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Showcase Presents #1
Showcase Presents: Green Lantern, Vol. 1
A massive value-priced black and white collection featuring over 500 pages of classic tales from the Silver Age of DC Comics! A dying alien lands on Earth and picks the most fearless human, Hal Jordon, to wield a mighty emerald Power Ring and become the new Green Lantern of Space Sector 2814!
528 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2005
16 people are currently reading
200 people want to read
About the author
John Broome
432 books14 followersLibrarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bro...
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bro...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
December 16, 2015
Let's face it, nobody gives a fuck about this review.
Why?
Because:
A) It's Green Lantern
and
B) It's from 1961
So why did I read all 558 pages of this mammoth black and white hunk of shitty nostalgia?
I basically made a deal with the devil.
For the purposes of this review JEFF is the devil.
I'm not even sure how it started, but somehow he conned me into a twisted bet. The terms of the bet were this:
If I couldn't get a picture of myself harassing a character while on my family's Disney vacation, I'd have to read a black and white Showcase Presents: Green Lantern.
FAMILY VACATION. Seriously?
Naturally, there was no way I could actually physically harm some poor shlub in a costume.
Instead, through an incredible covert mission too top-secret to go into, I managed to procure this picture...
Normal people would say, 'Good enough, Anne', and leave it at that. Jeff is not a normal person. He is a being of incredible evil.
Instead, he said,
'Is that a statue? Pffft. Start reading, sucker!'
Ass.
So here's your review, you bastard!
What did I learn about the first incarnation of Hal Jordan?
Lots, actually.
I learned that Eskimos make loyal sidekicks!
"...his pal, Pieface the Eskimo grease-monkey..."
Awesome! Not insulting on ANY level!
I learned that Carol Ferris was originally an idiot.
Sure, she was running a multi-million dollar company. But luckily, all she really wanted was to marry the Green Lantern!
Two big Thumbs Up for that!
I learned that beneath Hal Jordan's fearlessness was the heart of a lion, and the brain of a mentally challenged chimp.
Anything yellow could be thrown at him with devastating results.
Got a yellow #2 pencil?
Ka-Chunk!
Annnnd he's out...
Because his TRUE weakness isn't YELLOW.
It's the inability to duck.
My Hero!
I learned that it's not necessary to come up with names for weaponry.
"Tank-like vehicles...armed with super-scientific weapons!"
Because it's not always easy to invent classy monikers like the dreaded MENTO-RAY!
I learned that it might not be the best idea to shove your Galactic Super-Powered ring in your pants. It will inevitably fall out, due to the ginormous holes in your pocket. Don't worry GL, your Eskimo pal can give you some advice to help with that little problem!
"That's what you need, Hal--A wife! If you had one you wouldn't have buttons hanging by a thread!
Your wife would darn and sew for you--take care of you!"
Or, you know, you could just stop being a dumbass, and keep it on your fucking finger. Whatever works best.
I learned that bald men, men with a widow's peak, and men with bushy eyebrows are always evil.
But I already knew that one...
I learned that evil men have an inborn need to create elaborate death traps, and then monologue till you can escape.
You will be powerless to escape, as my Tank-O-Death slowly fills with yellow (not pink) LEMONADE!
Mwahahahaha!
But while we wait, let me explain my evil plans for world domination in elaborate detail...
Damn. Now that's realism, bitches!
Most of all, I learned that Jeff is Satan's middle name.
You have been warned!
Why?
Because:
A) It's Green Lantern
and
B) It's from 1961
So why did I read all 558 pages of this mammoth black and white hunk of shitty nostalgia?
I basically made a deal with the devil.
For the purposes of this review JEFF is the devil.
I'm not even sure how it started, but somehow he conned me into a twisted bet. The terms of the bet were this:
If I couldn't get a picture of myself harassing a character while on my family's Disney vacation, I'd have to read a black and white Showcase Presents: Green Lantern.
FAMILY VACATION. Seriously?
Naturally, there was no way I could actually physically harm some poor shlub in a costume.
Instead, through an incredible covert mission too top-secret to go into, I managed to procure this picture...
Normal people would say, 'Good enough, Anne', and leave it at that. Jeff is not a normal person. He is a being of incredible evil.
Instead, he said,
'Is that a statue? Pffft. Start reading, sucker!'
Ass.
So here's your review, you bastard!
What did I learn about the first incarnation of Hal Jordan?
Lots, actually.
I learned that Eskimos make loyal sidekicks!
"...his pal, Pieface the Eskimo grease-monkey..."
