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. 👍

COMMENTING INSTRUCTIONS: Back in the day, when people used blogs, they would leave their comments at the end of the post via a digital "box" where they could input their feelings via their keyboard. The Comment Section of a blog should be a friendly place, with mostly "great job on that post Val"-type input, but also perhaps some opinions. Opinions are fine...but let's avoid outright fracases. 

Welcome Back to OCCASIONAL SUPERHEROINE

Welcome (back?) to “Occasional Superheroine” — your destination for all things comics & comics-related (and also, things that are fun & unusual). If you have ever wondered, “this is a fascinating topic, but what is a woman’s take on this subject?”…well there you go, you are at the correct spot. 

Last time I blogged here was about 15 years ago, and since then I have changed my favorite takeout spot. The one I currently use has an amazing lunch special for about $11 & it contains all of the major food groups you need for optimal nutrition. Today the regular lady at the counter wasn’t there to take my order, even though she has always been there to take my order for almost 2 years now. I hope she is OK. Ordering without her had some challenges, to be honest, but I made use of the paper menus conveniently displayed by the cash register & a successful transaction was performed. 

In other news, apparently Andrew Garfield is going to play Spider-Man in a new movie. I don’t know how I feel about that...I’ve really invested in Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parker, and it just seems like a waste to start all over again. I hope the beloved MCU does not make this a trend! 

And apparently both Hulk Hogan & Sam Neill died, as well as Diamond Comic Distributors. But Channel Awesome is still there, from what I occasionally see in my (open finger-quote) X (close finger-quote) feed.

Life over the past 15 years have had its ups & downs for me, as any life would have (though my narrative is particularly interesting because I continually assign wild archetypal resonances to semi-daily occurrences). Through it all, I have continued to be indebted to My Fans (not to be confused with Only Fans, which is a separate topic). I hope what I present here is still within the Grand Tradition I struck so many years ago…and if it’s not, well, nobody reads blogs anymore anyway. 

So do hang around & catch up with me, Occasional Superheroine, as I…catch up with you! And catch up with Comics! Be there, True Believer! Or be square! It’s your choice! (No pressure)

Best,

Valerie

@thevallyd on (open finger-quote) X (close finger-quote)

Another Punisher MAX: Butterfly Review

From the 13 Minutes blog:

"If there’s more where this came from, then she can easily hold her own with the likes of Greg Rucka, Brian Michael Bendis, Brian Azzarrello, and Jason Aaron. This book was very weighty and absolutely worth the $4.99 price tag, feeling like a novel’s worth of content hiding in the confines of a pamphlet, transcending those disposable trappings. This is something unique and extraordinary. I can’t wait for her next project; I wonder if she has an ongoing in her or this was an isolated explosive bout of creativity. Either way, I’ll cherish this."

Reviews For Punisher: Butterfly & Girl Comics #1

I want to thank everyone who has supported Girl Comics #1 & Punisher MAX: Butterfly: your emails, Tweets, and Facebook messages are deeply appreciated. Thanks to those who came out to attend the signing at Jim Hanley's Universe, and thanks to Jim Hanleys for really doing a great job and making us at Girl Comics feel very welcome!

And these stories would not have been possible without the talented artists, Nikki Cook & Laurence Campbell, who brought them to life, and editorial teams who were smart, sensitive, and very supportive.

First, some "Butterfly" reviews:

On a review posted on the iFanboy site, The Last Champion wrote:

"It takes a lot of guts to publish a comic that doesn't have the title character in it. It all depends on whether the story ends up being good to justify the 'disappearance'. I'm not familiar with the work of Valerie D'Orazio but I will say one thing about her writing skills. She could've made this a story about a random thug in the MAX universe and I'd still be intrigued to read it."

Dan Philips @IGN gave it an 8 out 10:

"Having read Valerie D'Orazio's Occasional Superheroine blog and her Goodbye to Comics series of posts in particular, I fully expected her mainstream comics debut to be as unflinching and unapologetic as anything she's written about herself or the comics industry. I just didn't expect it to be as impressive and polished as Punisher MAX: Butterfly is. D'Orazio doesn't just channel the same passionate, extremely personal style of writing she's shared over the Net into a crime story set in the periphery of the Punisher MAX universe, she also makes it a slick moving, intricately layered page-turner. It's one hell of a read."

And The Reverend's Weekly Comic Reviews at Comics Con Queso wrote a somewhat spoilery review:

"I think this book simply proves my point that the Punisher is only as interesting as the people he kills. Garth Ennis knew this. Jason Aaron knows this. And Valerie D’Orazio knows this."

Next, a smattering of Girl Comics #1 reviews. Me & artist Nikki Cook did the Punisher story.

IGN's Miguel Perez enjoyed Girl Comics #1, writing:

"Like any good collection, Girl Comics #1 offers a fantastic mixture of art, subject matter and tone. There truly is something for everybody in this book."

Perez went on to say:

"If I have to pick a favorite, I'd go with the Punisher story by Valerie D'Orazio and Nikki Cook. This hilarious short story used juxtaposition wonderfully as I just could not stop laughing at the sight of both men getting ready for their eventual confrontation. Little artistic details like the clown shower curtain and the guy's creepy pedo-smile made this story stand out for me. What can I say, I'm a sucker for a good Punisher story."

