Tag: green lantern

Lanterns “Dirt and Stars” Review

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Hey, hey, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here with another another review/reaction of this week’s episode of Lanterns, “Dirt and Stars.” If you want to see our thoughts on last week’s episode, “The Jordan Boys Legacy,” here’s a link to that review. “Dirt and Stars” tidied up most of Lanterns‘ loose ends. Did it tie up those ends in the best way. Maybe, maybe not. But the show’s finale does what Lanterns has been doing this entire season, keeping the narrative focused on its characters.

I loved the moment in the car between John Stewart and Noah (Kerry’s son and the Manhunter’s grandson). Lanterns has explored upbringing and the concept of nature versus nurture this entire season. Kudos to Lanterns for doing that. Did I like the reveal of Noah as the last remaining Manhunter. Yeah. It was good. It tied into the events of Rushville. Having a Manhunter as the “final boss” (so to say) was better than trying to shoehorn Parallax into the final three episodes. Did I like the fake out of Kerry being the one who killed Hal? Not as much. It made sense for her character, but Kerry loses something as a character when she impulsively shoots Hal after Hal talks about moving Noah. Clearly, Hal doesn’t want to harm Noah; he wouldn’t have suggested moving. Kerry may be a mother, but she’s also a sheriff. While I could see Kerry shooting Hal in defense, I don’t know if this scene sold why she’d do so.

Again, the acting was phenomenal. You couldn’t have asked for a better cast. I love all of the main cast here. Lanterns (from a writing a direction standpoint) did a fantastic job of conveying these characters. Most of them are flawed and that makes them compelling. Sure, I took Lanterns to task for adding full episodes of backstory for its characters. This caused the show to mark time and not propel its narrative forward. Most creative writing instructors would advise against taking this action. But the characters are so intriguing that I didn’t mind. I wanted to know more about John and Hal’s upbringing. And I think setting Lanterns on Earth was a good move. Would I like to see interstellar Green Lantern stories in the future? Of course. Setting Lanterns on Earth reduces budget costs. I can see the DCU containing its live-action television series to Earth, while its movies explore the cosmos.

Despite grounding the characters (on Earth), Lanterns does a good enough job of adapting the Green Lantern from the comics. I don’t read too many other reviewers’ posts until after I finished reviewing a movie or show myself, but I can imagine a lot of reviewers and specifically reviewers who are comic book readers, complaining that Lanterns should’ve been set in the cosmos. If you plan to make a Green Lantern television series, that series needs to be set in space. I agree with that to some extent, but Green Lantern has had terrestrial stories as well. I remind you of the groundbreaking Green Lantern/Green Arrow comic book series of the 1970s by Dennis O’Neal and Neal Adams. Lanterns made more than one reference to this series, most notably the scene between the Guardian and John’s mother. So good.

Arguing about how Lanterns does or does not adapt the comics plays out like a windshield wiper. It doesn’t work because of this, but it does work because of that. And so on. I return to the characters. Kyle Chandler does a phenomenal job as a broken Hal Jordan. While Aaron Pierre’s John Stewart borrows a few elements from another Green Lantern (Kyle Raynor’s artist abilities), Lanterns does a great job of weaving those elements into John’s character. I’m always down for more Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner, and I can’t wait to see if Gardner gets his red power ring. From the main cast to recurring characters and supporting characters, most, if not all, the actors do a great job. I enjoyed this show. Is it a perfect representation of Green Lantern from the comics. Not exactly. But I draw your attention to DC Comics’ Elseworlds. It’s the multiverse without the interconnection. The characters are close enough to their comic book counterparts.

John Stewart was a military veteran and had an odd upbringing. Guy Gardner always had a chip on his shoulder and suffered from an inferiority complex. While he spent most of his life as a hero, Hal Jordan did become a villain. It’s the online chatter about Jordan that makes me laugh.

In the comics, Hal Jordan killed all but one Guardian (in Lanterns, Jordan’s mentor Sinestro killed a single Guardian), and then Hal began killing every Green Lantern and claiming their rings for himself. That’s where we get the iconic image above. Fans became so outraged, claiming Hal would never do those heinous acts. This isn’t my Hal. Hal’s a hero. He isn’t broken. The complaints became so loud that DC Comics backtracked the story. Instead of Hal becoming Parallax, they made Hal possessed by Parallax. It wasn’t Hal’s fault. It was someone else’s. LOL Lanterns had shades of Hal as Parallax, and Green Lantern fans are doing the same thing online in 2026 as they did in the 1990s. My time machine works. It’s the 1990s again.

See what I mean? We can go on for hours like a windshield wiper with Lanterns being a “good adaptation” of Green Lantern. Most points have counterpoints. I will add that Lanterns did set up the concepts of the emotional spectrum (what each color of power ring represents) in subtle ways. I can’t wait to see how Lanterns explores the emotional spectrum in the future (if it gets renewed for a second season, that is). I mentioned Guy gaining a red power ring. Red power rings are fueled by rage. He’s a list of DC Comics’ Emotional Electromagnetic Spectrum:

Red/Rage
Orange/Avarice
Yellow/Fear
Green/Will
Blue/Hope
Indigo/Compassion
Violet/Love
Grey/Sorrow
Black/Death
White/Life

The lantern John uses to power up his ring has yellow streaks: fear. Sinestro mentions that fear can be the most powerful force in the universe. Of course he’d say that, he’s the most famous wearer of a yellow power ring. While in bed, Hal says to Kerry that he “wills” her to stay. This is a great nod to what powers the green power ring; it’s another great moment of Hal trying to reclaim his hero status after his fall. And I mentioned in previous reviews that Parallax (DC Comics’ living embodiment of fear) was hinted at more than once in Lanterns. The show eases viewers into this concept. An emotional spectrum is odd, but I can’t wait to see what the DCU has in store for the emotional spectrum’s future.

