USA Today: Johns unleashes 'Wrath of the First Lantern' crossover

[Harbinger of Apocalypse]

Sure, but that doesn't mean he's not going to take a future opportunity, right? Again, I can think of some 5 separate 'break points' for Bendis to have left the Avengers -- until he finally just did. The fact that he didn't take previous opportunities to exit in no way has any bearing on the liklihood that he'll take the next one, feeling perhaps that his run is over. Ditto Brubaker Cap, etc.

I never said that he wouldn't have an opportunity in the future to leave if he wanted to... perhaps I didn't phrase it better in my original post but my reasoning was that if Johns has a story to tell then I don't think he would like to leave this title. Blackest Night, as I said, had a finality to it and there was a very good natural opportunity to leave. He didn't and I am fine with that and he told his the story about Brightest Day, War of the Green Lanterns and Rise of the Third Army. He wanted to tell more stories and that was clear in his writings like giving Sinestro a green ring. Now, he said that the First Lantern is going to mess around with the GLs during this new arc and that seems an opportunity to tell some more stories, not end it. Unless something changes drastically with Wrath of the First Lantern (which is possible) then I don't think this is an ending as you indicated in your first post in this thread.

Blackest Night may have been a stronger place to leave story wise, but Johns wanted to tell more Green Lantern stories at that point, and his run was still a wild, chart topping success then too. He's told, what, 3 years of stories since then? If he leaves after this arc he'll have told at least 4 years more of story. I hardly think it's unreasonable that after 4 MORE years he might want to leave. It's not as though he'll have felt he 'missed' his opportunity; he got to tell 4 more years of story.

I'm saying, if I'm writing a series of novels, I'm going to stop when I feel I want to stop. The fact that I didn't stop after the first 3 doesn't make it less likely that I'm going to stop after the 6th one.

And I had no problem with him telling further stories. Just saying that Blackest Night was the best point for jumping off if he wanted to do so. War of the Green Lanterns, not so much as he popped a green ring on Sinestro and it was clear he wanted to tell a Sinestro story. He could have left at that point if he wanted to do so but it would have felt as a bit of an unnatural jumping off point compared to Blackest Night. But I'm all game for Johns to tell further stories if he wants to do so or if he wants to end with Wrath of the First Lantern. But there is no indication that he wants to leave yet and he has invested a significant amount of energy in the Green Lantern mythos so there is equably the case that he might actually stay and continue for a bit longer before leaving. And if he were to leave then I hope its on a good story arc...

And to use the book example, its not 'I write three books, I can't leave on book four so have to wait for book six'. No, I didn't say that, I meant that there should be a natural point for a story to end (like Blackest Night as an example, not saying he should have ended it, just saying there was a good opportunity). So, a story writer can end it at point be that book four, book five, book six or whatever. If it ends abruptly for whatever reason then thats a different case but if you are telling a story then I would hope that it manages to go all the way to completion. I would prefer this to be the case if one is telling long story arcs.

[Desaad]

I never said that he wouldn't have an opportunity in the future to leave if he wanted to... perhaps I didn't phrase it better in my original post but my reasoning was that if Johns has a story to tell then I don't think he would like to leave this title.

Nor do I. But that was never on the table. I'm saying it feels like his First Lantern story is him putting a coda on things, just from him likening it to the obvious last 'ending' place of Blackest NIght. It feels to me that he's run out of steam creatively, yes ,but he's almost admitted as much by replacing Hal with Baz. I think he may be done with Hal's story coming up, even as he sees it, or at the very least is more interested in doing other things, redefining Aquaman, controling the Justice League franchise, doing Batman Earth One, etc.

Blackest Night, as I said, had a finality to it and there was a very good natural opportunity to leave. He didn't and I am fine with that and he told his the story about Brightest Day, War of the Green Lanterns and Rise of the Third Army. He wanted to tell more stories and that was clear in his writings like giving Sinestro a green ring. Now, he said that the First Lantern is going to mess around with the GLs during this new arc and that seems an opportunity to tell some more stories, not end it.

Right, DURING that arc I think it's a place to tell stories. Obviously we don't know much, but it doesn't sound to me that he's setting up a bunch of stuff, it sounds like he's getting into some meaty character work as his finale.

Unless something changes drastically with Wrath of the First Lantern (which is possible) then I don't think this is an ending as you indicated in your first post in this thread.

Which is fair, and is certainly not written in stone, but the way you were phrasing it as the fact that he hadn't left previously somehow indicating that he wasn't going to leave in the future didn't feel accurate to me, or sensible. I see where you're coming from now though and we'll jsut have to wait and see.

I want a new writer, obviously, but there aren't tons of options right now so I'm not terribly worried about it.

And I had no problem with him telling further stories. Just saying that Blackest Night was the best point for jumping off if he wanted to do so.

But that's my point -- it wasn't. It's not a good jumping off point if he feels he's got a bunch m ore stories to tell. The only good jumping off point for him is when he thinks he doesn't have a lot of compelling stories to tell, or that there are other stories that interest him more. 4 years is a long time -- he didn't feel it then, but he may feel it now.

And to use the book example, its not 'I write three books, I can't leave on book four so have to wait for book six'. No, I didn't say that, I meant that there should be a natural point for a story to end (like Blackest Night as an example, not saying he should have ended it, just saying there was a good opportunity). So, a story writer can end it at point be that book four, book five, book six or whatever. If it ends abruptly for whatever reason then thats a different case but if you are telling a story then I would hope that it manages to go all the way to completion. I would prefer this to be the case if one is telling long story arcs.

