Wow! It is already Friday again. Today I am just going to get to it, but if you need to read part 1, click HERE. We need to know what is up with this Phantom ring! This post is going to cover Green Lanterns Volume 2: Phantom Lantern issues #9-11.
The Phantom Lantern: Prologue: Years ago a guy by the name of Frank Laminski was flying a plane badly and got saved by a Green Lantern by the name of Hal Jordan (the OG). Frank at that moment decided he wanted to be a Green Lantern. Franks was star stuck and even awkwardly asked Hal if he could try on the ring. Hal politely said no.
We get a quick flashback of Frank's kind of sad life. It isn't bad or anything, just so-so. Frank joined the Air Force and his one shot to make it to the big time was to test fly the Flaming Spear. Well that was in fact the flight he almost crashed and had to be saved from. Poor Frank was bummed he got D-listed from flying, but that didn't really matter, he just wanted to be a Green Lantern. On the news he sees a Green Lantern (this time John Stewart) saving someone. He figures if there can be two Green Lanterns, why not three.
After a bunch of research and creeping on the two Green Lanterns, Frank learns that the rings choose the wearer and they run on willpower. (Willpower mostly being the ability to overcome fear.) Frank trains super hard and takes on the scariest jobs. Then he sees that Guy Gardner is now a Green Lantern. No big deal, he is just going to work harder and be more fearless.
He trains more and more and when Kyle Rayner becomes a Green Lantern he is feeling pretty dejected. At this point he figures, better put on a green mask and go be a hero, that will show the ring he is worthy. He tries to stop a bike thief, but it does not go well and he in fact gets his butt kicked by a group of thugs. He is happy to take the beating though, if it means a brighter day in the future.
A beat and broken Frank yells to the universe and for once it answers back. A Green Lantern ring arrives and tells him that he has been chosen. He is so happy as he accepts the ring. At the last moment though, the ring errors (I kind of laughed even though this is a brutal moment). The ring is like, never mind you are the wrong person, later. The ring then zooms off headed for our good pal Simon.
Needless to say, Frank spirals into self destruction. Waiting for another ring no longer felt like an option. After walking around feeling sad Frank heads back to his apartment and finds someone is there waiting for him. This robed stranger is kind of mean to Frank but then gets to telling about a ring that he would have to wait for, one that anyone can use and it is right here on Earth.
Frank debates with himself for about half a second and then is happy to take this stranger's word for it. The stranger then reveals himself to be Volthoom, the first Green Lantern!
The Phantom Lantern: Part One: Frank is in Dearborn, Michigan (hometown of Simon Baz and family). He goes to a woman's house and very creepily asks to borrow said house.
Elsewhere, Simon is wearing the Phantom ring and it is having some weird side effects. He gets it off and Rami is very angry at him for putting it on. It isn't safe and should never be used by anyone. Rami wants to get the heck out of dodge before anyone else comes for the ring. Simon and Jess have been trying to get ahold of Hal, but no luck.
Simon wants to go to space. Jessica does not want to go to space. Eventually they agree, better to stay on Earth where at least they know the Justice League is around if things get crazy. They decide it is time to relocate though, and where better than Jessica's sister's place in Portland? Nazir, Simon's brother-in-law, wants to join them. Simon is talking him out of leaving his wife and kid, when there is an explosion down the block.
The house is burning down and they find the woman (the one Frank was talking to earlier) laying outside the house. She comes to and begins freaking out because her daughter was inside. Jess goes in the house to find her while Simon makes a construct to protect the neighboring houses.
While Jessica is searching the house for the girl, she is full of doubt and struggling to pull herself together. Once she finds the girl the doubt evaporates enough for her to create a bubble around herself and the little girl. She wonders if the Phantom ring would show her that she should be a different color than green. Outside, Simon grabs the bubble and pulls the two from the burning and falling house. He is still feeling the effects of the Phantom ring and wonders if having the power of all seven colors is what he needs to be strong enough to always come through.
Rami and Nazir are arguing in the front lawn about whether or not they should be inside vs outside. Frank uses all the distractions to break into the house and steal the Phantom ring. (Yep...they all just left it sitting on the dining room table.) Frank stares at it in awe and I guess he is slow motion putting it on, because there is time for Rami to burst into the kitchen and tell him to stop. Frank tells him no, so Rami threatens him. Frank creepy smiles and before Rami can stop Frank, he is grabbed from behind by Volthoom. (Volthoom, aka the first Green Lantern, is now a shadow who feeds on emotional energy to survive and now he wants revenge!)
