Green Lantern Spotlight

  Well folks, I'm out of here for the next two weeks. Melissa and I are taking our long delayed honeymoon to Hawaii. We'll be back the week of March 9th. In the mean time, enjoy the sites and sounds.

The GLS returns with 2 new episodes! Episode #44 has the gang talking about the latest DC Comics news, review Blackest Night: Flash #3, Green Lantern Corps #45 and Green Lantern #51. [B]Episode #45[/B] has the gang talking to the recently announced Green Lantern Corps writer, TONY BEDARD!!! Listen as he drops exclusives on future story arcs, talks key characters, the return of Andy Clarke to R.E.B.E.L.S., Corps pronunciation, and more!!!!!! Episode #45.

  My buddy Old School recently posted the cliff notes version of Aquaman's history. I thought I would post it here on the GLS. As we get ready for the king's return in May.

He's returning from the dead, is my point.




We haven't seen much of DC's erstwhile Sea King lately. Oh, he's shown up as one of the many voluble super-zombies now overrunning the DC Universe in the mass-spandexhumation event called Blackest Night. But then, who hasn't?



Here's the Blackest Night precis: Reanimated corpses of fallen heroes and villains have returned to feast on the raw emotions of living heroes. Read: There's been a glut of costumed corpses delivering monologues meant to get the living heroes in touch with their feeeeelings.



(Think Judd Hirsch in Ordinary People, only more sinister, and with bits falling off him, and instead of that bulky knit sweater: tights and a cape.)



Last week DC announced that when the Blackest Night is over, there will come a Brightest Day, and released the teaser image above. It sent the the hearts of ardent Aquaman fans aflutter, and aTwitter, lemme tell YOU.



Understand: It's never been easy, loving Aquaman. There's all the shrill "He just talks to fish!" jeering to contend with, for one thing. (I've attempted to contend with it myself, using, on one occasion, some salty language, so be warned.)



But people who dismiss The Swift and Powerful Monarch of the Ocean are the sort of people who root for the alpha dog, not the underdog. They are drawn to privilege, not spirit; power, not heart; Yankees, not Cubs; Cameron, not Bigelow; Superman, not Aquaman.



Listen: It is the easiest thing in the world to love Superman. It risks nothing. Everything comes easy to Superman.



But Aquaman? That guy's had a rough go of it.



And so have his fans.



After the jump: GOOD NEWS: The Sea King has enjoyed a long and storied reign. BAD NEWS: Largish chunks of that reign have been spent under less-than-ideal conditions, e.g. dead. Or displaced in time. Or with a squid for a face. Or in Detroit.



This recent history of the character reads like nothing so much as a decades-long Good News/Bad News joke. Viz:



GOOD NEWS! Aquaman's Getting Married!



In 1964, in a single ceremony, Aquaman assumed the throne of Atlantis and wed other-dimensional, butt-kicking, hard-water-power-having Mera. Just five months later, tsk tsk, she bore a son, Arthur, Jr., aka Artie, aka ....Aquababy. Shut up.



BAD NEWS! Aqua-Infanticide! Aqua-Irreconcilable Differences!



In 1977, Aquaman's foe Black Manta killed li'l Artie, sending Aquaman on a quest of self-discovery and self-recimination that would alter the character's personality for years to come. He became brooding, hot-headed, and haughty, very like his Marvel opposite number, Prince Namor the Sub-Mariner. His marriage to Mera deteriorated.



GOOD NEWS! Aquaman Leads the Justice League!



In the mid-80s, a haughty Aquaman haughtily told the big guns of the Justice League (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, etc.) where to get off, with great haughtiness. They were dividing their time too much, he told them, and the League was suffering from their inattention. Commit or quit, he said. They quit. And Aquaman became chairman of the Justice League of America.



BAD NEWS! Aquaman Leads ...THIS Justice League.



To replace the big guns, Aquaman recruited some pea shooters like Vibe, Vixen, Gypsy and Steel. So began the Coy and Vance Duke era of the Justice League. Aquaman moved the League from their impossibly high-tech satellite 23,000 miles above the Earth to ... a bunker. In Detroit.



I say again: A Detroit bunker.



And then, after a few adventures (and lots of shouting at everybody), he left the team to go work on his troubled marriage.