Awesome! Not insulting on ANY level!
I learned that Carol Ferris was originally an idiot.
Sure, she was running a multi-million dollar company. But luckily, all she really wanted was to marry the Green Lantern!
Two big Thumbs Up for that!
I learned that beneath Hal Jordan's fearlessness was the heart of a lion, and the brain of a mentally challenged chimp.
Anything yellow could be thrown at him with devastating results.
Got a yellow #2 pencil?
Ka-Chunk!
Annnnd he's out...
Because his TRUE weakness isn't YELLOW.
It's the inability to duck.
My Hero!
I learned that it's not necessary to come up with names for weaponry.
"Tank-like vehicles...armed with super-scientific weapons!"
Because it's not always easy to invent classy monikers like the dreaded MENTO-RAY!
I learned that it might not be the best idea to shove your Galactic Super-Powered ring in your pants. It will inevitably fall out, due to the ginormous holes in your pocket. Don't worry GL, your Eskimo pal can give you some advice to help with that little problem!
"That's what you need, Hal--A wife! If you had one you wouldn't have buttons hanging by a thread!
Your wife would darn and sew for you--take care of you!"
Or, you know, you could just stop being a dumbass, and keep it on your fucking finger. Whatever works best.
I learned that bald men, men with a widow's peak, and men with bushy eyebrows are always evil.
But I already knew that one...
I learned that evil men have an inborn need to create elaborate death traps, and then monologue till you can escape.
You will be powerless to escape, as my Tank-O-Death slowly fills with yellow (not pink) LEMONADE!
Mwahahahaha!
But while we wait, let me explain my evil plans for world domination in elaborate detail...
Damn. Now that's realism, bitches!
Most of all, I learned that Jeff is Satan's middle name.
You have been warned!
March 7, 2008
The late '50's and early '60's was an exciting time for comics, as the silver age was ushered in by the re-imaginings of both The Flash and Green Lantern. Unfortunately for fans, the stories that make up these early adventures are far too expensive to pick up, and even the hardcover reprints are a bit pricey.
Recently, DC began their "Showcase" series, producing black and white reprints of these classic stories in trade form, very similar to the "Essential" series of Marvel books. And now, finally, for the first time since I became a comic collector, I can afford these early stories that I had only ever heard about in the "see such-and-such issue" blurbs.
The stories are pure Silver Age wonder, and for those willing to go on an old-school comics ride, they are fantastic. But the black-and-white nature of the reprints is hard to deal with at first. In many ways, they loose some of their ability to be read; in a comic like GL, color is a huge component of many plots, and often a reader is lost because what is supposed to represent an easily recognizable color (which plays a function in the plot later) is just colorless, and it's only after that plot-point has been revealed that it is clear that we should have known that from the beginning. In many ways, these black-and-white reprints fail to represent the images they reproduce, which can make for an odd reading experience. The point being, one could guess, that there is no substitute for the original issue.
Still, these Showcase collections are an Earlsend for someone who has always wanted to read those old stories, and could never afford them. Here's to hoping the manage to, eventually, cover all the Silver Age bases.
Recently, DC began their "Showcase" series, producing black and white reprints of these classic stories in trade form, very similar to the "Essential" series of Marvel books. And now, finally, for the first time since I became a comic collector, I can afford these early stories that I had only ever heard about in the "see such-and-such issue" blurbs.
The stories are pure Silver Age wonder, and for those willing to go on an old-school comics ride, they are fantastic. But the black-and-white nature of the reprints is hard to deal with at first. In many ways, they loose some of their ability to be read; in a comic like GL, color is a huge component of many plots, and often a reader is lost because what is supposed to represent an easily recognizable color (which plays a function in the plot later) is just colorless, and it's only after that plot-point has been revealed that it is clear that we should have known that from the beginning. In many ways, these black-and-white reprints fail to represent the images they reproduce, which can make for an odd reading experience. The point being, one could guess, that there is no substitute for the original issue.
Still, these Showcase collections are an Earlsend for someone who has always wanted to read those old stories, and could never afford them. Here's to hoping the manage to, eventually, cover all the Silver Age bases.
July 23, 2021
This bumper edition, over 500 pages in glorious black and white, has stories from Showcase #24 - 26 and Green Lantern #1-17. It all starts when test pilot Hal Jordan is sitting in a wingless pilot trainer. It takes flight and he finds himself moving through the air at fantastic speed. Bought in to land by a crashed spaceship he finds Abin Sur, a dying alien with a green lantern power battery and a power ring which is effective for 24 hours once charged by the aforesaid battery. Scanning Hal with a green beam from the ring - well, a clear beam because this is black and white - Abin finds that Hal is honest and fearless and so qualifies as his successor. Abin breathes his last and Hal is left with green power that can do almost anything but is helpless against yellow stuff.
