Hal Jordan: The Green Lantern Appreciation 2021

[Johnny]

[Bored at 3:00AM]

I’m looking forward to S2 analysis since that half of the run is where I didn’t enjoy it. Part of that was I had trouble understanding what the hell was going on though lol, so I’m definitely interested in seeing others analyze it.

I had similar difficulties with Morrison's stuff until I starting reading the deep dives fans like Rikdad and others have done with their work. It made me realize that Morrison's stuff was too dense to really grasp everything the first or even second time around. This kind of comics writing certainly isn't for everyone, which is why I never begrudge anyone who doesn't really dig Morrison.

These days, I go into Morrison's comics with the full understanding that most of what's going on is going to go completely over my head, so I should just enjoy the ride with the understanding that I'll be revisiting these comics again and again once more savy readers have decoded them a little for me

Also, to be fair, Morrison really went all out with the full-bore Morrison-ess in the second half of Season Two. Morrison knew this was their last word on the DCU and didn't want to leave anything left unsaid.

Really looking forward to re-reading all of The Green Lantern again now. The Blackstars arc in particular feels so much richer and resonant to me now that I understand the whole Wild Wild Country of it all. Those three issues are fantastic. Xermanico really hit it out of the park, no doubt because of the ridiculously high bar Sharpe had set during Season One, that he subsequently obliterated during Season Two.

[Vordan]

Oh I loved Blackstars, I could see exactly what Morrison was going for, particularly in their deconstruction of the “big wholesome ‘poggers’ All-American Dad” interpretation of Superman that so many love. Loved how Hal sums up his entire character there too. S2, between Morrison just going crazy with the big conceptual storytelling and Sharpe shaking up his art style into something more dream-like, really was hard to follow at points. Like Final Crisis though I’m sure I’ll appreciate more once I can actually understand it

[HsssH]

https://comicslighthouse.wordpress.c...green-lantern/

As expected, fans much smarter than myself have started peeling the staggering amount of layers within Grant Morrison's Green Lantern opus. There is simply so much subtext that I missed the first (and second) time around. Analysis like this only makes the inevitable re-read more fulfilling.

If you're looking to revisit The Green Lantern, these articles will be invaluable to helping you appreciate just how much thought and care went into this project.

Oh my, thanks for the find, this is great.

And this is one of the reasons why I'm not too upset about Morrison hanging it up - feels like we can still go over the existing material for years and still find new things. And this kinda has been a problem with Johns run for me, when I try to re-read certain parts I often end up liking them less instead of finding some new nuggets there. Anyone else feels like it has lost some of its original shine? Sometimes I think that large part of it was "Hal is back and he might reach the throne" and now his run obviously doesn't have that energy.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

Oh my, thanks for the find, this is great.

And this is one of the reasons why I'm not too upset about Morrison hanging it up - feels like we can still go over the existing material for years and still find new things. And this kinda has been a problem with Johns run for me, when I try to re-read certain parts I often end up liking them less instead of finding some new nuggets there. Anyone else feels like it has lost some of its original shine? Sometimes I think that large part of it was "Hal is back and he might reach the throne" and now his run obviously doesn't have that energy.

Agreed. As much as I loved Johns's run at the time, I don't really have any interest in revisiting it any time soon. The joy of the Johns era was the sense of escalation and inventiveness that was occurring month after month. It really felt like it was building to something huge, but once it climaxed with Blackest Night, the whole thing kinda deflated and we were left with some fairly thematically shallow comics that are absolutely gorgeous and well-written, but pedestrian once you see what a writer like Morrison was able to do.

[Frontier]

I mean, I personally enjoy re-reading Johns' run more than I do Morrison's, but I think that comes down to personal taste.

[Johnny]

[j9ac9k]

Btw, does anyone know if Hal pops up in Green Arrow's 80th Anniversary book?
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[liwanag]

Btw, does anyone know if Hal pops up in Green Arrow's 80th Anniversary book?
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i am also wondering the same thing...

[Vordan]

Yeah he does appear a few times but I wouldn’t buy the book just for him if Hal is all you’re interested in.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

I mean, I personally enjoy re-reading Johns' run more than I do Morrison's, but I think that comes down to personal taste.

Absolutely. The Johns era remains one of the best mainstream superhero runs in modern history. Morrison's work stopped being something most superhero readers were looking for a few years back. As much as I love Morrison's ambition, their current writing is definitely not for everyone.

