Green Lanterns Light Part Two

Green Lantern: Rebirth

Green Lantern Rebirth begins with Kyle Rayner returning to Earth in a spacecraft, violently crashing down at Highway Hill in New Mexico.  A pair of hiker investigate the wreckage to find the injured hero who tells them to warn people that ‘It has a name’ before falling unconscious.  We then see that his ship contains a very special cargo, the coffin of Hal Jordan.  His ring begins to repeat one word over and over again ‘Parallax’.

A series of strange events all begin to unfold, pointing towards Hal Jordan, whose spirit I now joined with the powerful mystical entity The Spectre.  Hal Jordan pronounced judgement on one of his old villains, Black Hand, and burns one of hi hands to ash.  Guy Gardner’s new shape shifting ability goes out of control and causes an explosion that destroys his bar but leaves only one item untouched, a statue of Hal Jordan.  Coast City, long since destroyed, appears to return out of nowhere with the only building being Hal Jordan’s home.

Disturbed by these events the Justice league track down and confront Hal Jordan, who insists that he is not responsible for theses events.  During the confrontation John Stewart appears to go insane and attack the rest of the league.

Hal Jordan’s old Green Lantern ring that he had given to Green Arrow for safe keeping duplicates itself and flies onto the finger of the dieing Guy Gardner, healing him and making him a Green Lantern once again.  He then falls under the same influence that has affected John Stewart and goes insane. 

Kyle Rayner is only just recovering when he is attacked by Kilowog, a Green Lantern from another sector who is acting as strangely as the others.  Saved just in time by the Guardian Ganthet he is told that he must protect Hal Jordan’s body whilst Hal himself has to battle for his soul against both the Spectre and the entity Parallax.

Hal Jordan resurrected.

Green Lantern Rebirth was the very beginning of Johns’ run on Green Lantern and reintroduced a number of characters to the Green Lantern universe. Not only does he make Guy Gardner a Green Lantern once again but he also brings Hal Jordan back from the dead.

The only problem he faced, however, was the fact that Hal Jordan died a villain.  Yes, hi death was a self sacrifice to save the Earth and he had since joined with The Spectre and was trying to make amends for what he had done, but how do you go about forgiving a character that killed many Green Lanterns, destroyed the Corps and even at one point tried to unmake the universe?

Easy, it wasn’t really him.  Johns took the idea of Parallax, the name Hal took on when he turned evil, and made it into something greater than it had ever intended to have been.  Johns introduced the idea that Parallax was in fact an ancient living entity of fear, the enemy of the Green Lanterns that was long ago imprisoned in the Central Power Battery on Oa.

By having Parallax possess Hal, something that even went so far as to explain why the character had started to go grey at such a young age, he made Hal just another victim of Parallax.  Though he still had a long way to go to prove himself in the eyes of some of the other characters Hal Jordan was alive again and mostly redeemed. 

Green Lantern Rebirth not only established the concept of the Emotional Entities, but brought back the all time classic Green Lantern Villain Sinestro.  Easily explaining away his apparent death almost a decade before as part of Parallax’s plan to control Hal Jordan Sinestro was now back to wreak havoc on his arch nemesis.

Green Lantern Rebirth is the perfect example of how to take what has come before, the good and the bad, and use it to create something so much greater than it ever had been.  Johns easily integrated the previous stories and established something that would go on to be the foundation of one of thee greatest runs in comic history.

 

Green Lantern Corps: Recharge

With Hal Jordan returned from the dead Kyle Rayner and Guy Gardner are summoned to Oa by the Guardians of the Universe to help to rebuild the Green Lantern Corps.  Charged with helping to train the new recruits.

Across the universe the newly forged Green Lantern rings search out those that can serve the Corps.  Among the new recruits are Korugarian surgeon Soranik Natu, Ranninan soldier Vath Sarn and Thanagarian Saurian Isamot Kol.  During the recruitment drive Ganthet tells the Earth Lanterns that several Green Lanterns have been killed by the sudden and inexplicable appearances of black holes. 

