Brief Mentions: Johns Conquers with Three Legions

Legion of 3 Worlds

Written By: Geoff Johns

Art By: George Perez

Final Crisis ended last week with a finale of catastrophic proportions, but there is one title that continues to wave the Final Crisis banner. This title is none other than Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds. Written by Geoff Johns and art by George Perez, Legion of 3 Worlds not only focus on one legion, which is a handful itself, but on three legions from three separate universes. Needless to say, it’s a comic of epic proportions. But neither of these creators are new to writing such large casting and multiverse spanning stories. Geoff Johns currently has his hands pretty full with the JSA cast and also has the experience of writing large events such as Infinite Crisis & Sinestro Corps War (ever heard of ‘um?) But also George Perez did pencils on DC’s first multiverse crisis, Crisis on Infinite Earths. Any person who is a fan of the previous mentioned titles should fall in love with this series. Geoff Johns, as he does with all his characters, has a great grasp of these characters and is able to use such a large cast of characters but still have a very focused, centralized story. George Perez’ pencils are very detailed and remind older fans of the original crisis that seemed so long ago. In Newsrama’s interview with Geoff Johns, Johns talks about advantage of having Perez on the team:

“The best thing about working with George is all the stuff he brings to it. Usually, I have to meticulously list every freaking detail and research it and scan it and put it all in there, just to make sure it's done right when I have something this big. But with George, I put all that stuff in there, but he goes another step beyond. The opening sequence is just insane. It's a Superman fan's dream. And every time I get a page, I just pour over it. The amount of detail he's putting in there, the amount of extra work, the amount of things he's adding I'm like, "There is a god. His name is George Perez." But it's all related to story. He's really thinking on story -- what's important to the characters and their emotional states, their conflicts, their relationships. He's just a brilliant storyteller.”


To be fully prepared for this title, reading the Actions Comics story arc featuring the Legion of Superheroes would be an excellent place to start though not essential to the story. Geoff Johns describes this book as “Robin to Grant’s (Grant Morrison) Batman.” Its there to be supportive and to overall empower the experience of Final Crisis. So as Final Crisis begins to fade, one banner still flies as heroes and villains are killed and some…born again.

Living Up To Expectations: Born on a Monday

Solomon Grundy

Written By: Geoff Johns

Art By: Scott Kolins

Throughout the DCU there are characters we adore, such as Jack Knight, Wesley Dodds, and Tommy Monaghan. Others we love to hate like The Turtle, Toyman, and The Mist. And then there are some characters that just scare the shit out of us such as Junior, Sheldon the Shark, and of course… Solomon Grundy. Fashioned after the famous children’s nursery rhyme from the 19th century, Grundy is born again this week in the Faces of Evil Solomon Grundy One-Shot. From the minds of the Flash creative team Geoff Johns and Scott Kolins, this one-shot provides a look into the seven issue miniseries to be released in March both written and drawn by Scott Kolins. Last time we left Grundy he was dead on Hell Planet in the Salvation Run mini-series. But like most comic characters, especially Solomon Grundy, that doesn’t mean he is gone for good. Johns provides and excellent background story reaching all the way back to his first confrontation with Alan Scott (Green Lantern Earth-2) and also features the one and only Jack Knight….’s cosmic rod. This issue also has great sequences with Grundy and time counting down till midnight. And much like Matt Wagner’s Madame Xanadu, Johns and Kolins set out to tell the story of a DC character whom little is known about. And as always, Scott Kolins provides some great pencils to the book and makes me reminisce of the great days of Flash. Geoff Johns does an excellent job setting up the book and making it unbearable to wait two more months for this book…. so thank you Geoff for that. It is another great installment in the faces of evil event, which has been exceedingly fun and innovative. So pick this book up and be prepared to see the seven days of Solomon Grundy.

What I’m Reading Now: The Golden Age of Green Lantern

Green Lantern: Rebirth
Written By: Geoff Johns
Art By: Ethan Van Sciver

In the midst of me watching The Dark Knight several times within a couple days, I decided that it might be a good idea to do some reading. I gave Batman a rest and entered the world of another great DC character, Green Lantern. Throughout my personal comic history, Green Lantern has been one of those characters that I never really cared for. But with all the hype surrounding Geoff Johns’ “Blackest Night” story, I figured now was a better time than any to begin. I started off with a six-issue miniseries called Green Lantern: Rebirth. Written by Geoff Johns with art by Ethan Van Sciver, Green Lantern: Rebirth series is about the return of the greatest Green Lantern throughout the 3600 space sectors – Hal Jordan. These six issues are some of the best superhero reading I have ever experienced. I never knew that Green Lantern was such an enjoyable character. Upon beginning, I did some research to discover the story of Hal Jordan and why Jordan was currently housing the spirit of vengeance. In 1994, DC decided to do away with Hal Jordan, which took place within the pages of Zero Hour. A decade later, Hal Jordan was scheduled to return and at the helm would be up and coming writer – Geoff Johns. These six issues are a pivotal point in the history to the Green Lantern Corp. and the to the lanterns of space sector 2814. Green Lantern: Rebirth is one of the greatest DC stories to hit the shelves within the last decade. It is a great story and is becoming increasingly important with the current DCU. Van Sciver also draws beautifully throughout this book and draws some absolutely stunning pages. It is also a interesting time to read this story because this creative team is also going to write the upcoming Flash: Rebirth series… the coming of Barry Allen. It’s an exciting time to be reading stories like this that will resonate throughout the DCU for years to come.