I don't understand why Geoff Johns is being listed as the main author. He's one of the worst writers when it comes to John Stewart, because he didn't do anything with him. Couldn't they pick someone else and get the credit!? lol And no, I don't think he's the guy who came up with this. I think higher ups got involved in doing this graphic novel. And I thank them for it
Anyways, I'm very happy to see that John is getting acknowledgement by DC to the point where they're celebrating the character in his 50 years. He deserves to be celebrated. DC is on my good side right now for the first time in years. This is what happens when you change the DC management, because no way this would've happened if those same guys were there.
I agree with your complaints about the list, especially for the lack of John's appearance by Van Jensen. I'll be buying this to support John as well and of course for my personal enjoyment.
Yea, this one is a huge deal for someone looking for John Stewart material. This was a good move by DC here. Sounds like they're investing more into the character.
One of my favorite scenes over the past 50 years from the Van Jensen run:
Yeah, I think so. Aside from Green Lantern: Mosaic, DC never put out stuff specifically geared toward John Stewart and his fans before with a clear objective of it being that, which is pretty stupid. Even if he was a PoV character, he'd often just be a part of stories and you'd have to find him wherever it was you happened to find him. Even during the Van Jensen days, he was often a part of bigger stories that weren't especially, clearly, and totally his, like Lights Out, Uprising, and Godhead.
DC also seemed ashamed or miffed that John Stewart was on JL/JLU, which, again, was stupid. Instead of using that to your advantage--regardless of how you may personally feel about it--they tried to undermine it. That whole thing resulted in it being difficult to find characters you might like, doing things that seem cool to you.
I think this sort of thing influenced DiDio and other parts of editorial getting fired. Sure, a lot of that was just cost cutting while DC is having an implosion, but they were just ass at marketing and catering to people outside of their typical demographic, and they weren't going to grow that way.
Unfortunately, this current editorial is trying to play catch up while also dealing with an implosion. You know DC won't be publishing as many books as they were before, and you also know they can't afford to not focus on their time tested characters, like Batman, Superman, et al. So, while it's cool they're doing this type of thing, what seems concerning to me is that, even though there might be more of a focus on diversity, it could be limited to specials (Future State), shovel ware (like this), one-shots, and so on. That's better than nothing, but it still seems to me that DC/AT&T are wanting to take short cuts with these types of characters. It's like they want to desperately adapt some diverse characters, but they aren't willing to REALLY put in the effort, talent, and patience to develop diverse characters that are every bit as strong, or even stronger, than their most popular characters and mythologies.
A more well-developed friendship between John and Clark would be welcome.
Lots of interesting parallels--
John leaves Earth for space because he's chosen // Clark rockets through space to Earth to escape his doom
In JL(TAS), John fears being disconnected from people after being in space so long // Clark sometimes fears that he'll never fit in because he's not human
John's math and art skills turn him into a sniper and architect // Clark's way with words turn him into a reporter
John's mom had a way with words as a social activist // Jor-El had a way with numbers and metrics as a scientist
Neither wears a mask, but one has a secret identity
Both have salt-of-the-earth upbringings. They don't come from privilege or royalty. That affects their sense of humor and their taste. I could see John and Clark having beers and talking about a football game in a way I couldn't see Clark doing with Bruce or Diana. They'd likely share information about alien and sci-fi activity on Earth, with Clark preserving nearly-extinct beings in the Fortress while John locks evil away on Oa. I could imagine Clark catching John up about what he missed while off-planet, while John tells Clark these insane Green Lantern stories.
Would be funny to see Clark write a comic book script and John illustrate it to save the universe in some Grant-Morrison-like way.
Well if DC did not care for John-they only have themselves to blame. He (nor anyone else) is in those cartoons unless they approved it. So what did they expect to happen?
A new black hero on a tv show from a major company in what 15-20 years at the time? One that HAD merchandise on the shelf unlike Static and Spawn (Cartoon show version) and the unaired in the USA Black Panther cartoon.
Of course black kids (let alone others) were going to flock to him.
I saw more custom John Stewart jackets than I saw with anyone else.
Well when you don't hire people who can think outside the box (be it POC or women) that happens.Unfortunately, this current editorial is trying to play catch up while also dealing with an implosion. You know DC won't be publishing as many books as they were before, and you also know they can't afford to not focus on their time tested characters, like Batman, Superman, et al. So, while it's cool they're doing this type of thing, what seems concerning to me is that, even though there might be more of a focus on diversity, it could be limited to specials (Future State), shovel ware (like this), one-shots, and so on. That's better than nothing, but it still seems to me that DC/AT&T are wanting to take short cuts with these types of characters. It's like they want to desperately adapt some diverse characters, but they aren't willing to REALLY put in the effort, talent, and patience to develop diverse characters that are every bit as strong, or even stronger, than their most popular characters and mythologies.
Now doing limited specials and so on is not a bad thing. Zenescope Entertainment is doing the same thing. More stand alones, less longer minis, one shots and so on. Boom is doing it too.
TYnion's Backstaggers started as a comic book. It's now a novel series. Goldie Vance is novels and OGNs. Lumberjanes justed ended at issue 75 and is going that route.
That is how you bypass a certain fandom and stores that act like it's genocide to do a book featuring a POC.
You also know folks at AT&T have to be looking at Miles Morales and wondering why did that NOT happen at DC?
Now you have to play catch up.
I think Paul Levitz was running DC when the characters for the show were approved. I could see Didio refusing to let the team use John.
They underestimated how niche comics were, the staying power of the DCAU and the number of Hal fans actually out there. Didio and Geoff Johns were too busy staring at the rear view mirror that they missed that the generation turn over. They would be caught blindsided again with the audience backlash against bad 90's Image comic inspired version of Starfire when the Nu52 launched because now everyone saw her as her 2003 cartoon incarnation. I suspect that's why we never any GL besides Hal (with the exception of Jessica Cruz) take the center stage again.
Yep. DC does have some say over these shows. Levitz was the one who turned down the idea of using the JSA in that alternate reality episode so they changed them to the Justice Guild. He also turned down the idea of having Katar Hol be Shayera's fiance in Starcrossed so they came up with Hro Talak. Then Supergirl was from Krypton's sister planet in S:TAS because DC was still pushing Kal as the 'Last Son of Krypton'. There was also one other idea where the producers said that it was in a discussion with Levitz that the idea of a traitor in JL came up leading to the Starcrossed story line.
Despite whatever the producers may claim, their animated properties are influenced by whoever is in charge. How else would the terrible Flash Rebirth origin become the default origin for Barry across all mediums, Hal becomes the default GL with only Cruz getting a shot and Wally in inexplicably "dead" in his most recent animated incarnation?