Peter: As it has been mentioned a few times already, last weekend Shelby and I attended C2E2. It was a wonderful time, and we had the distinct pleasure of meeting some of our favorite comic book authors and artists, all of whom were incredibly awesome and humble individuals.
Today, Drew and Shelby are discussing Green Lantern 7, originally released March 14, 2012.
Drew: Saying that Geoff Johns has a command over modern Green Lantern mythology goes without saying; the events (and many of the characters) that have shaped the Green Lantern universe over the past several years are his babies. It was his skill with not just the architecture, but the execution of these stories that had us so excited about all things Geoff Johns in the New 52. One might consider that excitement was misplaced, given the hit-or-miss nature of Justice League and Aquaman’s perennial status as our Retcon Punch-ing bag (until Detective Comics rightfully unseated it), but Green Lantern reveals Johns to be as commanding as ever of both the large- and small-scale details of his stories. Continue reading
Today, Shelby and Patrick are discussing Aquaman 7, originally released March 28th, 2012.
Shelby: I felt hugely relieved after reading this month’s Aquaman. After the less-than-exciting conclusion to the Trench arc, followed up with a TERRIBLE issue about Mera’s trip to town, I was beginning to regret picking up Aquaman. “Maybe I was wrong,” I thought to myself. “Maybe Aquaman can only be the butt of jokes! Maybe the awesomeness he exuded in Blackest Night and Brightest Day was all an elaborate ruse by Geoff Johns to sucker people into reading Aquaman, like a huge practical joke!” Happily, this issue has assuaged my doubts with an exciting introduction to what I’m hoping will be a really fun arc about the mystery of Atlantis.
Continue reading
Today, Peter and Shelby are discussing Justice League 7, originally released March 22nd, 2012.
Peter: Okay, I like a good team book as much as the next person. It allows for interesting character interaction on a regular basis. It also gives me the feeling that there are clearly some things that no one superhero can take down on their own. That’s how this Justice League came together; no individual could defeat Darkseid. They were brought together by fate — and Fatherboxes — to defeat evil. Now, we’ve jumped ahead to present day, the origins are long gone, and now we get a taste of the current Justice League. But why does it taste funny?
Continue reading
Today, Patrick and Drew are discussing Green Lantern 7, originally released March 14, 2012.
Patrick: Remember the incredibly short-lived television series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles? I watched the Pilot and maybe the two episodes that followed, but gave up on it pretty quickly thereafter. It just wasn’t especially good television and I don’t really care about the Terminator franchise. Even still, there was this lingering feeling that maybe I gave up on it too early because I resented seeing Summer Glau as anyone but River Tam. But I knew I made the right decision a few weeks later when the promo for the new episode used the the following line to tease a reveal: “You won’t believe what they find in the box.” If I won’t believe it, then just show it to me and let me not believe it – there’s nothing that kills my hard-on for mysteries like saying “OH MY GOD, LOOK HOW MYSTERIOUS THIS IS.” With that little bit of background, let’s dig into “The Secret of the Indigo Tribe (Part 1).” Continue reading
Today, Shelby and Patrick are discussing Justice League 6, originally released February 29th, 2012.
Shelby: I can appreciate the appeal of tradition. There is something very appealing to me about doing things “the old-fashioned way.” This isn’t to say that I can’t appreciate innovation, either, far from it. I just enjoy the comfort of doing things the way they’ve always been done. To me, this issue of Justice League is definitely a “classic comic book story.” Two parts action, one part cheesy dialogue, it’s precisely what you expect, and sometimes that’s what you want. There’s a fine line, however, between the enjoying the comfort of a classic and being frustrated by the same nonsense you’ve seen again and again. A very, very fine line… Continue reading
Today, Shelby and Patrick are discussing Aquaman 6, originally released February 22nd, 2012.
Shelby: You may not know this about me, but every weekend I put together the headers for the Alternating Currents for the following week. Doing so means I take a little sneak peak at the cover art for upcoming issues. Last weekend, as I was working my way through these, I got really, really excited for Aquaman 6. I mean, just look at it! We’ve got fire and water constructs and cars flying around and, front and center, we’ve got Mera herself, looking like all kinds of badass. “This is it!” I thought to myself. “This is that moment I’ve been waiting for since the relaunch! Time for Mera to shine!” Ultimately, I was let down.
Continue reading
Today, Shelby and Patrick are discussing Green Lantern 6, originally released February 8th, 2012.
Shelby: I forget how much I like Green Lantern. You wouldn’t think I would be able to forget; I devoured Rebirth and Blackest Night. Green Lantern was my introduction to the wackiness of the DC universe. Without Green Lantern, I probably would not be sitting here writing this post. Hal’s cocky attitude, his eternally doomed relationship with Carol, his never-ending-struggle with Sinestro, his former mentor and partner: I enjoy it all. While I’ve been enjoying Green Lantern so far with the relaunch, it was this issue that really made me remember just how much I like Green Lantern. Continue reading
Today, Peter and Shelby are discussing Aquaman 5, originally released January 25th, 2012.
Peter: As someone who read all 52 issues of The New 52, I had high hopes for some characters that I felt, in my opinion had been neglected in the past. Aquaman was one of these. From his recent revival in Blackest Night, and Brightest Day, also penned by author Geoff Johns and drawn by Ivan Reis, from his portrayal as a Black Lantern zombie, to the Water Elemental guardian as chosen by the The Entity, Arthur has gone through some fairly drastic changes in both physical appearance and mental status in the recent past. Coming into the New 52, I was especially excited because Johns wasn’t doing a full remake of Aquaman, like many other characters in the New 52. Johns instead decided to use the character momentum that he had started to develop in previous storylines, and continue on with it, and that is what Johns, Reis, and company are doing here. Continue reading
Retcon Punch 
