DC Comics' Green Lantern solicits for November 2013

Throughout yesterday, DC Comics were releasing their solicitation sfor November of this year, I've already posted the Batman, Dark and Edge groups' solicits, and now it's time to find out what the Green Lantern characters are doing in three months time!


GREEN LANTERN #25 Written by ROBERT VENDITTI
Art by BILLY TAN and ROB HUNTER
Cover by BILLY TAN
1:25 B&W Variant cover by BILLY TAN
On sale NOVEMBER 6 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Combo pack edition: $3.99 US
Retailers: This issue will ship with three covers. Please see the order form for more information.
The shockwaves of “Lights Out” are just starting to be felt, as Hal Jordan makes a controversial decision that will change the mission of the Green Lantern Corps! But not everyone agrees with Hal’s goals, and the dissent could weaken the Corps further!
This issue is also offered as a combo pack edition with a redemption code for a digital download of this issue.







GREEN LANTERN CORPS #25 Written by VAN JENSEN and ROBERT VENDITTI
Art and cover by BERNARD CHANG
1:25 B&W Variant cover by BERNARD CHANG
On sale NOVEMBER 13 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for more information.
A BATMAN: ZERO YEAR tie-in! When The Riddler throws Gotham City into total darkness, a young Marine named John Stewart is deployed as part of the peacekeeping measures. But he gets much more than he expected when he must deal with the costumed chaos known as ANARKY!






GREEN LANTERN: NEW GUARDIANS #25 Written by JUSTIN JORDAN
Art by BRAD WALKER and DREW HENNESSY
Cover by STEPHEN SEGOVIA
1:25 B&W Variant cover by STEPHEN SEGOVIA
On sale NOVEMBER 20 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US RATED T
Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for more information.
After the stunning end of “Lights Out,” where is Kyle Rayner?! Or...WHEN is Kyle Rayner? And more important, WHY is Kyle Rayner? Answers to all these questions and more as the series rockets off to the outer limits of the DC Universe!









LARFLEEZE #5 Written by KEITH GIFFEN and J.M. DeMATTEIS
Art by SCOTT KOLINS
Cover by TYLER KIRKHAM
On sale NOVEMBER 27 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
In the wake of the revolt of the Orange Lanterns, Larfleeze faces his worst nightmare: living as the possession of someone else!








RED LANTERNS #25 Written by CHARLES SOULE
Art and cover by ALESSANDRO VITTI
1:25 B&W Variant cover by ALESSANDRO VITTI
Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for more information.
On sale NOVEMBER 27 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+
As the dust settles from “Lights Out,” Earth is no longer under the protection of the Green Lanterns. Sector 2814 is now the sole province of Guy Gardner and the RED LANTERNS! Criminals beware…psychopaths beware…hell, EVERYONE beware! How did this happen, you ask? Jump onboard with this issue and find out!




(Source: Newsarama)

I have to say, I'm a bit dissapointed that the upcoming "Lights Out" event is going to finish in it's forst month, events like that always seem to... crammed in, and it doesn't really do Justice to the story...

Howard Porter replaces Kevin Maguire on Justice League 3000, Maguire speaks about the change

Yesterday, Kevin Maguire sent out a tweet announcing that he'd been fired, and taken off of the Justice League 3000 series he was doing with Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis, which was due for release in October. In the following hours, discussions took place over twitter about possible new offers for Maguire, before he later spoke out on his facebook page.

Today, it's been announced that DC have already found a replacement artist for Maguire, Howard Porter.

Porter's Superman design for
Justice League 3000

You'll probably know his work from the character designs that he did for the series a few months ago, featuring future counterparts of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash and Green Lantern.

This also comes with the news that Justice League 3000's release date has been pushed back from October to December, to accommodate for the big changes on the art side of the series.