It's worth mentioning early that the power of the ring is completely illogical. It can scan minds, turn metal into water, blast things and create a monster that then goes out of control. At one point Hal Jordan is dreaming that he turns his pal Pieface into a bird and the ring, obeying his unconscious commands, does it. Pieface is the nickname of Thomas Kalmaku, an Inuit who was Hal Jordan's mechanic. He is useful narratively as he knows Hal's other identity and gives our hero someone to chat to about his adventures. A ring that can do anything makes it easy for the writer to get the hero out of trouble but is not very good dramatically. As comics is a visual medium the best bits are when GL uses it to create green things to use: safety nets, big hammers, big fists, shields, parachutes and so on.
Green Lantern goes extra-terrestrial early, in Showcase #23, when a message from his lamp to 'the possessor of the power lamp in sector 2814' tells him there is an emergency on Venus. After flying there without the aid of a spaceship, protected by a green shield to keep air in, he finds primitive caveman humanoids menaced by a race of ruthless pterodactyls. Our hero goes interstellar in Green Lantern #1 which also introduces the Guardians of the Universe, big heads of the Green Lantern corps. After checking him out for suitability they erase his memory of the encounter for some reason. He is then dispatched, again by a message from the lamp, to the planet Calor in the star system nearest ours, to save more cavemen from a monster. This issue also re-introduces the oath - 'In brightest day, in blackest night, no evil shall escape my sight, let those who worship evils might beware my power, Green Lantern's light!' I say re-introduces because apparently it was first used by the Golden Age Green Lantern.
Progressing fast, Hal goes inter-dimensional in Green Lantern #2 when a decent chap from the evil universe of Qward comes to him for help. He is being hunted by a Destroyer who throws golden thunderbolts. This story dates from late 1960 and I'm bound to point out to Mister Roy Thomas - a writer I hold in the highest esteem - that he bears a not inconsiderable resemblance to Arkon, a yellow thunderbolt tossing villain from another dimension who troubled Marvel's Avengers a few years later.
In Green Lantern #6 Hal is called to assist Tomar-Re, Green Lantern of the next sector along who is humanoid with a head like a budgie. Tomar-Re tells Hal about the Guardians of the Universe who have great knowledge and run the Green Lantern corps. Hal, of course, has had the memory of his earlier encounter wiped so this is news to him. However, in the very next issue, he gets to meet the Guardians and also comes up against his number one recurring villain, Sinestro. This long-headed n’er do well was Green Lantern of a world called Korugar in section 1417 and went bad while the Guardians weren't looking. When they noticed they stripped him of his powers and sent him off to the evil universe of Qward but from there he launches attacks on Hal. With the Guardians, the Green Lantern corps, Qward and Sinestro introduced the main features of the series are in place and the fun begins.
The stories are mostly by John Broome and the neat and tidy art is by Gil Kane, inked by Joe Giella or Murphy Anderson. While the art is excellent the stories tend to stretch credibility a bit too far. It’s the sort of science fiction that flourished in the pulps before editor John Campbell got things straightened out. John Broome was born in 1913 and began writing for pulp magazines in the 1940s, soon moving on to comics. Speaking of former decades, there is something very 1950's about the early Silver Age DC, very buttoned-up and respectable, very Eisenhower era. The good people all wear suits and have regular jobs and nice wives or girlfriends with whom there is little emotional difficulty. Hal's girlfriend Carol Ferris seems to prefer Green Lantern to him but that's just a device to make stories, not a cause for real upset. It evokes no tears or fury from Hal, merely an occasional puzzled frown. All this is not bad by any means. It gives the stories a comfortable nostalgic feeling. Of course, things were not perfect back then and children's comics are hardly an accurate reflection of reality. Still, when we old folks get tired of the grim news on the telly we can pull a DC Showcase off the shelves and retreat into the past. (Sigh).
It's worth mentioning early that the power of the ring is completely illogical. It can scan minds, turn metal into water, blast things and create a monster that then goes out of control. At one point Hal Jordan is dreaming that he turns his pal Pieface into a bird and the ring, obeying his unconscious commands, does it. Pieface is the nickname of Thomas Kalmaku, an Inuit who was Hal Jordan's mechanic. He is useful narratively as he knows Hal's other identity and gives our hero someone to chat to about his adventures. A ring that can do anything makes it easy for the writer to get the hero out of trouble but is not very good dramatically. As comics is a visual medium the best bits are when GL uses it to create green things to use: safety nets, big hammers, big fists, shields, parachutes and so on.