Frank puts on the ring and recites words that Volthoom taught him (see picture below). Frank then triggers willpower and finally becomes a Green Lantern. Nazir comes at Frank with an ax. It does no damage and Frank shifts to a Yellow Lantern (fear) because he forgot that an ax can't hurt him. Frank is distracted by all his new power, but Volthoom tells him it is time to go.
Frank has a bit of a tantrum about not wanting to go, but Volthoom wins the fight with a look. Frank still wants to bully Nazir for a second though, so he conjures all of his worst fears and shows them to him.
Back at the now no longer on fire house. Jessica is talking to the little girl about overcoming fear and the girl is just happy there is a girl Green Lantern. Simon sees a green streak in the sky and they are both curious who the heck that was. We, the reader, get to see Frank, now green again flying off into the night holding an unconscious Rami.
The Phantom Lantern: Part Two: Frank is in space, then a field, then the ocean swimming with sharks, then I think he dive bombs into a forest and lastly spells his name on a mountain side (this guy). Later, back in his apartment Frank is going on and on about how cool he is, when Volthoom tells him to get out there and be a hero. Poor Rami is tied to an electric heater looking rough.
In Kansas, a little boy and his dog are outside when a giant tornado hits. His dad runs out to grab the kid but gets hit in the face with a giant tree branch. The dog, the boy and a car all get pulled into the tornado. Frank shows up and does save the kid, but is really kind of a jerk about it, until he realizes the kid is worried about his dog, then he is all smiles and happy to save the day.
Back in Michigan, Simon is trying to get information out of Nazir about where Rami and the ring are. Nazir is a little fuzzy, he knows it was some guy named Frank and maybe a wizard. Simon is understandably upset. Jessica talks him down and reminds him that it wasn't Nazir's fault. Once Simon is calm, Jess explains her plan for finding Frank. They cannot track Rami or the ring but she asks her ring to track aberrations in the emotional spectrum. Lo and behold, the ring finds something.
In Kansas, Frank is giving an interview to the local news about how much of a hero he is. Simon and Jessica arrive mid-filming and demand the ring back. The boy and his dog step in front of Frank pointing that he saved them and is a hero. Simon tries to defuse the situation, but they don't look good. Frank gets pretty defensive and pokes at the two heroes' wounds, pointing out that Simon spent time in jail and Jessica can't even make a construct. The reporter turns on Simon and Jess asking if these things are true.
Batman is watching the footage in his cave hoping Simon doesn't make himself look like a fool. We also get a glimpse of Carol Ferris (sometime known as Star Sapphire, she often wields the color violet, representing love), she also seems unimpressed with Simon and Jess. Frank asks what gives them the right to decide who gets to wear a ring. Jess makes the best argument when she points out that Hal Jordan told them they deserve their rings and if he was there, he would punch Frank in the face.
Frank does not handle this very well and starts to shift on the emotional spectrum. Now the new people are starting to believe he is not a Green Lantern. That makes Frank even more upset. He shifts back into his green outfit and asks the kid if he is a hero, but you know kids, they don't like scary adult tantrums.
This is the final straw for poor Frank. He begins to explode with different colors. Before he goes boom, Simon and Jess fly all the bystanders to safety. Jess thinks the ring is killing him, but Simon correctly observes that he has just transformed. Now Frank is an Orange Lantern and nothing is going to make him give up 'his' ring. (Orange is avarice, which is a fancy word for greed.)
Thoughts: I am going to end this post here and finish up this volume next week. But first, do you ever wonder what color you would be if you put on the Phantom Ring? I have pondered it a few times and I think I would want to be Hope. I found a cool breakdown but it is a little hard to see. For more information about all the Lanterns I would check out the DC Fandom website.
This volume had about as many cover artists as it did people working on the inside of the comics. I also know that I am failing to mention the people who do the inks and editing. I know that comics are a labor of love and I appreciate you all! There were a lot of great covers in this volume so it was hard to pick one, but after much deliberation I decided to just share two. The first is issue #8 cover A that was done by Robson Rocha and the second is issue #10 cover A that was done by Ed Benes. Tune in next week for part 3 of this volume's recap and next Friday a special surprise guest writer!
