Why I have a problem with 'Over in one month' events

So, a comic book company ( and it's usually DC Comics who do this ) are announcing a new event/crossover related to one of your favourite books. This is obviously great since it's a big new story with your favourite characters and something that is hopefully a real stand-out on shelves for the numerous months that the story spans. Hang on, did I say "Numerous months", oh, I'm sorry, I meant ONE MONTH. That's right, this book you're enjoying has one month to tell the entire story it's been building up to for ages.

ONE.

This really gets on my nerves, you wait ages for an event related to one of your favourite characters and it's gone quicker than Joshua Hale Fialkov's run on Green Lantern Corps!

The example I'm going to use right now is 'The Culling'. Now, I'd been a huge fan of the Teen Titans for years and was really enjoying the New 52 run of the book so when I found out about the crossover centred around the series I was really excited. Then I found out that this event would only run through one month. This story was being led up to for almost nine months and I knew it would be building to something important but it's something I wished could've lasted longer.

 Look at some of the major DC Comics crossovers, they last for months (like most of Marvel's too, actually) events such as Blackest Night ( running for eight issues in it's own series and spinning off to include nearly the whole DCU), Flashpoint ( Five issues of it's own solo series, with loads miniseries spinning off from it, although to be fair it did reboot the DCU) and the recent Death of the Family ( four months tying into almost every Bat-book on the shelves for that time ), why not give all of the events the multi-month treatment?

I mean, don't the creators deserve it? they've been building to it for months and months so why not let the climax of their arc last a little longer? This concept was probably exciting when it was first used, that it's so fast-paced and quick but now it's just sort of tiring.

 DC are using this tactic again in October with the next Green Lantern event, "Lights out". It starts in Green Lantern #25, runs through that month's Green Lantern Corps, New Guardians and Red Lanterns then concludes in Green Lantern Annual #2 less than a month after it began.

I feel like this doesn't do the story justice, considering this is the first big story that the new Green Lantern creative teams are facing, and it's something that deserves to be bigger. Getting it done in one month seems like it's being rushed, which isn't exciting to me, it's annoying.

Another point that I want to bring up about this topic goes back to the Teen Titans example, and the fact that after "The Culling" the book didn't keep at a good standard. I feel like that series peaked with the Culling, but it seems that was the last good idea for the book. If the story had been allowed to continue a little longer it could've given the writer some more time to come up with ideas for the next stories because as much as I loved that title around the time of the event, I have to admit, it seems to be running very low on ideas and the only good bit about it now is the characters, really.

There is a pretty easy solution to this problem, why not have the story run just through the main book for several months rather than multiple books for one? You can still include all of the characters from different books, just use them in the one book and let the story run longer, it's most likely what the event and the creative team deserves.

If mainstream events are allowed to go on for months, why not all of the books? It adds more impact to the story if it lasts longer, and the longer the event is on the shelves for, the more new readers are likely to take notice and read it.

Review: Green Lantern #21

Usually when a creator change takes place on a big title like Green Lantern I'm a little hesitant about the next writer's run. That wasn't the case for Green Lantern #21, I'd spoken to new writer, Robert Venditti, before and was certain he would do well on this issue, I wasn't disappointed at all.

I'm not going to spoil the issue, because I think you should go out, pick it up and enjoy it as something completely new, without any real knowledge of what's going to happen. The issue has a brilliant start that really gripped me and made me want to keep on reading the issue, then it jumps to a different part of the story, the suspense of seeing the opening scene really keeps you interested right through the entire issue.

Venditti has shown how good a writer he is with this issue, he's shown a clear understanding for all of the characters and respect for the finale of Geoff Johns' run and yet put his own spin on it and make it really interesting.

He's managed to write a brilliant book here and has really built off of the final issue of Johns' run and made it into an interesting new story for Hal Jordan. Another thing I love about this issue is the inclusion of so many characters from the Green Lantern universe, I won't go into specifics but I think Venditti really understands who the Green Lantern fans want to see in the series.

Now onto the art, by Billy Tan. I think Billy Tan is a fantastic artist and did really well on this issue. However, one slip-up did keep jumping out at me throughout the issue: There are quite a lot of pages where the Lantern characters don't appear to be wearing their rings yet are still using them. I know this might seem like a minor problem but this did really stand out to me while reading the issue. Apart from that, I really enjoyed Tan's art in this issue.