(To be fair, this era of Justice League history has its vocal supporters. But many were relieved when this version of the League met a brutal end.)



GOOD NEWS! After A Decade of Dithering, Aquaman Gets His Own Long-Running Series!



The next ten years saw several Aquaman one-shots and short-lived Aquaman series attempt to do something with the character. His world became a bit more mystical, Mera went insane, he finally got over his anger (although that didn't take), and his origin got tweaked.



A bit later, Peter David's The Atlantis Chronicles mini-series created a cohesive history for the undersea city, and Aquaman's place in it.



In 1994, David launched his own Aquaman series. This one built on the rich mythic history and characters he'd established in The Atlantis Chronicles, and surrounded Aquaman with a cast of compelling characters.



BAD NEWS! Aquaman's ... Kind of a Jerk. TO THE EXTREME!



David stayed on the series for 46 issues, making some changes to the character that were perfectly matched to the grim, angst-ridden storytelling that took hold of comics in the mid-90s.



Aquaman lost a hand to piranha (long story), but replaced it with a detachable hook that, okay, looked kinda piratey and cool.



He switched the classic orange and green supersuit for a sort of gladiator number.



He affected a sea-captain mein, complete with goatee and Fabio hair. And he started messing around with a sea-chippie named Dolphin. (A WOMAN whose NAME was Dolphin, okay? Not an actual Tursiops truncatus. That's how rumors start.)



But if Aquaman was haughty before David got his hands on him, he grew increasingly pompous with every subsequent issue. David left the book suddenly when DC Comics refused to let him (temporarily) kill Aquaman to turn him into a water elemental, and the title lumbered along for another couple years under various writers.



GOOD NEWS! Aquaman's back in the JLA!



Meanwhile, writer Grant Morrisson was accomplishing a feat that few writers had ever managed to pull off: He made Aquaman work as character in a team book. The Aquaman that appeared in the pages of Morrisson's JLA run retained Peter David's distinctive look, but came off a bit less imperious, and Morrisson had a gift for embracing the character's, ah, unique set of powers in novel, narratively interesting ways.



BAD NEWS! He's Dead! Or in The Past! ... Something!



Soon after Morrisson left the JLA book, Aquaman presumably died saving the Earth during the 2001 crossover event Our Worlds at War. Only he didn't die: He'd been sent back to pre-history. When he eventually got back to the present two years later, he was, predictably enough, sulky about it.



GOOD NEWS! Aquaman's Getting A New Series! Still Again Some More!



In 2003 writer Rick Veitch launched a new series that departed from the character's history and created one of its own, steeped in Arthurian legend. Aquaman was now a servant of the Lady of the Lake herself, who replaced his hook-hand with a hand of ... mystical ... water.



BAD NEWS! It's a Put-On!

The following is a quote from Veitch's first issue, a bit of Aquaman's narration as he swims the dark seas, wracked with guilt over the plight of his kingdom. Ready?



"I hear the cruel laughter of mollusks, mocking me."



The cruel laughter. OF MOLLUSKS.



Now, Veitch is a good writer, and frequently a funny one. I put it to you that it is impossible to read a line like "the cruel laughter of mollusks" as anything but a joke. And once you accept that, his entire run on Aquaman makes more sense, especially when you consider that it involved Aquaman not being able to hit anything with his water-hand, lest he endanger the healing powers of the mystic energy that is at the core of all creation and blah blah blah.



Veitch was clearly camping it up, which is cool. Certainly the character's ripe for a bit of fun. But his run was too incoherent and too beholden to hokey, faux-fantasy elements to amount to anything but a puzzling mess, and he left the book after 12 issues.



GOOD NEWS! Aquaman's Getting Another Chance!



Writer Will Pfiefer took over the series on issue 15. He kept the classic orange and green, clean-shaven Aquaman Veitch had restored, and kept the water hand.



In a smart move, he gave Aquaman a new base of operations by sinking the city of San Diego under the ocean with an earthquake. He also provided an intriguing central, driving mystery: The city's sinking coincided with an event that changed the entire population into water-breathers.



For the first time in many years, Aquaman returned to his roots as a sort of undersea sheriff, and the title thrived, briefly.