Yes. Guy gains a red power ring, but he may be the one character who has worn the most unique color of power rings. I’d like to see the DCU explore Guy’s character arc with these various rings. I’d also love to see the DCU adapt Supergirl gaining a red power ring. This dovetails into 2026’s Supergirl. So many people derided Supergirl because the main character was too angry. During a comic book event when most DC characters gained a power ring, Supergirl gets a red power ring. Buried under the weight of expectations (superhero, member of the House of El, part of the Superman family, and various gender roles as a woman), Supergirl embraced the red power ring by saying “F#@% this S#!t.” It was a joy to see an unleashed Supergirl.

I enjoyed Lanterns season one. The show had flaws. I mentioned several weeks ago that I couldn’t see how Lanterns could regain its momentum after the events of Rushville (episode five), and the show struggled to do just that. The momentum slowed to a crawl. I’d say the first five episode of this season were fantastic. I’d gladly rewatch them. The last three episodes leave a little to be desired, but overall, Lanterns season one held my interest.

Those are my thoughts on Lanterns “Dirt and Stars” and the show as a whole. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Lanterns “The Jordan Boys Legacy” Review

Published on by Kyra1 Comment

Hey, hey, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here with another another review/reaction of this week’s episode of Lanterns, “The Jordan Boys Legacy.” If you want to see our thoughts on last week’s episode, “Bad Optics,” here’s a link to that review. “The Jordan Boys Legacy” had some great callbacks. That’s good, sometimes even great. And this week’s episode did some things to progress Lanterns season one’s plot, but I’m afraid it may not have done enough. The season finale has a ton of work. As the episode’s title implies, “The Jordan Boys Legacy” dives into Hal Jordan’s backstory. That may not sound like it’s a bad thing, but remember, Hal’s gone. Any longform story with Hal is backtracking when the finale is next week. And this episode builds up the idea of Hal unaliving himself. Can I use the S-word here? You know what, I will. This episode suggests Hal may have committed suicide, but I think this is a red herring.

Before we get any further, spoiler warnings are in effect. You’ve been warned. If Hal committed suicide, it’ll be because he was under the influence of the fear toxins John Stewart encountered in this week’s episode, and that fear toxin originates from Parallax and/or the Sinestro Corps. Lanterns hasn’t done enough to build up these threats. We’ve physically seen Sinestro himself in a couple of episodes, but he’s been imprisoned. I should take a moment and acknowledge that this week’s episode of Lanterns did answer one of the questions I had from last week. Hal Jordan must’ve “freed” Sinestro. More precisely, Hal relocated Sinestro from one prison to another. This answer leads to more questions:

How did Hal know which planet to imprison Sinestro? Antaan implanted John Stewart with the memories of his people, not Hal.

Was Hal involved with Antaan’s people getting massacred or did he clean up the mess? Maybe.

Was Sinestro somehow involved? Probably.

When did Hal imprison Sinestro? I’m guessing during 2016 because his ring must’ve been decommissioned after the events at Rushville, but Lanterns made it sound as if Hal “freed” Sinestro in the past few years. Someone with the ability to fly through the cosmos “freed” Sinestro. Hal couldn’t do that without a power ring. Could he?

Was Hal possessed by Parallax? Ah! That may be what Lanterns is building toward. I mentioned Parallax last week. It’s the embodiment of fear in the DC Comics Universe, and Parallax has a history in the comics of poisoning Hal Jordan. Heck, Parallax was first introduced in DC Comics with the being possessing Hal Jordan. Okay. Technically, Green Lantern writers wanted Hal to fall from grace; fan outcry led to the writers inventing Parallax (it wasn’t Hal; it was Parallax). The story was still a compelling one even if it got retconned. While a Parallax possession would explain Hal’s demeanor during Rushville, why he would mess with Sinestro, and even why he would commit suicide, I would’ve liked Lanterns to mention Parallax as a concept or by name before the season finale.

Sure, Lanterns season one has played around with the concept of fear. Fear was why John’s father wasn’t chosen as Earth’s Green Lantern. John must prove he has no fear. Antaan’s people massacred each other out of fear. During “The Jordan Boys Legacy” episode, John asks old Hal (the construct from the ring) to ask him if he’s afraid, and John has a fearful moment in the middle of the poisoned lake–more on that wonderful scene later–but Lanterns revealing Parallax as the big bad could backfire.