In summary, a great beginning to this new era of Green Lantern comics, the Lanterns are shining brighter than ever before with Robert Venditti on board!

Rating: 9/10

Top comics for June 5th 2013

Welcome to Top Comics! I'm sure you can guess from the title what this feature's about, but if not here's what it's about: Basically, I'll pick out some comics that I think are the top ones for this week and that I think you should pick up. There are some pretty important and good-looking comics out this week so here we go!

Kick-Ass 3 #1

This is the third and final instalment in Mark Millar and John Romita Jr.'s hit comic book series, Kick-Ass. I have to admit, I've never had the chance to read Kick-Ass, but it's something that I've been interested in for a while; I'd flicked through the book and seen scans on comic book websites, but most recently, I read an interview with Mr. Mark Millar, he discussed this series and I have to say, it got me hooked. You've probably heard of this series from the movie that came out a few years ago and it's upcoming sequel, Kick-Ass 2; These were based directly off the books and you can see they've done extremely well, meaning that the comic series can only be as good, most likely, better. From what I've seen of Mark Millar and John Romita Jr.'s previous work on titles such as the Ultimates ( Millar ) and Amazing Spider-Man ( Romita Jr.), this is set to be a great book and it looks like one of this week's must-reads!

Green Lantern #21

Recently, DC Comics writer, Geoff Johns, left the Green Lantern title, he'd been writing the book for around nine years. Basically, the new writer, Robert Venditti, has a lot of pressure on him to get this first issue right; I've spoken to Mr. Venditti recently about his upcoming Green Lantern run and I have to say, I'm certain he'll deliver. This is a new era for Green Lantern and I, for one, am excited to read it! Not to mention artist, Billy Tan, DC Comics recently posted some unlettered preview pages for this issue and his art looks like a great fit for this series! If you're a DC Comics fan or just a fan of comics in general, this is worth picking up. It's a good jumping on point for new readers and is set to be an exciting start of a great new run on the book!

The Movement #2

DC Comics launched two new series last month, The Movement and The Green Team. Both are great books but obviously I'm focusing on the Movement here. This new series is being written by current Batgirl-scriber, Gail Simone; Gail is a talented and brilliant writer and every book that she writes is always a good read. It's being pencilled by Freddie Williams II, a great artist who really shone on the first issue of the series, both creators make a good team and are really doing an extraordinary job on this series. If you're a bit worried about the fact you haven't been keeping up with this series, there's obviously an easy solution to that problem, pick up both issues of the series tomorrow; Trust me, it's really worth it, you'll definitely enjoy this series!

 

Superior Spider-Man #11

Onto the final comic in this feature, Superior Spider-Man! I honestly don't know how the writer of this series, Dan Slott, has come up with his ideas for this series but I love them. It has a lot of unique ideas and is a fun and witty book. In case you didn't know, Doctor Octopus is Spider-Man, this makes for a great ongoing series and despite any bad comments it's been getting, it's a truly amazing (or Superior) series! This issue is pencilled by returning Spidey artist, Guiseppi Camuncoli, who is a Spectacular ( How many adjectives are there that haven't been used for Spidey series?!) artist for this book. It's also co-written by Christos Gage, the last arc he helped to write with Dan Slott was the great Hobgoblin arc between Amazing Spider-Man 665 and 668, he and Slott make a good writing double team!

Conclusion

So, those were my top four picks from all of the comics coming out tomorrow. These are definitely worth picking up and I'm sure you'll enjoy them!

Interview: Robert Venditti on taking over Green Lantern

Recently I caught up with new Green Lantern writer, Robert Venditti, to talk to him about taking over the title, what we can expect from his run and who we can expect to see. The interview is below!

Harry: Now, the topic of this interview is your upcoming run on Green Lantern, how do you feel to be taking over the title after Geoff John's nine year run? Is it a little intimidating or do you see it as a challenge?

Robert Venditti: It's a bit of both. Geoff Johns became synonymous with Green Lantern, and deservedly so. He made Green Lantern a household name. I try not to focus on things like that, though. All I can do is tell

Green Lantern #21

the kinds of stories I know how to tell the way I know how to tell them, and hope readers like them.

Harry: How closely do you work with the writers on the other four Green Lantern related books?

Robert Venditti: I'm co-plotting Green Lantern Corps with Van Jensen, so he and I talk pretty frequently. But then I've known Van for years, so talking through stories with eachother is something we do whether we're co-plotting or not. As for Justin Jordan and Charles Soule, we all get on the phone for conference calls, and I see them at conventions as well. So we have an open line of communication with eachother.