Green Lantern goes extra-terrestrial early, in Showcase #23, when a message from his lamp to 'the possessor of the power lamp in sector 2814' tells him there is an emergency on Venus. After flying there without the aid of a spaceship, protected by a green shield to keep air in, he finds primitive caveman humanoids menaced by a race of ruthless pterodactyls. Our hero goes interstellar in Green Lantern #1 which also introduces the Guardians of the Universe, big heads of the Green Lantern corps. After checking him out for suitability they erase his memory of the encounter for some reason. He is then dispatched, again by a message from the lamp, to the planet Calor in the star system nearest ours, to save more cavemen from a monster. This issue also re-introduces the oath - 'In brightest day, in blackest night, no evil shall escape my sight, let those who worship evils might beware my power, Green Lantern's light!' I say re-introduces because apparently it was first used by the Golden Age Green Lantern.
Progressing fast, Hal goes inter-dimensional in Green Lantern #2 when a decent chap from the evil universe of Qward comes to him for help. He is being hunted by a Destroyer who throws golden thunderbolts. This story dates from late 1960 and I'm bound to point out to Mister Roy Thomas - a writer I hold in the highest esteem - that he bears a not inconsiderable resemblance to Arkon, a yellow thunderbolt tossing villain from another dimension who troubled Marvel's Avengers a few years later.
In Green Lantern #6 Hal is called to assist Tomar-Re, Green Lantern of the next sector along who is humanoid with a head like a budgie. Tomar-Re tells Hal about the Guardians of the Universe who have great knowledge and run the Green Lantern corps. Hal, of course, has had the memory of his earlier encounter wiped so this is news to him. However, in the very next issue, he gets to meet the Guardians and also comes up against his number one recurring villain, Sinestro. This long-headed n’er do well was Green Lantern of a world called Korugar in section 1417 and went bad while the Guardians weren't looking. When they noticed they stripped him of his powers and sent him off to the evil universe of Qward but from there he launches attacks on Hal. With the Guardians, the Green Lantern corps, Qward and Sinestro introduced the main features of the series are in place and the fun begins.
The stories are mostly by John Broome and the neat and tidy art is by Gil Kane, inked by Joe Giella or Murphy Anderson. While the art is excellent the stories tend to stretch credibility a bit too far. It’s the sort of science fiction that flourished in the pulps before editor John Campbell got things straightened out. John Broome was born in 1913 and began writing for pulp magazines in the 1940s, soon moving on to comics. Speaking of former decades, there is something very 1950's about the early Silver Age DC, very buttoned-up and respectable, very Eisenhower era. The good people all wear suits and have regular jobs and nice wives or girlfriends with whom there is little emotional difficulty. Hal's girlfriend Carol Ferris seems to prefer Green Lantern to him but that's just a device to make stories, not a cause for real upset. It evokes no tears or fury from Hal, merely an occasional puzzled frown. All this is not bad by any means. It gives the stories a comfortable nostalgic feeling. Of course, things were not perfect back then and children's comics are hardly an accurate reflection of reality. Still, when we old folks get tired of the grim news on the telly we can pull a DC Showcase off the shelves and retreat into the past. (Sigh).
March 12, 2012
This book is where the Silver Age Green Lantern began. Although the Green Lantern concept has gone through many changes over the past 50+ years since it was reintroduced to a then modern audience (i.e. late 1950s), it nevertheless remains popular, and the characters and concepts introduced in this book, including Hal Jordan, and the Green Lantern Corps are still used today. This series is also significant as it features a lengthy run by legendary artist Gil Kane, who drew many Marvel and DC characters over the years, with his work on both Green Lantern and Spider-Man being among some of his best work. As for the stories themselves, they can be pretty goofy, and it is clear the creators hadn't quite figured out how GL's powers work, as there are many inconsistencies. For example, the ring is supposed to protect him from harm, but then when the story requires it, a bonk on the head knocks him unconscious. There is also romantic angst that could only exist in a comic book. Carol Ferris is who Hal is in love with, but Carol seems only in love with Green Lantern. Hal doesn't want to reveal his identity to her because he wants her to love him as Hal Jordan, not as Green Lantern. Nevertheless, the stories are fun, with the best story featuring Green Lantern and the Flash teaming up. The book is worth reading just to see how many of the Green Lantern concepts began.
