John Stewart Appreciation 2019

[skyvolt2000]

I mean, I absolutely get your point, but to me, it is not so much about "supporting" a book and more about actually having *my* fix of the character I love the most. Obviously, I wouldn't want, for example, in this case, Kyle to be written poorly, but I feel that the GL franchise is currently in such a state that, when some other lantern not Hal Jordan is written mediocrely, it is enough for me. It is not about DC, it is not about the franchise. It is about me liking Kyle and trying to get the most of the rare occasions where he shows up.

And honestly, I think that perhaps some people have completely unrealistic expectations. Personally, I would love for the 90s vibe to be back, with Kyle on Earth, in New York, and with the Titans. You can absolutely have the Corps, that is not a deal breaker. But that is not gonna happen because a 2nd book with an Earth-based lantern would go in direct competition with Hal's book.

Conversely, I think that John fans waiting for John to be the main Lantern (or Kyle fans waiting Kyle to be the main lantern again) are deluding themselves.

Meanwhile Miles & Peter Parker are not having this issue.
Peter still gets almost everything.

Miles is not getting trashed. He has his book, his fans and Marvel having no issue with it.
We even have a book with him, Miles & Gwen together.

Heck you toss in Venom, Spider-Man 2099, Ben Riley, Dr Oct Spider-Man and Spider-Woman in as well. There is no war.
Miles, Peter, Venom, Jessica Drew, Gwen & Miguel O'Hara.

Account for how many solo books? Miles will hit 100 in 2 years. Miguel should be there or near that.
4 guy under one banner with 100 solo issues soon. If you are a female under Spider-Man-you will get a book.

Meanwhile at DC.
Batman has 3 and look how bad 2 of them are treated-Dick & Tim
Superman has 3 and we are just now seeing Conner back.
Flash has 3 and Bart & Wally have not fared well.
Green Lantern-has 2.

Seems to be a WAR over favorites.

[lemonpeace]

Bingo. Because you don't know what you will get.

Who would have thought a book called Squirrel Girl would end with her having 60 solo issues, her in a toy line, in video games, a New York Times best seller and her trade sales RIVAL guys like Hal.

Folks who hate her will say she's still a failure but a show of hands if you want her failure for your favorite?
Ms Marvel was EXPECTED to be axed at issue 6. She is at issue 60 now.
Marvel's Trasnformers & Priest's Black Panther were suppose to be MINIS series. Transformers went 80 issues. Panther speaks for itself.

All folks want is an HONEST effort. HONEST effort.




Understand when you FLOOR the market with one guy in variations of his book that eats away sales for everybody.
Yes you have a star writer on that book but he can't control factors outside of DC.

He can't control what goes in to bins and used book stores where I have seen a HUGE increase in DC Rebirth books.
It's not his fault a person can get all of his issues of Green Lantern at 50-95% off cover price at some stores. Yes that is going to hurt sales.

What is hurting DC is folks are understanding the power of CHOICE and that they don't have to accept what DC (or Marvel) does anymore.
If they can give John Stewart a shot- I can name 20 books (NOT including Marvel) with a black male lead that can fill that void.

You hit the nail on the head here. In this current landscape where everything entertainment can be accessed for free, people pick what they buy out of attachment/investment not access. Just lurking through discussion thread on different sites I'm noticing a few people opting to just read the scans online not because they don't love DC but because they feel they don't want to spend money on on something clearly not catering to their demographic or their taste. I try not to just go online unless I'm looking for specific scans of a panel or pages to discussion but I have been guilt of going online to read the first issue of Morrison's GL and a couple other title that I don't necessarily care for the direction just to check them out. Admittedly I haven't seen a ton of people outwardly admitting it but I see it like pirating anime or TV shows, for every 1 who admits they do it there are probably at least 100 who are probably doing it convertly.

[Johnny]

I think the fact that John gets to actually be involved with the core DCU events is at least a good enough compromise for him not having a solo title for the time being. Hal never even interacts with his fellow heroes anymore and hasn't regularly done so in years, he's this isolated lone wolf character that you may forget he even had a life on Earth. How am I supposed to think that he's one of their core characters when he never gets to interact with them. I guess from that standpoint it could be seen as a plus that DC sees John as someone who can be used as a valuable team player, as opposed to sending him away in deep space and keeping him there for years. If you were given a choice between having him in the current state he is of being a respected JL member, and being an isolated solo character like Hal, which one would you choose.

[HandofPrometheus]

Meanwhile Miles & Peter Parker are not having this issue.
Peter still gets almost everything.

Miles is not getting trashed. He has his book, his fans and Marvel having no issue with it.
We even have a book with him, Miles & Gwen together.

Heck you toss in Venom, Spider-Man 2099, Ben Riley, Dr Oct Spider-Man and Spider-Woman in as well. There is no war.
Miles, Peter, Venom, Jessica Drew, Gwen & Miguel O'Hara.

Account for how many solo books? Miles will hit 100 in 2 years. Miguel should be there or near that.
4 guy under one banner with 100 solo issues soon. If you are a female under Spider-Man-you will get a book.