It’s a risky move. One that would be difficult to pull off without the twist sounding like a gotcha moment. One that only comic book readers would know. If Parallax is the big bad, it could read a lot like the CW’s Flash season two. Zoom was the big bad. Several characters were presented as compelling candidates for Zoom. Flash chose to stick to a comic book accurate Hunter Zolomon, who barely appeared in the season prior to his name drop. Geekly covered that series as it aired nine years ago. Has it really been nine years? Yikes! I face palmed when I heard the Hunter Zolomon name drop and pleaded for Zolomon not to be Zoom. He was the least interesting option as Zoom. I’m not quite there with Lanterns and Parallax, but it’s close. Like I said, it’s risky.

Hal as Parallax only adds more questions that need to be answered, and Lanterns has one hour to answer the above questions, the four or five remaining questions from last week, and these new questions. The Lanterns season finale has a mountain of work. If Hal is Parallax or possessed by Parallax, here are some additional questions:

Was Parallax in control of Hal the entire time or did it influence Hal? My guess is influencing Hal because I don’t think Hal could fall in love with Sheriff Kerry if Parallax took full control of him, and we return to the timing of Sinestro leaving space prison. Does Parallax float in and out of Hal’s consciousness? How does it work? Or is someone or something else behind Sinestro’s relocation?

If Hal (possessed by Parallax) broke Sinestro out of space prison in the last couple of years, did Parallax grant Hal the ability to fly to space prison? Maybe. But that would sound convenient.

Why would Parallax want Sinestro imprisoned on this other planet? Sinestro serves Parallax’s ends. Why keep him imprisoned?

Antaan wanted The Manhunter dead in 2016. Was The Manhunter in cahoots with Parallax? If so, how did that work?

Parallax can work as Lanterns season one’s big bad villain. It also functions a lot like The King in Yellow, who influenced the first season of True Detective. Lanterns‘ showrunners cite the first season of True Detective as an influence. I don’t mind this comparison. R. W. Chambers’ The King in Yellow is one of the most influential weird fiction creations. I highly recommend reading this collection of short stories.

While many creators focus on the first several stories in this collection (the play that bears The King in Yellow’s name drives people insane when they read the second act), fewer creators explore the second half of The King in Yellow. The characters presented in these stories (the romances) avoid the King in Yellow’s influence. In large part, they overcome the King in Yellow because they overcome their fears. That sounds a lot like Parallax. This is why I still have hope for Lanterns season one finale.

Lanterns has kept its focus on its core characters. I appreciate that. The scene with John Stewart facing his past on the poisoned lake works because we know his past. Old Hal helps John through this moment and after doing so, shares his past (his father committing suicide) with John. If Parallax took control of (or influenced) Hal, it makes sense if it did so through Hal’s fear of becoming his father. Even though “The Jordan Boys Legacy” didn’t progress the story as much as it could in preparation of Lanterns season finale, I’m still withholding final judgement until the finale.

I prefer if the show resolves most–if not all–of the questions it poses. This week’s episode left a lot of questions unanswered, presented new questions with the one it did, and the potential big bad may present even more questions. Parallax is a compelling villain if done well. Lanterns “The Jordan Boys Legacy” left a lot of work for the season’s final episode. Seriously, I double checked to see if there was a planned ninth episode. If the show sticks the landing (a tall order for sure), you know I’ll be rewatching this series more than once. Those are my thoughts on Lanterns “The Jordan Boys Legacy.” Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Lanterns “Lights Out” Review

Published on by Kyra3 Comments

Hey, hey, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here with another review/reaction of this week’s episode of Lanterns, “Lights Out.” If you want to see our thoughts on last week’s episode, “The Weenie,” here’s a link to that review. I was pleasantly surprised when Lanterns ended its 2016 storyline this week. It ends about as well as one might imagine (not well at all), but before we get into my thoughts on “Lights Out,” let’s get the spoiler warning out of the way. There’s little chance of me discussing this episode without spoiling the story. You’ve been warned. Without further ado, let’s talk about Lanterns “Lights Out.”

To say everything came to a head in Lanterns’s 2016 storyline would be an understatement. Hal Jordan gets disgraced, John Stewart doesn’t keep the ring, the Manhunter gets killed, and half of Rushville gets blown up. Yikes! There’s a lot going on in this episode, but the fact that this happens during Lantern’s fifth episode with three more remaining this season, gets me excited. Like I said, I was pleasantly surprised by Lanterns ending its 2016 storyline this week. This should mean that most of the remaining episodes will fill in the gaps between 2016 and 2026, and more importantly, move the story along. Hal Jordan died at the end of the pilot episode. That was a promise that Lanterns season one won’t end in 2016 and will explore the events following Hal’s death (and who has the ring); the final three episodes should make good on that promise.

I’ll be upfront and say that I was wrong about John Stewart taking the ring from Hal Jordan. Technically, he does. I didn’t think that he would take the ring and not claim it as his own. The events of “Lights Out” lead to Hal Jordan losing the ring (maybe, the Guardians have it right now, so who knows?) and John Stewart losing his desire for the ring. Lanterns attempted to make the reason why John wouldn’t want the ring because he had to kill the Manhunter, and he’s in love with the Manhunter. This felt rushed and forced. Sure, it’s physically there, but I never quite bought John’s relationship with the Manhunter. I could buy John not wanting the ring because the Guardians wouldn’t give him the ring; he had to take it from Hal. Again, this is in the show’s dialogue and plays a factor, but Lanterns offers both options and doesn’t commit to either one. That may be why I didn’t buy John and the Manhunter’s relationship.

