Jared Matthews > Recent Status Updates

Hill’s mission in this book is to “put into words some of the confusion, sorrow, triumph, grief, and joy of the struggle to live faithfully before God, in Christ, with others, as a gay person.”

As he grew up in a conservative evangelical environment, and still has a foot in that corner, I’d be interested to see how his experience has changed from 2010 when this book was written.

The beginning of Geoff’s run rebirthed the Green Lantern corps. However, throughout his run he has consistently unraveled the fabric of the corps.

At least 3 guardians have been expelled or left the guardians of the universe for other corps. The corps themselves have become increasingly corrupt, making diplomatic deals with the enemy, and changing their fundamental principles out of fear.

Blackest Night is the two-year conclusion to the 5-year set up of the “War of Light”, Geoff John’s epic run on Green Lantern from 2004-2010.

So far, Johns has done an amazing job expanding the Green Lantern mythos while staying true to the character and lore.

Numerous lantern corps have emerged, all harnessing different colors of the emotional spectrum.

It’s been a perfect emotional setup so far.

For a book that is built on embodied theology and an emphasis on experiential knowledge, a graphic novel format was really the only option, it wouldn’t be the same book without that choice.

The experience is visual, where the reader doesn’t have to get into her head to understand what’s going on. It brings her counterpoints from cold theological equations to lived inconsistencies observable by the reader.

This book is actually so underhandedly funny for those who grew up in American evangelicalism. How often penal substitutionary atonement is given as an answer (and dismissal) for any kind of struggle is too real.

PSA seems to minimize the bad behaviors of those who should be held accountable, while condemning those who have done nothing wrong.

The whole framework of a moralized anthropology is so twisted.

Being raised as a “church kid” often means being shielded from complexity, and being told that certainty is the right way to live.

“Everything was black and white, sacred or secular”. This may be accepted by the children that are taught this, but it renders them “unprepared to grow up enveloped in gray”.

Chapter one paints a picture of an American Christian upbringing that is frighteningly familiar, yet so far from the heart of Jesus or the gospel.

It teaches children to stay within the safe boundaries that you are placed in and to stay away from the realities of normal life (including the human body). It teaches that Christian life is about making sure you don’t sin, out of a fear that god may send you to hell.

My experience with graphic novels is mostly limited to DC comics. I’ve never read a non-fiction graphic novel, but one that is focused on being a Christian who was raised with toxic evangelical beliefs is very intriguing.

My wife loves Stalvey and has had this on preorder since it was announced. I’m interested to see how graphic novel storytelling changes going from superhero comics to non-fiction memoir.

The Joker’s goal is to pull someone into insanity through 1 bad day, to prove that his insanity is a normal reaction to what he’s been through, that any sane person would do the same.

The way Alan parallels this with his backstory is masterful. It’s also revealing for the Joker’s motivations. He wants to pull everyone into insanity alongside himself as a defense mechanism to justify his insanity.

Jack is so different from the Joker, yet the same.

He’s completely known and understood. He had a girlfriend and child, and struggles to afford tent, things that are tragically relatable. At the end of Jack’s first scene, we get a glimpse of him in the mirror, and see that he is the same person as the joker. It’s jarring that we “know” the joker’s origin, when he is a being shrouded in horrific mystery.

Jack’s story is written so tragically. The story of a man unable to provide for his family is tragic enough, but adding that he is an unsuccessful stand up comedian really tugs at your heartstrings. He’s falling a part and the reader feels nothing but pity.

His interactions with his wife and those at the comedy club, indicate that no one respects him, and those close to him pity him, and he knows it.

Seeing Jack is almost as chilling as seeing the Joker. The thought that the other-worldly monster that is the Joker could have ever been a man with a girlfriend and child is a horrifying thought. Despite its horror, his backstory is genuinely heartbreaking. Feeling empathy for Joker is impossible, but Alan’s writing demand’s empathy for Jack.

The patient name-plate on Joker’s door on the asylum reads “Name Unknown”, creating a dark and haunting persona of the Joker. From the outset, the joker is painted more like an alien monster than a man. He’s presented as an unsolveable, horrible mystery, a cold case that is better left closed.

This heightens the suspense, but also heightens the contrast between “The Joker” and “Jack”.

The art does a good job at telling the story without words. The facial expressions and body language are crafted to perfection to explain what the characters are feeling at any given moment. The colors are surprisingly vibrant without getting in the way of the dark vibe of the story.

Read this a while back and really liked it, but I don’t know if I really appreciated the full scope of it, especially Alan Moore’s writing.

Since I last read it, I read Watchmen which made me read comics differently. I’ve been wanting to read this back ever since.

Interesting that Johns wrote Barry with silver age morality. He still sees things through black and white, even if that’s not how the world works anymore.

You can see him internalize that by harboring guilt for his mother’s tragic murder. I hope Geoff develops this and really challenges it through Barry’s story.

The first pages are slow, but make the point of how excited the world is to have Barry Allen back.

This sets the stage for Barry’s surprising disposition, feeling like he’s always running late, ironic for the fastest man alive.

He wasn’t fast enough to save his mother from being murdered. He swears that will never happen again, although it’s obvious to us that some things you just can’t prevent.

I knew that Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons had before created the Planet-sized Green Lantern Mogo in a one shot before they got together to create Watchmen. What I didn't know was that it was only 6 pages.

Alan and Dave have such a knack for embodying such creative and original ideas into a story that feels familiar and classic. The GLC creates a massive world-building palette for their creativity to work it's magic.

I thought about skipping this volume, since I'm already aware of Hal's general origin and thought this would just be a redundant attempt at filling issues.

I'm glad I didn't! So far it has done a great job at meaningfully retelling Hal's origin, while also weaving in the new story of Abin Sur's final mission, leading to his death, that gives needed backstory to the War of Light, and Sinestro's motivations.

My reading may be impacted because I never read Crisis on Infinite Earths. I know the general gist of the crisis and how Barry died in it, and I’ve read Final Crisis, where Barry resurrects, so hopefully I’m not missing anything.

Despite all the pain she has endured, and the ultimate power that was exerted against her, illustrated by the evil pirate ship of the brigands, it cannot fight against her forever.

It had “taken it’s shot and now had to reload, and it’s stock or balls powerful enough to down supergirl were quickly dwindling”.

Supergirl is an ultimate example of “weathering the storm”, a cosmic Rocky Balboa.

Despite the “haunting” nature of these Kryptonian memories, remnants of a life left behind, this is what keeps Kara going. She is the sole carrier of these memories. And “that memory was unique and needing preserving”.

“She wasn’t the baby who went off in the rocket. She was the schoolgirl who knew Krypton as home, family, and refuge.

She lived in her world. And she saw it die.

She had visited many planets, but she never saw anything quite like that view again.

Krypton did not die in a day. The gods are not that kind.”

For Supergirl, “Krypton did not die in a day.” The memories of her beloved planet living on inside her, haunting her with its beauty and horror. The beautiful view of a Kryptonian tree and the gore of its destruction is inescapable.

She can’t outrun her memories of Krypton. Illustrated by her attempting to escape a Mordru Globe, that which “No man or woman can outrun… no matter how super you are”.

Supergirl experienced the death of Krypton as an adult. She saw it die, along with everyone she cared about. Krypton’s death was not just an idea, it was her everything.

Superman’s infancy shielded him from the emotional devastation of such an event. Supergirl got the brunt of it. While Superman’s origin is public knowledge, for Supergirl it is extremely personal, that she rarely shares due to the pain.