Mar 4, 2012 8:10:58 GMT -5
Charlie, while I promise I will catch up with your work on the previous volume of Green Lantern, the new #1, with a new lead and new status quo were to much to pass up. Look forward to you seeing what I did with the end of that series. Really enjoyed writing the issues. I think you set things up here very nicely. You don't need to know much to much back story (though it adds to it) to get into the think of things here, just John's the Green Lantern and here's the story. Exactly. Brand new DC2, brand new #1, best place for new readers. I'm going to be a bastard come #4 and make no concessions, but until then... enjoy the jumping on point while it lasts! Much of my understanding of John comes from the Timm/Dini universe and I think you did a good job of hitting the mark with the character. Not about the flashy constructs or doing things with flair, just sort of a get things done quickly and efficiently type a guy. Yes, my version of John is based mostly on the DCAU version, but with flashes of what I liked about him under Judd Winnick's pen, how he appeared in JLA by Joe Kelly, that kind of thing. I'd be remiss to say that Geoff Johns didn't play a role in shaping my vision, but I tried to avoid that thought process. Didn't Stewart say "All I have to do is stay black!" in one issue of the Sinestro Corps War? I kinda blinked and put down the issue. Like David, I kinda enjoyed seeing the other side of the Apokolips Invasion. Regular people (for lack of a better term) usually get lost in those big events and seeing how they react to them, and not just standing waiting for the capes to do everything. Yes, more will be revealed come next issue, and then even MORE will be revealed in #3. Good times. You've got me hooked and will get on issue 2 shortly, as well as the previous volume. Thanks for your time, Alex!
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