More DC Rebirth

DC Rebirth continues, so do my reviews. If you want to see what I've said before, click here, here, and here. Today I'm looking at a few more, enjoy.

Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps - When I looked at the Rebirth issue of Green Lanterns I expressed disappointment at not really seeing much of Hal Jordan. While he's not my favorite (that would be the Golden Age Alan Scott), he's a close second, and it's good to see he's at least headlining a title. After an intriguing opening with an aged Sinestro, we get the convoluted recent history of Jordan, which frankly put me to sleep. We get Hal Jordan reborn finally, and possibly a call out to a new Corps, but it seems too little, an attempt at hope, but not quite enough.

Nightwing - I wanted to like this, I really did, but like the first title here, it is bogged down in unnecessary continuity. I have always liked Dick Grayson. I thought he was a bit of a dope on the 1966 TV series, but when I read his solo college stories in the comics, I was all in on Dick, he was cool. I dug him as Nightwing in the Titans, solo not so much, and I did enjoy the comics when he was a spy in Grayson when I picked them up. This comic didn't have any of the stuff I liked in it, and I really wish it did.

Red Hood and the Outlaws - I hated this book and concept the first time I read it waaay back in The New 52, and it does not seem to have aged well since then. At least we get a solid origin for Jason Todd all in one place, but that's about the best I can say about it. I still don't know what Bizarro and is that Circe? have to do with this title.

Suicide Squad - With the specter of a bad received movie haunting this one, I don't know what to think of this one. Why is Harley Quinn here? This is like going to a remake of a movie you loved and having it be nearly unrecognizable. I probably won't be back.

New Super-Man - Unlike those above, this one was probably so good because it was refreshingly new - new character, new situation, no baggage - more like a birth than a rebirth. Most importantly, it was a lot of fun. I want to read more. This one is a keeper.

Green Lantern: First Flight

Green Lantern: First Flight ~ How about a bit more Hal Jordan in my Hal Jordan movie please? This is a great Sinestro movie or even a Green Lantern Corps movie – but barely a Hal Jordan one.

This is the first Green Lantern animated feature, so I can understand the creators wanting to throw every element of the characters short of the kitchen sink into the mix – but really, this is not the first time the character’s been animated. We’ve seen various versions of GL throughout most of DC Comics’ animation history, so with his first feature he should have some room for development. If you’re going to give Hal Jordan Green Lantern seventy-five minutes – give him room to grow, to play, hell, how about some space of his own at least?

On the surface this is Hal Jordan’s origin as Green Lantern. An alien crashlands on Earth, giving Jordan a magical ring, whereupon he is taken to the Guardians of the Universe for training and eventually faces off against his evil counterpart Sinestro. It’s a story most comics fans know, and it’s presented well for newcomers – except those newcomers might not realize that Hal is supposed to be the protagonist.

Hal Jordan is there throughout most of the direct-to-DVD feature but soon the real story, that of the renegade Sinestro and the rest of the Green Lantern Corps, takes center stage, leaving poor Hal to almost a supporting role. The subtitle is “First Flight,” but I have to wonder whose.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it, I just wanted more of the title hero rather than the villain or the supporting cast. I could be really fanboy nitpicky and complain about the insectoid Kanjar Ro and his lack of connection to the GL Corps or about how the true appearance and origin of the Weaponers are changed and glossed over – but I won’t. I guess I would have liked a more Earthbound Green Lantern rather than space epic and a million characters all at once. Maybe next time, or maybe when Ryan Reynolds plays Hal on the big screen he’ll have more to do.

On the bright side, the weirdly anime animation is amazing and lends itself well to space adventure. I would definitely recommend this as worth watching for comics folks, but maybe not worth purchasing, except maybe for the hardcore GL fans.

Green Lantern: First Flight

As excited as I am about this upcoming animated DVD I am still not sure what to think of some elements. Cosmetic changes such as Abin Sur, the traditional Green Lantern costume and the new school Sinestro in a tale supposedly telling Hal Jordan's beginnings are troublesome and annoying, but not as much as the anime-style yelling for no apparent reason. Still, I'm looking forward to this one. No release date has been set yet, except for "Summer 2009."