Changes to the original concept

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

Does it bother you that much that Hal Jordan is considered a bigger name than Guy Gardner?

It bothers me that they proclaim him "the greatest Green Lantern," and then they don't know why Guy, John and Kyle can't sell titles. Of course they can't sell titles. How could they?

What happened? Did you read my Guy story? I wrote a Hal story too, but I took it down because I'm using that plot for another project. I also wrote an Alan Scott/Spectre story that I took down for the same reason. If I were to wrote the latter one again, I'd use Hal in Alan's place because of the way DC is bringing Alan back. I'm not downgrading Hal. i'd try to sell all the Earth Lanterns, not one of them.

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

Willpower?!? You want to get rid of willpower being needed to operate a Green Lantern ring?!?

That's one of the cornerstones for how the power works for the reader! If you had your way, any idiot could use one of the rings. Thank God you AREN'T writing GL!

No they couldn't, if each ring was personalized to work only for the person it was assigned to. Of course the Guardians would take such an obvious precaution. At most gyms now, you have to use your fingerprint to get admitted. Do you think a power ring wouldn't have at least as sophisticated a safety feature? Or that it would be crude enough that "more will" would make it work better? "Ring creativity," with constructs, shouldn't figure into it either.

Why would the Guardians give out power rings that work better for some Lanterns than for others? That's daft. They have to be designed to perform optimally for all Lanterns, and each one only for its owner.

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

Most of what I post about comics is, what's going to sell more of them? Thinking of ways to sell stuff is what I do.

Most of what fanboys post is, the hell with what sells, what's going to protect my favorite character and traditional concepts?

[Space Cop The Dandy Find all posts View Profile Close Space Cop]

...Most of what fanboys post is, the hell with what sells, what's going to protect my favorite character and traditional concepts?

My favorite character is a guy who can make whatever he wills with his ring. Maybe a book about yet another guy who can fly and protect himself in space would sell, but I wouldn't read it any more than I would read a Superman who's too weak to lift a car.

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

I'm not much concerned about catering to fanboys, given that they're not much concerned about selling comics. They tend to work at cross-purposes with the comics industry. They're invested in the past, whether or not it makes any money. On top of that, most of them have aged out of the prime demographic for comics. They're noisy and demanding, but their dollars don't add up to enough to worry about.

What's going to get more people buying your product, and isn't a gimmick that will wear out quickly? That's always the question.

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

So he basically wants a Corps of these types of Lanterns..?



~//V\\~

[Space Cop The Dandy Find all posts View Profile Close Space Cop]

I'm not much concerned about catering to fanboys, given that they're not much concerned about selling comics. They tend to work at cross-purposes with the comics industry. They're invested in the past, whether or not it makes any money. On top of that, most of them have aged out of the prime demographic for comics. They're noisy and demanding, but their dollars don't add up to enough to worry about...

I make no claim that I am indispensable to the comic industry.

I don't think I'm noisy and demanding either. This is the only place I even voice my comic preferences (unless someone at the LCS asks). I don't write fan letters, tweets, or e-mails. I don't drop and pick up GL based on what's going on in the book or who's making it. Even in the rather radical case that DC should decide that they will go against 76 years of how Green Lantern is defined as a super hero, they still probably wouldn't hear from me and I wouldn't argue their right to do what they want. I'd just drop the book.

So he basically wants a Corps of these types of Lanterns..?

He basically wants the Darkstars.

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

I'll contradict Trey Strain's idea of having the four Earth Lanterns getting their rings at the same time, by suggesting the precise opposite; have them many, many years apart. Have Hal a middle aged, well seasoned Lantern and training the newest recruit (either Rayner or Baz, my vote goes towards a teenage Baz).

Not a bad idea, if you can do it in one story. But leave out Baz.

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

I make no claim that I am indispensable to the comic industry.

I don't think I'm noisy and demanding either. This is the only place I even voice my comic preferences (unless someone at the LCS asks). I don't write fan letters, tweets, or e-mails. I don't drop and pick up GL based on what's going on in the book or who's making it. Even in the rather radical case that DC should decide that they will go against 76 years of how Green Lantern is defined as a super hero, they still probably wouldn't hear from me and I wouldn't argue their right to do what they want. I'd just drop the book.



He basically wants the Darkstars.

No I don't want the Darkstars.

You can do anything without ring constructs that you can do with them, only much less silly.