For a show that does a great job with characterization, I was disappointed with Lanterns‘ choose your own reason why John doesn’t want the ring. Regardless of the reason, John returns the ring to the Guardians. Will we see Guy Gardner in the sixth episode of the season? Lanterns keeps using Fillion’s Guy Gardner as its thumbnail. It’s been at least three weeks. It would make sense if the ring passes from Hal to Guy Gardner. The show would also earn its name of Lanterns. We aren’t talking about one or even two of Earth’s Green Lanterns. Here’s a third. And I’d like to see the Sinestro Corps. play a role in the upcoming episodes. With Hal incapacitated, Sinestro could wreck some havoc. Ending the main story thread (what happened in Rushville in 2016) with three episodes remaining means Lanterns will need another great threat. The Sinestro Corps. could fill that role well.

But some of that is conjecture, let’s return to the Rushville story. With the exception of John giving back the ring, the story played out like I thought it would. And that’s a great thing. Lanterns introduced concepts in the first four episodes and did a fantastic job with callbacks in “Lights Out.” The odd anti-Green Lantern smoke returns. The kamikaze aliens. The bizarre red lasers that explode folks. John’s artwork. The Manhunter’s crystal heart. And the reverse white laser that can heal (explaining how no one in Rushville gets sick). It all works. It’s chef’s kiss good. But there are three episodes remaining. The final episodes concern me, to some extent. Lanterns did such a great job of setting up all of these threads, and for the most part, it tied up those lose ends during “Lights Out’s” runtime. There isn’t a lot of time remaining to set up another entire story arc.

Switching from one major threat in a single season to another reminds me of what happened in the first season of Netflix’s Luke Cage. The first half (or just over first half) of that show was excellent, and then the show lost momentum changing gears to another big threat. That’s the other reason why I think Lanterns will turn to Sinestro and the Sinestro Corps.. The show has already introduced Sinestro. It hasn’t set up any other villain, except for maybe Parallax. Sinestro and the Sinestro Corps. use yellow power rings, charged by fear. Parallax is the living embodiment of fear in the DC Universe. The fact that the Green Lantern Corps.’s most persistent enemy uses Fear Rings is why Lanterns included the idea of the green power ring asking if humans were afraid when choosing a human to be Green Lantern. You can’t have fear (the main enemy’s strength) when wielding a Green Lantern power ring.

Earlier in this series, I mentioned how Lanterns did little with Green Lantern’s powers, and the audience seldom say Green Lantern’s uniform. That still happens in the show, but I like that we’ve seen more of Green Lantern’s powers as the season’s progressed. Rushville’s story made me forget about the reduction of costumes and powers. Now that Rushville’s story has concluded, I’m going to want to see some awesome Green Lantern constructs and more of the costume. Guy Gardner doesn’t mind wearing the costume. We’ll see if there’s a massive row between Green Lantern and Sinestro or Green Lantern and Parallax.

Lanterns has managed to ground Green Lantern, introduced intriguing characters, and deliver on several promises posed at the beginning of the season. After the season airs, I may binge the entire season. Knowing the sheriff’s past may heighten some of those earlier scenes. This is a show that drops plenty of bread crumbs as well as Easter eggs. Those are my thoughts on this week’s episode of Lanterns (“Lights Out”). Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Lanterns “OutKast” Review

Published on by Kyra1 Comment

Happy Friday, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle with a review/reaction of this week’s Lanterns episode, “OutKast.” If you’d like to see our review of last week’s Lanterns episode “Trust Fall,” check it out here. I have mixed feelings about Lanterns “OutKast.” I watched the episode three times and went back and forth with how I read this flashback episode, and “OutKast” is a flashback episode, and this episodes use of the chosen one cliche. Let’s start this discussion with “OutKast’s” use of flashbacks.

I figured Lanterns “OutKast” would feature plenty of flashbacks. The pilot took place in 2016, showed glimpses of the Nineties, and ended with Hal Jordan dying in 2026. Oh! Spoiler alert is in effect. I don’t know why anyone reading a review/reaction of the third episode in a television series would not have seen the show’s pilot, but I’m sorry to the one or two readers who haven’t yet seen Lanterns “Pilot.” This review will contain spoilers. Consider yourself warned. While last week’s episode “Trust Fall” continues the 2016 storyline, “OutKast” recounts John Stewart’s past. While watching “OutKast” the first time, I kept hearing my writing instructors in my ear. No! Not a flashback episode. If you need to write a flashback episode, it probably means you didn’t start your story where it should’ve started.

But I enjoyed “OutKast.” After I pushed away those critical voices in my head, the episode explored themes I hoped the episode (and the show as a whole) would explore. John Stewart’s upbringing fascinated me. You could tell there was a lot going on behind the scenes during the show’s pilot. The fact that John’s father was a Green Lantern candidate with Hal Jordan added some nice depth. The scenes between John’s parents (specifically his mother) and a Guardian harkened to classic Green Arrow-Green Lantern comic book storylines. I love the following interaction:

Bernadette (Johan’s Mother): Do you understand how unfair it is to ask a Black man in America if he’s afraid?

