John Stewart: Green Lantern Appreciation 2021

[Robanker]

I finally flipped through my copy of John's 50th anniversary collection. It's a nice book, and I think it serves as a solid introduction for people looking for John Stewart stories. If someone asks you to recommend stuff on "John," then this would be a good option, since it provides some context on the character.

There are 4 essays:
Neal Adams - Talks about how John was created and why. You can find videos on YouTube of him telling the same story.
John Ridley - Praises Cosmic Odyssey for having John go from an aspirational character to a fallible, more complex one. (The essay I personally liked least, but he points out the problem with being a 2D black BFF and notes that John was DC's first black character to become a superhero)
Geoff Johns - If it's not the best essay, it's the second best essay. Obviously I'm critical of his work with John as John was often sidelined, but Johns knows how to use poetry to heap praise. His time in Hollywood helps him to fill his essay with these log lines/elevator pitches of what makes John work. Gotta give credit where credit is due.
Phil LaMarr - One of the two best essays. Talks about John's inclusion on the animated series, what it meant, and why it was so impactful. If you read his interviews about John online, you know the gist, but it's still a nice read. (Also, I was today years old when I learned he went to Yale)

I'm really happy Van Jensen's GLC work and Venditti's Justice League work made it in. In 10 or 25 years, I'd love to see Redjack's work included in something like this.

Overall, I'm glad John got a collection to call his own.

Johns has become such a mixed bag right now. Pretty high highs (GL, his JSA) and some very mediocre-to-terrible lows. To his credit, he does have a very good handle on the characters and what makes them work. His implementation of those ideas could certainly use work at times, but you could do a lot worse than have him be an elevator pitch man or editor.

[sifighter]

So if I understand from the look of the unlettered Superman: son of kal-el preview, John was apparently around for birth of Jon Kent and played a role in protecting the earth from Alien invaders was Lois gave birth.

Honestly it’s not much I just like the idea that in a time of need that Superman could fall on John for help in a personal matter.

[SecretWarrior]

So if I understand from the look of the unlettered Superman: son of kal-el preview, John was apparently around for birth of Jon Kent and played a role in protecting the earth from Alien invaders was Lois gave birth.

Honestly it’s not much I just like the idea that in a time of need that Superman could fall on John for help in a personal matter.

Thanks for the heads up-- Looks like John may even have some dialogue, based on the composition.



Full unlettered preview here: https://www.cbr.com/superman-son-of-...-birth-reboot/

[SecretWarrior]

I like the bits and pieces we've seen of their dynamic. It'd be great to see it fleshed out more.

[John Venus]

Johns has become such a mixed bag right now. Pretty high highs (GL, his JSA) and some very mediocre-to-terrible lows. To his credit, he does have a very good handle on the characters and what makes them work. His implementation of those ideas could certainly use work at times, but you could do a lot worse than have him be an elevator pitch man or editor.

Johns was stretched thin after the Nu52. He is fine for certain characters just not every character.

He is the Gardner Fox of this era, nobody can match the sheer volume of work but aside from a some gems like JSA, GL, Hawkman, a lot of it is mediocre and reliant on a formulae.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CQpdQPoDWAV/

It's a great design but I'm not sure if it's a great John Stewart design.

Same-- Also, Eddy Gordo

This style is more fitting for John, imo.

[Vordan]

Thanks for the heads up-- Looks like John may even have some dialogue, based on the composition.



Full unlettered preview here: https://www.cbr.com/superman-son-of-...-birth-reboot/

Timms draws a cool John. Guessing the League is all hands on deck and John has to give Clark a reminder not to miss his wife giving birth lol.

[Sodam Yat]

Thanks for the heads up-- Looks like John may even have some dialogue, based on the composition.



Full unlettered preview here: https://www.cbr.com/superman-son-of-...-birth-reboot/

I love this artwork. It's nice to see some writers having John make some kind of appearance in other non-GL books.

Hopefully John would be a guest star in some of these stories one day. That would be cool.

[Sodam Yat]

So if I understand from the look of the unlettered Superman: son of kal-el preview, John was apparently around for birth of Jon Kent and played a role in protecting the earth from Alien invaders was Lois gave birth.

Honestly it’s not much I just like the idea that in a time of need that Superman could fall on John for help in a personal matter.

I haven't kept up with the Superman books, but I take it that Lois and Clark no longer have the issue in procreating, due to Kryptonian and Human biology differences?

[sifighter]

I haven't kept up with the Superman books, but I take it that Lois and Clark no longer have the issue in procreating, due to Kryptonian and Human biology differences?