You want to pull something? Use a tractor beam. You want to defend yourself? Shield up. You want to attack? Shoot a disruptor or a laser on high. You want only to subdue? Shoot a disruptor on low. You want to pry something open? Just do it. You want to analyze a substance or an artifact? No problem. You want a medical diagnosis? You can get one.

Characters who can do that and fly through interstellar space aren't super-heroes? Please.

You don't need giant green eggbeaters and stuff like that.

[Booster Beetle Will break before he bends Find all posts View Profile Close Booster Beetle]

Is your next great idea to make all GLs weak to Kryptonite? Because what you just described is Superman

The eggbeaters and the jet planes and the Gatling guns are what make GLs unique, if DC came out and said GLs can only fly and shoot laser beams so many people would drop that shit like a bad habit

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

John's membership in the Darkstars came about because someone at DC -- I think maybe Jeanette Kahn -- laid down an ironclad order that Kyle was to be the ONLY Lantern, now and forever. So it was a way to get around that and for John to keep being a Lantern without being a Lantern. But of course the Darkstars just seemed like the pale imitation of the GLC that they were, and they flopped.

Has any super-hero with an exoskeleton ever succeeded? The comics companies never seem to get discouraged about trying that idea though.

[Space Cop The Dandy Find all posts View Profile Close Space Cop]

John's membership in the Darkstars came about because someone at DC -- I think maybe Jeanette Kahn -- laid down an ironclad order that Kyle was to be the ONLY Lantern, now and forever. So it was a way to get around that and for John to keep being a Lantern without being a Lantern. . .

Yeah, it felt like it without even knowing the behind-the-scenes stuff. But from a character standpoint, I preferred that to the hospital bed. I used to like when Kyle would hang with John and Guy and share war stories.

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

I enjoyed the Darkstars from their first appearances even before Donna Troy and John Stewart became members. The series lasted 39 issues [which would be a lot considering how quick most series get canned these days] and Donna and John were only on about 10 of the covers.

The Darkstars were the first splinter Corps made up of all stars before Geoff started trying to do something similar. John Stewart, Donna Troy, Charlie Vickers, Merayn Dethalis, along with Darkstars' original badass Ferrin Colos deserved better than what they got. Though the remaining Darkstars got those sweet new exosuits...



~//V\\~

[Space Cop The Dandy Find all posts View Profile Close Space Cop]

^I only read the bits that crossed over with GL, but you're making me want to check out the main book. Did they ever collect Darkstars in trade?

[Star-Lantern Weaponer of Qward Find all posts View Profile Close Star-Lantern]

^I only read the bits that crossed over with GL, but you're making me want to check out the main book. Did they ever collect Darkstars in trade?

No, they didn't. Coincidentally, I'm currently selling my entire The Darkstars collection. I have the entire run, all bagged and boarded, and in perfect condition. It's not an easy series to find complete like this, so it doesn't get any better if than this if you're looking to collect this series.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/112295893506...84.m1555.l2649


Believe it or not, I did not show up in this thread to plug that, though

What I was going to say is that, to play a bit of devil's advocate, I can kind of see where Trey Strain is coming from on the construct issue. I can totally understand how some people can see Green Lantern as really hokey, even compared to other popular superheroes, or superhero groups, like Spider-Man, X-Men, Batman, and even Superman. On the other hand, I can certainly see how people can think it is cool.

My favorite portrayal of the character, the Justice League cartoon series version of John Stewart, barely even used constructs when I enjoyed him the most, so I do not think they are actually necessary. At least they aren't for me. I was partially inspired by Green Lantern with my own creative projects, but I did not want constructs, because (a) I felt that would be way too similar to Green Lantern, and (b) I didn't want them or need them. So, I think that is telling of my view. Of all the concepts from Green Lantern that I took inspiration from, constructs was not one of them.

My main concern about the constructs wouldn't be the comics, as I think they are fine there, but how the constructs would look and be pulled off in live action. Especially in something meant to be taken kind of seriously. You never want to say something can't be done, but it is kind of hard for me to imagine watching a live action feature that isn't a satire or comedy, and the hero is making dinosaurs, giant baseball bats, and pillows or whatever during the emotional climax, and I'm actually not laughing at it, or thinking it's silly.

That stuff works no problem in comics, and I even think animation, but serious live action movies? I'm not saying they can't be done right, but I am a bit skeptical. I think the constructs would, at the least, be a challenge.

I don't have any problem with willpower.

I do agree the yellow weakness is very hokey.

The 24 hour charge isn't that great, but isn't terrible. It is better for the ring to have a finite charge based on how much it is used, in my opinion, and that's how they seem to work these days.