This June, Robert Venditti will be writing Green Lantern but until they we are being treated to plenty of interviews, and there are more to come. Today, he speaks with iFanboy on Hal Jordan, what Geoff Johns run was missing, and what to expect from the first arc in GL. As usual, I’ve included some choice quotes below.
Venditti on Hal Jordan’s status at the start of June’s Green Lantern #21:
Unfortunately for Hal, while real life isn’t always full of conflict, good stories are. So he has a tough road ahead of him….
In some ways, he’ll have more power than he ever has before, and that’s not necessarily a good thing. Hal is the type of guy who flies alone in a fighter jet. He isn’t a platoon leader. He has never asked for nor wanted to be a leader, to have others on the hook for his decisions and actions. Being a hero and being a leader are two separate things, and Hal’s about to learn that the hard way.
When asked about important relationships for Hal:
This is a tough one to answer because so much of it relates to what Hal will need to deal with in the early issues of our run. There will be a lot of new characters introduced to the series, though, and some of the characters readers are already familiar with will see changes, too.
Will Venditti add to Johns’ established mythology or go in a different direction:
A bit of both. Our first long-form storyline will add to the mythology in a way that, if we do our jobs right, will be very significant. It’ll change everything. Beyond that, we’ll be stepping outside the emotional spectrum and bringing in new challenges and adversaries. It’s a big universe, after all.
What elements will Venditti try to bring into the GL universe:
As I was reading Geoff’s run, one of the things that really struck me was the incredible sense of wonder and imagination he brought to the series. The scope of what he was able to do with Green Lantern is staggering. I’d love to maintain that energy and adventure.
In terms of new elements, we’ll be starting off with what I think is the next logical step in the Green Lantern story, dealing with the aftermath of the huge crises and wars everyone has been through. We’ll be examining what that legacy means for not just the Green Lantern Corps, but the universe as a whole. Some of the effects will be obvious, and others hopefully less so.