BAD NEWS! Not For Long!



In less than a year, however, Pfeifer was out, and a new writer was brought in to fit the storyline into yet another universe-spanning crossover event that saw the return of Mera, the destruction of Atlantis, and a puzzling death/transformation for Aquaman.



GOOD NEWS! A New Direction for Aquaman! With a Great Writer!



In May of 2005, with issue #40, the series was renamed Aquaman, Sword of Atantis, and reconceived, by the great Kurt Busiek, as a sort of waterlogged Frank Frazetta swordfish-and-sorcery tale.



BAD NEWS! This New Direction Leads to an Aquaman Who Isn't Aquaman, and The Guy Who Used to be Aquaman Having A SQUID FOR A FACE



Busiek decided that classic Aquaman had run his course, and seemingly killed him off to replace him with a young kid who fights monsters and magic-with-a-k, advised by a mysterious, hooded, tentacle-bearded presence called the Dweller in the Depths, not to put too fine a point on it.



That said squid-bearded presence was in fact the original Aquaman was evident from the first, but it took another 10 issues, and another writer, for the book to acknowledge it, whereupon the original (now squiddy) Aquaman was summarily killed off, in the May 2007 issue.



GOOD NEWS! There Will Come a Brightest Day!



And that's more or less where we stand, until last week's announcement.



Quoth writer Geoff Johns, architect of the Blackest Night and several recent revamps of classic DC characters:



"Brightest Day' is about second chances. I think it's been obvious from Day One that there are major plans for the heroes and villains from Aquaman to take center stage in the DC Universe, among many others, post-Blackest Night."

Red Dawn

  On Mogo, the Red Lantern Guy Gardner is split between his red ring and his green one. He sees the faces of his friends but also as his enemies. As Guy struggles with his conflicting emotions and powers, his rage over comes him and he attacks the Green Lantern Corps, Miri and Munk. Kilowog sees that Guy is too far-gone but Munk believes he can still temper Guy but Kyle wants Guy free no matter what. Miri uses her sapphire tether and pierces into Guy's heart and let him experience love but the red ring over powers her and throws her back. Mogo soon decides that he must take care of the conflict personally. He erupts a large beam of green light at Guy, which exposes his emotions and memories in red and green constructs. Showing the good, the bad and the ugly parts of his mind. We see Guy's abuse at the hands of his father, his welcoming into the corps, the JLI, his football days, his break up and return with Ice and many more. Guy soon starts to lose to his rage again and it starts tearing him apart. Kyle once again steps in trying to help guy even though Mogo tells him Guy must face his own inner demons.

  Kyle restrains Guy and asks Munk what they can do. Munk tells Kyle that only a blue ring can truly reverse Guy's condition. Kyle tells Munk to teleport him to a Blue Lantern but due to Munk's powers waning from battle, he can't teleport Kyle to a Blue Lantern. Kyle then tells him to find one no matter what but Munk still can't help, as Guy will break free before too long. They are faced with a hard choice, as they know that Guy didn't want to live like this and that they might have to kill him instead. Kyle won't do it and soon Mogo pulls Guy into the ground. Mogo reveals that he can take care of Guy's rage but it won't be easy. Soon, multiple leeches enter Guy's body and start filtering his blood. Soranik Natu reveals that they are working like super anti-bodies and cleansing the rage out of Guy. Soon, Guy is freed of the red power ring as it falls off his finger. Returning to normal, Guy is greeted by hugs from Kyle and Natu and handshakes from others. Mogo reveals that it's not a perfect cleaning and that trace amounts still remain. To permanently cure Guy. They will need to get a Blue Lantern in the end. However, Munk soon reveals that others of his tribe have arrived on Oa. 

  Later they reveal the plan of getting all the corps to Earth to stop Nekron and the Black Lanterns. All the Green Lanterns, Star Sapphire and Indigo Tribe repower their rings and are teleported to Earth. So, is there anything Mogo can't do? It was a good story but I'm glad Green Lantern Corps is moving towards meeting up with the rest of Blackest Night. Should make for a good conclusion next month.