Lianna (Guardian): By “Black,” you mean… brown skin?

Bernadette: We are terrified daily of persecution and still show up, sometimes better, than everyone around us. Did you know that?

Lianna: I did not.

Bernadette: Even in space, y’all don’t consider us.

I can’t help but make a connection between this scene, and the one found in Green Lantern (Vol 2) #76, where a black man confronts Hal Jordan’s Green Lantern:

I been readin’ about you…how you work for the blue skins…and how on a planet someplace you helped out the orange skins…and you done considerable for the purple skins! Only there’s skins you never bothered with! The Black skins! I want to know how come?! Answer me that, Mr. Green Lantern.

Ah! I don’t care that scene is a little hokey by today’s standards, but I love it. That scene is one of the first images that pops into my head when I think about Green Lantern (Hal Jordan). As soon as I heard Lanterns would include Hal Jordan and John Stewart, I hoped the show would lean in, at least a little bit, to some of those classic 1960s Green Arrow-Green Lantern issues. The scene between Bernadette and Lianna paid homage to this classic Green Lantern comic book scene, but it took it in an interesting direction. Bernadette directly tells a Guardian. This causes the Guardian (and by extension, the audience) to recontextualize fear. I love the idea of Hal Jordan not having fear because he was a white man, and John Stewart Senior had fear because of his race, but he overcomes that fear.

Ultimately, I’m of two minds in regard to “OutKast’s” use of flashbacks. Yes, Lanterns could’ve woven these flashbacks throughout the rest of the season. Conventional storytelling teaches writers to do that. But Lanterns only has a handful of episodes remaining. A flashback-heavy episode was bound to happen. You might as well have one flashback episode in full instead of multiple episodes littered with flashbacks. Funnily enough, “OutKast” had a flashback (John’s past) inside of a flashback (John meeting with a Guardian), which was a flashback to the flashback (the events of 2016 with Hal and John). Wait. I’m confused. Despite a lot of flashbacks, “OutKast” was easy to follow and a fun ride. I love John Stewart’s backstory in Lanterns.

And we get to the chosen one cliche. I mentioned it in the opening, and I have to deliver here. Again, I’m of two minds. Using an unkind reading of the story, “OutKast” is guilty of using the chosen one cliche. Lianna (the Guardian) mentions that John Stewart (Senior) was chosen for a reason and his “worthiness” could be inherited, and she mentions that John’s mother (Bernadette) was formidable in her own right. One could easily read the chosen one cliche from this interaction. I certainly did the first time I watched Lanterns “OutKast.” But John Stewart (Junior) corrects Lianna by saying that humans aren’t programmed, they’re raised. A kind reading of this story leans toward a battle between nurture versus nature.

I go back and forth with Lanterns “OutKast.” On one watch, I may view the episode through an unkind reading. On another, I switch to a kinder reading. Regardless, Lanterns has been surprisingly rewatchable. I’d still like to see more costumes and powers, but the show holds my interest. On a completely different note, I love the reference to Atlanta Hip Hop stars OutKast. And I love the closing track, “Gasoline Dreams.” Ah! So good and it fits.

Those are my thoughts on Lanterns “OutKast.” Let me know yours in the comments. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Lanterns “Trust Fall” Review

Published on by Kyra1 Comment

Hey, hey, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle with a review/reaction of this week’s Lanterns episode, “Trust Fall.” If you’d like to see our review of last week’s Lanterns episode “Pilot,” check it out here. “Trust Fall” builds on “Pilot’s” great foundation. Like I said in the previous review, Lanterns “Pilot” does almost everything you’d want a first episode to do. And my concern of Lanterns avoiding the superhero genre expectations (costumes and powers) has waned. Again, I can see why Lanterns doesn’t want to blow its entire effects budget in the first episode or two, and “Trust Fall” shows us more of Hal Jordan and John Stewart in action.

If you haven’t yet watched Lanterns “Trust Fall” and you don’t want any spoilers, you may want to watch the show first and then return to this review/reaction to see what you agree or–most likely–disagree with in this post. I’ll wait. Are you done? Great! Let the spoilers commence. I mentioned it in the opening paragraph, but I like how Lanterns is easing the audience and its budget with the Green Lantern’s larger universe. Hal Jordan dons the uniform, travels to the Planet Oa (The Guardians’ home planet), and even meets with Sinestro. And of course, all this happens in the final five minutes of “Trust Fall’s” runtime. But it counts. I don’t need much, just a taste of Green Lantern goodness, and Lanterns‘ second episode delivers on some of these promises.

After watching this episode (twice), I have hope for the rest of the season/series. I meant what I said last week. Lanterns is a fantastic show. I enjoyed every minute of the pilot episode, but last week’s episode could’ve been the pilot for a show set outside the DCU. “Trust Fall” made the show feel as if it belonged in the DCU. I love Hal Jordan and John Stewart’s relationship. Sinestro hints that John may be more of a danger to Hal than the big bad alien threat developed during this episode (more on the Manhunters later). This rings true. It would make sense if Hal was nervous about John becoming Green Lantern soon. Jordan did say in the pilot that the Green Lantern job was his until the day he died. And Hal Jordan has been cagey about The Guardians. When John Stewart asks what The Guardians thought about what’s happening in Rushville, Hal Jordan dodges the question. It’s obvious Hal and The Guardians aren’t on speaking terms.