Disgusted with being chosen to be a Green Lantern, due to her planets history with Sinestro, Soranik Natu quits the Corps.  She leaves Oa, using her ring to fly her home before eventually giving it up to find a new bearer.  On her way back to Korugar a black hole opens up and swallows her.  Once she awakens she finds herself in some unknown location, surrounded by giant webs and the corpses of several Green Lanterns. 

Picking up a distress signal sent out by her ring the others set out to find and rescue her, but end up stumbling across a much larger plot that not only threatens the Green Lantern Corps but could go on to destroy Oa itself.

Soranik is chosen by a Power Ring.  Much to her dismay.

Green Lantern Corps Recharge is a great follow on piece to Green Lantern Rebirth, taking what the other book had done and using it as a spring board to bring back the Green Lantern Corps. 

The book introduces a number of new characters that would go on to be a major part of the Green Lantern universe over the following years in the form of Soranik Natu and mismatched sector partners Vath Sarn and Isamot Kol.  Despite the fact that the book is only five issues long and deals with other characters the three new additions to the cast each has their own moment to shine and are given enough insight and back story that you know exactly who they are and what drives them.  Recharge also reintroduces a number of classic Lanterns into the new series including Brik, Stel, Green Man and Salak. 

The villains of the piece, the Spider Guild, are effectively creepy and menacing and their insect like society and swarms of soldiers mean that the Corps have plenty of enemies to fight against, ensuring that the action never gets boring.

Despite being a team book Recharge is Guy Gardner’s moment to shine through.  When the Spider Guild attacks Oa and all hope seems lost its Guy that stands up and leads the Corps to victory.  With a rousing speech, a deep love for the Corps and a refusal to loose Guy tips the balance and wins the day, with even Hal Jordan following his lead during the battle.

Perfectly bringing back the Green Lantern Corps and showing us that Guy Gardner is by no means the nasty character he was once portrayed as but a true hero with a heart of gold that just doesn’t like to show it Recharge is an amazing piece of work.

Green Lantern: No Fear

Green Lantern: No Fear marks the start of Geoff Johns’ run on Green Lantern as an ongoing series and this first volume contains two main storylines.  The first story deals with the rebuilding of Coast City and Hal Jordan trying to get his life back on track after being dead for so many years. 

Having moved into the mostly deserted Coast City Hal is once again an Air force pilot at Edwards Air Fore Base.  Hal is trying to juggle his new job with the responsibilities that come with being a Green Lantern.  Unfortunately for him his two lives clash when a new and deadly form of Manhunter arrives on Earth searching for the remains of a damaged Manhunter that is being held in the custody of the Air Force.

Hal fights the upgraded Manhunter and narrowly avoids a second destruction of Coast City.  However, his public victory over the machine shows people that Coast City is under Green Lantern’s protection once again, encouraging more people to make Coast City their home.

Hal fights for his life against the Manhunter robot.

In the second storyline reintroduces the classic villains Hector Hammond and the Shark, who have become embroiled in the dastardly schemes of a band of vicious alien scientists that have been experimenting on humans.  Having to fight these new aliens, along with The Shark and Black Hand Hal has to save Hector Hammond from being dissected. 

This second arc, though in some ways a throw away story, carries on with the story of Black Hand that began in Green Lantern Rebirth.  Given a new hand by the alien scientists that has the ability to draw the life force from his victims it begins a story that would go on to play out in some of the major points in the coming nine years of Green Lantern.

Hal battles the monstrous Shark.

Green Lantern: No Fear is a fine beginning to the ongoing Green Lantern series and reintroduces some of the classic villains from the previous forty years as well as setting up plots that would play out over the coming story arcs.  

It also nicely establishes Hal’s civilian life, both his relationship with his younger brother and his family, who know that he is in fact Green Lantern, and his work life.  A book with some great character moments and amazing action sequences.  A great start to the new era of Green Lantern.

Amy.

xx

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Goodbye Dillon.

I have two pet rats, or rather one pet rat now.  Last night the two of them were playing in their cage as normal, running around and play fighting, stealing from the piles of food they made at opposite ends of the cage.  This morning one of them had died.

