Green Lantern #53 - 57 "Brightest Day" Talkback (Spoilers)

[Xurk]

BLACKEST NIGHT is gone and has made way for BRIGHTEST DAY!!

GREEN LANTERN #53

(Click to enlarge)

http://images.tfaw.com/covers_tfaw/200/fe/feb100118.jpg (http://images.tfaw.com/covers_tfaw/400/fe/feb100118.jpg)

WRITER: Geoff Johns
PENCILS: Doug Mahnke & Christian Alamy

THE STORY: A BRIGHTEST DAY tie-in! Exploding out of BLACKEST NIGHT comes the next exciting chapter in the Green Lantern mythos: 'New Guardians'! Forced together during the rise of the Black Lanterns, Hal Jordan, Sinestro, Carol Ferris, Saint Walker, Atrocitus, Indigo-1 and Larfleeze must agree to disagree if their next mission is to succeed.

But when one of the strangest beings from Green Lantern's past returns, the future of the Lanterns and the universe at large once again falls into question.

Thoughts? What are your comments?

[Xurk]

GREEN LANTERN #54

(Click to enlarge)

http://images.tfaw.com/covers_tfaw/200/ma/mar100163.jpg (http://images.tfaw.com/covers_tfaw/400/ma/mar100163.jpg)

WRITER: Geoff Johns
PENCILS: Doug Mahnke & Christian Alamy

THE STORY: BRIGHTEST DAY shines its light on the 'New Guardians' who have been forced to make Earth their new home! Why? You'll have to read it to believe it. While Hal is forced to deal with Larfleeze and his newfound appreciation for Earth culture, Sinestro uncovers the mystery behind Parallax's disappearance.

Thoughts? What are your comments?

[RedKing52]

Ah, the return of Dex-Starr, the Rage Kitty. Awesome...:D:evil:

[Shawn Hopkins]

http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z261/richbob2/dexstar2.jpg?t=1225507013

Now that's some serious, mature comics storytelling there, dudes. Sure it's violent, but only the violence necessary to lend verisimilitude to the serious social problem of having your face melted off by a puking space cat. Good job, DC.

[Jacob T. Paschal]

Is it any more silly than super powered beings prancing around in tights saving the universe? ;)

[Jin Kazama]

Now that's some serious, mature comics storytelling there, dudes. Sure it's violent, but only the violence necessary to lend verisimilitude to the serious social problem of having your face melted off by a puking space cat. Good job, DC.

Didn't you just start a thread in which you disagree with how dark and mature comics are today? You'd think you'd enjoy an obviously intended attempt at a joke in regards to a blood-spewing death machine that's a cute widdle kitty cat. :)

I'm still waiting on my Rage Cat v. Krypto fight they promised before Blackest Night even started.

[Shawn Hopkins]

Is it any more silly than super powered beings prancing around in tights saving the universe? ;)

Yes. It's a kitty cat, for crying out loud.

I don't think I ever said comics are dark and mature. I would like them if they were that. I said they're dark, violent and stupid to the point of being ridiculous. This is all three personified. Of course this was intended as a joke, but I think DC has actually stumbled upon the perfect mascot for the DiDio era.

[Jacob T. Paschal]

Yes. It's a kitty cat, for crying out loud.

...so? Batman adopts ten year olds to fight crime in red and yellow...isn't that similarly silly? Comic books will always be inherently silly, and will always relish in such silliness, and then turning around and telling serious and dramatic stories.


Then again, I've been raised on the shônen manga side of the 'comic' spectrum, so I wouldn't bat an eye if one moment Rage Kitty here was viciously eating somebody's eye out and then on the next page making plans for a date with his somewhat overbearing girlfriend. :p

[Shawn Hopkins]

...so? Batman adopts ten year olds to fight crime in red and yellow...isn't that similarly silly? Comic books will always be inherently silly, and will always relish in such silliness, and then turning around and telling serious and dramatic stories.


Then again, I've been raised on the shônen manga side of the 'comic' spectrum, so I wouldn't bat an eye if one moment Rage Kitty here was viciously eating somebody's eye out and then on the next page making plans for a date with his somewhat overbearing girlfriend. :p

Again, it's a kitty cat puking someone's face off.