Through two episodes, Lanterns has done an excellent job of answering some questions but posing more. During “Trust Fall,” the name Manhunters gets introduced. Ah! The Manhunters are one of Jack “King” Kirby’s DC Comics creations. Kirby is best known for cocreating the Marvel Comic Book Universe, but he had several gems with DC Comics. Kirby had a knack for science fiction themed stories. His work on Fantastic Four is iconic, but Kirby also created Darkseid and The New Gods. It made sense for Kirby to build on Green Lantern’s lore. The Manhunters were the android precursors to the Lantern Corps. I won’t spoil too much of The Manhunters’ backstory here, just in case Lanterns uses a healthy dose of this comic book lore, but John Stewart has a history with The Manhunters, and I like the direction Lanterns is taking its first season. A Manhunter makes for a fantastic first season villain.

“Trust Fall” splits the two lanterns into separate stories. Hal Jordan continues his investigation of Rushville, Nebraska. Turns out, a Manhunter may be behind the odd goings on in the town. The town knows aliens exist, and they’ve rigged their metal detectors to spot alien lifeforms. Yeah, Macon’s benefactor may be The Manhunter causing mayhem. But this town has layers. The hospital has equipment that’s barely used. Heck, the hospital itself is a lot larger than one you would find in most rural Nebraska towns in the Sandhills. There’s a lot happening under the surface. Oh, yeah. Macon has one of his goons shoot Hal in the shoulder (a warning shot). Seriously, I love this town and it’s seedy underbelly. The two lanterns spilt up because Hal sends John to retrieve his lantern.

Yes! We physically see a Green Lantern’s lantern. Hal keeps it in a pocket dimension (classic), and we even meet Earl, an alien man-eating plant. Like I said, Lanterns “Trust Fall” sprinkles in enough Green Lantern goodness. I even like how members of the same alien race (who infiltrated Rushville, Nebraska) abduct John Stewart. These aliens implant memories of their home world getting destroyed and family members being killed by The Manhunters. And this does play out in a John Stewart Green Lantern story. Great inclusion here. And the introduction of Sinestro to the greater story could lead to a ton of fun.

Ah, Sinestro. Seeing him in all his pink-skinned glory made me smile, and so do the layers to the town of Rushville, Nebraska. I was on the fence about grounding Lanterns to the planet Earth. When one thinks of Green Lantern stories, one pictures planet hopping and exotic locales. Lanterns following Supergirl, which had a muted color palette and a lack of planet hopping (in relation to the source material, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow) gave me pause. The show isn’t in the clear yet, but I like a slow introduction to Green Lantern’s larger universe. If Lanterns continues introducing more sci-fi elements at the rate it did from episode one to two, I’d call that a good escalation. And the largest use of a Green Lantern ring (John Stewart producing a bird) was adorable and showed how John and Hal differ as Green Lanterns.

One random observation: a picture Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner graced Lanterns “Trust Fall” banner in my HBO Max app. Was Guy Gardner in this episode? Was he supposed to be at one point? Not gonna lie, I saw the pic and got a little excited to see Fillion’s Gardner again. We may need to wait for episode three.

Lanterns continues its solid start with this week’s episode, “Trust Fall.” I can’t wait for the next episode, and my fingers are crossed for a second season. No word on that…yet. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Getting Into Comics: Green Lantern (Guy Gardner) Starter Stories

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Hey, hey, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here. I’m continuing to write far in advance. Who knows if Lanterns is still releasing new episodes? I’m writing so far in advance that Lanterns’ schedule hasn’t yet been released. Even though we don’t know Lanterns’ schedule, let alone which stories the show pulls from, that doesn’t prevent us from discussing Guy Gardner starter stories.

Guy Gardner has a crazy history in the DC Comics universe. Gardner may be the one Lantern who’s represented more shades of the emotional spectrum than any other Lantern. Gardner’s varied past means we’ll have plenty of single-issue comics and longer storylines from multiple eras of comic book history. Guy Gardner’s past is not for the faint of heart. Buckle up.

Single Issues

“Earth’s Other Green Lantern!” (Green Lantern Vol 2 #59; written by John Broome/art by Gil Kane; March 1968)

Hal Jordan was one of several people Abin Sur’s ring could’ve bestowed its power. The power ring chose Hal because he was geographically the closest to Abin Sur. In “Earth’s Other Green Lantern!” Hal Jordan uses a machine named the Memory Machine to watch one of these alternate worlds. In this world, a man named Guy Gardner became Earth’s Green Lantern.

We gain some insight into why Guy Gardner is typically angry. A few issues later, Guy suffered a head trauma that led to a drastic change in demeanor fans saw after he woke up. In his prime, Guy’s a friendly teacher and occasionally worked as a prison counselor. This story shows how much the Green Lanterns and the Guardians torpedoed Guy’s life. They stole his future to make him a backup for one of the Lantern Corps’ least reliable members.