Meanwhile at DC.
Batman has 3 and look how bad 2 of them are treated-Dick & Tim
Superman has 3 and we are just now seeing Conner back.
Flash has 3 and Bart & Wally have not fared well.
Green Lantern-has 2.

Seems to be a WAR over favorites.

Exactly. I don't understand how Marvel is able to make their side characters have content without stepping on the main heroes toes yet DC acts like its either the side character or the main that gets treatment not both. Miles has been doing his own thing successfully without Peter being shoved. And now look, Miles got an Oscar film and is going to be in the minds of the general population for a while. He's also in MUA 3 as his own character. This also applies to Captain Marvel and Ms.Marvel. Both doing their own thing successfully.

[Vampire Savior]

I mean, I absolutely get your point, but to me, it is not so much about "supporting" a book and more about actually having *my* fix of the character I love the most. Obviously, I wouldn't want, for example, in this case, Kyle to be written poorly, but I feel that the GL franchise is currently in such a state that, when some other lantern not Hal Jordan is written mediocrely, it is enough for me. It is not about DC, it is not about the franchise. It is about me liking Kyle and trying to get the most of the rare occasions where he shows up.

And honestly, I think that perhaps some people have completely unrealistic expectations. Personally, I would love for the 90s vibe to be back, with Kyle on Earth, in New York, and with the Titans. You can absolutely have the Corps, that is not a deal breaker. But that is not gonna happen because a 2nd book with an Earth-based lantern would go in direct competition with Hal's book.

Conversely, I think that John fans waiting for John to be the main Lantern (or Kyle fans waiting Kyle to be the main lantern again) are deluding themselves.

I'm not expecting John Stewart to be the main Green Lantern. The Justice League book is just going to have to do more with him for me to support it. More character development and more interesting character interactions are what I'm looking for. I am sure it is possible to achieve this even in a book like Justice League. Getting some new power and just being along for the ride isn't enough for me.

I don't believe I'm expecting too much, but if I am, oh well, then. I'm perfectly content not reading Justice League and keeping my money in my wallet.

That's also a big difference with me. I'm perfectly content just not reading the stuff and doing something else, so I'm not going to just take whatever little crumb falls off the table. So, even if I am expecting too much (and I know I'm not), DC is going to have to give me generally what I want or I'll just spend my time and money elsewhere. I don't love John Stewart enough to grovel and lick crumbs up off the floor for him.

[lemonpeace]

I think the fact that John gets to actually be involved with the core DCU events is at least a good enough compromise for him not having a solo title for the time being. Hal never even interacts with his fellow heroes anymore and hasn't regularly done so in years, he's this isolated lone wolf character that you may forget he even had a life on Earth. How am I supposed to think that he's one of their core characters when he never gets to interact with them. I guess from that standpoint it could be seen as a plus that DC sees John as someone who can be used as a valuable team player, as opposed to sending him away in outer space and keeping him there for years. If you were given a choice between having him in the current state he is of being a respected JL member, and being an isolated solo character like Hal, which one would you choose.

If he were doing the interesting things that Hal is doing out in space, I'd honestly rather him in space over a supporting role on Earth. Don't get me wrong, Snyder treats the character with the utmost respect especially compared to how poorly the character could and HAS been written before. However, considering all the balls Snyder has in the air it's not like John has been able to really do anything of significance on Earth that takes advantage of the fact that he's on Earth now. The difference between Hal and John is that whether Hal is on Earth or in deep space by himself he is doing something that matters; how many years was John just in space being damn near nonconsequential? Outside of the back half of GLC where he's had his most substantial role in decades. I agree it's a good comprise to have John on the League and involved in the core events but it's too much of a stretch for me to say it 100% makes up for the lack of a solo if he himself doesn't really play a significant role in the ongoing narrative. Not that I don't appreciate what Snyder is doing with John, he gave John some solid moments and he did play a role in the first arc, BUT, and I can not stress this enough, compared to literally every member of the League John is at a MASSIVE narrative disadvantage because of the fact that every member has a lead role to flesh them out except John, Hawkgirl, and Martian Manhunter; with JL serving as the title centered around Martian Manhunter and Hawkgirl. Logistically he doesn't have the luxury of stealth story arc with the bigger story like the others do but that's just the way DC wants to play it so that's the way it's gotta be.

And this in no way means to bash Hal, I've just grown tired of DC making this a war for who should be "the main" when the OBVIOUS choice is to focus on making the franchise a more even ensemble by diversifying and compartmentalizing their characters. Hal Jordan can be cool, but so can Simon or Jessica or John or Kyle or Guy; the GL universe does not need to end with Hal. If they want to make Hal the be all end all then kill and/or retire ALL the other Lanterns. Oh they won't? Because these characters have fans whose money DC still wants? Huh, sure doesn't seem like it. Maybe they should get their heads outta their special crevices.

[Lirica]

I'm not sure who here collects action figures, but for anyone who saw the DC Multiverse John action figure at SDCC last year, the wave he's in is supposed to be released sometime this month tentatively. Entertainment Earth, for example, is open for pre-orders.