His name was Dillon.  When I first went to buy my rats his brother, Dutch, was the liveliest in the pet shop, was straight up to me and curious and wanted to play so he was the first one I picked out.  The choice for the second wasn’t as easy, none of the others had the perkiness he had.  That’s when I noticed Dillon.  He was the runt of the litter, barely half the size of the others.  When the other rats ran and hid together they pushed him out of the group.

Seeing how he was being treated by the others I knew he was my second pick. 

The next two years Dillon and his brother were beloved pets.  I played with them every day and came to see very distinct personalities in the two of them.  At the beginning Dillon was very skittish and didn’t want anything to do with me.  As time went on though he warmed to me and became incredibly friendly.  Where Dutch would run around and crawl up my sleeve Dillon was always happy to just sit in my hand of perch on my shoulder.

I loved Dillon and loosing him hurt.  I’m worried about his brother, about him being lonely without Dillon as the two of them have never been apart.  Knowing that rats don’t live very long hasn’t lessened the blow at all, or prepared me for the event.

Dillon was a lovely pet who showed his affection.  I will miss you Dillon.

Amy.

xx

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Green Lanterns Light Part One

This week it was announced that Geoff Johns was to leave his epic run on Green Lantern after nine amazing years.  Johns has turned Green Lantern around over these last nine years, taking what many would class as a second string character and made the series into one of the most popular books in comics.  With four spin-off books, a motion picture, video games and television series Green Lantern has grown to epic proportions and owes its success to Geoff Johns.

Johns first began his career in comics and DC when he pitched the idea for Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E., a book based on the second Star-Spangled Kid (later renames Star-Girl) and her stepfather.  The success of Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. led to him being offered the opportunity to co-write JSA, a run that would go on for a number of years and receive critical acclaim. 

Johns' first work with DC, the introduction of Star Girl.

From there Johns went on to work on a number of major comic book characters, including Teen Titans, The Flash and even The Avengers over at Marvel.  However, despite how well received and successful his time on these other titles none of them had the impact quite like his time on Green Lantern.

It is important to remember that before Johns came onto the book Hal Jordan had been dead for a number of years and remembered for being a murderous villain, John Stewart had only just returned to being a Green Lantern after spending a number of years crippled and away from heroics, Guy Gardner was now a shape shifter and Kyle Rayner having exiled himself into space.

Hal Jordan as the hated villain Parallax.

 The Green Lantern universe was in a sorry state, but then Johns produces Green Lantern Rebirth and changes the face of DC and Green Lantern forever.  Not only does he return our beloved characters to their Green Lantern status but he also manages a task many would have believed impossible, he redeemed Hal Jordan.

Over the coming parts I will take a closer look at the story arcs Johns has worked on during his time on Green Lantern, the various spin off books it has produced as well as the effect it has had on other media such as film and television and how he has transformed Green Lantern into one of the most popular comic book characters of our time. 

The Green Lantern Corps.

Amy.
xx

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Doctor Who 'The Power of Kroll' Review

Kroll rises above the surface of the swamp.

The Doctor and Romana land on thee swamp moon of Delta Magna searching for the fifth segment of The Key to Time and find themselves caught in the middle of a conflict between the crew of a Methane Refinery and the native swamp people, the Swampies. 

The Swampies have claimed that the crew of the refinery have disturbed the waters of the moon and will incur the wrath of their deity Kroll.  The Doctor discovers that Kroll was once a regular giant squid that had been transported to the moon centuries ago and had eaten the fifth segment of The Key to Time, which transforms him into a monstrous creature.

Once Kroll has awakened it becomes a race against time for everyone to try and survive the destruction and death that Kroll is visiting upon the refinery crew and the Swampies alike.

Kroll attacks the Methane Refinery.

‘The Power of Kroll’ is a fine monster episode that does not reply on the villain having some grand scheme or plot that the Doctor has to stop, in this story Kroll is simply a monstrous animal, something that cannot be reasoned with or negotiated with.  Kroll acts purely on animal instinct, even attacking the Swampies that worshiped him.