“4” (Green Lantern Vol 2 #195; written by Steve Englehart/art by Joe Staton; December 1985)

The events of Crisis on Infinite Earths made John Stewart disposed, fighting alongside the Monitor across the universe. Guy Gardner is selected as John’s replacement on Earth. During this event, in “4,” Guy is selected to join the Guardians’ newer, smaller Green Lantern Corps. “4” elevates Guy to official Green Lantern status, bringing the number of official Sector 2814 (which includes Earth) Green Lanterns up to three.

“Red Badge of Rage” (Green Lantern Corps Vol 2 #43; written by Peter Tomasi/art by Patrick Gleason; February 2010)

At least one issue of the massive Blackest Night crossover made each of the Green Lantern starter story lists. Long-dead superheroes sprang from their graves, powered by Black Lantern rings. Heroes from every color in DC’s emotional spectrum united to push back the dead. “Red Badge of Rage” was the first time Guy dabbled with another color in the emotional spectrum. He became pure rage.

After Kyle Rayner fell to the Black Lanterns, Guy tapped into his anger. Instead of expressing grief, Guy’s bravado transformed his sadness into rage, making him a potent Red Lantern. Guy punched his way through dozens of Black Lanterns, smashing them into bits, and then he vomited energy-blood over the rest. Guy became a one-man army. He finished the Black Lantern Corps, teasing Guy’s tenure with the Red Lantern Corps.

“Blood Debts” (Red Lanterns: Futures End Vol 1 #1; written by Charles Soule/art by Jim Calafiore; November 2014)

“Blood Debts” does a great job of showing Guy Gardner’s heroic journey. Red Lanterns gives Guy a new purpose as Earth’s primary Red Lantern, but Red Lanterns: Futures End shows a far future Guy who turned his rage into a Blue Lantern for Hope. Guy kept a huge secret from his ally, Bleez. As the pair dispatch the last Red Lantern from the universe, Bleez asks how Guy’s blue ring can be so powerful, as blue rings need proximity to green rings to create constructs. Guy reveals a string of rings around his neck. He had mastered the entire emotional spectrum.

“High Noon” (Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps Vol 1 #16; written by Robert Venditti/art by Rafa Sandoval; May 2017)

“High Noon” is a window into an odd era of Green Lantern history. After Hal Jordan seemingly sacrificed himself to stop Sinestro, the Sinestro Corps fell under the leadership of Sinestro’s daughter, Soranik Natu. Soranik took the Sinestro Corps in a different direction. She turned away from fear and proposed a Sinestro Corps alliance with the Green Lanterns. Many people on both sides weren’t happy with the alliance, especially Guy Gardner.

Guy Gardner challenges the massive alien Yellow Lantern Arkillo to a fistfight with no power rings. Guy holds his own, and after the fight, Arkillo and Guy become the closest allies between the two Corps of Lanterns.

Storylines

“Justice League International” (Justice League Vol 1 #1-6) written by Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis; art by Kevin Maguire; 1987)

Whenever I think of Guy Gardner, I think of the iconic punch Batman gives Guy in the kisser. Justice League Vol 1 #5 holds that iconic scene (turned meme).

Guy isn’t always a great teammate, which makes him the perfect addition for the Justice League International (subsequent series after the Justice League mini-series), led by Maxwell Lord and sometimes Batman. Justice League International showcases how annoying and powerful Guy Gardner can be. Batman’s iconic punch earned a smile from Martian Manhunter and cheers from Blue Beetle and Black Canary, but what folks tend to forget is how wildly Guy’s mood swung after getting punched.

Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner borrows the most from the Guy Gardner we see in Justice League International. The team (The Justice Gang in Superman) is even funded by Maxwell Lord. I’d love to see a live-action version of this iconic moment.

“Guy Gardner Reborn” (Guy Gardner Reborn Vol 1 #1-3) written by Gerard Jones; art by Joe Staton; June 1992)

Guy Gardner Reborn occurs immediately after Hal Jordan fought Guy for his ring. Guy contemplates his choice to honorably resolve his dispute with Hal for two days before he decides to escape toward Qward and steal Sinestro’s yellow ring. The resulting space opera shows how mean Guy Gardner can get. Add in the Main Man (Lobo), and Guy Gardner Reborn becomes a buddy-cop story fueled by mutual disrespect and vengeance. Guy Gardner Reborn heralded one of Guy Gardner’s best eras.

“Guy Gardner: Year One” (Guy Gardner Vol 1 #11-14; written by Chuck Dixon; art by Joe Staton; 1993)

Through the power of an odd suction-cup creature named the Xanoglpyh, Guy Gardner is forced to relive his traumatic past. Guy always had a deep-seated need for approval. This same need drove him to find a yellow power ring. Ringless Green Lanterns treat Guy like a brute. By the end of this arc, the other Lanterns offer to help Guy retrieve his yellow ring, despite knowing Guy shouldn’t have the ring. The short-lived series gives a lot of Guy Gardner’s heroic past some much-needed context.