Of course superhero comics are inherently silly. That's why it's so stupid that DC, and to a lesser extent Marvel, have tried to make them "mature" by injecting so much idiotic violence and "darkness" and sturm and drang into them. It only makes them look more ridiculous, which is what this space cat with violent puking powers is the perfect symbol of.

[Jin Kazama]

Again, it's a kitty cat puking someone's face off.

Of course superhero comics are inherently silly. That's why it's so stupid that DC, and to a lesser extent Marvel, have tried to make them "mature" by injecting so much idiotic violence and "darkness" and sturm and drang into them. It only makes them look more ridiculous, which is what this space cat with violent puking powers is the perfect symbol of.

So a joke character is the symbol of dark and gritty comics? I think you're trying to look way too hard into it. If the character was a serious character, I'd totally get your meaning. He was created for a laugh. The fans loved it, and here he is now. The thing was used, like, once before the issue that came out today.

I'd view a character like, say, Magog as a better symbol. The entire point of the character was to parody how horrible 90's characters were. Then DC took the character, put him in a serious tone, and legitly made him everything he was created against. And pushed him. Hard.

[Shawn Hopkins]

So a joke character is the symbol of dark and gritty comics?.

Yes. Because dark and gritty comics, the way DC does them, are stupid. DC is the place that's happy to take something as stupid and silly as Wonder Dog and Marvin and have Wonder Dog graphically eat Marvin because that's dark and kewl. So this is almost the perfect DC creation.

Also, I think fans respond well to the character because they're laughing -at- DC and its excesses. Not laughing with it. And that maybe it was created to poke fun at the stupid violence and darkness in DC because there's certainly nothing inherently funny, out of context, about a space cat puking someone's face off.

At least I hope that's what's going on here.

[Jin Kazama]

Also, I think fans respond well to the character because they're laughing -at- DC and its excesses. Not laughing with it. And that maybe it was created to poke fun at the stupid violence and darkness in DC because there's certainly nothing inherently funny, out of context, about a space cat puking someone's face off.

It's a cute cat. In a Red Lantern suit. Spewing blood. That's what's funny. The Red Lanterns are this unstoppable force of pure hatred and revenge. And one of their members is a cute cat. That's what's funny. At least that's how it comes off to me, and how I find it funny. Maybe I'm simplistic like that. But it really doesn't come off to me the way you're describing it unless you look really, really hard, and have to want to see it that way.

[Shawn Hopkins]

It's a cute cat. In a Red Lantern suit. Spewing blood. That's what's funny. The Red Lanterns are this unstoppable force of pure hatred and revenge. And one of their members is a cute cat. That's what's funny. At least that's how it comes off to me, and how I find it funny.

I don't think you're being simplistic, but I do think that being a fan of these comics is making it hard for you to acknowledge some obvious, if unpleasant, subtext.

First, you can't just say "a cartoon cat puking blood is funny because a cartoon cat puking blood is funny." Let's put that one aside.

The incongruity of cuteness hiding nasty violence is a much better argument, but it isn't something that really rises to such a hilarious level on its own, either. In Child's Play, for example, the image of Chucky cutting people up mixes cuteness with violence, but it scares more people than it makes chuckle. And that entire film is actually less violent and disturbing than these panels. When the violence gets to the "melting your face with puke" level it kind of pushes the humor out of the equation.

It is funniest in the context of commentary on how bad DC comics are lately, though, as a knowing wink at the audience that's well aware of the escalating outrageousness of them. It's basically the cherry on top of a crap sundae.

But if you want evidence that people are laughing at this, the way they laugh at old Superman covers where Superman is acting like a guy named Richard or the panel where Batman says boner, instead of laughing along with DC here, look no further than the fact that this has become a LOLcat Meme.

http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20090910122636/greenlantern/images/a/ad/Dex-star.jpg

http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20090910122636/greenlantern/images/a/ad/Dex-star.jpg

[Jin Kazama]

First, you can't just say "a cartoon cat puking blood is funny because a cartoon cat puking blood is funny." Let's put that one aside.

I never said it was funny just because it's funny. I've stated numerous times why I felt it was funny. It's because it's polar opposites. Cute Cat. Killing Machine. It's like giving Aquaman a flamethrower.