Also, today, Maguire took to the Bleeding Cool forums to speak a bit more about his current situation:

Well, I don’t want to make any big deal about it but I suppose I should say something. This is, as I tweeted, very humiliating. Obviously, I was looking forward to working on a fairly high profile book. I haven’t had a top ten book since the 80s and I thought this would finally be my shot at doing one. But it’s DC‘s book, it’s their property, they can do whatever they want with it. They don’t owe me anything. I’ve been told they wanted a book that was “dark and gritty”, so I’m perplexed as to why they chose us for that. We did exactly the kind of book you would expect from us. Lots of action and humor. AND I turned down a Bendis X-Men project to do JL3K.


As for my doing other projects with DC, they offered me a four page story and a 10 page digital first story. They’re paychecks, so I’m grateful for that, but they’re no Justice League #1. I really don’t want to do back ups and fill-ins for my career. So, right now, I’ll do the four pager and then I think that’ll be it for me and DC for a while. I’ve received some interesting offers from other companies. Marvel generously offered me an issue of a cool book, so I’m going to do that for now, then see what happens.


I was supposed to do Baltimore Comic Con next month with Giffen and DeMatteis, but I’ll be canceling that for obvious reason. Apart from the fact that I no longer have a project to promote with them, Giffen’s Newsarama quote, which I’m certain had no intended malice, still kinda stung.


That’s it. That covers all I have to say about this. It’ll be forgotten news by next week and we all move on with our lives.

I have to say, I was looking forward to seeing Maguire's art on this series and the original idea of what it would've been like seems to have changed since I interviewed writer, Keith Giffen a few months ago. It's a bit of  a shame, really...

(Sources: Bleeding Cool and Newsarama)

DC Comics tease Forever Evil for Green Lantern- "The unexpected happens"

In the past few hours DC have been releasing new teasers for their September company-wide crossover, "Forever Evil", so far for the miniseries of the same name, Teen Titans, and now Green Lantern teasing a female Green Lantern taking the spotlight for once!

Check it out below:

This certainly looks quite interesting, should make for some interesting stories. Remember, in the final issue of Geoff Johns' run on the Green Lantern series a female green lantern from Earth was teased named Jessica Cruz, and since we haven't yet seen her face, this could be her. I mean, Forever Evil is Johns' story.

Injustice, Gods Among Us: Martian Manhunter DLC and John Stewart skin revealed.

For the past few days there's been a lot of talk on twitter about the next DLC character for Injustice: Gods Among Us. Pretty much everyone was almost certain that it would be Martian Manhunter revealed, and they were right.

Yesterday, the gameplay trailer for the character was released, and the character does look pretty awesome. What else is new in this trailer is a John Stewart skin for Green Lantern, which I think has a new voice. Enjoy the clip!




I'm not a huge fan of Martian Manhunter so I don't think I'll be buying this DLC, although the John Stewart skin looks quite good.

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.

DC Comics announce new annuals for October

Today DC Comics have announced a new batch of annuals hitting the shelves the fifth week of this October, check out below to see what they are!


ACTION COMICS ANNUAL #2

Written by SCOTT LOBDELL
Art by KENNETH ROCAFORT, DAN JURGENS and NORM RAPMUND
Cover by KENNETH ROCAFORT
On sale OCTOBER 30 • 48 pg, FC, $4.99 US • RATED T Part 1 of “KRYPTON RETURNS,”


continuing next month! What does this mean to the Universe? Superman, Supergirl and Superboy are enlisted by the Oracle to go back to their home world and correct what the villainous H’El has done! This epic adventure spans eons, from Krypton’s savage past of Clones to the very minutes before Kal-El’s ship is sent into space! You only think you know what happened in the last days of Krypton!



AQUAMAN ANNUAL #1


Written by JOHN OSTRANDER
Art by GERALDO BORGES and RUY JOSE
Cover by PAUL PELLETIER and DANNY MIKI
On sale OCTOBER 30 • 48 pg, FC, $4.99 US • RATED T



Aquaman must reunite with The Others to investigate whether or not their recently deceased member Vostok has returned from the dead. If he has, he is definitely not the same Vostok they remember…





GREEN LANTERN ANNUAL #2



Written by ROBERT VENDITTI
Art and cover by SEAN CHEN
On sale OCTOBER 30 • 48 pg, FC, $4.99 US • RATED T


 Don’t miss the stunning conclusion of “Lights Out!” Can Relic be defeated? Who lives? Who dies? The new status quo for the Lanterns is revealed here!