The Nerdy Bird from Has Boobs, Reads Comics called Girl Comics "great" and went on to declare it "the Tampax Pearl of...girl comics." For the guys reading this, trust me, comparing it to the Pearl is big endorsement.

Randy Lander wrote in his blog,

"...some great art throughout, and is worth it for the "posies" panel in Valerie D'Orazio's story and the Colleen Coover intro pages alone."

And @LarrysComics Tweeted:

"How do you illustrate the "SOUL" of a character in 4 #comics pages? Ask @ValerieDOrazio She SHOULD be writing the ongoing Punisher series"

Overall, I'm pretty happy with the buzz, and really just grateful that I have been given the opportunity to write this stuff. That's pretty much it. I know my life has had its ups and downs, but in the end, I think I turned out to be a very lucky and blessed person.

Who Is This Valerie D'Orazio Anyway?

I'm totally not making a duck face in this pic

This is just an introduction to my site & who I am, as a refresher:

I'm a lifelong comic book fan. I owned a Mego Batmobile, was a Marvel Age penpal, and did my 6th grade "People I Admire" report on Stan Lee. I also sent Marvel a pitch for a Punisher story when I was 12 or 13; in response they offered me an internship (I was too young to accept).

I studied American Lit in college, with a special interest in Mark Twain, the Beat Generation, and Comics-As-Literature. Spent a summer semester studying Shakespeare in England. Was on an honors track for grad school. Dumped it all to go work at Acclaim Comics in 1996.

From 1996-1998 I worked as an assistant editor at Acclaim (formerly Valiant). I was there for the planning stages of the relaunch, and watched as each Valiant character was rebooted to become an Acclaim character; I always found that the most interesting part of my tenure there. I assisted on their Disney and Classics Illustrated lines, as well as Magnus Robot Fighter, Shadowman, and Master Darque.

When the larger part of Acclaim Comics folded in '98, I went into advertising and marketing. Within weeks of receiving my big promotion at my marketing job, I sent out a number of "cold call" letters to various DC and Marvel editors looking for work. Within two days of sending out these letters, I received 3 calls from DC and ended up with interviews with 5 different editors by the next week.

In 2000 I was hired as the Creative Service Coordinator at DC Comics. Within a year or so, I became an assistant editor, and soon I was involved with the "rebooting" of the DC line by new hire Dan DiDio. I assisted on such books as Batman Black & White, The New Frontier, Aquaman, JLA, Rose & Thorn, and a bunch more. I also did full editing duties on Arkham Asylum: Living Hell and Human Defense Corps. In 2004, me & DC parted ways. The last book I worked on at DC was Identity Crisis.

I briefly had a comics column at the old Silver Bullet Comics site, then started this blog, Occasional Supeheroine. In November '06 I deleted the contents of my blog and started a series of posts called "Goodbye To Comics." These posts quite frankly and sometimes graphically described a series of misadventures I had that were all comic book related. The posts caused quite a stir.

That began about 3+ years of steady posting on this blog, which had started to develop a cult following. Out of all the posts I ever did, the one on Supergirl remains my favorite. It started with me bemoaning the sexualized depiction of Supergirl, and ended with me (in real time, as I wrote the post) realizing that I was the one at DC who suggested that cheesecake artist Ed Benes take over the flagging Supergirl title in the first place. That tension and ambivalence between feminist ideals and comic book realities is one I own wholeheartedly and don't apologize for.

If I had to categorize this blog, it would be "Feminist Comic Book Blog That Mostly Men Read." I would say that out of all the fan email I get, over 75 percent are from guys. You would think those emails would include some weird stuff, but that's happened very very rarely. I've grown up around (mostly male) hard core comic book fans; that's the culture I know, the culture of the neighborhood comic shop. I think often what I write reflects the nexus point (or collision) between that world and women's issues that I've experienced/care about.

In 2009 I offered as an eBook "Memoirs of An Occasional Superheroine," which expanded on themes introduced in Goodbye To Comics. You can download it for free, until mid-March, here.

In March 2010, my one-shot Punisher MAX: Butterfly was released, as well as a short story also featuring the Punisher in the Marvel anthology Girl Comics #1. In May 2010, my one-shot X-Men Origins: Emma Frost, will hit stands.

What's next for me? I'm not really sure. Maybe I will have a long illustrious comic book writing career. Maybe I won't. Maybe I'll have a baby. Maybe I'll go back to that graduate school plan I abandoned so many years ago. I've always wanted to break into horror movie/comics fandom, so maybe I'll look into that. Maybe I'll go write that sequel to Goodbye To Comics. And get the house painted.

Last story, that I've never told before: many years ago, when I first started using the Internet, I had created my own religion on MySpace. Honest to God. I mean, it had just started with me posting some anonymous stuff on philosophy, metaphysics, a few predictions, stuff like that. And then I got a following. And then things got weird, with people depending on me for insights, and the way I dealt with it was running away. Because I was just so freaked out by it. I'd make a lousy L. Ron Hubbard, I guess. So I ran away. And then I went to another New Age type forum, and then inadvertently started it all over again. And ran away. And then I gave that all up and started comic book blogging. This is the longest I ever stuck with anything like this. I guess that's what I'm trying to say.

Thanks, to those who have stuck with it. We'll see how far it goes.

"This was your idea. If you don't like your ideas, stop having them."
--Ginger Snaps

(I was going to make this a link section to all my interviews, etc., but if you just Google my name you'll get more links and info than you would ever need or hope for.)