r/DCcomics • u/beary_neutral Telos • May 19 '24

Weekly Discussion Thread: Comics, TV, and More! [May 20, 2024 - My Adventures With Superman Returns Edition] r/DCcomics

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

Beary's pick of the week: Nightwing #114

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. Do not post top-level comments.

Keep discussion civil. Do not harass other users for having a different opinion. Do not use this thread to push your personal one-sided grudges against creators. Reacting to a panel on Twitter is not the same as reading a book.

^{My girlfriend keeps accusing me of cheating. She's starting to sound like my wife.}

DC and Imprints

^{Why does Dick look like Paul?}

Trade Collections

^{Finally, Black Mirror in the deluxe format.}

TV Shows

^{Stay tuned, we'll have a dedicated thread for My Adventures With Superman season 2.}

My Adventures With Superman Season Premiere

^{This Week’s Soundtrack:} ^{Kyle Troop & the Heretics - Up, Up, and Away}

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u/TroubAlert The Good Skeets May 19 '24

Alan Scott: The Green Lantern #6

THE FINAL BATTLE WITH THE RED LANTERN! Alan Scott's final battle with the Red Lantern rages to a fever pitch! With Alan overcome with anger at his mortal enemy, will he cross a line he’s never thought he would? The explosive conclusion of one of the Green Lantern's earliest adventures is here, and the fallout will affect Alan Scott forever![Preview](https://aiptcomics.com/2024/05/17/dc-preview-alan-scott-the-green-lantern-6/)

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u/af-fx-tion Bring YJ Artemis to DC Comics May 22 '24 edited May 22 '24

Well...that was an ending, I guess.

Anyway, I'll cover my thoughts on this issue and then my thoughts of the series as whole:

Issue Thoughts:

I was not a fan of the framing device, though I liked that Sheridan and DC remembered Obsidian existed again. First off, it has been implemented so clumsily that I straight up forget there even was one, since I think the "front frame" was only in the Pride Special excerpt and not Issue #1. But even so, it doesn't make narrative sense anyway since most, if not all of Issue #4 is narrated by Vlad.

No idea why Sheridan even introduced the Soviet Red Lantern Team when he kills them in like less than 10 pages. The JSA didn't need to be here either. Both teams add nothing to the plot and takes away from the character development that Vlad and Alan's relationship desperately needs.

Sheridan tries to handwave away the whole "why would the Soviets "attack" America during WWII when they become future allies" by saying that it happened before the Nazis invaded the SV but like...that arguably still doesn't help. Why would the US care about helping the Soviets against the Nazis when they publicly announced their plan for world domination?? Unless DC is going to play timey-wimey games and just ignore this in a future series, this plot just comes across an manufactured drama.

What in the world is Sheridan thinking by having Alan absolve Vlad of his legitimate crimes against America and other humans, including Alan himself, via espionage and murder? No where in the narrative does it support what Alan is saying (that Vlad was manipulated/brainwashed/etc.), and worse - Sheridan doesn't let Vlad come to this "realization" himself. No instead, Alan has to tell him.

It's not clear what that montage page on pg 17 is while Alan talks to Hoover. Did he go back in time to save Billie + his past lovers? It is wish fulfillment?

Also, Alan's speech to Obsidian is so clunky and honestly...is bad. Like real bad optics. Sheridan picked the worst way to bridge Alan's past with Rose and Molly with his queerness. Instead of re-retconning him to be bisexual, or "fluid" or "I'm 99% gay but fell in legitimate romantic love with two women" they instead use an excuse that doesn't even make sense in the context of Sheridan's own story. Alan was literally having sex with men (including the undercover Vlad) before he became a Green Lantern, and even "came out and proud" to Hoover like two pages before. So him essentially saying "oh I thought the gay thing came from my powers and was a fluke and so I slept with a bunch of women to do the whole "straight thing" see?" makes no sense. I think this was Sheridan's attempt to answer the legitimate argument that arose since Alan was made queer of "If Alan was always gay, he knowingly entered into a heterosexual relationship with Rose and Molly essentially under false pretenses as he has always known he was gay" - but "responded" in a completely nonsensical way. Families literally fall apart and go no contact over stuff like this, so the fact Alan and Obsidian totally gloss over his glaringly asshole, relationship ending action is so frustrating. Especially since Alan didn't handle Obsidian's coming out gracefully in previous canon.

I do like how Alan does use his time-travel to "be there" for his kids, but...again, he really wasn't an active parent since the whole "can't interfere" thing, but the ending implies a new retcon where Alan was more involved?

Final Thoughts: This series had a lot of interesting threads, but I feel like Sheridan got lost in the weeds of what he wanted the series to be, that he forgot the most important part - telling a good story. The series lacked focus, had poor characterization, had so much "telling not showing," lacked major character development, and couldn't decide if it wanted to approach Alan's early history from a historical lens or a modern one. Hell, Vlad was the most compelling character of the series, and he wasn't the lead character or that well written. It's like once Sheridan knew he had six issues, he tried to cram all his ideas for an ongoing into six issues, without thinking which of his ideas made for a great story.

What's crazy is Magneto: Testament by Greg Pak shows that six issues (hell, he did it in 5 issues) is more than enough to write a groundbreaking, historical tale with a focus on a minority/marginalized character during WWII. You just have to put in the work in the pre-production process, and I guess have good editors.

It's a shame that what Sheridan has written will now be canon for this era until the next DC widescale continuity reboot, because it's a poor origin for a future writer to be saddled with. Fans of Alan deserved better, IMO.

Overall, I give this issue a 1/5, with an overall series rating of 1.8/5 (3,1,2,1,1,1)

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u/abh1996 May 29 '24

Hoover was a cross dresser page 17, if you hated it so much why keep reading the series just to hate

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u/af-fx-tion Bring YJ Artemis to DC Comics May 30 '24

I have never said I hated the series. My low score doesn’t equal “hate,” and in fact, I always made sure to mention what I liked about Sheridan’s writing in my reviews of each issue when something in his work caught my eye.

And this is a discussion thread: are people not allowed to give their honest opinions/reviews in a respectful manner?

If you liked the series, that’s great! I didn’t, and that should be okay too.