[Robanker]

https://comicslighthouse.wordpress.c...green-lantern/

As expected, fans much smarter than myself have started peeling the staggering amount of layers within Grant Morrison's Green Lantern opus. There is simply so much subtext that I missed the first (and second) time around. Analysis like this only makes the inevitable re-read more fulfilling.

If you're looking to revisit The Green Lantern, these articles will be invaluable to helping you appreciate just how much thought and care went into this project.

Thanks, Bored. I didn't have enough things competing for my free time as it was already.

Agreed. As much as I loved Johns's run at the time, I don't really have any interest in revisiting it any time soon. The joy of the Johns era was the sense of escalation and inventiveness that was occurring month after month. It really felt like it was building to something huge, but once it climaxed with Blackest Night, the whole thing kinda deflated and we were left with some fairly thematically shallow comics that are absolutely gorgeous and well-written, but pedestrian once you see what a writer like Morrison was able to do.

The Johns run is very good popcorn and it has some genuinely great ideas for that type of story. It's excellent at what it's aiming to do.

I reread it last year and my conclusion that it's safe to jump off after Blackest Night remains as sound as ever. That was their wad, they blew it, and stuck around too long afterward. Even so, it's still great and I don't know that it's fair to compare it to the kind of comics Morrison aims to make because they're simply tying to be two very different things. Compare Kramer vs. Kramer and Hook. Both are movies where an aloof father reconnects with his child. They're simply trying to do two very different things. I see no compelling evidence that Johns ever tried to do more than tell the biggest, coolest GL story he could whereas Morrison clearly had other ambitions.

I do think Morrison's approach generates more to appreciate in rereads, but I also don't think it's great for being a solid piece of general entertainment after a grueling day at work; they're apples and oranges.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

Thanks, Bored. I didn't have enough things competing for my free time as it was already.



The Johns run is very good popcorn and it has some genuinely great ideas for that type of story. It's excellent at what it's aiming to do.

I reread it last year and my conclusion that it's safe to jump off after Blackest Night remains as sound as ever. That was their wad, they blew it, and stuck around too long afterward. Even so, it's still great and I don't know that it's fair to compare it to the kind of comics Morrison aims to make because they're simply tying to be two very different things. Compare Kramer vs. Kramer and Hook. Both are movies where an aloof father reconnects with his child. They're simply trying to do two very different things. I see no compelling evidence that Johns ever tried to do more than tell the biggest, coolest GL story he could whereas Morrison clearly had other ambitions.

I do think Morrison's approach generates more to appreciate in rereads, but I also don't think it's great for being a solid piece of general entertainment after a grueling day at work; they're apples and oranges.

Definitely. Perhaps a more apt comparison would be a perfectly made hamburger with fries and complex and challenging gourmet meal. Neither is necessarily better than the other. There's nothing more satisfying than scarfing down a great burger from the drive thru at the end of a hard day, but there's also something to be said for sitting down at a great restaurant and having a skilled chef take you on a wild culinary journey, some of which won't necessarily work for you at first, but is delicious in a completely different way.

In the end, I'm glad Hal Jordan was the beneficiary of such a wide diversity of approaches by so many talented creators.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

When you're the Fastest Man Alive, even the internet is slow as hell!

[Frontier]

The Johns run is very good popcorn and it has some genuinely great ideas for that type of story. It's excellent at what it's aiming to do.

I reread it last year and my conclusion that it's safe to jump off after Blackest Night remains as sound as ever. That was their wad, they blew it, and stuck around too long afterward. Even so, it's still great and I don't know that it's fair to compare it to the kind of comics Morrison aims to make because they're simply tying to be two very different things. Compare Kramer vs. Kramer and Hook. Both are movies where an aloof father reconnects with his child. They're simply trying to do two very different things. I see no compelling evidence that Johns ever tried to do more than tell the biggest, coolest GL story he could whereas Morrison clearly had other ambitions.

I do think Morrison's approach generates more to appreciate in rereads, but I also don't think it's great for being a solid piece of general entertainment after a grueling day at work; they're apples and oranges.

I guess I can see the popcorn run in terms of spectacle and action but I feel like that belies the emotional heart and depth that permeated that run.

Of course I also didn't dislike the second half of the run post-BN.