“Guy Gardner: Warrior” (Guy Gardner: Warrior #17-44; written by Chuck Dixon and Beau Smith/art by Mitch Byrd, Brad Gorby, Phil Jimenez, Howard Porter, Mike Parobeck, Jackson Guice, J.H. Williams III, Rick Mays, Dan Jurgens, Joyce Chin, Mike Wieringo, Marc Campos, Tom Grindberg, Aaron Lopresti, and Joe Staton; February 1994-July 1996)

Who needs a power ring? Everyone’s least favorite Green Lantern goes through another space odyssey in the wild ride that is Guy Gardner: Warrior. Guy used a yellow Qwardian power ring until Hal Jordan became Parallax and destroyed it. Ordinarily, this would mean Guy Gardner wouldn’t have powers. But Guy Gardner: Warrior reveals Guy’s Vuldarian heritage. His new alien powers allow him to construct weapons and armor from his body, no power ring required.

Guy turns into his wackiest best self with powers similar to but distinctly different from the Lanterns. During this series, Guy battles a clone of himself, goes to hell, and learns his importance to the War of Light.

Those are the Guy Gardner Green Lantern stories that made our list. We covered Hal Jordan and John Stewart starter stories the past two months. Are there any Guy Gardner Green Lantern stories you would add to this list? Let us know in the comments, Geekly Gang. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Top 5 Green Lantern Villains

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Happy Saturday, Geekly Gang! We haven’t done a Top 5 Villains list for a superhero or superhero group since Black Panther late August of last year. Looks like we’re overdue for another list, and since Lanterns is releasing on HBO Max, let’s count down the Top 5 Green Lantern Villains. Green Lantern is almost on Superman’s level in his number of overpowered villains. Heck, some of these Green Lantern villains have their own Corps of Henchmen ready to take down the Emerald Knight. Let’s see who made our list of Top 5 Green Lantern Villains.

5) Larfleeze

Larfleeze might not make a lot of people’s lists of Top 5 Green Lantern Villains because he’s often depicted as comic relief, but Larfleeze’s origin is anything but comical. Deep within the Vega System, Larfleeze of Okaara protects the DC Universe’s only Orange Lantern Power Battery. Fueled by greed, Larfleeze has a desire to take as much power as he can. Larfleeze would kill anyone he believed was trying to steal his Power Batter, and then copy his victims’ image, stealing their identities and have them join his Orange Corps as construct ghosts.

Larfleeze is the embodiment of greed, the emotional power that feeds orange. Under the Orange Light of Greed’s sway, Larfleeze is driven to possess everything.

4) Atrocitus

Another one of Geoff Johns’s creations, Atrocitus represents a different Lantern Corps Spectrum: Red’s Wrath. The murderous Atrocitus and his Red Lantern Corps may be the most feared force in the known, extraterrestrial DC Universe.

The Manhunters killed everyone Atrocitus knew. He became an intergalactic terrorist, wanting to kill the Guardians of the Universe. After numerous bloodthirsty missions, Atrocitus formed his Red Lantern Corps to go toe to toe with the Green Lantern Corps. At his core, Atrocitus executes an extreme form of justice. Too bad his form of justice comes with enough blood to paint the universe.

3) Nekron

Nekron is a demon who is DC Comic’s embodiment of Death. Nekron has power over the souls of everyone who has ever died. He uses these souls to perform godlike abilities like strength, durability, and energy projection. Never content with his deathly realm, Nekron seeks control over the rest of the DC Universe.

Nekron’s right-hand agent, Black Hand, almost made this list, too. Consider Black an honorable mention for Green Lantern’s Top 5 Villains. The two of them concocted the events of “Blackest Night.” They co-created the Black Lantern Corps of death. Using the bodies of formerly dead heroes like Superman and Wonder Woman, Nekron attempted to eliminate all life.

2) Parallax

Yellow’s fear runs counter to Green’s will, so spoiler alert, our top two spots belong to Yellow’s portion of the Emotional Spectrum. Parallax is the embodiment of terror. It derives its power from the yellow light of fear, typically presenting itself as a serpentine creature that acts as a parasite in a host’s mind. The most famous instance of a Parallax infection was Hal Jordan.

That’s right. Parallax turned Hal Jordan into a villain. Jordan adopted Parallax as his villainous persona. While under Parallax’s control, Hal Jordan massacred the rest of the Green Lantern Corps and destroyed his home, Coast City. But Jordan is far from Parallax’s only vessels. It’s taken possession of heroes like Kyle Rayner and The Flash. Whenever Parallax takes control of a hero, its malevolent spirit and power turn the poor soul into one of the DC Universe’s most powerful villains.

1) Sinestro

While Parallax takes temporary control over its host, Sinestro shows how the yellow light of fear can corrupt even the greatest Green Lanterns, completely and forever. When Hal Jordan first joined the Green Lantern Corps, Thaal Sinestro was his mentor. The two developed a bond, but that bond was shattered when Hal discovered Sinestro kept his sector (of the universe) in line through tyranny.

Jordan got Sinestro booted from the Green Lantern, and the Korugarian never forgave Hal, the Green Lantern Corps, or the Guardians of the Universe. Since his dismissal, Sinestro has been one of the DC Universe’s most enduring antagonists. He’s a card-carrying member of the Legion of Doom and the founder of the Sinestro Corps, who also harnesses the yellow light of fear. While he may occasionally commit acts of valor, Sinestro’s hatred, anger, and desire for power define him. We had to go with Sinestro for the top spot. Sometimes one of a character’s original villains are the best.

There are plenty of other Green Lantern Villains we could’ve added to this list. Who would you include? Let us know in the comments. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.