NIGHTWING ANNUAL #1



Written by KYLE HIGGINS
Art by JASON MASTERS
Cover by TONY S. DANIEL
On sale OCTOBER 30 • 48 pg, FC, $4.99 US • RATED T


 Robin and Batgirl grew up fighting side by side…but with Dick Grayson about to embark on a new crime fighting quest and Barbara Gordon no longer fighting under the Bat, is there anything left between them? Following the “Batgirl: Wanted” epic, this is the story of a twosome with nothing left to lose, fighting for the only thing they can: each other!



SWAMP THING ANNUAL #2


Written by CHARLES SOULE
Art by JAVI PINA
Cover by TRAVEL FOREMAN
On sale OCTOBER 30 • 48 pg, FC, $4.99 US • RATED T+



Tying directly into the current storyline with The Seeder—witness the next evolution of Swamp Thing! Alec’s going to need to take his powers to another level to take Seeder down...with help from the stranger coaches imaginable! Plus: an appearance from a Swamp Thing you never thought you’d see!









TEEN TITANS ANNUAL #2

Written by SCOTT LOBDELL
Art by ANGEL UNZUETA and ART THIBERT
Cover by EDDY BARROWS and • EBER FERREIRA
On sale OCTOBER 30 • 48 pg, FC, $4.99 US • RATED T


Leading into next month’s landmark issue #25, the Teen Titans continue their trip through time as the team must confront Jon Lane Kent, the Superboy of the future, who could one day wipe out the most powerful heroes on Earth. Can the Titan's Superboy defeat the man he was cloned from by Harvest?

Interview: Keith Giffen talks Larfleeze and Justice League 3000

I recently caught up with DC Comics writer, Keith Giffen, to talk about his new projects Larfleeze and Justice League 3000. Below is the interview, enjoy! Please note, this interview was conducted before "Larfleeze" #1 was released.

Harry: Hi, Keith, thanks for taking time out for this interview!

I'm going to jump straight in and ask some questions about one of your new projects: Larfleeze. What do you think you're doing that's different with this character?

Keith Giffen: Telling stories that will actually end, trawling the DC encyclopaedia. Having fun ( this one's been missing for WAY too long ). You know... just playing the radical again.

Harry: Now, most main characters have to be likeable or at least somebody you can sympathise with or relate to. Larfleeze isn't exactly the most likeable character, will you be doing anything to change this?

Keith: Why? It worked for Lobo.

Harry: What problems will Larfleeze be challenging in this series?



Larfleeze #1

Keith: Other-dimensional gods, an unwanted love interest, an unwarranted reputation, a cosmic posse and a whole bunch of new characters, concepts and situations.

Harry: How does it feel to be handed a solo series for one of the stand-out characters of Geoff Johns' legendary Green Lantern run?

Keith: Pretty damn good. Considering the orange clown is Geoff's creation, I'm surprised he trusts me to do right by the mangy cur. It's misplaced trust, sure, but it's the thought that counts.

Harry: What new characters will we be seeing?

Keith: Laord of the hunt, The Wanderer, Dyrge of all sorrows, Waddles the Wonder Goose. That last one was just a little something to rev up the internuts. Gentlemen, start your engines.

Harry: With every Green Lantern title getting a new creative team around the same time, what are you doing to stand out from all the others?

Keith: Again, having fun.


Larfleeze #2

Harry: What can you tell us about the first big villain of the series?

Keith: He's Larfleeze's butler. Ha! Didn't see that coming, did you? Just because you don't act like a villain, doesn't mean you're not.

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

Keith: Working with Marc again. That and world building. I'm a huge fan of world building.

Harry: What can you tease about the future of Larfleeze?