July 7, 2008
I absolutely *love* the idea of Green Lantern - a super-powerful corps of police officers who patrol the universe to keep it safe from harm. Part of what makes it so interesting as a result, for me, is that there is no one Green Lantern, but rather thousands, each with their own individual personality and abilities. It's a very rich storytelling milieu.
What makes reading Green Lantern difficult for me, though, is that one Green Lantern, Hal Jordan, seems to loom large in the minds of most readers. It's kind of understandable, as he was the "classic", Silver Age version of the character, but as someone who started reading Green Lantern comics during the tenure of a different lantern (Kyle Raynor), I've never really been able to understand the appeal of Jordan as a character. So, as a result, I decided to pick up this collection of his first adventures in order to see what some of the fuss was about.
I still don't see it. The stories haven't aged well (a lot more poorly than Marvel's output of the same era), Jordan isn't that great of a character, and he doesn't really do much within this volume to justify his position as "the greatest of the Green Lanterns".
What makes reading Green Lantern difficult for me, though, is that one Green Lantern, Hal Jordan, seems to loom large in the minds of most readers. It's kind of understandable, as he was the "classic", Silver Age version of the character, but as someone who started reading Green Lantern comics during the tenure of a different lantern (Kyle Raynor), I've never really been able to understand the appeal of Jordan as a character. So, as a result, I decided to pick up this collection of his first adventures in order to see what some of the fuss was about.
I still don't see it. The stories haven't aged well (a lot more poorly than Marvel's output of the same era), Jordan isn't that great of a character, and he doesn't really do much within this volume to justify his position as "the greatest of the Green Lanterns".
April 23, 2019
There's a very different vibe to DC comics, and I think it's more than just that Green Lantern started in the 50s, as opposed to a lot of Marvel stuff from the 60s. It's just...different. What they share in common is being over-written, goofy, occasionally racist, awkwardly episodic, and overall not all that great. When there is a really interesting idea, it's quickly pushed aside. Like Superman and others, Green Lantern is constantly put up against something that seems unbeatable, and then he just beats it. This is how Superman went from jumping high and lifting things to essentially godhood, and it's the same for Hal Jordan. His ring is like Harry Potter's wand or the sonic screwdriver in the re-launched 'Doctor Who.' It specializes in getting the writer out of a corner.
August 30, 2025
I have always wanted to see how the GL series started and finding this book was exciting. However, the stories quickly became all the same. Granted he was new, and the writers were figuring him out, but I got a little bored halfway through and had to take a break. Carrol gets old fast because she is always rude to Hal Jordon while throwing herself at the Green Lantern. Also, the villains he fights are sometimes a bore. Still a great book to have for any Green Lantern fan. I suggest just reading on story a day. Because if you read this book all day the stories really start to feel the same. Wonder artwork and I have never heard of the character Pieface before! So, it was nice to learn a little something as I read. Great collection to my books.
May 8, 2018
Gil Kane's art is wonderful.
John Broome's stories are another matter. He seems unconcerned with being very consistent or, even in the slightest, credible. And the melodrama romance is... so... so... painful.
John Broome's stories are another matter. He seems unconcerned with being very consistent or, even in the slightest, credible. And the melodrama romance is... so... so... painful.
June 18, 2014
This book collects the first two twenty comics starring Hal Jordan as the Silver Age Green Lantern (Showcase #22-#24 and Green Lantern #1-#17).
Green Lantern Abin Sur's spaceship crashed on Earth and his power ring chose test pilot Hal Jordan as the Green Lantern. During the course of the book, the modern Green Lantern mythology begins to take hold. As it begins, the Guardians of the Galaxy are aloof even from regular Lanterns. By the end of the book, they're at least known. We're also told that the Green Lantern oath was created by Jordan as a result of some specific battles he fought rather than something organic to the Lantern or required by the battery to provide power.
The book doesn't introduce near the number of villains that the Flash did with only two of his most popular rogues (Sinestro and Star Sapphire) but Sinestro was a great villain and made four appearances between issues 7 and 15.
Star Sapphire's first appearance in Issue 16 was intended as more of a one shot deal as Carol Ferris became possessed by an alien being to prove that Carol was queen of a race of super powerful aliens.
Another highlight is the first crossover between Green Lantern and Flash in an excellent story, "Duel of the Superheroes" (Green Lantern #13)
Overall, what makes this book stand out is how different Hal Jordan was from many other superheroes. The lack of a teenage sidekick or stories of Hal Jordan as a boy was striking. Plus Hal has an adult confidant who knows his secret identity. Plus, Jordan has a solid supporting cast with not only his mechanic Pieface and his girl Carol but also two brothers. Overall, there's more a sense of reality about Hal Jordan compared to other DC characters.