It is perhaps classier to end when a story 'finishes', certainly more satisfying for the reader, but it's not a necessity. Johns is a fan turned writer. I think he's going to write until he doesn't want to write anymore. Look at his previous works; JSA, Flash, Teen Titans...he didn't really leave on a big note of finality. He jsut left because he had other things to do. When whatever story he was working on was over, he just stopped, usually with a coda issue or something to wrap it all up, sometimes not.

[iRacingRyan]

The only thing that bugs me is the constant use of the term "event" rather than the grouping of the books around a central storyline. What you have with these Green Lantern titles -- more so the universe in general -- is a very cohesive and orchestrated mythos. Especially after the Sinestro Corps and Blackest Night cross-overs, the various Corps are all aware of each other and have formed alliances and forged friendships across the color spectrum.

So when something like the "Third Army" comes along, it makes sense to include EVERYTHING. And after reading about the "Wrath of the First Lantern" it feels far less like an event (although it will be) than the Third Army does, but it just makes sense for the titles to all include the ramifications of what goes on with the primary Green Lantern title and storyline. They're all connected because that's the way the storyline has evolved. It would make no sense for the Blue Lanterns to not help out the Green Lanterns if they're being annihilated, nor if the emotional spectrum as a whole is being corrupted by someone or something, would it make sense for ANY of them to ignore the threat.

It's really just one big title, rather than four distinct titles. The Batman universe can exist on much more distance between the titles (although sometimes that's a stretch, but Catwoman and Batman might go weeks without seeing each other) where as the Green Lantern universe is really founded on the emotional spectrum and the threats therein. Which is odd, because one is across an entire universe and the other is only across a city. ;)

But yeah. It's an event, but not in the manner that previous events have been. I'm pretty much fine with an inter-Green Lantern Universe event going on but am sick of the GL universe pulling in the rest of the DCU. I like seeing Guy and Hal have a moment, or Larfleeze and Atrocitus and Guy mix it up. I love the entire universe, and that's simply what these events are: the GL universe.

[theDarkestKnight]

That cover is beautiful. I thought the cover with Baz in handcuffs was gonna be the issue #17 cover? But I do agree they need to cut it out with these constant crossovers

[LoneNecromancer]

Nor do I. But that was never on the table. I'm saying it feels like his First Lantern story is him putting a coda on things, just from him likening it to the obvious last 'ending' place of Blackest NIght. It feels to me that he's run out of steam creatively, yes ,but he's almost admitted as much by replacing Hal with Baz. I think he may be done with Hal's story coming up, even as he sees it, or at the very least is more interested in doing other things, redefining Aquaman, controling the Justice League franchise, doing Batman Earth One, etc.

Well, even earlier than Simon, Hal was already having to share his title with Sinestro.

[HXHAlex]

I want Hal and Sinestro back

[SediarSago]

Wait so is this like an actual crossover where it will say at the end of GL "Buy GLC Next week for the continuation" and like that, or is it sticking to the seperate stories like Third Army is?

[zryson]

Wrath this. Death that. Honestly the DCU is such a dark place these days.

[LoneNecromancer]

Wrath this. Death that. Honestly the DCU is such a dark place these days.

Nowadays? Look at the previous titles of the big Green Lantern stories. Revenge of the Green Lanterns. Sinestro Corps War. Rage of the Red Lanterns. War of the Green Lanterns.

[Talisman]

DC needs to pull every trick out of their bag and snatch up BKV to do this. His Saga is consistently one of the best books on the shelves today.

[MichaelPaytonMZ]

I felt like Green Lantern Corps as a book stood on it's own fairly well until after Blackest Night. Since then it's just been event build.

Every issue of GLC just feels like everyone is just standing around waiting for Johns to launch his semi-annual crossover events over in his book. Frankly, i wish Johns would wrap up whatever other ideas he has for the GL franchise and let someone else have a go at the main solo book. maybe then Tomasi can get back to writing actual stories again.

[Karl O'Neill]

DC needs to pull every trick out of their bag and snatch up BKV to do this. His Saga is consistently one of the best books on the shelves today.

I'm almost sure BKV wrote some Green Lantern issues before and remembering they weren't anything special. I do think Saga is great, though.

[Mr. Holmes]

BKV is now one of those impossible ones. Like the ones in the list Desaad made on the Alan Moore thread.

[Talisman]

BKV is now one of those impossible ones. Like the ones in the list Desaad made on the Alan Moore thread.

I know, but a boy can dream. If not BKV, I'd really like someone with a STRONG sense of sci-fi, but can handle the quiet human moments. Also, with all these titles, it's really diluting the brand.

[Desaad]

DC needs to pull every trick out of their bag and snatch up BKV to do this. His Saga is consistently one of the best books on the shelves today.

What a beautiful, impossible dream. It will never happen and I hate you ferociously for putting it into my head.




....I'd be interested to see if his mainstream stuff improved from his last go around. With the exception of his creator owned but company owned stuff like "Runaways" (ie, he did what he wanted, created his characters and world from whole cloth, than just put it in the Marvel U), his company work wasn't great. In fact, often it wasn't very good. His Swamp Thing was just okay, his Green Lantern (Circle of Fire) was similarly just okay (though actually that one was fun), his Batman was pretty mediocre....

He's progressed as a writer since then, though, so he'd probably do much better now.