Yesterday DC Comics released their solicitations for the month of September and there are some very interesting things there. Especially for us lantern fans. From new Green Lanterns to new origins to new teams and even new costumes. It’s a month where DC Comics wants to look back with their Zero issues but still progress the stories they are currently telling. September also happens to be the month where Geoff Johns and the rest of the lantern creators start to ramp up to the THIRD ARMY event. Below, I’ll take a look at the most interesting things about this month’s solicitations and what it could mean for the future of Green Lantern.

 

First things first, we obviously have a new Green Lantern. This guy first showed up in DC Comics’ New52 Free Comic Book Day issue. Now he’s back and all we know is that he has Arabic tattoo(which apparently glows green!) and he likes guns. Oh yeah, and we know he fancies himself as THE Green Lantern. Though to be fair, that scene from the FCBD issue takes place some time in the future. What’s interesting to me is that this guy covered most of his face. Is that a culture thing, “so my family and friends can’t be hurt so I hide my face thing” or is Doug Mahnke just a closeted Kick-Ass fan? Either way, I suspect this mask will be a big part of the origin story we get from Johns in September. Geoff Johns has never shied away from creating a new mystery or concept and exploring it (sometimes YEARS) later but I’m really disappointed that he didn’t take this Zero issue opportunity to deal with Sinestro. The current story in Green Lantern is “The Secret of the Indigo Tribe” and although we get a bit more history from Sinestro, September’s issue could have been the groundbreaking development I’ve been seeking from the character. Give me less ties to Abin Sur (and his sister) and give me more of Sinestro as a Green Lantern. I suppose Johns is saving all that potentially juicy stuff for the often teased forever delayed Sinestro: Secret Origin. Ah well.

Green Lantern Corps #0 sees Peter Tomasi, who has to be the biggest fan of Guy Gardner in the world, rewrite or recreate an origin for the former Honor Guard lantern. I haven’t been shy about expressing my feelings about the way DC has handled origins and overall continuity in the New52, but somehow I feel at ease with Tomasi handling Guy’s origin. I’ll admit that I was never a big Guy fan pre-Tomasi, and I know Guy’s history is a bit weird, especially with the Warrior days being downplayed years ago. Still, I think the major bits with Guy’s father, his football days, and his general arrogance will stay in the spotlight. Look for Tomasi to simplify it to essentially that and maybe a love interest you never knew about. Also, a Star Trek and/or Die Hard reference. Oh, and Hal will undoubtedly show up to be embarrassed.

I had a chance to speak to Peter Milligan very early (and very very briefly) in his Red Lanterns run, and I mentioned a few bits of Atrocitus’ continuity that he may have glanced over in his preparation to write this title. I say that to let you know that I assume nothing I told him will end up in this “secret chapter of the Red Lantern Corps” in September’s issue. No chance. Peter Milligan will definitely be upping the rage with this issue. RL started slow but the violence has definitely increased in recent issues. I expect this trend to continue to and through September. Red Lanterns has seemed a bit distant from the other lantern books(even with an early Guy Gardner cameo), but now we definitely know that Milligan’s title will be knee deep in the THIRD ARMY event that presumably starts in October. As for what to expect out of this secret chapter, besides violence? Blood, I guess. Milligan has already given Atrocitus a bastard of a son in Abymss and slightly twisted his time on Ysmault. So everything is on the board for this issue. I expect a big reveal that will leave Red Lantern fans happy and everyone else scratching their heads. It’s a shame that new artist Miguel Sepulveda won’t be doing this issue(taking a break already?!) but his agent assures me that he’ll be back on the series in October. He even teased at how big the THIRD ARMY event is.

More newness from the New52 coming in Green Lantern: New Guardians! How about we start with the new creative team. Usual artist Tyler Kirkham will be doing Teen Titans #0 to fill in for Brett Booth, but Booth says he’ll be returning to that title in November just two months later. Still, Kirkham says he’s done with Kyle Rayner and his team. So where does he end up? And how long does new artist Aaron Kuder stay on the title? Kuder, by the way, is from the Frank Quitely/Moebius inspired generation of artists. That’s a big fucking plus for me. I stumbled upon Kuder’s work on a fill-in issue of Legion Lost and he did some great fight sequences. If he stays, it’ll be a great thing for the book. A really great thing. However, when I asked him if he was staying, he simply said “that’s a very good question…I’ll let you know soon.”

Kirkham had some rough patches since his time on GLC and his start on New Guardians, but for the most part I enjoyed his style. When he was on, he was on. I suppose this is the case for most artists, but Kirkham really shined when he was given something amazing to do. It’s hard to make a group of characters standing around look interesting, but give a man a gigantic space ship containing planets to draw, and he’ll bust his ass. So, goodbye Kirkham. Welcome Kuder, at least for now. Besides artist changes, New Guardians #0 also sees a “new team” lead the book now. Kyle Rayner, Saint Walker, Arkillo, Larfleeze and…Star Sapphire Carol Ferris? What happened to Fatality? Well, if the latest issue of NG is any bearing on this, the Zamarons didn’t take to kindly to Fatality disobeying their orders. Still, I can’t imagine Carol who just quit wearing her ring would take up the charge so quickly. I know lots of lantern fans speculated she’d be in this position when the series was first starting out but that wasn’t the case. Though, this would just be another drastic decision made by Carol.

I’m interested to see how writer Tony Bedard plays with Carol and Kyle. Not romantically but in those moments where there isn’t a giant monster to fight. Oh, did I not mention that Atrocitus is replacing Bleez on the title? So much for that romantic angle. Two (more) potential love interests for Kyle could be biting the dust soon. I suspect that that to be the case for Fatality. What other character can be killed off without fan outrage and still provide an impact on the story? No one but Fatality. You can’t kill Bleez because Milligan’s book absolutely needs her. I’ll go out on a limb an assume that she survives past September and that Atrocitus’ spot in this book was probably a suggestion from the sales department at DC. One more new thing…Carol Ferris gets a new costume apparently. Guillem March’s cover shows a weird angle on Carol but from what we can see, its a new outfit for everyone’s favorite female.

That’s it people. Green Lantern: The Animated Series continues in September with its sixth issue, but it’ll still be telling its GL vs RL story. Still, September will definitely be providing a lot more than zero on its cover. Are you excited? You should be, I mean, Carol is in the spotlight again and that’s good for everyone.