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In the next few months I am going to have a difficult decision to make regarding three titles, and that is whether I stay with them or not. This won't be an easy decision as in each case there is at least a character or a writer that I am fond of attached to each title. It's just that sometimes there are things going on that make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up though. You know, like when you're interviewing someone for a job and they stress the statement, "Convicted? No." Something like that. It's not enough to know something bad is going to happen, but it's enough to get your imagination going on the possibilities.
There are signposts I'm seeing now (none that say "Twilight Zone") that have my wallet ready to close up, and while I may be paranoid it doesn't mean I shouldn't be cautious. Here are the titles I'm talking about and my concerns:
Green Lantern
What can I say about this new title that the definition of the word 'mediocrity' doesn't? You can already see part of my problem I'm sure. Right now I feel as though two figures I've always seen as an inspiration of some sort have given up on being inspiring and are just being swept along with life rather than creating impact.
Geoff Johns is one of my favorite all time writers. I've checked out nearly everything he has done since I began reading his stuff in JSA. I think the way he lays the groundwork for upcoming stories arcs is something other writers wish they could do half as well. Yet, I'm finding his handling of Hal Jordan, and his current experiences, extremely disappointing.
Since the title has started Johns has had Hal running around dealing with current versions of former foes (or their offspring) and loose ends that were left from Green Lantern: Rebirth. All have been done been done with yawn inspiring storytelling. Most recently Hal and Batman have buried the hatchet following a little head butting (figuratively), and punching (literally). Oh, and kudos to Van Sciver for drawing body movement that made sense for Bat's punch (check out the very start of Rebirth #6 to see Hal perform a super speedy twist punch . . . or a very bad flow of body movement panel-to-panel).
Now, since Johns is one of my favorite writers and Hal was my original "favorite" superhero (I'm attached to the GL concept overall now) I've been sticking with this series hoping that it's going to get better. Then I see in this month's Previews ordering book that in issue #12 of Green Lantern Cyborg Superman is back. Yes, ANOTHER character involved in the "downfall" of Hal Jordan is returning, and it would just happen to be one character I believe is more an incredible annoyance to the DC Universe than anything else.
Johns seems committed to cleaning up anything from Hal's "downfall" or his own Rebirth series, which wouldn't be that bad if it felt more natural and not forced and shallow. I have decided that I will stay on through the "Revenge of the Green Lanterns" storyline (of which issue #12 is a part of), but it will be during that time that Johns needs to do some quality work for me to stay on. Believe me, it isn't an easy choice as this would be the first time I have not been with the Green Lantern title since Kyle Rayner came onto the scene.
And speaking of Kyle . . .
Ion
I have to start off by saying I was amused by the Previews comment of, " . . . writer Ron Marz (Green Lantern) returns to the character he created . . . " because while I am grateful to some degree for Ron Marz creating Kyle (I identify with him on many levels) I must say that I think he seems to have one of the least interesting takes on the character. After Kyle came onto the scene, I thought he was better written as a hero and a person by Grant Morrison in the pages of JLA than by Marz in Green Lantern. I don't think Kyle began to really mature in his own title until Judd Winick came on board.
Yet, because of the fact that I identify with Kyle and I really did like how he handled the last experience he had as Ion (which was written by Winick) I'm interested in seeing how this new (and thankfully limited) series starts out. I'm just going to buckle down and see what's in store. Luckily since I don't have a lot of faith in Marz and am not that impressed with the artwork I've seen from the title so far, it's not going to take much to impress me. Keeping me interested enough to get the whole series will be the challenge for this title.
Plus, this time around Kyle will hopefully just be in Ion and not in multiple titles regularly as he was before (the JLA and the Titans). I liked Marz' take on Kyle enough to get his whole run, but now and then it just felt more like I was getting "Kyle-light" in the pages of Green Lantern, and a character's own title should never be consistently less interesting than the title for the team which they're a member of. Unless they're a member of the New Warriors, then it's a given. Of course, if you're the New Warriors you'll also get an alternate spin on an established character shoved on to your team at some point.
Speaking of which . . .
Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes
When I was a kid one of the first comics I ever purchased was a digest version of Legion of Super-Heroes. It was fun and interesting and for some reason I thought Ultra Boy was the coolest member (I still do). Years later I picked up a real issue of LSH and saw that the kids had grown up. Some even had facial hair and kids (ones they didn't even know about in one case)! I decided it would be something to check out. Reboot! Never mind. Later when I was at college a number of online friends were telling me I should be reading the titles involving the LSH. I decided to do so. I grabbed a bunch of back issues and was interested. Reboot! Never mind.
To make a long and repetitive story short I have tried on multiple occasions to get into the "current" incarnation of the LSH, and have been met with very disappointing circumstances affecting the title (or titles as the case may be). This current run written by Mark Waid was in my mind the perfect time for me to truly get into this team that had caught my interest as a child and was so highly regarded by my fellow comic reading friends. I was like Willam in the movie Mallrats looking for the hidden sailboat, "Everyone sees this thing except me, but today's my day. I brought a lunch and a soda and I'm not gonna leave until I see this sailboat everyone keeps talking about." Of course I was looking for this extraordinary team that I could never seem to fully catch rather than a sailboat.
I am happy to say I found the team, and it has been good. There is great storytelling by Mark Waid and great artwork by Barry Kitson. While there have been a few alterations to characters in concept and appearance (from what I have been familiar to) I have been enjoying the team. Finally, after so many years I was finally able to get into the LSH and with the title being consistently high quality I felt I could finally sit back and relax without fear of shakeup as before. Oh, how silly and naive of me.
As of issue #16 Legion of Super-Heroes will become Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes. I must say that I'm not feeling very comfortable about this alteration. I honestly don't know if there will be any "major" or "minor" changes to the title other that what it is called (and adding Supergirl to the roster), but the debacle that was Scarlet Spider joining the New Warriors worries me. For those of you who aren't familiar with what happened the Scarlet Spider (a clone of Spider-Man . . . or not . . . who cares?) joined the New Warriors out of the blue. While there were a variety of "reasons" and rationalizations in the storyline it came down to one thing, Marvel was dividing up their universe into corners and the Warriors didn't fit into one, so they jammed Scarlet Spider onto the team to place them in the "Spider-Man corner." This was done with all the subtlety of a "gangsta rapper" using innuendo to describe a night of sex.
Lately I've been doing a lot to avoid spoilers for a many of the titles I read, so I can't be certain of what will come from this name change and the addition of Supergirl to the team's lineup. However, the fact that the LSH's seems to be taking a step behind Supergirl just doesn't sit well with me. The title was fine before, so I don't see the reason for the name of the title being altered. I don't have a problem with Supergirl being on the team, but the last I checked the name of the last LSH title didn't change when Superboy joined them for a while, and he is a much more established character than the current Supergirl.
Yet, since Waid and Kitson will be staying with this title for at least a while I am going to give it a chance after the name alteration. I really did consider dropping the title after issue #15 (seriously, the Scarlette Spider debacle instills that much dread) but I think the fact that the original creative team of this run is staying on says a lot. I'm still paranoid, but I've got it down to a point where I'm going to see what happens in the title.
There you have it folks. Usually moving a title over to the chopping block is a fairly easy decision when it comes. You see things happening that you don't like, you don't anticipate the issues, or you find you have an urge to spit in the comic as you read it. These three titles haven't reached that point though, and I'm not sure if they will. So, I'll tread cautiously and see what holds. I figure the characters or some member of the creative team deserves at least that much from me.
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