Keith: Well... We're close to four issues in the can so I think it's safe to say the future will be there on time.



Justice League 3000 Superman
design by Howard Porter.

Harry: Now onto one of your recently announced projects, Justice League 3000. What can you tell us about this series?

Keith: Absolutely nothing except that it's the Justice League. And that we plan on spending the first four issues lying to you through our teeth.

Harry: There's been some talk about the relation between the 31st century Justice League team and the one in the current time. What's the relation between the two? Can we expect this to be a major aspect of the series?

Keith: That's be giving the farm away. Sorry.

Harry: We've already seen designs for Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and the Flash. Is this the roster for the book or can we expect future counterparts for other heroes ( or villains ) as well as these?

Keith: That's the roster for the foreseeable future.



Justice League 3000 Batman design
by Howard Porter

Harry: Can we expect any completely original members of the team in addition to these counterparts?

Keith: Never say never...

Harry: Can we expect ties to the current Justice League's stories in this series?

Keith: I'm going to say... no. The book's got to stand on it's own as a self contained entity. If you're reading JL3000, that's the only book you'll have to read to understand and ( hopefully ) enjoy JL3000.

Harry: With this set around the same time as the recently cancelled "Legion of Super-Heroes" series, can we expect any ties to that? What's different from it?



Justice League 3000 Wonder Woman
 design by Howard Porter

Keith: Aside from the name Fatal Five and one or two other names that are too good to let go of... not at all. There are no Legionnaires in JL3000, no LSH supporting cast members, no references to LSH at all. Not because I'm looking to erase the LSH, but because JL3000 has to be the only book you have to read to get the story or understand the concept of JL3000.

Harry: What can you say about who the first big villain of the series is?

Keith: The Fatal Five are not who you think they are.

Harry: With this series taking place mostly separate from all the other DC Comics titles, do you feel more of a sense of freedom when writing this book?

Keith: Absolutely!


Justice League 3000 the Flash
design by Howard Porter

Harry: What sort of tone can we expect this series to have?

Keith: Giffen, DeMatteis, Maguire. Yeah, it's exactly what you think it is.

Harry: Can we expect to see any other recognisable aspects of the DC Universe and what they're like in the 31st century?

Keith: I think that will have to happen sooner or later. As long as the aspects can be introduced as new there should be no problem.

Harry: What are you doing that will really make this book stand out from all of the other new books coming to the shelves?

Keith: Trying to point out that life doesn't end at grim and gritty. A little fun never hurt anyone.



Justice League 3000 Green Lantern
design by Howard Porter

Harry: What big changes will there be between the original Justice League and the incarnation in this series?

Keith: um... they're two completely different things? We're not an appendix to the JL, we're our own... um... well whatever we are, we're ours and ours alone. And DC's.

Harry: Thanks, Keith! Good luck with all of your new projects!

Larfleeze #1 is out now and Justice League 3000 #1 hits shelves in October!

(Images of Justice League 3000 designs courtesy of Comic Book Resources)

Interview: Van Jensen talks Green Lantern Corps

Recently I caught up with new Green Lantern Corps writer, Van Jensen, to talk about his upcoming run on the book. Below you can read that interview, Enjoy!

Harry: So, what we're focusing on in this interview is your upcoming run on Green Lantern Corps. How does it feel to be handed not just one Green Lantern character, but pretty much the entire corps? 

John Stewart, on the cover to Green Lantern
Corps #22

Van Jensen: There are only 7,200 or so Green Lanterns, that's not so much to handle, is it? Joking aside, it's a dream assignment. The mythology of the Green Lantern Corps stands up there with any group in comics history, and there is a universe full of stories to explore. The hardest thing is picking and choosing stories, since obviously I can't tell them all in 20 pages a month.


Harry: Inside that corps is one of the most important Green Lanterns there is, John Stewart. Is there a lot of pressure and responsibility when writing a character with a lot of history and one known by a lot of people in the general public, not just comic readers?