Still, the character maintains a great sense of fun with some solid science fiction stories making this a must-read for fans of science fiction and the Green Lantern.
Green Lantern Abin Sur's spaceship crashed on Earth and his power ring chose test pilot Hal Jordan as the Green Lantern. During the course of the book, the modern Green Lantern mythology begins to take hold. As it begins, the Guardians of the Galaxy are aloof even from regular Lanterns. By the end of the book, they're at least known. We're also told that the Green Lantern oath was created by Jordan as a result of some specific battles he fought rather than something organic to the Lantern or required by the battery to provide power.
The book doesn't introduce near the number of villains that the Flash did with only two of his most popular rogues (Sinestro and Star Sapphire) but Sinestro was a great villain and made four appearances between issues 7 and 15.
Star Sapphire's first appearance in Issue 16 was intended as more of a one shot deal as Carol Ferris became possessed by an alien being to prove that Carol was queen of a race of super powerful aliens.
Another highlight is the first crossover between Green Lantern and Flash in an excellent story, "Duel of the Superheroes" (Green Lantern #13)
Overall, what makes this book stand out is how different Hal Jordan was from many other superheroes. The lack of a teenage sidekick or stories of Hal Jordan as a boy was striking. Plus Hal has an adult confidant who knows his secret identity. Plus, Jordan has a solid supporting cast with not only his mechanic Pieface and his girl Carol but also two brothers. Overall, there's more a sense of reality about Hal Jordan compared to other DC characters.
Still, the character maintains a great sense of fun with some solid science fiction stories making this a must-read for fans of science fiction and the Green Lantern.
May 30, 2012
I have finally finished this, and can't wait to read through the other four showcase collections. I really want to get into the newer lantern universe, but I want to completely understand everything before I do so.
Basically, this is the Silver Age collection of Green Lantern comics. These are on newspaper style paper, and are not in color. They were printed in a time where women fall in love with men instantly, and can't wait to be in the kitchen baking, so be prepared for that. Of course it is a bit cheesy, Green Lantern foils the plots of the bad guys and send them to the police. There's also a bit of racism as far as the mechanic is concerned, but again, this is from the 50s and 60s, if that's going to bother you, then don't read it.
Overall, there were around ten issues that I felt were key to my understanding of the larger plot and universe. Most of the others consisted of Green Lantern saving the day and beating petty criminals. Still, I enjoyed every bit of it. I never rolled my eyes or sighed or was bored in any way. I can't wait until the stories improve and the universe is expanded.
Basically, this is the Silver Age collection of Green Lantern comics. These are on newspaper style paper, and are not in color. They were printed in a time where women fall in love with men instantly, and can't wait to be in the kitchen baking, so be prepared for that. Of course it is a bit cheesy, Green Lantern foils the plots of the bad guys and send them to the police. There's also a bit of racism as far as the mechanic is concerned, but again, this is from the 50s and 60s, if that's going to bother you, then don't read it.
Overall, there were around ten issues that I felt were key to my understanding of the larger plot and universe. Most of the others consisted of Green Lantern saving the day and beating petty criminals. Still, I enjoyed every bit of it. I never rolled my eyes or sighed or was bored in any way. I can't wait until the stories improve and the universe is expanded.
March 8, 2013
Gemischte Gefühle...
...hinterlässt dieser dicke Wälzer. Einerseits sind die Stories, wie fast alles, was DC in den 50ern und 60ern produziert hat, mit zu den langweiligsten, formelhaftesten und repetitivsten Comics, die ich kenne. Die Geschichten sind immer gleich aufgebaut, in praktisch jeder Geschichte kommt ein Gegner vor, der GLs Schwäche für Gelb ausnutzt (hier sehe ich allerdings nicht das Problem, das in der Exposition oben angesprochen wird, dass ein Schwarzweißdruck dies völlig zerstört: Die Akteure dieser Zeit hatten die Angewohnheit, alles, was sie tun, genau zu kommentieren nach dem Motto "oh, mein Ring wirkt hier nicht, da die Haut des Ungetüms GELB ist!").
Andererseits sind die Zeichnungen Gil Kanes natürlich schon sehr gut, insbesondere für die damalige Zeit. Dazu kommt, dass trotz allem formelhaften diese Geschichten wenigstens noch teilweise interessant und verhältnismäßig abwechslungsreich sind, besonders, wenn man sie mit den JLA-Geschichten vergleicht.