 Parallax Rebirth part 2

  As Black Hand enjoys the dead around him, Larfleeze battles Lex Luthor for control of the extra orange power ring that Luthor now has in his control. Lex Luthor reveals that the powers of the orange rings are very similar to the black rings. As those the bearer has killed in their lifetime can be turned into their personal army. He then tells Larfleeze that on his world life is about owning things. In saying this, Larfleeze realizes that maybe Earth is worth saving after all. Meanwhile, the new repossessed Hal Jordan with the power of Parallax in him battles the Black Lantern Spectre while the rest of the New Guardians destroy the various Black Lanterns around them. The Atom ends up destroying the Black Lantern Tempest in front of Mera, much to her dismay. The Atom reveals that the Black Lanterns are able to get power over their victims by having emotional connections with them. Atrocitus tells the Atom it doesn't matter as it helps to fuel more of Mera's rage for him. 

   Back to the fight between Parallax and the Spectre, Parallax reveals that the Spectre has tried to burn him many times even those like his kind. However, he can't erase him since there will always been fear in the universe. He then dives into the Black Lantern Spectre's head and reveals that the true Spectre is a prisoner of the Black Lantern ring that has taken hold of Crispus Allen. Parallax reveals also that when they both have hosts they are more powerful. However, this once he'll make an except and destroys the Black Lantern power ring and with it Crispus Allen. With the Spectre free of the Black Lantern influence, Carol tells Ganthet that they must save Hal now. However, Parallax reveals that he is not the one who needs saving as of now, he can destroys the Spectre completely. The Spectre in turn regains his full power and tells Parallax that after all he has done, he will die today even if Hal Jordan must go with him. Atrocitus and Mera quickly attack the Spectre as Atrocitus reveals that his true mission is to save the Universe and save "life" and not fail like he did on Ryut. Sinestro then attacks Parallax saying the he needs to be put on a leash but Parallax will not be control by Sinestro. 

  Atrocitus then attacks the Spectre and fuels him with rage, believing that he is the entity of rage that is needed for his corps. The Spectre briefly turns into a Red Lantern but then shakes it off revealing he is not the Red Entity but has faced it before and tells Atrocitus he should not seek it out. The Spectre then reveals he does fear Parallax and all of his kind and while that fear is anchored to Parallax, Hal Jordan is anchored to Carol Ferris. She then grabs Parallax and divides Hal from Parallax. While Sinestro tries to grab Parallax, he is soon pulled by an unknown force and disappears. Hal getting his senses back asks his ring what just happened. The ring tells him that Parallax was teleported to an unknown location. Over in Belle Reve Prison, Hector Hammon calls out saying: "It has Parallax." With the Spectre now safe, with Hal's order, the Spectre decides to take care of Nekron. However, since Nekron is darkness and not alive, he has no soul to be judge. He then passes through the Spectre and vaporizes him. Nekron then with his army of Black Lanterns tells everyone that it's time for the Universe to die.

   I really enjoyed this issue and the battle with the Spectre was nice as was the revelation about the various Emotional Entities and how someone is now taking them prisoner. Don't know if we needed the set up yet for post Blackest Night but I'll give Geoff Johns a nod here. Great work by Doug Mahnke through out the issue.

  Before the wife and I head out for our delayed honeymoon. We need to sell everything in my Ebay shop before we go. It must all go so the wife and I can start saving for a new place. Trust me, we want out of our current apartment.

The GL Spotlight returns (albeit a bit late) for episode #43. Frankie and the gang are joined by Ben aka irongreen2814 from The Warriors Three podcast as they discuss tie-in issues Secret Six #18 and Adventure Comics #7. 

Today, I'm breaking away from my normal blogs to think about my former college, Northern Illinios University. It's been 2 years since the shootings at NIU that cost the lives of 5 students. It was a day we all remembered and when we all came together in the community. Two years later we remember those who were lost and how we must got Forward together, always.

  Starting in May, there’ll be a new ongoing GREEN LANTERN series joining the shelves: GREEN LANTERN: EMERALD WARRIORS, starring everyone’s favorite ring-wielding hot head, Guy Gardner — with regular appearances from Kilowog. And who better to handle Guy’s adventures than Peter Tomasi, who’s knocked it out of the park on a monthly basis with his sharp dialogue and plotting on GREEN LANTERN CORPS? Hard to argue with that, I think.


