Very dark and interesting issue and a return to form for Charlie on
Green Lantern. Your take on the dark side of being responsible for a universe full of powerful monsters is always an engaging read!
Glad you think so! I wanted to clear the decks somewhat with this issue, and tie up a loose end from the run up to “
Scarlet Reign”, when John was the solo GL.
After making some appearances around “
Love Hurts” and the aftermath, Bradley Roth appeared in the first three issues of Vol 2 (before we reverted to the original numbering). I had much longer term plans for him, but they kind of fell apart after the plans for #50 became clear. Originally, I wanted to explore a more xenophobic society, with Roth maybe running for president, or fermenting unrest in the community against aliens, and gosh, if I had done I would have been before my time. If I did it now, I’d be topical, and maybe a little late to the party.
But Coast City was hit pretty hard in close succession by Mongul then the Predator. Aliens played a massive role in that. It would make sense that people would blame elements they don’t understand, because who else can they blame in that instance? They don’t understand that Mongul is just a terrorist out in space as he was on Earth, and they don’t understand that the Predator is an almost extra-dimensional entity that clambered inside a host to wreak havoc. The editor’s notes I left in allude to that, because apparently I was braggadocios back then. Maybe even now. Who knows!
Anyway, I tripped up over my own feet and Roth became a casualty of Evil Star, and his death was a horror story that was worth exploring further. I always look for ways to turn my DC2 projects toward the horror genre, as that’s always been my bread and butter. John investigating a cold case, his ring acting almost like a tape recorder that he listens to as he explores the dank corridors of a dead world… that’s some Silent Hill-esque terror, and I’m glad it worked for you!
This issue featured a great battle. I loved seeing John pull out all the stops on Auron. Throwing pieces of planet around really emphasizes that the Power Rings
are the most powerful weapons in the universe.
I’m always looking for ways to make the fight scenes pop. Describing movement, and impact, and retaliation… it’s a very dance-like structure and you have to be careful to keep things explosive, whilst not repeating yourself.
John’s a tactician, the strategist of the core members of the Corps that I focus on, so I always like getting into his head with things. He lets me play the pragmatist, but also the anticipator. He’s got the genre savvy when it comes to a fight that lets him anticipate stuff that most fictional characters aren’t
allowed to anticipate.
I really enjoyed this issue, because I put a lot of my ideas for the next phase of the title into the events, and John is a joy to write. In May, I intend to deliver #75 after a massive delay, and you’ll see that I mean business when it comes to the character.
Evil Star received a sinister origin story with a great twist (I did think he was going to be the Auran scientist).
I binge on ComicVine and other DC wikis when I write these books. I dig into a much as I can around any characters, and try and create something new, while honouring what came before. Evil Star’s a really interesting character, he’s basically a vampire, and I wanted to put a different spin on him for the DC2.
I wanted to do a bait and switch, because I don’t know how successfully I’ve been at them in the past? So, writing this mystery story, this almost found footage haunted house story that takes place on a planet, was a real blast. Leading toward the Auron scientist triggering his machine, which is the classic origin, and then putting the spin on it which made sense—and made the character even more tragic—was the cherry on top. Is Evil Star actually evil, or is he mad? He had an entire race of dying aliens deposited into his psyche. He used to be a Green Lantern, and that meant something. That’s something worth thinking about. God, I can’t redeem
another ambiguously evil character, can I?
John's handling of the situation was superb. Love his professionalism and attention to details (like preparing messages in case he went missing).
John’s approach to be a Green Lantern, that pragmatism I mentioned earlier, is how I would act if I had a power ring. Before every fight, I’d overthink every single thing and try to come up with solutions beforehand. Going into something that I don’t know I will come out with? You bet your arse I’m going to leave a buoy, or send a message to someone who can help if it goes to pot. I hope it doesn't come across as Mary Sue-ing, but it's the kind of action that makes sense for a character who is that disciplined, who is that soldier.
There were some very interesting teasers for what's to come when John was sucked into the black hole, followed by another big twist. Darn it, Parallax! Man, that was brutal... Well, I'll be back for more!
Yes! I wanted to put a statement of intent out there for the title, and you’ve seen… half of the stories materialise from those fragments he saw in the black hole. Roy and I have put something together for #75 that’s very similar… but with art. I’m psyched for that. I love a good teaser, and those that appeared in some of the post-
52 DC titles, like
Booster Gold, really knocked my socks off.
Jamie and I tried to deliver one for
Justice League when the course of that title when it became clear, but it was too much for him along with the monthly covers, so we scrapped it. At this point, we’re just about done with everything we were to tease, so it would be a write-off to do it now, but it was so cool. DC are always really good with their teasers, so it made sense for the DC2 to try and do the same thing!
Here’s one we did at the end of
Green Lantern #40, by Trevor Yarmovich:
And the end of
Green Lantern #50, by Scott Kruger:
I can promise you, the teaser in
Green Lantern Corps #75? Light years ahead.