2 Sterne für die Stories, 4 für die Zeichnungen.
...hinterlässt dieser dicke Wälzer. Einerseits sind die Stories, wie fast alles, was DC in den 50ern und 60ern produziert hat, mit zu den langweiligsten, formelhaftesten und repetitivsten Comics, die ich kenne. Die Geschichten sind immer gleich aufgebaut, in praktisch jeder Geschichte kommt ein Gegner vor, der GLs Schwäche für Gelb ausnutzt (hier sehe ich allerdings nicht das Problem, das in der Exposition oben angesprochen wird, dass ein Schwarzweißdruck dies völlig zerstört: Die Akteure dieser Zeit hatten die Angewohnheit, alles, was sie tun, genau zu kommentieren nach dem Motto "oh, mein Ring wirkt hier nicht, da die Haut des Ungetüms GELB ist!").
Andererseits sind die Zeichnungen Gil Kanes natürlich schon sehr gut, insbesondere für die damalige Zeit. Dazu kommt, dass trotz allem formelhaften diese Geschichten wenigstens noch teilweise interessant und verhältnismäßig abwechslungsreich sind, besonders, wenn man sie mit den JLA-Geschichten vergleicht.
2 Sterne für die Stories, 4 für die Zeichnungen.
May 4, 2013
Oh, 60's DC. The characters all have to speak in declarative statements like "Carol doesn't know that me, Hal Jordan, and Green Lantern are the same person!" A lot of invasions from outer space, with races you're not supposed to remember the names of, because they never come back.
Somehow, the stories are simpler and with less recurring baddies AND NO MULTI-ISSUE ARCS, and yet the stories are SOMEHOW LONGER THAN MARVEL'S!
That being said, this Green Lantern debut book (1959-1963), is pretty good, by comparison. I think it's because Green Lantern draws his powers from the cosmos, so they actually had to write in actual explanations of space alien types and the rest. It's almost interesting.
And Sinestro and Hector Hammond are actually really deep villains, and their issues (other than 2 issues involving time travel), really redeem this mediocrity.
If you like GL, read this. Otherwise, meh, JLA and later Lantern is better.
Somehow, the stories are simpler and with less recurring baddies AND NO MULTI-ISSUE ARCS, and yet the stories are SOMEHOW LONGER THAN MARVEL'S!
That being said, this Green Lantern debut book (1959-1963), is pretty good, by comparison. I think it's because Green Lantern draws his powers from the cosmos, so they actually had to write in actual explanations of space alien types and the rest. It's almost interesting.
And Sinestro and Hector Hammond are actually really deep villains, and their issues (other than 2 issues involving time travel), really redeem this mediocrity.
If you like GL, read this. Otherwise, meh, JLA and later Lantern is better.
February 28, 2010
My knowledge of silver age comics, as well of Green Lantern, is sadly lacking. I have heard from quite a few people that Johns is doing good things with GL but I thought I would get some education before diving into that. I have to admit I really enjoyed this. These original issues are written in almost a completely different language from anything else I read, the language of boys and young men of 1960’s America. Of course, it has the comic book code stamp on the front, which means that the good guys always win and are always American and there is a general lack of logic to these stories. Beyond that, Carol Ferris is a highlight, thinking to herself that she “might be scatterbrained” at one point. I also enjoyed the SF elements. As long as expectations of realism are low these comics are silly and entertaining.
March 7, 2015
I give this two stars instead of one only because I enjoy the ridiculous sci fi nature of the stories. silver age DC is something special and that isn't necessarily meant as a compliment.
the fact is; it was difficult to read through a lot of these for me. it was just TOO campy, stereotypical, and corny. now I still plan on picking up other volumes of silver age DC essentials to check them them out. once again its a moment in history that's important nonetheless (especially for comic fans) so that's why green lantern vol. 1 has two instead of one stars.
unfortunately I won't be reading anymore green lantern as one volume was enough.
the fact is; it was difficult to read through a lot of these for me. it was just TOO campy, stereotypical, and corny. now I still plan on picking up other volumes of silver age DC essentials to check them them out. once again its a moment in history that's important nonetheless (especially for comic fans) so that's why green lantern vol. 1 has two instead of one stars.
unfortunately I won't be reading anymore green lantern as one volume was enough.
November 22, 2011
This may sound dumb, but there isn't much point to a b&w reproduction of Green Lantern comics. Colors are kind of the point.
