Green Lantern Rebirth Pre-Requisites

[SuperCrab]

Some of you who have seen me from the other forums know that I am dissatisfied with Superman's post-Rebirth direction, and have been dropping my subscriptions to all his books one by one (Last one will be dropped on Wednesday after the issue that comes out that day- other than JLA, which is in the middle of an arc that hopefully will be finished, lot of delays on that, so we'll see). I won't likely be back on the Superman titles unless new52 Superman returns or they do some sort of a reboot that is better than what they are doing with the title from Rebirth going forward (I'm trying to be vague because, you know, spoilers, but you guys have probably heard).

So far, I only have 2-3 Marvel books and 1 Image book to replace them that I'm subscribing to.

I was thinking about maybe one or both of the Green Lantern books or the Green Arrow book (Especially at the new lower price point)- could be none, could be one, could be two, slight possibility all three. Green Arrow seems pretty straightforward if I want to pick it up, based on what I know and the solicitations I've read for the advance comics.

With either or both Green Lantern titles, though, I'm guessing it would benefit me to read some other titles before the Green Lantern Rebirth, if I decide to pick either of the two new lines up (I hear one is a Hal Jordan title and the other is about Jessica Cruz and Simon Baz).

Here's what I've got in general Green Lantern wise (Also, I've of course seen various Green Lanterns in crossovers and things like Justice League):

Green Lantern (2011-2016) #1-#8
Green Lantern: Lost Army #1-#6
Green Lantern: Edge of Oblivion #1

I plan to finish out of the Edge of Oblivion miniseries. That seems like an obvious one that may play into the Green Lantern Rebirth and, honestly, I just like it, so I'm going to finish it regardless.

Anything else I need, or can I just jump on if I want to?

The reason I only have Green Lantern 2011 #1-#8 is because it's the type of thing where I just buy the next issue every once in a while at the standard digital old comic discount when I feel like it (I have a few early Green Arrow issues, but am way behind, for the same reason). I can't afford to buy them all at once, nor am I "into" it enough to do so- and before Superman got screwed up, I was already kind of oversubscribed given my budget and new comics prices, but with the Superman titles gone and some prices cut... Actually, the storyline in the 2011 Green Lantern titles I was reading was getting boring (After a good start with the strange positions Hal and Sinestero find themselves in), but I'd kind of like to see where the thing with the Guardians possibly being evil and/or wanting to get rid of the GL Corps goes (Please no one spoil that for me. ).

In addition to pre-requisites, if people want to just recommend classic Green Lantern stories as well, that's cool, but please mark them as being non-prerequisites so I don't get confused.

Oh, and if I were to pick just the Hal Jordan title or just the Baz/Cruz title, which of the two do you think do you think is the one to go with?

[sifighter]

Well for Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps I suppose you could read the current ending issues of Green Lantern which will be written by the same writer as well as somehow lead into the series. Lost army and Edge of Oblivion is important if you want to know what happened to the rest of the green lantern corps for the status quo shift in HJ&GLC but a really important and really good series that leads into the status quo of that series is Cullen Bunn's Sinestro which showed how Sinestro and his lantern corps rose up in the Universe and how he got to where he is when the series starts in July.

As for Green Lanterns it's probably good to just read the origins of Simon Baz and Jessica Cruz in Green Lantern and Justice League, as well as the Darkseid War arc in Justice League which is where Jessica should be becoming a Green Lantern very soon.

Can't say which will be better yet though, depends on writing and the use of characters involved in each series.

[SuperCrab]

Well for Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps I suppose you could read the current ending issues of Green Lantern which will be written by the same writer as well as somehow lead into the series. Lost army and Edge of Oblivion is important if you want to know what happened to the rest of the green lantern corps for the status quo shift in HJ&GLC but a really important and really good series that leads into the status quo of that series is Cullen Bunn's Sinestro which showed how Sinestro and his lantern corps rose up in the Universe and how he got to where he is when the series starts in July.

As for Green Lanterns it's probably good to just read the origins of Simon Baz and Jessica Cruz in Green Lantern and Justice League, as well as the Darkseid War arc in Justice League which is where Jessica should be becoming a Green Lantern very soon.

Can't say which will be better yet though, depends on writing and the use of characters involved in each series.

Thanks. I'm familiar with Jessica Cruz as Power Ring, a regular person who was claimed by a green ring from another universe, with different properties than the GL rings we're familiar with in some respects, who was being helped by the Justice League in terms of gathering up the mental willpower to keep it from controlling her, before...

spoilers:

ultimately following under it's control in the Darkseid War Justice League stories and having her own personality subsumed by it, presumably temporarily

end of spoilers

and that's basically as far as I got.

I was subscribing to the Justice League but was feeling like the Darkseid War storyline was a bit too drawn out. When the news about Superman hit, I figured I'd stick with it as long as it featured the new52 Superman, but then there was a standalone Grail issue that was being automatically sent to subscribers (Essentially a double-ship, and a spinoff about a villain, no less, though I'm sure it was related to the main storyline), and after I noticed that another upcoming issue was $5.99, and some other issues looked like they were setting up the new Superman status quo I didn't like based on the early solicitations or didn't feature Superman in group covers, and I kind of bailed right before all that. I dodged the Grail issue by a few days (Digital subscriptions can be pretty much be cancelled on a dime, fortunately). I meant to maybe go back and pick and choose issues or get it later if it went on sale, but so far I haven't done that yet. For a comic that was dragging that I knew I was going to bail on soon, the double-ship spin-off issue and then the double price issue were places I just didn't feel like going.

To be honest, I was pretty shocked that after all their hoopla about the new $2.99 price point instead of $3.99, they were/are going to try to slip in a $5.99 issue.