Last Week: Trinity Volume 1: Better Together, Part 1
Trinity Volume 1: Better Together, Part 2
Next Week: Green Lanterns Volume 2: Phantom Lantern, Part 3
Note: All images belong to DC™
The Phantom Lantern: Prologue: Years ago a guy by the name of Frank Laminski was flying a plane badly and got saved by a Green Lantern by the name of Hal Jordan (the OG). Frank at that moment decided he wanted to be a Green Lantern. Franks was star stuck and even awkwardly asked Hal if he could try on the ring. Hal politely said no.
We get a quick flashback of Frank's kind of sad life. It isn't bad or anything, just so-so. Frank joined the Air Force and his one shot to make it to the big time was to test fly the Flaming Spear. Well that was in fact the flight he almost crashed and had to be saved from. Poor Frank was bummed he got D-listed from flying, but that didn't really matter, he just wanted to be a Green Lantern. On the news he sees a Green Lantern (this time John Stewart) saving someone. He figures if there can be two Green Lanterns, why not three.
After a bunch of research and creeping on the two Green Lanterns, Frank learns that the rings choose the wearer and they run on willpower. (Willpower mostly being the ability to overcome fear.) Frank trains super hard and takes on the scariest jobs. Then he sees that Guy Gardner is now a Green Lantern. No big deal, he is just going to work harder and be more fearless.
He trains more and more and when Kyle Rayner becomes a Green Lantern he is feeling pretty dejected. At this point he figures, better put on a green mask and go be a hero, that will show the ring he is worthy. He tries to stop a bike thief, but it does not go well and he in fact gets his butt kicked by a group of thugs. He is happy to take the beating though, if it means a brighter day in the future.
A beat and broken Frank yells to the universe and for once it answers back. A Green Lantern ring arrives and tells him that he has been chosen. He is so happy as he accepts the ring. At the last moment though, the ring errors (I kind of laughed even though this is a brutal moment). The ring is like, never mind you are the wrong person, later. The ring then zooms off headed for our good pal Simon.
Needless to say, Frank spirals into self destruction. Waiting for another ring no longer felt like an option. After walking around feeling sad Frank heads back to his apartment and finds someone is there waiting for him. This robed stranger is kind of mean to Frank but then gets to telling about a ring that he would have to wait for, one that anyone can use and it is right here on Earth.
Frank debates with himself for about half a second and then is happy to take this stranger's word for it. The stranger then reveals himself to be Volthoom, the first Green Lantern!
The Phantom Lantern: Part One: Frank is in Dearborn, Michigan (hometown of Simon Baz and family). He goes to a woman's house and very creepily asks to borrow said house.
Elsewhere, Simon is wearing the Phantom ring and it is having some weird side effects. He gets it off and Rami is very angry at him for putting it on. It isn't safe and should never be used by anyone. Rami wants to get the heck out of dodge before anyone else comes for the ring. Simon and Jess have been trying to get ahold of Hal, but no luck.
Simon wants to go to space. Jessica does not want to go to space. Eventually they agree, better to stay on Earth where at least they know the Justice League is around if things get crazy. They decide it is time to relocate though, and where better than Jessica's sister's place in Portland? Nazir, Simon's brother-in-law, wants to join them. Simon is talking him out of leaving his wife and kid, when there is an explosion down the block.
The house is burning down and they find the woman (the one Frank was talking to earlier) laying outside the house. She comes to and begins freaking out because her daughter was inside. Jess goes in the house to find her while Simon makes a construct to protect the neighboring houses.
While Jessica is searching the house for the girl, she is full of doubt and struggling to pull herself together. Once she finds the girl the doubt evaporates enough for her to create a bubble around herself and the little girl. She wonders if the Phantom ring would show her that she should be a different color than green. Outside, Simon grabs the bubble and pulls the two from the burning and falling house. He is still feeling the effects of the Phantom ring and wonders if having the power of all seven colors is what he needs to be strong enough to always come through.
Rami and Nazir are arguing in the front lawn about whether or not they should be inside vs outside. Frank uses all the distractions to break into the house and steal the Phantom ring. (Yep...they all just left it sitting on the dining room table.) Frank stares at it in awe and I guess he is slow motion putting it on, because there is time for Rami to burst into the kitchen and tell him to stop. Frank tells him no, so Rami threatens him. Frank creepy smiles and before Rami can stop Frank, he is grabbed from behind by Volthoom. (Volthoom, aka the first Green Lantern, is now a shadow who feeds on emotional energy to survive and now he wants revenge!)