Kroll itself is a magnificent creation; it looks beautiful and is used very effectively.  You almost get a sense that the production team knew they would not be able to create a monster that would be able to perform on screen the way they might want and as such Kroll spends a great deal of time beneath the surface.  Instead of being a bad thing this helps to build up tension, with the crew of the refinery using their sonar to watch the mysterious creature moving beneath the surface, never quite knowing exactly what they might be up against.

The story also gives us some excellent human drama as we see the crew of the refinery begin to turn on each other, with Neil McCarthy’s Thawn giving in to his fear of Kroll and prejudice to the Swampies, placing his own warped agenda over the safety of others.  This story also marks the appearance of John Leeson, the voice of K-9, on screen as refinery crewman Dugeen.

An excellent monster episode that works well within its limitations and has an excellent guest cast.  9/10

Amy.
xx

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Doctor Who 'The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit' Review

The Tardis materialises inside a ‘Sanctuary Base’ used for deep space exploration.  The Doctor and Rose begin to explore the facility and discover a strange alien writing that the Tardis is unable to translate, something that both intrigues and disturbs the Doctor.

The duo discovers that the base is occupied by a small group of humans, and their servant race the Ood, who have come to the planet to investigate how it could even exist.  The crew are amazed to find that the Doctor and Rose have no idea where they are or what the planet is, at which point they reveal that the planet ‘Krop Tor’ is orbiting a black hole, something that should be impossible.

The crew are drilling down deep beneath the surface of ‘Krop Tor’ in order to reach the massive power source that is holding the planet in place.  As the crew are telling the Doctor this the base is hit by a powerful earthquake that destroys a section of the facility, including the area where the Tardis was housed, stranding the Doctor and Rose.

A dire warning greets Rose and the Doctor.

As the drill nears its target a malevolent presence begins to make itself know, with the Ood translators picking up messages about the Beast awaking and one of the crew, Toby, becoming possessed.  Once the drill reaches its destination the Doctor and a member of the crew, Ida, descend far bellow the surface.

Beneath ‘Krop Tor’ the Doctor and Ida find the remains of an ancient civilisation and a large seal in the ground, inscribed with more of the strange writing.  As they watch, the door begins to open; simultaneously, the Beast repossesses Toby and the Ood. The possessed Toby warns Rose and the remaining crew that the planet is now falling towards the black hole, and that the Beast is free, while the Ood, now claiming to be the Legion of the Beast, begin to close in on them, whilst the voice of the Beast says; ‘The pit is open and I am free...!’.

‘The pit is open and I am free...!’.

This two part story is one of the gems of season two, and the whole of the revived series.  It takes chances to do things other Doctor Who stories do not do, it introduces an element of the supernatural and isn’t afraid to leave questions unanswered.  Where most stories will go out of their way to explain everything to the audience this story does not tell you who trapped the Beast or when, what the mysterious writing says or if the Beast is some kind of alien or the actual devil.  However, instead of being a bad thing these mysteries make the episode more interesting.  Each person will take away their own answers from this episode, but I for one like to believe that the Beast actually was the devil.

The first episode also isn’t afraid to take its time to establish the guest characters and the mystery around ‘Krop Tor’ before it slowly introduces the threat of the Beast, giving the audience time to care before we stat loosing characters.  The guest cast itself is well cast, with each character being nicely played and characterised well, each of them bringing something different to the table.

This story also marks the introduction of the Ood, a species that would go on to be used several more times over the course of the seasons.  The Ood are used well here, providing the Beast with minions to chase our heroes around the base.  Whilst in future episodes they become something of a victimised race, in this first story they make an amazingly frightening monster.

Is the Beast really the devil himself?

The Beast itself is an amazing creation, a giant cgi monstrosity that well and truly lives up to the idea that it may very well be the devil.  The Beast is voiced brilliantly by Gabriel Woolf a veteran to Doctor Who previously having played the villain Sutekh in ‘The Pyramids of Mars’.

An amazing horror mystery episode that isn’t afraid to leave the audience guessing or explore aspects of the Doctor Who universe not normally touched upon.  10/10

Amy.
xx

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