Van Jensen: The rumours that came up about John's supposed demise really highlighted how beloved he is as a character, and it was a great reminder to me of much responsibility has been placed in my hands. I'm a big fan of his from the comics and from the Justice League cartoons, but it was still great to see so many impassioned fans speaking up on John's behalf. I always set high standards for myself, but with Green Lantern Corps, my goal is no less than writing the definitive John Stewart story. I want this book to be THE John Stewart book that people remember. Anything less than that, and I'm not satisfied.

Harry: With so many members of the corps, is it difficult to remember all of them at times?

Van Jensen: I have my trusty Secret Files and Origins copy sitting next to me at all times, and our editors put together a handy-dandy sector/Lantern spreadsheet for us, so that helps. But yeah, it's daunting. And there are so many with awesome backgrounds. I have what seems like a decade worth of story ideas already, and I'm only just getting started.

Harry: The Green Lantern Corps series usually has a core team of lanterns that the book focuses on, who will make up this team in your run?

Van Jensen: John is at the center. Salaak, Kilowog and Soranik Natu will have a big presence. We'll be catching up with Isamot, Vath and Iolande soon as well. And then there will be four new recruits that will play a big role. But if I haven't named one of your favorite characters, don't worry, a lot more familiar faces will pop up as we go along!

Harry: With all of the Green Lantern books getting new creative teams at the same time, what are you doing to stand out from all of the?

Van Jensen: All of the creative teams are super talented, and I'm lucky to be working with them. I can't say that I've thought of it in terms of inter-Lantern competitiveness. I'm just trying to write the best Green Lantern Corps that I can and let the book's inherent qualities (a big cast, sprawling adventures) stand out. That said, I bet I'm the only one of the four writers who can dunk a basketball. That'll sell some comics, right?

Harry: What are you doing that's really different from the last creative team on Green Lantern Corps?


Van Jensen: The big shift is the focus to John. Peter did a great job, but I don't think Green Lantern Corps consistently had a strong lead character. Sometimes it was Guy, but then other characters would move to the foreground. This is very much John's story, and I think his story will offer a great perspective on what's going on with the Corps, how they're adapting to this new status quo.

Harry: Now, you're co-writing this series with new Green Lantern writer, Robert Venditti. How closely tied together do you think these two books will be?


Van Jensen: We're working together really closely. This is a shared universe, and so the events in one book definitely reverberate in the other. We have the occasional "Wait, is this messing up the continuity?" phone calls. At the same time, we want the books to be able to stand on their own as strong stories.

Guy Gardner, as a Red Lantern
Cover to Red Lanterns #21

Harry: With former corps member, Guy Gardner, moving over to Red Lanterns, can we expect close ties between the series?


Van Jensen: In the short term, no. In the long term, yes. Remember, John and Guy are good friends. How is John going to take the news that his pal is suiting up for the enemy?

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


Van Jensen: The Durlans make an appearance out of the gate, and the full scope of their plan will be unveiling over the next several months. They have an old, old grudge against the Corps, and the time has come for them to settle it. But these aren't your familiar Durlans, and they've got some seriously insidious plans.

Harry: What Green Lantern related characters can we expect to see in your run?

John Stewart and Fatality,
Cover to Green Lantern Corps #23

Van Jensen: Fatality will play a big role as John's love interest. They have a ridiculously tortured history, which makes for some challenges in this new stage as boyfriend and girlfriend. Since Fatality spent years hunting and killing Green Lanterns, don't expect her to receive an overly warm reception on Oa.

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


Van Jensen: We talk over email pretty often and have occasional conference calls. Our editors (the great Matt Idleson and Chris Conroy) do an excellent job of keeping us up to date as well. They're the ones who really have to stay on top of this universe of characters, which they do exceptionally well.

Harry: Who has been your favourite cast member to write so far?


Van Jensen: John, for sure. I think I identify with him a lot, despite the fact that we have almost nothing in common. Also, it's been fun to take Salaak in a new direction.

Harry: What can you tease overall about your run on the series?