Harry: How much input did you have on the finale of Geoff John's run on the series? Did you get any say over what happened or did you just have to adapt your stories based on Geoff's plans?

Robert Venditti: It wouldn't be appropriate for me to try to inject myself into Geoff's story. He wrote the book on many of these characters- literally- and he more than earned his right to leave on his own terms. I was aware of how he was going to end his run on the series, though, so I knew before I started writing  what I'd need to introduce my plotlines in as seamless a way as possible.

Harry: With Green Lantern being mostly Space-based do you feel like your creativity can really run wild with all of the new species and alien villains you can create?

Robert Venditti: That's one of the really wonderful aspects of the series. I've never written anything this cosmic before, and knowing the entire universe was up for grabs was a big attraction for me. By the end of the first arc, we'll have gone places and seen things that I hope the readers will find exciting.

Harry: What can you tell us about the first big villain of your run, Relic?

Relic design, by Green Lantern artist, Billy Tan.

Robert Venditti: He's a huge threat to the Corps in many ways,  not the least of which is his chosen mission to rid the universe of Lanterns. He's big, he's strong,  and he's very old, and the knowledge he brings will present a challenge to Hal and the corps that they've never faced before.

Harry: With Green Lantern being one of the characters with the most history still left after Flashpoint, what stories do you think new readers will have to know before picking up your run, if any?

Robert Venditti: The run is meant to be a jumping-on point for readers, so I don't think you necessarily will have to read anything to understand the story. but Green Lantern does have a lot of continuity still in tact, and they're great stories. You really can't go wrong reading Geoff Johns' entire run. I'm certainly glad I did.

Harry: We've already seen in a preview that DC Comics posted on their blog we get to see Kyle Rayner, Kilowog and Larfleeze in the first issue of your run, along with Hal Jordan, but what other characters can we expect to see in your run?

Green Lantern #21 preview

Robert Venditti: Wow. That'd be a pretty long list. Some others who'll be appearing in the first few issues are Carol Ferris, John Stewart, Salaak, Voz and Graf Toren. But that's by no means everyone.

Harry: As I mentioned in the previous question, we've already seen stars of three of the four other Green Lantern related books are appearing in the first issue that you're writing. Do you think the books will be closely tied together now or after a few issues will they move away and into their own stories?

Robert Venditti: The intent is to have common threads running through all the books but to have each stand on their own as well. One of the great things about the Green Lantern family of titles is that, while they're all science fiction, each of them stands as it's own subgenre of sci-fi. I've spent a lot of time talking with Van, Justin and Charles, and they have really clear directions of how they'll be playing up the unique aspects of their respective titles.

Harry: Can we expect some new characters to appear?

Robert Venditti: Absolutely. Issue 21 has some new lanterns, as well as the first appearance of two new villains. One is Relic, and the other... readers will have to wait and see.

Harry: With such a vast variety of characters in the Green Lantern universe, do you feel like you

Green Lantern #21 preview

have a good choice for characters to use in stories? 

Robert Venditti: It's an incredibly diverse cast, which does give you a wealth of plotlines and character arcs. But it can also be daunting, because each of the characters has it's own chain of continuity that you have to try and pin down before you write them. Suffice to say, I'm still learning.

Harry: What have you found to be the most enjoyable part of writing this series so far?

Robert Venditti: I could tell you, but not without a significant amount of spoilers. By October we will have made some important status quo changes for the main Green Lantern title, and across some of the other titles as well. All the teams are working really hard to keep readers surprised and entertained.

Robert Venditti's first Green Lantern issue ( #21 ) is released on June 5th.

You can also catch him on his twitter and his website .

DC release first look at the first Green Lantern issue post-Johns

DC Comics have posted a preview of Green Lantern #21 on their blog, the first issue of the main series for around nine years to not have writer Geoff Johns involved with it. This issue is written by Robert Venditti ( X-O Manowar ) with pencils by Billy Tan. Here are the unlettered pages that DC put up on their blog.



"For SPARTA!"

I quite like these pages, although we don't learn much about the writing we can see the art's pretty good. My only problem is that Hal Jordan and Kyle Rayner don't appear to actually be wearing their rings, which is pretty important for members of their corps.

You can check out DC's original post here.