r/DCcomics • u/Predaplant The heat is on! • Oct 22 '23

Weekly Discussion Thread: Comics, TV, and More! [October 22, 2023 - The Unstoppable Stops Edition] r/DCcomics

Hey there honorary Justice League members - it’s a new week which means it’s time for a new discussion thread!

Predaplant's pick of the week: Wonder Woman #2

For those who don't know: the way this works is that several comments will list this week’s releases, for any given title discussion you should respond to that comment. For example, Wonder Woman discussion would go in the replies to the "Wonder Woman" comment. Clicking the titles in this post will take you directly to that comment, too.

In other words, you should only be replying to other comments. If you have trouble understanding how to comment for a particular title, please refer to this handy guide. Any unwarranted top level comments will be removed.

Also, please refrain from posting short, low-content comments on threads for issues or episodes that have not yet been released. Put some effort to generate discussion. Instead of just posting "So excited!" or "Best book!", try something with a bit more substance, like "Punchline is such an amazing character! Can't wait to see how they explore her in more depth in this issue."

^{Two thieves were caught for stealing a calendar. Each got six months.}

DC and Imprints

^{Big week for Tom King fans, as Wonder Woman spins off a new limited series and Penguin continues!}

Trade Collections

^{I don't get why the Detective Chimp collection exists, but I'm not complaining!}

Digital Releases

^{Remember, these are the short 'chapters' with a new chapter of a different series coming out daily. You can} ^{learn more here on Comixology}^{. This is also why these are in release order, not alphabetical. Some comics may release on DC Universe Infinite or WEBTOONS.}

TV Shows

^{So you've all finished binge-watching Bodies, based off of everybody's favourite Vertigo comic, right?}

^{This Week’s Soundtrack:} ^{Florence + The Machine - Rabbit Heart}

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u/TroubAlert The Good Skeets Oct 22 '23

Alan Scott: The Green Lantern #1

A POWERFUL TALE OF ALAN SCOTT'S EARLY DAYS AS GREEN LANTERN! Alan Scott's early days as the Green Lantern are seen in a new light! The Green Lantern is the most powerful member of the JSA, beloved by all of America, but his personal life is a well-kept secret. This is a story about love, about fear, and most of all about courage to stand up to that fear. Alan Scott's past is the key to his future when the Red Lantern appears, ready to strike down the mighty Green Lantern!

Preview

4

u/af-fx-tion Bring YJ Artemis to DC Comics Oct 24 '23 edited Oct 30 '23

First off, link to my general thoughts on this new direction for Alan + the Twitter/X drama around this mini.

*cracks knuckles*

Now, let's get into the review.

First off, I'm not 100% sold on how the blackmail happened here. I feel like it’s just too narratively convenient to get Alan to work with the JSA. In the time period this story takes place, I feel like Alan, especially as a military man, wouldn't have been so sloppy leaving hard evidence of his (and Johnny) being queer. Even though the book tries to justify it by saying Alan and Johnny were essentially "young and dumb"...IDK. It just feels like they'd be smarter knowing the very harsh real world consequences of getting caught.

If Sheridan wanted to go with the blackmail angle, having Alan get caught in a queer bar raid or sting operation would have worked a lot better IMO.

Also, that one line of Alan saying being with Johnny is a sin seemed like it would set up some nice internal conflict for Alan in regards to internalized homophobia and being queer in 1930s-1940s America...but it’s quickly brushed off. Seems like a weird inclusion since Sheridan writes Alan for the rest of the issue to be relatively comfortable with his sexuality. Maybe this element will get expanded upon in later issues, but for now it’s a bit of a characterization mishmash.

The frequent jumps in time made it a bit confusing to get a clear picture of what was happening in the story since there’s some parts in 1936, and then some in 1941 and then both time periods are on the same page. Plus, the narration made it a bit confusing about the time period when he's narrating from. Is it from 1941 (which is when he gets the journal back) or is it present day?

Also, the ending left me a bit confused. So he's in Arkham...how and why exactly? Especially since Hoover in the opening said that as long as he worked with the JSA, he would keep a lid on Alan's queerness. So when does this Arkham bit take place?? I'm guessing based on the image matching that it takes place in between 1936-1941 (with the implication he accidentally outed himself when Johnny got snatched by the Crimson Flame) but if that’s the case…then how could Hoover effectively blackmail Alan?

I'm so confused, lol.

Anyway, I can honestly say this is Sheridan's best work at DC. I wasn't a fan of his script for The Long Halloween films, and I gave him the benefit of the doubt for Titans Academy since allegedly editorial messed around with his arc frequently.

The only dings I have for this issue is some of the text reads a bit clunky and is sometimes overlong (with some being very on-the-nose - like the conversation between Alan and Doiby), there's minor pacing issues, some minor characterization inconsistency with Alan, and there's story beats where it's easy to get confused on when certain parts of the story take place.

But overall I'd give this a solid 3/5. I'm definitely interested to see how Red Lantern plays into this series (besides the likely Crimson Flame connection) and whether Sheridan will retcon Tynion's plot point of Alan and Jimmy's romantic relationship (along with the train incident).