But maybe if there's an issue I "need" to read to set up the GL Rebirth stuff, if I choose to get that, I might get that particular issue. I also could see just going back and scooping them all up if there is a great sale.

Anyway, I of course I know Baz from

spoilers:

Lost Army and Edge of Oblivion

end of spoilers

but not his origin story and whatnot.

Sinestro looks 23 issues deep right now.

But, you know, I'm looking at all this and thinking, hey, maybe I'll catch up in time and not do the Rebirth thing right away. I might even catch up from the early new52 issues I had been reading, consider the Sinestero and Red Lantern spin-offs, etc.. Because they were so far in the past and are half price, it'll be less expensive that way. And maybe it'll help send a general message about Rebirth by it not selling anything right away (to me, anyway), although honestly I wouldn't mind Rebirth as much in general if it hadn't been for the Superman stuff. I feel like most of the other characters are getting better deals, although in the particular case in the spoiler area, maybe barely so in the short term for:

spoilers:

John Stewart and the other Green Lanterns who lost books, featured roles, and possibly their lives. I heard that second hand somewhere. Second hand enough that I don't actually know if they actually died or just lost starring roles for a while. I'm not as deep into GL stuff to be as upset by the death of anyone in particular in the corps as many people are, but I like not knowing the specifics so they can be surprising plot twists (So no need to clarify for me ). I understand why fans are really, really ticked, in some corners of Green Lantern random. The only consolation I can offer is that I would assume anyone who's gone will probably be back at some point in some kind of role as the years go on, Green Lantern wise. Comic book characters almost always return. Even death is temporary. I am however, worried about...

end of spoilers

Spoilers for upcoming Superman related titles:

spoilers:

I'm more worried about new52 Superman dying and being replaced by SuperDad than I would be about him dying and not being replaced, or being replaced by Lex Luthor (Although Luthor is going to try) or something. The reason being is, is that if he weren't replaced, or was replaced by someone else who wasn't Clark Kent, we'd kind of "know", he was coming back, because they aren't going to do 5 years of Lex Luthor as Superman or whatever. SuperDad is Pre-Flashpoint Superman/Kal-El/Clark Kent. It's entirely possible that they'll just keep him indefinitely, because to a casual fan, especially with people in the universe getting some of their pre-Flashpoint memories back, he may be just as legit to a casual fan, or even a diehard fan who didn't like new52, as the new52 Superman who I really like. Of course, there were major issues with Pre-Flashpoint Superman's characterization for the last few years leading up to Flashpoint, he's being written as kind of a jerk who's relatively indifferent to the fate of the universe in Lois and Clark and in the last couple issues of this weekly Superman line-wide Last Days of Superman crossover, many fans both old and new may dislike the 10 year old crimefighting son being a major co-star with equal story time, and he basically not only replaces the personality and the open possibilities of the new52 Superman with a different persona and a closed storyline, he also isn't going to remember of have experienced many of the adventures, storylines, and relationships of the new52, and as someone who started reading the books during that time and have them as most of my collection, that really bothers me. I'd much rather new52 Superman just get some of the pre-Flashpoint memories like it sounds like most of the other major DC comics characters are getting. Remembering some of the old adventurers of your predecessor and relationships and stuff can almost be a plus. But being replaced by a much older guy with a super-kid and a different personality who doesn't remember most of the comics I have? Not pleased. I really don't like 10 year olds as superheroes either, which doesn't help my acceptance level any. I think new52 Superman is getting the worse shake in this whole Rebirth deal from what I've been reading so far. They just figure no one cares about him. I remember when they announced SuperDad taking over Action Comics in a live stream from WonderCon, they didn't address new52 Superman at all, and then in a presentation where they talked to writers of all the big series, they just showed a picture of a generic Superman for the Superman title, announced the author, and moved on, without bringing the author on stage, leading us to believe that might be new52 Superman's title. Then it eventually came out that it wasn't. And it's extremely grating that from editorial to the writers to whomever at DC Comics, everyone is just like shrugging. There's no acknowledgement at all that new52 Superman is some people's favorite character, and that he matters. We have SuperDad, and they are going to a Chinese Super-Man and a Superwoman, and all this other stuff- and they can't do one book continuing the adventures of the guy who's been the Superman the last five years. Heck, maybe they could have just had him not regain his powers after the Truth arc, get fed up with that situation and some people turning on him on earth, and had him wind up a Green Lantern patrolling a different sector, see the universe, get powers from the ring. I would have bought that book. He didn't have to just be killed off.

end of spoilers

Anyway, don't answer this, but I'm kind of suspecting that, given the timing, in Edge of Oblivion...

spoilers:

The Hal Jordan we see blocking the crack in the universe may be the evil one from a long time ago.

end of spoilers

I know you guys already know the answer, so don't tell me. I'll find out soon.

[sifighter]

Well that's your decision if you don't want to read any of the GL books, although maybe I laid it on a little to much with what you have to read. Perhaps I should have said recommended to read for the series. Either way do with that what you may.

Personally Green Lanterns is on my pull list while Green Arrow and Hal Jordan and The Green Lantern Corps are series that I'll pick up on the side if I have some extra money and especially if I like their rebirth series, although I do have a lot of hope for both series as I generally like Green Arrow and the Green Lantern Corps.

[Trey Strain]

Read The Road Back, which you can order in TPB.

[Trey Strain]

You might also check out Mosaic, which is available in the bargain bins and digitally.

[wwise03]

I thought the idea of rebirth and new #1 issues is that there were no prerequisites. If there are prerequisites, what's the point of new numbering?