  It is hard to argue but I have to wonder if this series can really carry? With SO much Green Lantern (not a bad thing). Can a title focusing sololy on Guy Gardner and Kilowog last past a year? One thing about GLC with so many various Green Lanterns and new and old characters alike. The book became a must have series. With Emerald Warriors it does make you wonder if there is enough die hard fan base for our two favorite poozers to keep a title a float more than a year. Sad to say, unless I do get one major new salary by May. I will have to put this on my trade paper back side. Since Brightest Day and the Thanos Imperaitve will be taking up my new pull list with Avengers.

   As revealed yesterday at the DCU Source Blog. The cover of Brightest Day #2 shows the return of Aquaman. Return to the land of the living and given a second chance at life. Well, I had someone email me this morning. Saying that since I put so much time putting up a Spider-Girl Page and reopening it bigger and better this weekend not to mention my plans for a new layout here for the GLS and bringing back Read's Thunderbolts page later this summer. The email stated that I should do a website (no size given) on Aquaman, since none exist and not just follow Brightest Day here on the blog. Well guess what? Challenge excepted!
  Once I return from Hawaii in a few weeks, I'm going to get it started, I have a layout selected and I already know what to feature and go from the golden age to now. So, prepare the internet for Aquaman: King of the Seas website coming later this year.

  Time for my quick look at all the extra Blackest Night titles.

The Power of Shazam! #48 by Eric Wallace
It involved Black Adam's dead protege Osiris being resurrected as a Black Lantern, and battling his killer, the Apokoliptian crocodile man Sobek. Billy and Mary Batson, powerless after the events of Justice Society of America (vol. 3) #25, appear briefly in the issue.


  Basically: "I hate you, you hate me." We're both Black Lanterns now but let's fight again." Really, great artwork but that's it.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The Question #37 by Greg Rucka
The Black Lantern rings have made their way to earth and disturbed the grave of the original Question. Now, the faceless man returns as Black Lantern Vic Sage targets his former protege - and current replacement - Renee Montoya. It's the Question vs. the Black Lantern Question vs. Lady Shiva in the ultimate throw-down!



Not a bad issue, this was more about Renee and Lady Shiva getting full closure with Vic Sage. Not to mention how Vic realized that he died giving his mantle to someone worthy.









Suicide Squad #67 by John Ostrander
The Black Lantern tie-in comes through a victim of Deadshot's, and given that there are Black Lantern rings flying through the pages of a book titled "Suicide Squad" you can bet there are more than a few new recruits to Nekron's army of darkness. The action isn't nicely wrapped up here, however, and it spills into next week's "Secret Six" #17 by this same creative team. Essentially, this could be considered part one of "Blackest Night: Suicide Squad" or "Blackest Night: Secret Six."


  This was a great issue to see just how much Deadshot's actions over the years are finally coming back to haunt him. Plus, I love the exchange between the original Fiddler and Virtousu. Nice issue.







Phantom Stranger #42 by Peter Tomasi
The Stranger, with the help of Blue Devil attempts to fight the Black Lantern Spectre, but fails. The two then travel to Nanda Parbat, where the Stranger helps Deadman remove the black ring from his body. The Stranger has the body brought into Nanda Parbat and placed under guard, stating that it is of "singular importance".

  I would like to know what the "importance" is but we'll find out in Blackest Night #7, other wise besides what happens with Deadman. This didn't really do much.










Catwoman #83 by Fabian Nicieza


As if the chaos and mayhem of Gotham City's blackout wasn't enough, Catwoman faces a dead villain that she was responsible for killing - the original Black Mask! Will this attack against the body and soul of Selina Kyle prove to be too much for the feline femme fatale? And can she come to grips with killing (again) a possibly unkillable foe?

  This was more about Selina coming to grips with why she killed Black Mask and adding more to the revelation of who the current Black Mask is. Not a bad story at all and shows that Catwoman needs her own series again.







The Atom and Hawkman #46 by Geoff Johns
During the battle, Ray is chosen as a deputy officer of the Indigo Tribe to be more effective against Nekron's forces. Notable enough, as the Indigo Tribe eschews formal uniforms for tribal patterns over simple garments, Ray Palmer's costume is turned into a close approximation of the tattered Sword of the Atom clothings he had used in the past.




