May 20, 2012

Review: Green Lantern #1

Green Lantern #1

Written by: Geoff Johns
Art by: Doug Mahnke, Christian Alamy, Tom Nguyen, and David Baron

So the book that I have been looking forward to in the DCnU has finally released today. Since the War of the Green Lanterns, I have been very curious about the direction the Green Lantern Corps will be taking, especially the main character. War of Green Lanterns ended with Hal Jordan’s expulsion from the Corps, and sent back to Earth. We also left off with Sinestro as a Green Lantern again, and being interrogated by the Guardians.

Art
I have never been a huge fan of Doug Mahnke’s art, but after I read this issue, I decided to find out if it was his work, or the inker’s that I do not enjoy. Performing a quick search, I found that I actually enjoy his work, and the inks I do not enjoy. Finally taking the time to see his actual work, I am quite impressed. So much so that if I do encounter him at one of the conventions I attend, I will be looking to add his work to my Green Lantern wall.

Mahnke Pencils

Unfortunately, the inks and colors for this book are not that enjoyable. With a book like this, I would expect to see a colorist really display the power from the various Corps. For instance, in Justice League there was an entire page dedicated to showing the blinding light that a Green Lantern can produce, and the colors made it seem blinding just looking at a page. The colors in this book are very boring, and just seem to show the differences in colors. (3.0 out of 5)

Writing
Similar to all of the stories written by Geoff Johns lately, this is probably a story I will enjoy more once I have the full story arc, and I read it all at once. Fortunately, there was enough that happened in this issue, that I was not completely disappointed.

I am not a big fan of Hal being ostracized in every aspect of his life. Kicked from the Corps, can’t pay his rent, can’t fly airplanes anymore, and so forth. For a person that literally just saved the universe, he deserves a lot better. One can only assume that they are tearing him down, only to build him up significantly in the end. Time will tell, and I look forward to seeing the progression of his story. (3.5 out of 5)

Would I read it again?
I will definitely be reading this again once I have the complete story arc. I believe this was a very good start for this new book, and I was left wanting more. If you have not already purchased this, I would strongly suggest waiting for the trade. (3.0 out of 5)


Rating Description
3.0

Art
Mahnke’s work is nice, but the work inker of the colorist does not help it.

3.5

Writing
Good introduction story, I am looking forward to seeing more.

3.5

Read it again?
I will definitely be reading this again, once I have the whole story.

3.0

Overall (not an average)
I would suggest waiting for the trade on this story, as it will probably be better read as one complete story.

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Review: DC Universe Reboot and Justice League #1

Justice League #1

 

A short time ago the DC executives announced that they would be rebooting the majority of the DC library. There would be 52 new series starting at number one, and today marked the release of the first book in the series of 52, Justice League #1.

Before I provide my opinion of Justice League #1, I will first talk about my thoughts on the DC Universe Reboot. My first thought when I heard about the reboot was disgust. There were several stories that I was reading that I found to be very interesting, and the thought of those story lines magically ending and starting over did not appeal to me at all. Just like many others that have expressed their opinions on the subject, I was not happy about the thought of everything starting over. In the past three years, I have stopped reading several DC titles, due to things like the end of Final Crisis. The only thing that the reboot made me think about, was discontinuing reading all DC books, other than Green Lantern, and devoting my time to Invincible and The Walking Dead.

As time continued to pass, news was released that Geoff Johns would be writing a new book, with an all-star artist, Ivan Reis. I was extremely excited upon hearing this news, and then information was released saying the book he would be writing was Aquaman. Once again, I was immediately disgusted. Even with one of my favorite comic book authors writing it, I have no interest in reading an Aquaman book. I am sure there are some individuals out there that like the character, but I find him to be a ludicrous super-hero. Take him out of water, and he is useless.

Some time later in the year, to go along with the reboot, new costumes were revealed for the DC Universe Characters. Once again, disgust. As I looked at the first released image on all of the various comic book resource websites, I continued to think, “What is DC doing?” I was also thinking about the more important question, “Will I be giving DC my money this fall on any of these books?”

Justice League Costumes

Needless to say, there was a lot of disgust for me as I continued to see and hear about the DC Reboot. Just as I was getting closer to making the decision that I would cancel the majority of DC books from my subscription, I began to see things that changed my mind. The most telling sign was a preview that I saw from BleedingCool.com for the new Aquaman book. If you recall my distaste for Aquaman, and how useless that I feel the character is, the fourth page made me laugh enough that I may even buy Aquaman #1.

Aquaman Preview

 

Finally, it is time for my review of the first installment of the DC Comics reboot. First, I will talk about the things I liked, followed by the things I disliked in the book. The art was great in the book. Jim Lee, Scott Williams, and Alex Sinclair have done a wonderful job once again. The images are very detailed, the color is well done, and the book is visually stimulating. That concludes the things I liked about the book.

Over the years Hal Jordan has grown to be one of my favorite characters. So much so, that each comic book convention I attend, I commission an artist for their rendition of Hal. If this were my first introduction to Hal Jordan, I would never read a book with him in it again. This is not due to Hal being cocky, as that is something I kind of expect from him. The over-confident, arrogant individual, speaking in third person, is unacceptable. If this is the Hal Jordan I have to look for in the future, I see him quickly working his way to match my hate of Aquaman.

The book itself is the beginning of an introduction arc to all of our favorite heroes, so there was not enough story provided to give me a great feel for where the series will be going in the near future. To that end, my first review for this book is a 2.5 out of 5 stars. Hopefully, the next book will be more interesting.

 

Rating: ★★½☆☆ 

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