The One About the First Episode of "Lanterns"

I...don't have a lot of "big opinions" anymore, mostly because I like to avoid fracases. But I couldn't help but notice the "to do" concerning the recent first episode of the HBO Max series "Lanterns." Basically, it was like someone killed somebody's mother (or somebody's Hal Jordan). 

And so, though I did not previously have any immediate plans to view said new series "Lanterns," I felt tempted, nay low-key compelled to check it out. "Why all the fuss?," I asked the air, speaking aloud and alarming my cat. 

(Do you know how hard it is for me to sit down for an approximately 60-minute television program that doesn't immediately key-in to my most beloved hyperfixations? I hope you appreciate this review!)

Uh, so my basic verdict on the premiere ep of "Lanterns" is...why the eff are some people fricking angry about this show? This is not a "bad faith" question to which I already know the answer (no), some rhetorical pseudo-concern I'm tossing in to construct a roughly 500-word post out of. Genuinely, I'm curious regarding the hate...

I suppose a great deal of the animus has to do with the involvement of controversial(ish) comic writer Tom King...and you know what, I totally understand. End of post.

**END OF POST**

But seriously now (nah Tom King is okay, he made Rorschach Frank Miller so that took balls)...the gist of the "Lanterns"-hate seems to be the apparent perception that they killed off original Green Lantern Hal Jordan (I'm sure Alan Scott would take some umbrage with giving Hal that title), only to replace him with his de facto apprentice, John Stewart.

First of all...the John Stewart version of Green Lantern has only been around since...since before I was born (which means not quite older than dirt, but well on its merry way thereof). He is not some conveeeeeeient new character somebody pulled out of some ass. This is an established character: whom at least a whole generation, thanks to the 2000's "Justice League" cartoon, recognizes as the Green Lantern. And it was always part of the larger GL narrative that he was Jordan's potential replacement-in-waiting...

It's at this point of the post that I research the infamous "H.E.A.T." (Hal's Emerald Attack/ Advance Team): a notorious fan organization established in the 1990's to defend the good name & central primacy of the Hal Jordan Green Lantern. (And I'm reading this on Reddit, this long long long painful long biography of the fan org...and why am I doing this to myself? Wow. God.)

When I first worked at DC Comics in the early 2000's (see, I'm close to being as old as dirt), H.E.A.T. was still very known in the editorial offices...some editors would pin the death threats they received as snail-mail to their bulletin boards, or tape them to their office front doors. Hal fans were...PASSIONATE. 

So I can see why this whole drama has rebubbled in the case of the ending of the 1st episode of "Lanterns," in which Hal is (SPOILERS!!!) apparently dead (or maybe really drunk and hit his head and is just sitting motionless on an icy snow-covered bleacher in which case, let him just sleep the muther off). 'Cause people are passionate about Hal. Got it. But...

...it's been pretty well-established in the Comics (those quaint pamphlet-type narrative publications that people used to buy to keep up with their latest pulp hero fancy) that at some point Hal gets taken off the scene, and is replaced with John, or Kyle, or Guy DoofusFace, or whomever. This is not like Tom King took a bunch of shiny red goofballs and flipped out and decided to implement something Profoundly Radical that would change the face of Comics (quaint pamphlet deliverers of hero narratives) forever. 

And what potentially happens to Hal (as played by the magnificent Kyle Chandler) can be quite exciting, if we follow the Comics Continuity™ lore. Maybe he turns into Evil Parallax and we get that whole "Dark Willow" spice happening. And/or maybe he becomes The Spectre, an otherworldly defender of justice on a redemption arc tear (fun fact: the first comic I assisted on in the DC "JLA Editorial Office" was said Hal "Spectre" comic). (And in any case, it's already been established on the show that John has access to Hal's "essence" in digital form regardless...which I realize, sounds kinda sexy but...)

So I think...respectfully...people need to just calm a little bit the fook down over this shnit. Not calm down all the way, I'm not asking you to abandon your principles. But the show is only following the path the comic lore established.

And if somebody just simply has it "in" for the actor playing John Stewart...my good God in heaven, Aaron Pierre is like if somebody had a machine and hooked it up to the "Justice League" cartoon John & just "downloaded" him. And he's a very decent actor. What more do you want?

So that's my feelings on all that. As for the show itself, outside of said controversies...I mean, do we even mentally ingest fictional programming anymore outside of prepping to have a fight with someone? 

But it was OK. I liked it more than "Peacemaker"...you know, in the beginning I liked "Peacemaker" but it really got on my nerves by 2nd season. "Lanterns" was OK. I mean, it wasn't crap. Pretty good.

I've run out of adjectives, words, signifiers. OK, end post. 👍

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