The idea that a giant yellow space cockroach was responsible for Hal's bad behavior. I mean, seriously, that's the best you could come up with?
The idea that a giant yellow space cockroach was responsible for Hal's bad behavior. I mean, seriously, that's the best you could come up with?
Keep in mind that you have about as much chance of changing my mind as I do of changing yours.
A bat! That's it! It's an omen.. I'll shall become a bat!
Pre-CBR Reboot Join Date: 10-17-2010
Pre-CBR Reboot Posts: 4,362
THE CBR COMMUNITY STANDARDS & RULES ~ So... what's your excuse now?
Worst book? Maybe Batman: Earth One, but this is going to play into my next point about his ideas. I don't think Johns has ever really done a straight-up bad-bad story. It's more that sometimes his output is more disappointing and maybe formulaic for his work. In general, if he's doing the writing himself, at bare minimum you can expect solid, workman-quality level of storytelling, even if it's subpar for most of Geoff Johns work. Batman: Earth One is that to me. I think his general ideas for differentiation for his story just don't really excite me and kind of come off as prosaic to me. But this *is* Geoff Johns, so it's not bad. It's just really disappointing compared to what the premise of "Geoff Johns writing his own Batman origin" story should be.
When it comes to ideas, I tend to think that some of Geoff Johns's ideas are ones that honestly only really get fully exploited by him, and are actually bad when other people try and use them. For instance, a bunch of his Teen Titans ideas were only good in his hands, and the reliance he placed on them meant that when he left, other writers were left trying to write just his ideas and it didn't really work. Cassie as Zeus's daughter never really went anywhere good, Bart as Kid Flash just kind of missed the point of the character, and while other guys have managed to make the Conner Luthor reveal work, the generally "de-saturated " characterization for Conner and most of the other characters kind of deadened them going forward.
Like action, adventure, rogues, and outlaws? Like anti-heroes, femme fatales, mysteries and thrillers?
I wrote a book with them. Outlaw’s Shadow: A Sherwood Noir. Robin Hood’s evil counterpart, Guy of Gisbourne, is the main character. Feel free to give it a look: https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asi...E2PKBNJFH76GQP
"My name is Wally West. I'm the fastest man alive!"
I'll try being nicer if you try being smarter.
All of them, ever
A bat! That's it! It's an omen.. I'll shall become a bat!
Pre-CBR Reboot Join Date: 10-17-2010
Pre-CBR Reboot Posts: 4,362
THE CBR COMMUNITY STANDARDS & RULES ~ So... what's your excuse now?
Johns may be my favorite writer, but when he botches something, it really has a lasting impact.
Sign me up for giving Barry Allen, loveable everyman nerd inspired by comic book superheroes to use his powers for good, a terrible tragic origin that has followed the character in every form of media since, betraying the concept of the Flash not needing tragedy to be a hero established in his own Wally run.
I was excited to see Barry back, too.
On Hal’s turn, I think both external and internal forces played a role. I like that best. He was clearly conjuring human emotions of loss and guilt before going on the rampage, but boy was it violent.
A couple of people here brought up his Superman run but I want to bring up a specific example. I absolutely hated what he did to Toyman. Revealing the Toymen after Winslow Schott were robots created by him was garbage. The Japanese Toyman from Loeb run on Superman/Batman is a fun character and not even a villain. Johns retcon completely killed the potential of that character.
I hated how he killed Captain Boomerang son in Blackest Night. Owen Mercer was far more interesting character and had bigger potential. He was a speedster, related to Bart Allen, had complex relationship with Tim Drake and great on the Outsiders. Killing him to bring his dad back was a colossal waste.
Sounds like the viewpoint of a jaded grownup. My 8 year old son LOVES the new 52 version of SHAZAM. He loves the extended, adopted, Marvel family, enjoyed the movie, and has been interested in the recent alternative "worlds" being explored by the family right now in the comic book. The old SHAZAM was cheesy and so boring, it could never retain sales. This new version is my son's favorite comic book at the moment, so if that is the market they are trying for, they are succeeding. Not every DC comic has to be written for men 35 and older …..