Kyle
"When Hal Jordan decided to take all of the Green Lantern powers for himself, he all but destroyed the Guardians of the Universe. Ganthet, the last of their number, used the Guardians' energy to create one final ring. With the last of his resources, he travelled to Earth and bestowed the ring upon Kyle Rayner, then promptly disappeared after only an enigmatic introduction. The legend of Green Lantern has stood for a long time. Kyle knows this, but little else about the position. Now he's establishing a new legend, forging his own brand of hero. With the startling discovery that his ring is different from any other, Kyle Rayner is now the one and only Green Lantern!"
--> Hero Illustrated: Comic Book Who's Who, August 1994
That was my introduction to the guy who'd go on to become my all-time favourite DC Comics character. For almost 21 years, Kyle Rayner has been the guy in my fictional pursuits; one of the primary focuses of my imaginative distractions and, embarrassingly, the inspiration for mad fanboy ranting on occasions too numerous to mention. Following his adventures has had a positive impact on my real life, too (discounting the damage to my wallet), most notably introducing me to the guy who'd introduce me to stareyednight.
It's been a long, strange, cool ride. Most of it has been great; lately it's much more miss than hit. Truth is I've been looking for a way out for some time. The "New 52" isn't a universe I want to spend time in, and DC's no longer a company to whom I want to give my money. Kyle's solo book, Green Lantern: New Guardians, has been our house's sole DC purchase for more than six months. For all of those reasons, news of its cancellation (ahead of DC's latest reboot) came as something of a relief. All I wanted was a good ending.
Last night, unwilling to wait a fortnight for our usual comics pick-up, I bought GL: NG #40 from comiXology. And I got my good ending.
Effectively saying "fuck rebooted continuity", writer Justin Jordan drew on so many elements of Kyle's publication history while crafting a love letter farewell to the character. In a very literal way, Kyle confronted his fear, guilt and self-doubt one last time, remembered he's not a solo act anymore and changed the game to ensure victory. There were jokes about rings having instruction manuals. There were call-outs to past stories, new characters and old relationships. A new Corps was born - the right way, this time, and for the right reasons.
It felt so right, this conclusion to the final stage of Kyle's adventures. The tale of him coming to terms with phenomenal cosmic power by taking divesting himself of that power - choosing to be a responsible everyman over a demigod - completes the journey that started in Green Lantern #51. Best of all, nothing in the issue invalidated the "hippie space Jesus" possible future I like so much, allowing it to remain personal canon for me. Every single one of those 22 pages validated Kyle Rayner's 21-year journey, and the faith of his fans.
The last image was Kyle, smiling, flying home to Earth after almost 10 years (publication time) in space. Alongside him, embossed atop a Green Lantern insignia, were the words "the end". And the moment I saw that, I knew it really, really was. Kyle's story is done, and so am I. DC will continue publishing stories about him (or not, who the hell knows?) but that's a different continuity as far as I'm concerned. It's not the first time I've done that, and I doubt it'll be the last. I'm ready, at last, to walk away.
Thanks Ron Marz, Darryl Banks and everyone who followed in their footsteps. I've had so much fun, bopping around the universe and having adventures with Kyle Rayner. It was a blast.
Greet the Fire as Your Friend,
SF
--> Hero Illustrated: Comic Book Who's Who, August 1994
That was my introduction to the guy who'd go on to become my all-time favourite DC Comics character. For almost 21 years, Kyle Rayner has been the guy in my fictional pursuits; one of the primary focuses of my imaginative distractions and, embarrassingly, the inspiration for mad fanboy ranting on occasions too numerous to mention. Following his adventures has had a positive impact on my real life, too (discounting the damage to my wallet), most notably introducing me to the guy who'd introduce me to stareyednight.
It's been a long, strange, cool ride. Most of it has been great; lately it's much more miss than hit. Truth is I've been looking for a way out for some time. The "New 52" isn't a universe I want to spend time in, and DC's no longer a company to whom I want to give my money. Kyle's solo book, Green Lantern: New Guardians, has been our house's sole DC purchase for more than six months. For all of those reasons, news of its cancellation (ahead of DC's latest reboot) came as something of a relief. All I wanted was a good ending.
Last night, unwilling to wait a fortnight for our usual comics pick-up, I bought GL: NG #40 from comiXology. And I got my good ending.
Effectively saying "fuck rebooted continuity", writer Justin Jordan drew on so many elements of Kyle's publication history while crafting a love letter farewell to the character. In a very literal way, Kyle confronted his fear, guilt and self-doubt one last time, remembered he's not a solo act anymore and changed the game to ensure victory. There were jokes about rings having instruction manuals. There were call-outs to past stories, new characters and old relationships. A new Corps was born - the right way, this time, and for the right reasons.
It felt so right, this conclusion to the final stage of Kyle's adventures. The tale of him coming to terms with phenomenal cosmic power by taking divesting himself of that power - choosing to be a responsible everyman over a demigod - completes the journey that started in Green Lantern #51. Best of all, nothing in the issue invalidated the "hippie space Jesus" possible future I like so much, allowing it to remain personal canon for me. Every single one of those 22 pages validated Kyle Rayner's 21-year journey, and the faith of his fans.
The last image was Kyle, smiling, flying home to Earth after almost 10 years (publication time) in space. Alongside him, embossed atop a Green Lantern insignia, were the words "the end". And the moment I saw that, I knew it really, really was. Kyle's story is done, and so am I. DC will continue publishing stories about him (or not, who the hell knows?) but that's a different continuity as far as I'm concerned. It's not the first time I've done that, and I doubt it'll be the last. I'm ready, at last, to walk away.
Thanks Ron Marz, Darryl Banks and everyone who followed in their footsteps. I've had so much fun, bopping around the universe and having adventures with Kyle Rayner. It was a blast.
Greet the Fire as Your Friend,
SF