Why is Geoff Johns still trying to shock us?

[LanternBrina Lady in Waiting Find all posts View Profile Close LanternBrina]

So I gave the latest issue of Green Lantern a try and sure enough, every page is all these little twists and the big cliffhangers is OMG, Hal is dead! Which we know by now has no chance of happening, it's just yet another Geoff Johns cliffhanger that we come to expect.

Why does he have to do this kind of stuff every issue? Is he so insecure in what he's writing that he needs to try and shock us and cliffhang us constantly?

Seems like a strange way of writing to me. Does it bother anyone else?

[TazzMission Guardian of the Universe Find all posts View Profile Close TazzMission]

personally i dont mind it but thats just me.


now when it comes to missing certain plot points like zardor from ew then yea i get pretty pissed about it

[Lantern A-train Guardian of the Universe Find all posts View Profile Close Lantern A-train]

This is not only specific to Geoff Johns. Almost all books end on cliffhangers just like TV shows. It's an way to ensure people will come back for the next installment.

[Hypo Lil' Leaguer Find all posts View Profile Close Hypo]

This is not only specific to Geoff Johns. Almost all books end on cliffhangers just like TV shows. It's an way to ensure people will come back for the next installment.

What he said. Personal preference aside stuff like this sells.

[Mister Ed Horse of a Different Color Find all posts View Profile Close Mister Ed]

This is not only specific to Geoff Johns. Almost all books end on cliffhangers just like TV shows.

I wouldn't go so far as to say "almost all". I'd say that the majority of books do NOT end in cliffhangers, simply because the majority of books are not intended to be part of a series with a continuous plot. However, among books that ARE part of a series with a continuous plot, cliffhangers ARE pretty common.

And I think the majority of TV shows do not end in cliffhangers, either, but there are certain TYPES of TV shows that are prone to them ESPECIALLY at the end of a season.

So, if Johns is tossing cliffhangers at the end of every comic, that is definitely going to seem much more egregious than the frequency in books or on TV, even for the types of books or shows where it is common, simply because a cliffhanger at the end of a 300 page book comes after a lot more action than one at the end of a 20-page comic. Same with a cliffhanger at the end of a show that is picked up next week, or a big cliffhanger once a year at the end of a season.

That said, it hasn't really been bothering me, except on those occasions where we reach the apparent end of a story, and rather than allow any sense of resolution he feels compelled to tack on a cliffhanger that kills any sense of closure. Mid-story cliffhangers? Don't bother me too much. End of story cliffhanger? Annoying, and can really wreck the cohesiveness of the story that just finished.

[W.West Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close W.West]

Morning Glories has a million mysteries introduced per issue and always ends in cliffhangers. Difference is, its always awesome.

[Jeffi.Kaiser Guy's Designated Dr Find all posts View Profile Close Jeffi.Kaiser]

Even though if I were to ask you to explain what the hell is going on in it, even 13 issues in, you couldnt really give a straight answer

[W.West Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close W.West]

Even though if I were to ask you to explain what the hell is going on in it, even 13 issues in, you couldnt really give a straight answer

Don't confuse your impotence as mine playboy.

[Mister Ed Horse of a Different Color Find all posts View Profile Close Mister Ed]

Don't confuse your impotence as mine playboy.

Is that actually a complete sentence? I'm having difficulty parsing it.

[W.West Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close W.West]

Don't confuse your impotence as mine playboy.

Is that actually a complete sentence? I'm having difficulty parsing it.

Auto correct. I meant ignorance.

[Sylent_Asassin Black Lantern Find all posts View Profile Close Sylent_Asassin]

As far as the cliffhangers go, I've gotten used to it.

If I were to complain about something, it would be too many splash pages and not enough dialogue. I hate when I finish reading my DC books in 5 minutes flat.

[Lantern A-train Guardian of the Universe Find all posts View Profile Close Lantern A-train]

The Lost Art Of The Cliffhanger

Have today’s comic writers forgotten how to do cliffhangers? Jim Shooter thinks so, and he also thinks that decompression isn’t helping matters:

I’ve seen this too many times: The writer takes us through twenty-one pages of set-up, what he or she thinks of as “human interest,” like hanging around the mansion drinking coffee, and maybe an action scene that’s trumped up so there will be an action scene. The hero stops a bank robbery or something. Something ultimately irrelevant to the overarching story. Then, on page twenty-two, Doctor Doom or some villain appears. Doesn’t do anything, just appears, looking menacing. We get it. We know who Doctor Doom is. We know that this means trouble. And we probably didn’t mind spending a quiet day with the hero. But the guy on the fence, or the new reader isn’t nearly as impressed, even if they know, or have an idea who Doctor Doom is, or intuit from his looks that he’s trouble. What it means to them is that they sat down to read a story, this issue—but, apparently the cool stuff starts next issue. It’s not a cliffhanger. It’s a tease. And if what a new reader has paid four bucks for is twenty-one pages leading up only to a tease, there’s a fair chance they won’t have enjoyed the experience. Not nearly as much as we do, anyway.

It’s a charge that’s hard to argue with, when looking at it from that angle. But it does make me wonder if this attitude is underselling the new theoretical new reader. What if they like the twenty-one pages of set-up just as much as we old hands? Why shouldn’t they enjoy stories that set the scene as much as readers who’ve seen it all before – after all, shouldn’t we be the more jaded, cynical ones?

[Mister.Weirdo Guardian of the Universe Find all posts View Profile Close Mister.Weirdo]

A lost art that is now a regular thanks to Mr. Geoff Johns.

[Lantern A-train Guardian of the Universe Find all posts View Profile Close Lantern A-train]

A lost art that is now a regular in Green Lantern and Justice League thanks to Mr. Geoff Johns.

fixed.

[myuserid Lantern Hex Find all posts View Profile Close myuserid]

I would rather Johns quit using so many splash pages in place of dialogue.

As far as cliffhangers go, lots of serial books use them.

Also - BLAM - Holy cow, what was that?...