Green Lantern: Wrath of the First Lantern Talkback (Spoiler)

[JME2]

Preview is up for Part 6 as we return for GLNG's second crossover issue.=

While Carol's altered history plays out as I had anticipated, I'm intrigued (and amused) that Volthoom's manipulations are unable to affect Larfleeze for long.

Being reunited with his family, even in an illusion, isn't enough. The Orange Light's hold on 'ol Fleeze is just that powerful.

[JME2]

Preview is up for Part 7 as the action returns to Red Lanterns. Milligan seems to have a nice handle on the interaction between Atrocitus and Volthoom.

[avatarxprime]

Just got around to reading Red Lanterns 17, so that was interesting. Spoiler

Volthoom gains possession of the Heart, which has the power to draw out emotions of anyone who comes near. It was strong enough to make Atrocitus feel pity. Also, Volthoom kills of Krona's ghost.

Yeah, in a way, he's like Nekron. You can't kill him, so how do you beat him?

It's like SCW all over again; how in the hell is Johns going to get the GLC out of this one?

It's funny you say that, I'd think Nekron vs Volthoom would be interesting. Killing Volthoom would finish off creation just like Nekron was trying. It'd be interesting to see the various Lantern Corps having to protect him from Nekron.

[Ahriman238]

I'm still feeling pretty underwhelmed by Volthoom, to be honest. He's one of the most powerful beings in the cosmos, and what is he doing with it? Running around playing mindgames so he can mooch off emotional energy. The Black Lanterns did it better, and were scary to boot.

[JME2]

It's funny you say that, I'd think Nekron vs Volthoom would be interesting. Killing Volthoom would finish off creation just like Nekron was trying. It'd be interesting to see the various Lantern Corps having to protect him from Nekron.

Even if Nekron doesn't show up, I do like how Johns has solved the whole issue of Black Hand serving as Nekron's tether to the land of the living. That's been a Sword of Damocles hanging over the Lantern-verse since 2010 and Johns mostly sidestepped it when BH was killed again last year. But now with Billy stranded in the Dead Zone, it'll be some time before Nekron can rise again.

I'm still feeling pretty underwhelmed by Volthoom, to be honest. He's one of the most powerful beings in the cosmos, and what is he doing with it? Running around playing mindgames so he can mooch off emotional energy. The Black Lanterns did it better, and were scary to boot.

Yeah, even I admit it is a bit repetitive.

You could argue Johns is coming back one last time to the spectrum, but next week's return to GL is going to be key. It's the penultimate issue of his run and kicks off the last leg of the crossover. We need a major twist.

[JME2]

Preview has been posted for Part 9 as we return to GL for Johns' penultimate issue.

Sinestro vs. Volthoom is going to be very interesting.

[JME2]

Well...shit. I think it's safe to safe to say we'll be hearing this again next month:
Spoiler

In blackest day, in brightest night,
Beware your fears made into light
Let those who try to stop what's right,
Burn like my power*... Sinestro's might!

At the very lest, this explains why he's on the cover for this month's NG and why he looks pissed.

[JME2]

Preview is up for Part 10 as the action returns to GLC.

[JME2]

Preview is up for Part 11 as Kyle and Carol face the fallout from Part 9.
Spoiler

White Lantern Baz is likely a result of Volthoom's hijinks.

[JME2]

Preview is up for the penultimate chapter as we return to Red Lanterns one more time before Johns' finale.

[JME2]

So the good new is, DC has posted the first preview of Johns' finale.

The bad news, it's delayed until May 22nd.

In that regard, it reminds of the SCW and how its finale was delayed 2 weeks to allow Ivan Reis time to finish.

As then, I'm fine with the extra wait if it gives time for Johns and his team to polish and refine their last GL story.

[JME2]

Heh, well it looks like someone at DC fucked up.

GLC #22's being released this week and they've even posted a preview.

The problem, of course, is that it's the aftermath issue and shouldn't have been released until after the 22nd -- lest it spoil things.

[JME2]

With a little over a day to go, DC has released an updated preview of Johns' final issue.

Now we finally see the wording and it's essentially what I expected. But the new pages are also a nice summation of the last 9 years. Johns' run has had its flaws, but I'm really going to miss it (though Simon's a part of the JLA and I'm sure Hal will be coming back to Justice League in the immediate future).

Comic Book Resources has also posted a nice, informative exit interview with Johns.