474ab4a4c12543afbe6cbde3c95b095elg.jpg

The distribution for these figures have been pretty bad it seems (Mattel is apparently loosing the license at the end of the year). Took me forever to get the Kyle one. Might be best to wait for it to pop up on Amazon, if that's your preferred place to order online.
(Copying my post from the Wally West thread, since they're in the same wave)

[DragonsChi]

I'm not a big toy collector but I want this. It would look great on my comic wall.


Do you know if the green effect around the ring is removable or not?

[Lirica]

I'm not a big toy collector but I want this. It would look great on my comic wall.


Do you know if the green effect around the ring is removable or not?

Yeah, it is. Well, more like his hands are removable with one set featuring the green effect around the ring. Same end result, though.

69ec92aad3274b4499c8ea9892a27323lg.jpg

[Sodam Yat]

I think the fact that John gets to actually be involved with the core DCU events is at least a good enough compromise for him not having a solo title for the time being. Hal never even interacts with his fellow heroes anymore and hasn't regularly done so in years, he's this isolated lone wolf character that you may forget he even had a life on Earth. How am I supposed to think that he's one of their core characters when he never gets to interact with them. I guess from that standpoint it could be seen as a plus that DC sees John as someone who can be used as a valuable team player, as opposed to sending him away in deep space and keeping him there for years. If you were given a choice between having him in the current state he is of being a respected JL member, and being an isolated solo character like Hal, which one would you choose.

To be honest, Johnny. I personally prefer him to be the respected JL member, than get sent off in deep space isolated from every superhero. John Stewart has NEVER played any crucial DC event, ever! His roles were either too small or be played as a black best friend in Geoff Johns' Infinite Crisis. We never seen him have any relationships with other characters in the DCU since the New 52. I'm totally excited for the plans on what kind of role John Stewart is going to have in Scott Snyder's event months to come. It's going to be fun. We get to see John going against an A-list villain such as Sinestro. He's getting propped up by Batman, him and Barry developing a stronger friendship and so on. Since John is the Justice League member, this literally boosts his presence in the overall DCU among readers, writers, and fans.

[Sodam Yat]

No, it proves my point.

You're talking about one book with a star writer that is selling in the 45,000-50,000 something range, and that is DC's best selling book that isn't a Batman title or an event title!? Those numbers are poor. 45,000 or so should be a mid-level book (and that is still having a relatively low bar), not one of the company's very best monthly sellers.

Yea, you seem to have a point here. But why is artists like Liam Sharp are happy about the sales?

[Vampire Savior]

Yea, you seem to have a point here. But why is artists like Liam Sharp are happy about the sales?

Because he gets to be a big fish. The problem is that his pond is really tiny and filled with garbage and pollution, and the great majority of the other fish are runts.

That said, I don't take anything away from Liam Sharpe and Grant Morrison. In this market, it's pretty impressive to see the sales of a book GO UP based simply on word of mouth and quality, and not some dumb gimmick. The sad thing is that it is impressive. That should...you know...be the way things regularly occur, but in the comics market, it is such a rare thing it's like seeing a unicorn. Usually, sales just go down, down, down, and down until the the next gimmick or relaunch.

[Holt]

I'm not sure who here collects action figures, but for anyone who saw the DC Multiverse John action figure at SDCC last year, the wave he's in is supposed to be released sometime this month tentatively. Entertainment Earth, for example, is open for pre-orders.

474ab4a4c12543afbe6cbde3c95b095elg.jpg

The distribution for these figures have been pretty bad it seems (Mattel is apparently loosing the license at the end of the year). Took me forever to get the Kyle one. Might be best to wait for it to pop up on Amazon, if that's your preferred place to order online.
(Copying my post from the Wally West thread, since they're in the same wave)

Very cool. Unfortunately, yeah, Multiverse has terrible distribution. Part of it was going so heavily in on the DCEU stuff to spearhead the waves (like Hasbro does with Marvel Legends), except when the movies proved less popular, the stores stopped ordering as much.

[Cosmic Emerald 23]

I think it'd be cool if John had his own power battery design like how Kyle had his own in the 90s. But then again, he wouldn't need it.....man it's agonizing waiting for new developments for GL.

[Sodam Yat]

Because he gets to be a big fish. The problem is that his pond is really tiny and filled with garbage and pollution, and the great majority of the other fish are runts.

That said, I don't take anything away from Liam Sharpe and Grant Morrison. In this market, it's pretty impressive to see the sales of a book GO UP based simply on word of mouth and quality, and not some dumb gimmick. The sad thing is that it is impressive. That should...you know...be the way things regularly occur, but in the comics market, it is such a rare thing it's like seeing a unicorn. Usually, sales just go down, down, down, and down until the the next gimmick or relaunch.

I see what you mean. Hopefully DC will make some changes to make the general sales go up. I heard somewhere that there's going to be some changes and new comics out next year. But they may need to do more than just release new ongoings it seems.