Ray's past is rehashed, showing that he never quite got over Jean. Even during the days of Sword of the Atom. Indigo-1 claims that she can teleport the armies of each Lantern Corps onto Earth, if given time to meditate. So, the responsibility falls to Ray to protect her while she does so. Before she enters her trance, she reveals to Ray that the indigo staff and his overwhelming compassion allows him to mimic the other powers of the Lantern Corps; she demonstrates this by temporarily becoming a Red Lantern and vomiting corrosive blood all over an attacking company of Black Lanterns. She then enters her trance, while Ray fights off Black Lanterns Hawkman and Hawkgirl by temporarily becoming an Orange Lantern, loudly proclaiming "I want my friends back!" He then summons two orange energy dupicates of Khufu and Chay-Ara to help him fight off his and Indigo-1's attackers. He is briefly successful. But then Jean shows up to torment him, and she leaps into Indigo-1's ring. Ray follows her. He ends up reliving Sue Dibny's death, and is then attacked by various Black Lantern Morlaidhans, the miniscule race he befriended during Sword of the Atom. He fights them off and--summoning the powers of a Green Lantern--destroys Jean. Indigo-1 manages to summon the various armies and thanks Ray for his help. He tells her to keep his involvement in the deployment of the troops a secret, and asks that she help him find a way to legitimately resurrect Hawkman and Hawkgirl.

  Despite some problems with the Indigo Tribe heading to the various places to get all the corps together at Coast City. This issue had the most happening for it and put the Atom in a great spotlight and even gave us more insight on how the Indigo Tribe's powers all work and their language.


Weird Western Tales#71 by Dan DiDio
The gun-slinging action continues here in an issue written by DCU Executive Editor Dan DiDio! Western heroes Jonah Hex, Bat Lash, Scalphunter and Firehair rise from the dead as Black Lanterns. But will they save the west - or ruin it?

  Well, what can I say, I like Zombie Cowboys even when especially one of them is Jonah Hex.












Starman #81 by James Robinson
Robinson's story focuses on Shade and the O'Dare family. He wisely stays away from Jack Knight, who he retired along with the series, back in issue #80, all those years ago. But "Starman" was always as much about Opal City as it was about Jack Knight (okay, maybe not, but almost as much.) The story begins with Hope O'Dare and the Shade in an "it's complicated" relationship. Well, first it begins with former-albeit-temporary Starman David Knight coming back as a Black Lantern, then we see the O'Dare/Shade situation. And what's nice about the whole issue is that Robinson has a chance to touch on some of the characters from the 80-issue run, either in person or through dialogue, and yet still tell the requisite dead loved one back from the dead tale that all these "Blackest Night" tie-ins end up telling. Though, in this case, David Knight was never particularly loved, not by these characters. And when he literally rips the Shade's heart out, it's an interesting twist on the more metaphorically heart-rending approaches in the other "Blackest Night" issues.

  As revealed on the DCU Source Blog, the War of the Supermen, that kicks off with Free Comic Book Day in May. Will only be a one month event. Each issue totaling 25 minutes for the 4 part even series. Personally, I love the fact that they are doing it. Let's face it, World of New Krypton was a 2 year story arc, from build up to Brainiac's Return attack and Superman battling it out with his family and people. However, as it has been shown the last couple of years with both DC and Marvel. Long drawn out events especially after just wrapping up ones like Blackest Night and Seige. People just aren't ready to shove out more from their wallets for the next "Big Event". Having this being contain in a month and then dealing with the aftermath over the summer in the Superman books is a very smart move on DC's part. I hope we can look forward to more of this treatment with Batman's return this fall.

Judd Winick wrote the film, based on his own comic-book story. The film will be directed by Brandon Vietti.

"This is definitely the darkest movie I've worked on for DC," Vietti told The Continuum. "It takes Batman into a very dark place."

The cast include Bruce Greenwood as Batman, Jensen Ackles as Red Hood, John DiMaggio as the Joker, Jason Isaacs as Ra's Al Ghul and Neil Patrick Harris as Nightwing.

