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The Green Lantern Chronicles #3
The Green Lantern Chronicles, Vol. 3
The 1960s adventures of Green Lantern continue in this new volume reprinting his stories in their original order of publication. Included are the Emerald Gladiator's confrontation with his new bosses the Guardians of Oa, an early team-up with fellow Silver Age icon Barry Allen (Flash), the origin of the Green Lantern oath and much much more!
160 pages, Paperback
First published November 2, 2010
About the author
John Broome
441 books14 followersLibrarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bro...
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bro...
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 8, 2026
In the 60's Green Lantern was still very clearly still finding it's way. While not as bad in terms of the small mindedness of the writing, it still suffers from stereotypical and overly formulaic presentation. I will say that it's good to know that Pie-face actually has a regular first name, which we learn for the first time, but like before the supporting cast of characters are very weak.
The "Science" of this comic is so incredibly bad/wrong that it actually makes for pretty amusing reading, and although the overly verbose writing style fails to thicken the plot, the premises and alien battles continue to be the great highlights of this series.
There are also a few interesting firsts that will appeal to my fellow nerds.
One: This is the first time we have a guest appearance by The Flash! Barry Allen looks like he's coming off of a 3 day bender, but it's fun to see these two heroes do their first buddy run. Additionally, this is the first time that it's mentioned in a GL book that they are also a member of the Justice League!
So although there are some weird inconsistencies in plot and or direction, it's good to see this book experimenting with concept, and hopefully failing forward.
The "Science" of this comic is so incredibly bad/wrong that it actually makes for pretty amusing reading, and although the overly verbose writing style fails to thicken the plot, the premises and alien battles continue to be the great highlights of this series.
There are also a few interesting firsts that will appeal to my fellow nerds.
One: This is the first time we have a guest appearance by The Flash! Barry Allen looks like he's coming off of a 3 day bender, but it's fun to see these two heroes do their first buddy run. Additionally, this is the first time that it's mentioned in a GL book that they are also a member of the Justice League!
So although there are some weird inconsistencies in plot and or direction, it's good to see this book experimenting with concept, and hopefully failing forward.
April 14, 2024
This was another failed DC line. What do I mean? DC graphic novel division has a long history of starting out a new format and giving up on it so that only some issues of a run are collected. This was going to be "get the silvger age cheap" version of books and it died out. They were doing it for the usual suspects: Batman (11), Superman (10) Green Lantern (4) Flash (4) and Wonder woman (3). It ran from 2005-2013 and was printed on cheaper newsprint paper which, yes, mimicked the original comics more but also...is cheap. As a side note - we shall see if the new line DC Finest, fares better. Fans are hoping it will be like Marvel's Epic Collection line but we might be hoping for too much.
SO - what about this collection? Well, like all the Chronicles you only get a few issues - 5 in this one. So not great from that standpoint. You get Gil Kane art - which is very solid but not at its dynamic best in these stories. That would come later (see Spider-man). You get John bloome writing - which is fun but very superficial. the biggest problem with these early GL stories is that they aren't creative enough. When you try to write GL fighting common crooks it is a waste of his powers. The best story is when he teams up with Flash to fight alien invaders and they work togetehr to outwit the aliens. But this is actually a story from Flash's comic and you see how Bloome is better at being creative with THAT character than with GL. GL losing his ring in a hole in his pocket...not so much. Even when Bloome does try to be creative it is a bit weird (a family that is tired of living on Earth and shrinks themselves down to a sub atomic world...in GL's ring).
I will add - part of the reason some of the stories are so weird is because DC had a habit of getting the cover done FIRST and then asking the writer to come up with a story that fir the cover. A weird way to work indeed.
Look - these are not the worst tales and I think if I was in a different mood I would have enjoyed them more. But aside from the Flash story they fell flat for me. I do try to grade Solver age stories with different criteria than more modern stories but these were not great Silver age stories.
SO - what about this collection? Well, like all the Chronicles you only get a few issues - 5 in this one. So not great from that standpoint. You get Gil Kane art - which is very solid but not at its dynamic best in these stories. That would come later (see Spider-man). You get John bloome writing - which is fun but very superficial. the biggest problem with these early GL stories is that they aren't creative enough. When you try to write GL fighting common crooks it is a waste of his powers. The best story is when he teams up with Flash to fight alien invaders and they work togetehr to outwit the aliens. But this is actually a story from Flash's comic and you see how Bloome is better at being creative with THAT character than with GL. GL losing his ring in a hole in his pocket...not so much. Even when Bloome does try to be creative it is a bit weird (a family that is tired of living on Earth and shrinks themselves down to a sub atomic world...in GL's ring).
I will add - part of the reason some of the stories are so weird is because DC had a habit of getting the cover done FIRST and then asking the writer to come up with a story that fir the cover. A weird way to work indeed.
Look - these are not the worst tales and I think if I was in a different mood I would have enjoyed them more. But aside from the Flash story they fell flat for me. I do try to grade Solver age stories with different criteria than more modern stories but these were not great Silver age stories.
April 25, 2022
Flash returns in one of these stories.
June 30, 2011
"After a gay and festive repast at the Thomas (Pieface) Kalmakus...
Carol Ferris, donning apron: Terga and I will wash--but you two will dry! Fair enough?
Hal Jordan: It's a deal, Carol! That dinner was worth it!
As Hal and his off-duty mechanic pal--and lone confidant--take their ease...
Hal: Pie, you're a lucky man--to have a wife like Terga!
Pieface: That's what you need, Hal--a wife! If you had one you wouldn't have buttons hanging by a thread!
Pieface: Your wife would darn and sew for you--take care of you!
Hal: I guess you're right! I'm getting a bit seedy!"
Carol Ferris, donning apron: Terga and I will wash--but you two will dry! Fair enough?
Hal Jordan: It's a deal, Carol! That dinner was worth it!
As Hal and his off-duty mechanic pal--and lone confidant--take their ease...
Hal: Pie, you're a lucky man--to have a wife like Terga!
Pieface: That's what you need, Hal--a wife! If you had one you wouldn't have buttons hanging by a thread!
Pieface: Your wife would darn and sew for you--take care of you!
Hal: I guess you're right! I'm getting a bit seedy!"
October 20, 2012
This was a fun, fun, fun revisit to the adventures of one of my childhood heroes. These stories, mostly by Garner Fox and Gil Kane are imaginative, colorful, and slightly more demanding on the brain than you might expect given that they were created for reading children 12 and under. Notice Carmine Infantino's designs in the final story.
August 16, 2012
See The Green Lantern Chronicles Vol 1.
November 20, 2011
This week, guest starring The Flash!!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews