Starman helps with the relief effort before going home in this Invasion Aftermath extra, which guest stars, among others, one Hal Jordan, Green Lantern of Earth. Well, that just seems like the perfect pretext to talk about Green Lanterns in our second segment! Bass and Siskoid continue their coverage only at the Fire and Water Podcast Network!
Listen to Episode 29 below (the usual filthy filthy language warnings may apply), or subscribe to First Strike: The Invasion! Podcast on iTunes!
Relevant images and further credits at: First Strike ep.29 Supplemental
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Great episode, fellas! Regarding the absence of a Green Lantern title at that time, the official story by DC was that they wanted one of the Big Five appear exclusively in Action Comics Weekly. That always seemed fishy to me, as it would have been much less disruptive to put Flash in ACW and leave Green Lantern Corps untouched.
Why Flash?
Moving Flash from his own series to ACW wouldn’t have required changing the series concept. Going from a 22 pp/month Green Lantern Corps series to an 8 pp/week Hal Jordan solo feature was a drastic change of series concept.
It’s not like Superman wasn’t also featured in ACW. You had your big gun right there AND he had 2 other monthlies. So GL there, but keep GLC alive. ACW wasn’t even sold at my newsstands, so it just seemed like GL disappeared. I’ve got, like, a single issue of the thing.
For the Sydney opera house they represent both sails and shells as designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon
Hey Sontaran, you trying to start a demarcation dispute! Most of the sails have separate concert halls within.
I once saw Grant Morrison live on stage there. Also Len Wein in one of the smaller halls.
I realize they have separate halls but the roof is designed to look like both sails and shells. Utzon was after creating a building that represented the harbor in building form. So they are which ever one you want.
It is magnificent!
Some thoughts:
Never really glommed to this version of Starman. In fact, I’d hoped that Robinson’s run with his version would have skipped over Payton, but what can you do?
On Green Lantern:
Never, ever got the appeal of Hal Jordan. As I’ve mentioned often to my best friend, you know him as Rob Kelly, Hal Jordan is exactly the character who would have mocked his fans for reading comics. He’s the guy who makes out with the girl you’re in love with while locking eyes with you. Total douchey-bro. He has no fear and wears No Fear.
As for pilots, you need to be pretty smart to be a pilot. Lots of calculus and physics involved. Also, being a pilot in the 60s (when Hal was created) was a pretty amazing gig.
Kyle Rayner is the best lantern. He’s my G.L. I didn’t grow up with him, but he was the best. I could be recalling this incorrectly, but I seem to remember an edict that Kyle couldn’t create any ring construct more than once – every construct was unique. I get he was the Lantern version of Green Lantern, but it worked.
As for the color wheel lanterns – yawn.
Great episode.
Also, on the Bass vs Siskoid rivalry, both the Rock and Vin Diesel are Team Siskoid. Nobody likes Bass.
A sideways relation to John Stewart
On Paul Revere Williams:
https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/the-architect-of-hollywood/
In regards to giving Johns credit for the death of Hal’s Dad; that was actually something established in Emerald Dawn. It seems like a Johns move but it was Giffen and Owsley.
Great episode, guys. Loved every minute of it.
That Johns milked for all it was worth. But you’re right. Been too long since I read it.
Another great Invasion episode guys. Even though I covered this one not too long ago on my Starman-Manhunter Adventure Hour show (thanks for the plug), I love hearing other people talk about books I cover. I love to hear the thoughts and experiences of others.
Regarding the Power Elite, if I understand Melrose properly (the man who created the group), if the satellite hadn’t malfunctioned, each member would have had Starman level powers, so the name Power Elite “would” have fit them. But I agree that it’s kind of surprising that for Melrose wanting that to be their “public outing” I’m surprised that he didn’t have uniforms or costumes made for them.
Anywho… keep up the great work guys.
Will Payton’s family ties will play HUGE roles in James Robinson’s Starman later in the series.
I liked this series, and at the time I really liked Tom Lyle’s work here. But yeah, Power Girl…boy, she’s had a poor visual showing in Invasion, hasn’t she?
My favorite GL is Alan Scott. I really liked how Roy Thomas and then Robinson, Goyer and Johns made him the “BIG GUN” of the JSA, especially in the Earth-Two Superman’s absence.
Great show as always fella!
Chris
One more comment, super excited for your coverage of Suicide Squad in one of the stealthier crossovers issues!
I’d tell you when the episode comes out, but then I’d have to kill you.
We’re also three episodes away from a Doom Patrol episode.
Hot diggity!
Great episode, gentlemen. When I first saw the images of the Power Elite in their bus, I thought it was a prison bus. The resemblance of their jump suits to US prison uniforms has me convinced that they were subconsciously setting themselves up for failure from the start. It’s likely that their power grab was nothing more than a thinly veiled attempt to overcome their sense of low self-esteem. How sad.
Oh those wacky Power Elite “uniforms”. More like Janitors Elite. Maybe Army Surplus Elite. I also enjoyed the growing member, Samantha. She could become smaller and look like a little girl (Starman #4), or get huge and strong, an expansion of Starman’s face-changing power. I appreciated them giving her a bodybuilder’s physique in that form. That was still not done very much in comics at that time. Women could be muscular, but not bulky. It gave her a great look.
The GL discussion was lots of fun. One little tidbit: Hal’s grey temples were introduced when the next GL series begins written by … you know … initials are GJ. So this issue was still a couple of years ahead of that.
About superheroes having parents: I’m glad when they’re not killed off. There’s so much personal story fodder, whether it be hiding the superhero life from the parent, or the opposite, where the parents are in the know and keep the hero grounded and humble. “Yes, yes, you have godlike powers, but the toilet’s backed up so go take a look at it.” To me, it’s better story-telling for the character to interact with parental figures, rather than the memory of them.
Bass: “There’s a lot of orange.” Well, Starman is set in … Orangizona. (I’m sorry.)
Siskoid on Roger Stern: “One of the best superhero writers.” Amen.