Anyway, the stories in this collection are from the early 1960s and they cover the very first stories of Hal Jordan as Green Lantern. It includes the first appearances of the Guardians, the Green Lantern Corps, Tomar Re, Abin Sur, Hector Hammond, Star Sapphire, Korugar, Zamaron, and so on. A few of the stories are fun, especially the earliest Sinestro stories, but on the whole the stories are pretty dull.
Anyway, the stories in this collection are from the early 1960s and they cover the very first stories of Hal Jordan as Green Lantern. It includes the first appearances of the Guardians, the Green Lantern Corps, Tomar Re, Abin Sur, Hector Hammond, Star Sapphire, Korugar, Zamaron, and so on. A few of the stories are fun, especially the earliest Sinestro stories, but on the whole the stories are pretty dull.
August 20, 2015
Frankly, much of this is alternately painful to read (attitudes back in the early sixties being what they were) and hilarious, and it would be a long time before Green Lantern managed to become an interesting and go-to series, and by that point it was racing towards cancellation. This black and white phonebook does lack the visual colour cues, but not to worry -- every time something yellow crops up, the text helpfully tells you.
July 30, 2008
Classic superhero comic goodness! Pre-Stan Lee and every bit as good. The more I read old DC stuff like this, the more I'm convinced Stan Lee is the most overrated writer in comic book history. (He's still a fantastic writer, just wildly overrated due to ignorance of superhero comics published before the Marvel Age.)
June 13, 2009
There's a reason people still talk about how great the Silver Age of comics was--and this book is just more proof of that. The artwork is fantastic, and the concepts are bold and work decades later. Sure, some of the pseudo-science/techno-babble is a bit dated, but overall Hal Jordan's early days as Green Lantern still hold up.
Essential reading for any fan of the genre.
Essential reading for any fan of the genre.
March 25, 2011
This was a great opportunity to read the very first Green Lantern comics. Yes, the stories were cheesy but it is interesting to see how the character has grown into the complex figure of today. This comic provides a tremendous amount of information into his background. I look forward to reading the other two volumes!
October 2, 2011
These are truly some of the best stories in comic book history. Beautifully creative and sweetly nostalgic to read. Carol Ferris is a must, however - the writers seem to have tried to vary Hal's love interests after a while, but the stories just don't have that same spark without her. It's no surprise that she became such a vital part of Green Lantern history.
October 18, 2012
I really dig Silver Age books in all their cheesy glory. The Silver Age Green Lantern is pretty cool because you get to see awesome early Gil Kane art and the first appearances of awesome characters like Sinestro. Despite some of the awful stories and dealing with Pieface this first GL volume is fantastic and i'm glad I have it in my collection.
June 2, 2017
Tedious and repetitive.
About half the stories involve Green Lantern being rendered suddenly powerless by something yellow (his classic weakness). This black and white reprinting adds an extra bit of suspense since the reader has no idea what is yellow in the story. I think that improves things.
I loved a lot of the other Showcase Presents collections, but I just cannot get into this.
About half the stories involve Green Lantern being rendered suddenly powerless by something yellow (his classic weakness). This black and white reprinting adds an extra bit of suspense since the reader has no idea what is yellow in the story. I think that improves things.
I loved a lot of the other Showcase Presents collections, but I just cannot get into this.
January 7, 2009
Some of my very favorite comics stories of all time. Imaginative, vast space-opera scope (owing more than a passing debt to "Doc" Smith's Lensman saga), coupled with the gorgeous artwork of the late Gil Kane.
August 24, 2007
The 500+ pages of Silver Age Gil Kane artwork are nice, but they weren't enough to make me forget that I kind of hate Hal Jordan.
March 11, 2009
This is pretty awesome-except it's in black and white
The guise over at dc can be cheap fucks at times!
The guise over at dc can be cheap fucks at times!
August 3, 2009
i loved these stries when i first read them. however, GLs weakness is the color yellow so a black and white volume of his stories just doesn't work
July 6, 2012
Dated stories but a great read for those interested in the Emerald Knight's early origins.
August 21, 2012
Awesome, pulp-filled goodness.
August 10, 2012
this is what i go back to whenever i need a shot of fake 50's space age nostalgia...
the plot of every story is dumb, but a nice escape from a modern world i absolutely
despise...
the plot of every story is dumb, but a nice escape from a modern world i absolutely
despise...
January 27, 2013
Generic DC stories from the 1960s, but you can't go wrong for ten dollars. I guess nostalgia would be the main factor for most buyers.
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