Frank puts on the ring and recites words that Volthoom taught him (see picture below). Frank then triggers willpower and finally becomes a Green Lantern. Nazir comes at Frank with an ax. It does no damage and Frank shifts to a Yellow Lantern (fear) because he forgot that an ax can't hurt him. Frank is distracted by all his new power, but Volthoom tells him it is time to go.
Frank has a bit of a tantrum about not wanting to go, but Volthoom wins the fight with a look. Frank still wants to bully Nazir for a second though, so he conjures all of his worst fears and shows them to him.
Back at the now no longer on fire house. Jessica is talking to the little girl about overcoming fear and the girl is just happy there is a girl Green Lantern. Simon sees a green streak in the sky and they are both curious who the heck that was. We, the reader, get to see Frank, now green again flying off into the night holding an unconscious Rami.
The Phantom Lantern: Part Two: Frank is in space, then a field, then the ocean swimming with sharks, then I think he dive bombs into a forest and lastly spells his name on a mountain side (this guy). Later, back in his apartment Frank is going on and on about how cool he is, when Volthoom tells him to get out there and be a hero. Poor Rami is tied to an electric heater looking rough.
In Kansas, a little boy and his dog are outside when a giant tornado hits. His dad runs out to grab the kid but gets hit in the face with a giant tree branch. The dog, the boy and a car all get pulled into the tornado. Frank shows up and does save the kid, but is really kind of a jerk about it, until he realizes the kid is worried about his dog, then he is all smiles and happy to save the day.
Back in Michigan, Simon is trying to get information out of Nazir about where Rami and the ring are. Nazir is a little fuzzy, he knows it was some guy named Frank and maybe a wizard. Simon is understandably upset. Jessica talks him down and reminds him that it wasn't Nazir's fault. Once Simon is calm, Jess explains her plan for finding Frank. They cannot track Rami or the ring but she asks her ring to track aberrations in the emotional spectrum. Lo and behold, the ring finds something.
In Kansas, Frank is giving an interview to the local news about how much of a hero he is. Simon and Jessica arrive mid-filming and demand the ring back. The boy and his dog step in front of Frank pointing that he saved them and is a hero. Simon tries to defuse the situation, but they don't look good. Frank gets pretty defensive and pokes at the two heroes' wounds, pointing out that Simon spent time in jail and Jessica can't even make a construct. The reporter turns on Simon and Jess asking if these things are true.
Batman is watching the footage in his cave hoping Simon doesn't make himself look like a fool. We also get a glimpse of Carol Ferris (sometime known as Star Sapphire, she often wields the color violet, representing love), she also seems unimpressed with Simon and Jess. Frank asks what gives them the right to decide who gets to wear a ring. Jess makes the best argument when she points out that Hal Jordan told them they deserve their rings and if he was there, he would punch Frank in the face.
Frank does not handle this very well and starts to shift on the emotional spectrum. Now the new people are starting to believe he is not a Green Lantern. That makes Frank even more upset. He shifts back into his green outfit and asks the kid if he is a hero, but you know kids, they don't like scary adult tantrums.
This is the final straw for poor Frank. He begins to explode with different colors. Before he goes boom, Simon and Jess fly all the bystanders to safety. Jess thinks the ring is killing him, but Simon correctly observes that he has just transformed. Now Frank is an Orange Lantern and nothing is going to make him give up 'his' ring. (Orange is avarice, which is a fancy word for greed.)
Thoughts: I am going to end this post here and finish up this volume next week. But first, do you ever wonder what color you would be if you put on the Phantom Ring? I have pondered it a few times and I think I would want to be Hope. I found a cool breakdown but it is a little hard to see. For more information about all the Lanterns I would check out the DC Fandom website.
This volume had about as many cover artists as it did people working on the inside of the comics. I also know that I am failing to mention the people who do the inks and editing. I know that comics are a labor of love and I appreciate you all! There were a lot of great covers in this volume so it was hard to pick one, but after much deliberation I decided to just share two. The first is issue #8 cover A that was done by Robson Rocha and the second is issue #10 cover A that was done by Ed Benes. Tune in next week for part 3 of this volume's recap and next Friday a special surprise guest writer!
Last Week: Trinity Volume 1: Better Together, Part 1
Trinity Volume 1: Better Together, Part 2
Next Week: Green Lanterns Volume 2: Phantom Lantern, Part 3
Note: All images belong to DC™
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