But as with any joke, if you have to explain it, it's not funny anymore. I think we've both effectively killed Rage Cat here.


I don't think you're being simplistic, but I do think that being a fan of these comics is making it hard for you to acknowledge some obvious, if unpleasant, subtext.

It is funniest in the context of commentary on how bad DC comics are lately, though, as a knowing wink at the audience that's well aware of the escalating outrageousness of them. It's basically the cherry on top of a crap sundae.

And your argument that I'm having trouble acknowledging something because I'm a fan of it can easily be turned the other way. I can easily say that your obvious hatred of current DC comics is making you look for things.

If Green Lantern fans hated how dark DC has gotten, and viewed it as a wink to how terrible it is, then "Blackest Night," which spun directly out of "Rage of the Red Lanterns" where this is all from, wouldn't have been one of the better received and higher selling DC summer crossovers in recent memory. But that's an entirely different argument.


But if you want evidence that people are laughing at this, the way they laugh at old Superman covers where Superman is acting like a guy named Richard or the panel where Batman says boner, instead of laughing along with DC here, look no further than the fact that this has become a LOLcat Meme.

An argument where you loose me again. Both of those are just laughing at how different comics were of a different era. This is completely in-context. It's just a context that both of us view differently.

[Shawn Hopkins]

I never said it was funny just because it's funny. I've stated numerous times why I felt it was funny. It's because it's polar opposites. Cute Cat. Killing Machine. It's like giving Aquaman a flamethrower.


Like I said, cute but violent isn't automatically funny. And Aquaman is a warrior king of Atlantis, not some goofus. If you gave him a flamethrower he'd probably figure out a way to do some major damage with it before it dried him out too much. Don't give DC any ideas, though.




And your argument that I'm having trouble acknowledging something because I'm a fan of it can easily be turned the other way. I can easily say that your obvious hatred of current DC comics is making you look for things.

If Green Lantern fans hated how dark DC has gotten, and viewed it as a wink to how terrible it is, then "Blackest Night," which spun directly out of "Rage of the Red Lanterns" where this is all from, wouldn't have been one of the better received and higher selling DC summer crossovers in recent memory. But that's an entirely different argument.



People like zombie stories, I guess.

And I don't really hate DC comics, it just makes me a little sad at how truly immature its attempts at "maturity" are and how poorly they're using such great characters.




An argument where you loose me again. Both of those are just laughing at how different comics were of a different era. This is completely in-context. It's just a context that both of us view differently.

No, what I'm saying is that the people who are laughing at the old comics aren't sending you links to them because they have affection for them or because it's interesting how times have changed. They see them with derision, they think they're dumb. I think it's more likely people have adopted fuzzy there because it's dumb, not because it's cool.

Anyway, all of that is just a distracting side debate. The core point here is that however it was intended and however people view it, Puke'N Boots is accidentally the perfect mascot or emblem of what DC has become. Saddled with an inherent silliness that they're afraid and embarrassed to embrace (except for Morrison, of course) and too dull-witted to update in a meaningful and mature way, they instead try to make it "adult" in the way a hormonal 14-year-old would. Make it dirty, make it violent, make it grimdark and pointlessly aggressive and nihilistic and meaningless. And there you go, a cute cartoon space kitty that kills you by puking blood on your face.

[Jin Kazama]

And Aquaman is a warrior king of Atlantis, not some goofus. If you gave him a flamethrower he'd probably figure out a way to do some major damage with it before it dried him out too much. Don't give DC any ideas, though.

I meant giving it to him when he's still underwater. Yeah, he'd probably use it as a blunt object to beat people, but the initial image of Aquaman with a flamethrower would be, at least to me, funny.

I'm not trying to come off as "you're view is wrong." I see where you're coming from with this. I just don't see it in that same way. You can say Larfleeze represents the awesomness of peanut butter and, even if I don't see it the same way, it's still cool. Just a different interpretation of it.

But, yeah, there was a Green Lantern comic that came out this week, huh?

[TheVileOne]

According to Green Lantern, the cat ate all the innocent bystanders that were on the train.

I mean, seriously?