[Steve]

So the last issue is out. The coda to the Johns saga has come, and Johns includes a complete coda including his take on how all of the GLs ended up, including some interesting things for Sinestro.

[JME2]

Oh yeah.

Johns may have brought Hal back 9 years ago, but Sinestro has been the real star at times. He made their relationship my favorite of the DC hero/villain dynamics.

And that last scene between Hal and Sinestro was just so poignant and so beautifully written.
Spoiler

While the door is open to bring Thaal and his Corps back -- even discounting that Sinestro's in the GLC again far into the future -- I honestly hope he's not used again for a long, long time. That last exchange was the perfect way to close out their relationship.

I also love how the destruction of Korugar brought Sinestro to the same place Hal was in back in 1994 when Mongul and Henshaw nuked Coast City. And in his quest for the power to revenge himself..
Spoiler

...Sinestro came full-circle with the beginning of Rebirth and Hal's original possession by Parallax. I'm glad we got to see the 'ol Yellow Fear Bug of Doom one last time.

It's funny -- 9 years ago I absolutely hated the Fear Bug and now Parallax is in my Top 5 Favorite GL rogues list.

The glimpse into Baz's future is also interesting and could show the possible outcome of the brewing Trinity War. It's Johns doing what he loves -- ending one story while planting the seeds for the future.

And DC had better release that last page of all the Corps, their heroes, and their entities. Ethan Van Sciver's final GL masterpiece deserves to be a poster. It also reminded me of the last page of Johns's first Flash run, where Howard Porter did a similar thing.

[JME2]

So did anyone else interpret this page as confirmation that...
Spoiler

...Volthoom was the Earth-2 Hal?

It could just be Volthoom fucking with young Hal in order to get the emotional rise, but the dialogue and the staging makes me wonder.

[The Grim Squeaker]

So did anyone else interpret this page as confirmation that...
Spoiler

...Volthoom was the Earth-2 Hal?

It could just be Volthoom fucking with young Hal in order to get the emotional rise, but the dialogue and the staging makes me wonder.

It's confirmed later on that he was from another Earth, Spoiler

" His corrupted ring was banished back to his universe".

[JME2]

Oh, I'm not questioning if he was from a parallel Earth.
Spoiler

We've all been wondering since the start of the crossover if Volthoom's a parallel Hal Jordan. There are clues in GL #17 like that he's clearly an Air Force pilot/astronaut.

There's also a rumor going around that Johns will feature the Crime Syndicate in Justice League once Trinity War wraps, so this thread may get explored there -- and may also be the mechanism for bringing Hal back into the League now that WOTFL has ended.

What I did liked about Volthoom's involvement in the whole shebang is that Johns finally tackled a question that's always bugged me.

By the nature of its creation, the Anti-Matter Universe doesn't have a GLC -- so where the hell did Power Ring gets his trinket?

It's not hard to imagine that the discarded ring is thrown through space and time before selecting a new user. Volthoom's essence could even have survived and be bound to the ring -- thus keeping with Morrison's revamp of the Crime Syndicate and the nature of Power Ring's ring.

[JME2]

On a side note, I also loved how Johns finally paid off the long-running joke about what the hell the Orange Lantern oath is. I can see why he's always said it's his favorite of the oaths...

[Steve]

So when I asserted it was "Mine!" I was only wrong in how many times the word was used....

[JME2]

So when I asserted it was "Mine!" I was only wrong in how many times the word was used....

Yeah. It's so silly...yet so perfect for Larfleeze.

Of all the post-Johns GL books, Larfleeze's is the only one I'm tempted to actually buy. Having Keith Giffen and Scott Kolins onboard is icing on the cake.

Or course, while I won't be buying the books anymore, I'm still interested in the fallout. Johns left a number of threads for the next team to explore from the Templar Guardians to the status of the other Emotional Entities.

[JME2]

Coming back a week later, there's one last point I want to give my thoughts on.

Since the beginning of Rebirth, the death of Martin Jordan and the influence on young Hal has been a foundation of Johns' run. So, I liked the final scene between young Hal and present day-Hal, where the child mistook his future self for his father,

While this element of Hal's character shouldn't be forgotten, I hope it's not really used going forward because this brings Hal full circle and shows that he's honored his father's legacy and spirit.

I also liked Hal's final conversation with his father's spirit, of how both parents are proud of their son. That matters a lot to me because the collapse of Hal's relationship with his mother was a key part of No Fear and Secrert Origin. So it's nice to see Johns revisit and tie up that thread for good.