Van Jensen: My plan is to define the next age of the Corps. The old Guardians are dead and gone. Who is in charge? What is the Corps' mission? How do they patrol a universe that, frankly, doesn't want them around? These are big questions, and we'll see how they play out in the months (and hopefully years) ahead.

Harry: What have you found to be the most enjoyable part of writing Green Lantern Corps?


Van Jensen: I really love how the Green Lanterns serve as a meta textual stand-in for the writer. The Lanterns can create any construct that they can imagine, so their imagination is their only limitation. In the same way, I as a writer can come up with whatever constructs (and story elements) that I can dream up. My imagination is my only limitation. It's a great challenge to push myself and my creativity to a new level. I'm still early on, but I'm having a blast so far.

Harry: Thanks, Van! Good luck on Green Lantern Corps!

Green Lantern Corps #21 is released on June 12th, written by Van Jensen with art from Bernard Chang.

You can catch Van on his twitter!

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

DC Comics' "Green Lantern" solicits for September 2013, Villains Month

Below are the solicits for the four issues of Green Lantern being released in September 2013, also known as "Villains Month" for DC Comics. What this means is every series in the New 52 released that month will be taken over by one or some of the series' villains.

"Green Lantern: Relic" #23.1

Written by ROBERT VENDITTI
Art by RAGS MORALES and CAM SMITH
3-D motion cover by BILLY TAN
On sale SEPTEMBER 4 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
Who is Relic, and why must he kill every being in the universe who might wield the light of the emotional spectrum? Relic’s power could be the most formidable force the Lanterns have ever seen! This issue’s story incorporates Rags Morales’s recent variant covers from GREEN LANTERN, GREEN LANTERN CORPS, GREEN LANTERN: NEW GUARDIANS, RED LANTERNS and LARFLEEZE, now with inks, full color and script!

 "Green Lantern: Mongul" #23.2

Written by JIM STARLIN
Art by HOWARD PORTER
3-D motion cover by BILLY TAN
On sale SEPTEMBER 11 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
Deep in space, an unstoppable force is committing genocide on a galaxy-wide scale, and only the strongest will survive! Be warned, because nothing can prepare you for an all-new Warworld under the absolute rule of the tyrant called Mongul!

 "Green Lantern: Black Hand" #23.3

Written by CHARLES SOULE
Art by ALBERTO PONTICELLI
3-D motion cover by BILLY TAN
On sale SEPTEMBER 18 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
In a world with no heroes, death lies behind every turn! Black Hand arrives to take advantage of Forever Evil, and he may be the most dangerous player yet! And when last we saw him, Black Hand was a pile of dust in the Dead Zone! How did he manage to return?

"Green Lantern: Sinestro" #23.4

Written by MATT KINDT
Art by DALE EAGLESHAM
3-D motion cover by BILLY TAN
On sale SEPTEMBER 25 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
Years ago, Sinestro used his Green Lantern ring to utterly dominate his home planet of Korugar, all in the name of "protecting" his people. It's the mistake that turned his name into a curse, and brought down the greatest Green Lantern of them all… but one never-before-seen moment from those dark days holds the key to his future!

(Source: MTV Geek)

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!

Roundup: Top 10 viewed posts of May

Here are the top ten viewed posts for the month of May!

Brett Booth's JLA, Image from Comic Book Resources

1. Interview: Brett Booth on leaving Nightwing, JLA and the future.

2. Interview: Ryan Stegman talks Superior Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2099 and Scarlet Spider.

3. Interview: Brett Booth on Comics, Nightwing and more!

4. Brett Booth to leave Nightwing after #21.

5. Comics Catch-Up: Avenging Spider-Man #21 ( What you need to know ).

6. Interview: Robert Venditti on taking over Green Lantern.

7. Full cinematic trailer for Batman: Arkham Origins released.

8. James Robinson confirms he's NOT writing Namor.

9. Review: Teen Titans #20

10. Dan Didio and Ethan Van Sciver's...Bat-cow?!

Enjoy!

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 .