Join the Green Lantern Spotlight gang as they discuss each and every "resurrected" DC Comics title in honor of Blackest Night. From what they hated to what they really loved, the gang cover it all. 8 issues worth of content, jam packed into one great podcast. Also, this happens to be the final episode of Colton "Mewzard" Clayton. We wish him well.

  After that, check out the latest on Blackest Night and Green Lantern with Episode 42

  With a lot of talk about Larfleeze getting his own mini series possibly this year or next. Not to mention all the talk about the "New Guardians" starting after Blackest Night in the main Green Lantern title. It seems we'll be seeing a more concreate Orange Lantern Corps instead of Larfleeze sending the "souls" of his previous victims to catch other lantern rings. I'm thinking that Sayd will cross over and being the Orange Lanterns main guardian with Larfleeze. Trying to snatch up all the various "greedy" members of the universe and keep them in check. Kind of like a criminal corps of theives or something like that. We'll find out in a couple of months once Blackest Night wraps up.

  Just the other day, DCU's Blog showed the preview for next week's issue of Secret Six, which features the return of the Manhunter robot from the first post Green Lantern: Rebirth arc. I have to say this is a very interesting twist to things. I'm glad that they decided to give the Manhunters and Cyborg-Superman a rest after the Sinestro Corps War. We all know that Hank Henshaw and the Manhunters are returning post Blackest Night. Especially if Sinestro is running his corps again. The whole individule Manhunter idea has been done before. However, leave it to Gail Simone to give us a more fresh and interesting approach to the idea. The Manhunters have been shown to act as individules before, they aren't the Borg.
  If this Manhunter ends up a new member of the Six, it would be very interesting to see where it goes, similar to how Parademon was used during the original Villains United mini during Infinite Crisis. I just hope Gail ties things in with Brightest Day very well with the story even if it's the Blackest Night tie in.

On DCU Blog The Source today, the Greg Horn variant cover to Green Lantern Corps #46 was revealed by Editor Adam Schlagman. The cover features a major new Black Lantern, the villain that started the cycle of mega-Crises in the DC Multiverse, and arguably the ultimate evil of the DCU.
As Schlagman said, "Peter J. Tomasi & Patrick Gleason" found a way to "make things worse for our Emerald Warriors" by having the Anti-Monitor, the villain at the center of Crisis on Infinite Earths return with a black ring. Find out what new tricks this villain has up his sleeve with his new power ring in GLC #46

 
   This is a great twist coming up, while many speculated (myself included) that the Anti-monitor would be freed from the Black Lantern Central Power Battery and go after Nekron or be freed again after the Blackest Night was over. Seeing him as a Black Lantern is a major twist but at the same time. You have to wonder if the the former Guardian of the Sinestro Corps mind will break through Nekron's influence and reject the Black Lantern Corps. I'm pretty excited and damn... do I want this cover framed.

Available 05/12/10


The War of the Light comes to HeroClix with the DC HeroClix Blackest Night Starter Game! As the Blackest Night encompasses the world, heroes and villains alike are deputized into the Lantern Corps to fight back against the legions of Black Lanterns. Choose a team of lanterns and take them into battle! This starter game includes everything a player needs to play HeroClix, including figures, map, rules and more. The DC HeroClix Blackest Night Starter Game will be in stores May 12, 2010. For more information please visit www.HeroClix.com.



Contents:

◊ Seven 3D HeroClix miniatures, each with a character card (Green Lantern – Hal Jordan, Lex Luthor, Mera, Scarecrow, Wonder Woman, The Flash and The Atom in their deputy lantern costumes)



◊ All-new Green Lantern Sciencells Map

◊ 2010 HeroClix Complete Rulebook

◊ Six Object Tokens

◊ Twelve Terrain Markers

◊ Two 6-sided dice

  The guys celebrate one year since the Green Lantern Spotlight Podcast started. In episode 39 the guys talk about the latest Blackest Night tie ins with Green Lantern #50 and JSA. With Brightest Day news and a bit of movie news. Then we celebrate a one year of GLSP as I return as guest host for episode 40.

http://www.thegreenlanterncorps.com/podcasts/GLSpotlight_Episode-39.mp3

http://www.thegreenlanterncorps.com/podcasts/GLSpotlight_Episode-40.mp3