It’s been a minute since I did a comic book theme post.
To be honest comic books do not dominate my interest like they once did.
Back in latter half of the 20th century, I would visit Acme Comics in Greensboro once a week and I would walk out with about a dozen comics each time.
Today, I barely get by there once every 2 or 3 months and leave with barely a half dozen comics.
A lot of that decline owes a lot to financial considerations. The base line for comics these days is $3.99.
There’s also some frustration with modern comics. Tiny yellow italic lettering in red caption boxes make my eyes hurt. Give me a simple white word balloon with easy to read black lettering any day. Where’s John Costanza and Todd Klein when you need ‘em?
A lot also owes to my changing tastes. I am more interested in the latest graphic novel from Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips and less interested in whatever DC Comics is up to this week.
I have only one ongoing comic book on my pull list at Acme: Batman. I am somewhat engaged with what writer Chip Zdarsky is up to but I have to admit he’s kind of wearing down my patience.
The sad fact is that comic book I recently purchased that really captured my attention was a reproduction of Showcase #22, the first appearance of the silver age Green Lantern, Hal Jordan.
The cool thing about these reproductions is that other than the price on the cover, the contents are exactly as originally appeared including advertisements and letter pages.
The issue contains 3 stories. The first one is how test pilot Hal Jordan is plucked from a simulator at Ferris Aircraft in Coast City by a strange green glow and brought to the desert where he meets Abin Sur who is dying and needs to bequeath is power ring to a worthy successor. The ring does a lot of cool stuff but does not work on things that are yellow. The story ends with Hal suiting up as Green Lantern.
The 2nd story is Hal’s first foray in public as Green Lantern and by the 3rd story, Green Lantern is established enough to be a celebrity guest at a bachelor auction.
Over the course of these stories, writer John Broome develops a romantic subplot. Hal Jordan is in love with Carol Ferris who is a bit reluctant to date a fellow employee but reluctantly agrees to give Hal a chance. But Daddy Ferris ruins everything by retiring, putting Carol in charge of his aircraft company which makes Hal not a fellow employee but a subordinate and Carol needs to prove her father did the right thing putting her charge so dating Hal is off the table.
But dating Green Lantern is a whole other thing who Carol bids on at the bachelor auction. But then Green Lantern pisses Carol off when he spots a missile attack on Coast City while kissing Carol. Who keeps their eyes open when kissing?
By the way, it’s amazing how many things in 1959 were colored yellow: cars, flower pots, missiles, etc.
Gil Kane and Joe Giella deliver some nice looking artwork with Gil demonstrating his unique action sequences but still keeping exposition scenes interesting.
Get a load of that Gil Kane cover with the fluid motion of Green Lantern and the missile paired with a detailed sea side cityscape below.
I’m not saying that I expect comics in 2024 to told the same way it was in 1959. Showcse#22 is geared towards a child’s innocent perspective.
But when I read this issue, I wanted to read it again. It was easy to read meaning it was legible and while the stories were simple, they were not simplistic.
Meanwhile, do I really care about what's going on in modern day Batman?
Wait! What?
Fuck! Batman's dead?!?!
I better get to Acme Comics then!
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