Apparently it’s not a problem, but in fairness it was pretty much one crazy reality and time shenanigan after another that has made up the entirety of Jon Kent’s existence from childhood to now being Superman. John Stewart’s just being thrown into that story now, although it does call into question John’s age.

Because before Jon was artificially made 17 through basically a Rick and Morty episode, he was 11. That means with Jon being part of the universe DC is acknowledging I guess that John Stewart has been a lantern for a while if here he is on the Justice League and we’d add 11 years on that. John would have to be about 30 or 40 now, depending on how old he was when he got his ring.

[SecretWarrior]

Apparently it’s not a problem, but in fairness it was pretty much one crazy reality and time shenanigan after another that has made up the entirety of Jon Kent’s existence from childhood to now being Superman. John Stewart’s just being thrown into that story now, although it does call into question John’s age.

Because before Jon was artificially made 17 through basically a Rick and Morty episode, he was 11. That means with Jon being part of the universe DC is acknowledging I guess that John Stewart has been a lantern for a while if here he is on the Justice League and we’d add 11 years on that. John would have to be about 30 or 40 now, depending on how old he was when he got his ring.

Yeah, the ages always get messed about. When John was first introduced, he was closer to Wally's age.



DC generally likes to keep the main DC heroes in their 30s, with their careers usually starting in their 20s. That allows for older heroes like the ones on the JSA and younger heroes like the ones on the (Teen) Titans and Young Justice. That means when younger heroes are aged up, the older heroes are retconned to have a smaller age gap to keep them in their 30s. That's what happened with Bruce and all of the Robins.

That age range is also the sweet spot in adaptations like the DCAU or Nolan films where the "in their prime" heroes tend to start their careers in their mid to late 20s and close out their "prime" years in their late 30s or early 40s, with "street levelers" like Batman often retiring in their early 50s, a la Batman Beyond.

[SecretWarrior]

An old Dennis Haysbert interview:

Nate: That’s great. So as far as comic book titles, what titles were your favorites? Which ones did you kind of keep up with before?

Dennis: Wow, I used to always keep up with John Stewart the black Green Lantern, love him. Would love to get into that universe.

Cloak and Dagger. I used to enjoy. You know, all of them. All the DC favorites and the Marvel favorites. Loved the X-Men, loved The Avengers, You know, sheesh, you know, Superman, Batman, the classics are always great, but the ultimate super hero is Green Lantern. I love John Stewart as Green Lantern. The fact that using that power range, using your imagination, however strong your imagination is. You can make those constructs. I think the Green Lantern can beat Superman.

Nate: Oh…That starting trouble right there (laughing). That’s wonderful to find a comic book fan in Hollywood that actually knows a bit about comics and not just the new ones.

Dennis: Oh yeah. No, the classics are the best. I like the new ones and the nuances they keep bringing up. I use to like one called Hawk and Dove. They were brothers. The Hawk was so aggressive, that Dove was actually stronger. So that was really an interesting dynamic.

https://www.comicbookmovie.com/sin_c...WIYSRYRvCsr.99

Serious geek cred and not just another actor who got the materials for a role. Must've been cool for him to play Kilowog in the DCAU.

[Frontier]

An old Dennis Haysbert interview:



https://www.comicbookmovie.com/sin_c...WIYSRYRvCsr.99

Serious geek cred and not just another actor who got the materials for a role. Must've been cool for him to play Kilowog in the DCAU.

I think he was actually supposed to play John before they brought Phil LaMarr in because he had another commitment.

[sifighter]

I’m sorry...did the preview for Green Lantern #4 just insinuate from that conversation with Ganthet what I think it just insinuated? Because if so I didn’t see that coming and I’m all for it.

https://comicbookdispatch.com/green-lantern-4-preview/

[Anthony Shaw]

I’m sorry...did the preview for Green Lantern #4 just insinuate from that conversation with Ganthet what I think it just insinuated? Because if so I didn’t see that coming and I’m all for it.

https://comicbookdispatch.com/green-lantern-4-preview/

Damn, someone finally digging into John's history without using Xanshi.

Crazy how no one brought that factoid up after all these years.

Thank you, RJ!

[lemonpeace]

I’m sorry...did the preview for Green Lantern #4 just insinuate from that conversation with Ganthet what I think it just insinuated? Because if so I didn’t see that coming and I’m all for it.

https://comicbookdispatch.com/green-lantern-4-preview/

I think it may and, if it is it, i can finally be able to be at peace about the power ring physiology plotline.

also, that's a boss panel of Ganthet at the end there.