Man it’s been forever since The Spectre had an ongoing

[Laser_Man]

I agree with everyone who said that Corrigan's story is over and there is no point in bringing it back.

I felt that Crispus Allen never really got a fair shot and was just used as a guest star or jobbing in every event. I also don't think DC had the guts to really delve into what a black man with god like power and spiritual of vengeance would be like.

If the concept of Spectre were to be explored even further, I think the best path would be to explore what happens when the Spectre is possessed by someone with a different religious background. Imagine waking up some other religion's after life and finding out that your deities exist but so does every one else's and now you are stuck doing what's basically work-for-hire for a different cosmic entity than the one you are used to. Personally, I think the best way to deal with the Spectre in a shared universe is to just stick him in a realm where he is constantly dealing with god like entities and anything that happens in earth is too meager for him to care about.

It has been a little time since I read the Ostrander run, but wasn't one of the first Spectre hosts a man of Hindu faith? Although it was only explored in one flashback issue so there is a good opportunity to explore a different religious background in a more comprehensive manner as you described.

[Aarkus]

I would try a different angle on the character, have the spirit be convinced to bond with a host of ill intent... maybe Nekron... who then goes on a rampage of not-so-righteous vengeance (i.e. punishing folks who have had to commit murder in self-defence and other "grey area" type "sins" that Spectre would usually overlook)... drop the hood to reveal a blue cosmic flame around the head of three-horned skull (taking a fun jab at the other company's character Zarathos)...
this usurping of such a great universal power forces Phantom Stranger to intervene and recruit a small group of mystics, to help exorcise the possession from Spectre. the catch is, one of them must become the new host, to prevent this type of forceful possession from reoccurring...
this way you can tie it to an existing character who actually makes sense as a Spectre host... pick someone fairly well-liked among the fanbase... I'm thinking it ends up being Constantine who takes it on, after the spirit gives him a choice between being the new host; or, "judging" him to feel every ounce of torment he has inflicted on other beings with his past double- and triple-crossing antics... Constantine of course accepts, thinking he's beating the "game" and dodging consequences yet again...

make it maybe a six-part mini and if it sells, do a sequel in which Constantine slowly beings to realize he won't be getting out of this obligation the same way he often has in the past... trapping him in service to a higher power, forcing him to balance his karmic "ledger" by atoning for past self-serving actions.

am I crazy to think this is a better idea than creating some new character to take the "mantle"? DC are somewhat limited in what they can do with John when he's under the main-line imprint anyway, so maybe attaching him to something like the Spectre would let them expand on how far into "black label" territory they can push it, without splitting off from the main universe or whatever

[The Cool Thatguy]

I can't think of anyone informed enough with regards to religion and/or spirituality these days, so I'm kinda glad he doesn't have an ongoing.

[kcekada]

That's why a retro series set in his early days would work best. That was pretty much just Corrigan with supernatural powers. Aside from him being an actual spirit, there wasn't much of an angle regarding spirituality. That was fully addressed in Ostrander's run and doesn't need revisited.

[Riv86672]

That's why a retro series set in his early days would work best. That was pretty much just Corrigan with supernatural powers. Aside from him being an actual spirit, there wasn't much of an angle regarding spirituality. That was fully addressed in Ostrander's run and doesn't need revisited.

^^^Yeah, the best way to simplify the Spectre (and revisit Jim Corrigan) is in retrospect.



Something along the lines of what’s being done w. Alan Scott and Wesley Dodds right now.

[j9ac9k]

That's why a retro series set in his early days would work best. That was pretty much just Corrigan with supernatural powers. Aside from him being an actual spirit, there wasn't much of an angle regarding spirituality. That was fully addressed in Ostrander's run and doesn't need revisited.

While I would also love to see a flashback series of Corrigan Spectre in the Golden Age, I think it's still possible to do a new series in the present with a new host. While Ostrander's run set a high bar, he is not and cannot be the last and/or only word on spirituality. It's a deeply personal subject and if there's a writer who can deliver their sense of what spirituality is and address these issues of violence and vengeance according to their beliefs in a thoughtful and honest way, it could be just as good and relevant - just different. JMD took a shot with Hal/Spectre making him the spirit of redemption, and there were some interesting things in there even if it didn't really make a big impact. But it still shows the Spectre can reinvent itself as a concept depending on its host. Personally, if they were to use a familiar character as a host, I'd love to see Adrian Chase come back. He was there during "Day of Judgement" as a soul in limbo stepping up to possibly be the new host, and considering the nature of his old series, I think he'd be an interesting candidate.

[Riv86672]

While I would also love to see a flashback series of Corrigan Spectre in the Golden Age, I think it's still possible to do a new series in the present with a new host. While Ostrander's run set a high bar, he is not and cannot be the last and/or only word on spirituality. It's a deeply personal subject and if there's a writer who can deliver their sense of what spirituality is and address these issues of violence and vengeance according to their beliefs in a thoughtful and honest way, it could be just as good and relevant - just different. JMD took a shot with Hal/Spectre making him the spirit of redemption, and there were some interesting things in there even if it didn't really make a big impact. But it still shows the Spectre can reinvent itself as a concept depending on its host. Personally, if they were to use a familiar character as a host, I'd love to see Adrian Chase come back. He was there during "Day of Judgement" as a soul in limbo stepping up to possibly be the new host, and considering the nature of his old series, I think he'd be an interesting candidate.

^^^As I was reading your post and got to the new host part I was thinking “nah” as I have no faith in that being done well. Then I got to the familiar character part and saw Adrian Chase and went “YES”. That is a great idea j9ac9k.