The Loves and Trials of Alan Scott - Infinity Inc Annual #1
A while back, dm_wyatt asked me about my favorite comic. Of course, I couldn't answer with just one and provided a (long) list instead. This is (hopefully) the first in a series detailing my choices.
Alan Scott (Green Lantern I), Todd Rice (Obsidian), and Jenny Hayden (Jade) are all among my favorite characters. No wonder I like this comic so much! Presenting Infinity Inc. Annual #1 by Rob Thomas, with pencils by Ron Harris and Todd McFarlane, published by DC Comics in 1985:
The Mother of Jade and Obsidian
-At the table from left to right are Alan, Silvester Pemberton (aka Star-Spangled Kid), Jennie-Lynn Hayden (Jade), Alan's secretary Molly Mayne, Northwind (who recently appeared in support of Gog), Al Rothstein (Nuklon, now Atom Smasher), Hector Hall (Silver Scarab, later Dr. Fate), and his girlfriend Lyta Trevor (Fury; her history would be revised following the crisis, but at this point she was the daughter of Wonder Woman Diana and Steve Trevor.). I love all the little side conversations and also the adorable little fanboy.
"A Rose by Any Other Name..." - Issues of Infinity Inc. always open with a literary quote - I find it incredibly cute and ridiculous that this is credited to Franco Zefferelli in addition to Shakespeare.
- I like Alan's body language when he admits to Jade that he was once married. Also, Molly's boredom listening to Silvester, Hector and Lyta's banter, and Jade's connection to Obsidian (who is the shadow across the ceiling returning from a Crisis adventure.)
-I like these two panels for their composition: The Infinitors in the clear elevator to show the background from above for added interest; and the pulp style profile of Alan's contemplating his relationship to Todd and Jenny.
-Note: Todd really had been dating "Rose" which as you'll see is squickily oedipal.
-Hee! "About time!" Al's thought caption is fantastic - he's always been for calling anyone on not being "a better hero" or of living up to the JSA and that includes even the elder-statesmen, despite how much he respects them.
- Now we are introduced to Rose and her story. I love these next two pages simply for how awesome they are as pulp - seriously classic.
-Flash forward to Thorn's showdown with Alan - at this point he still didn't know about her alter-ego...
-Once again I like just how much pulp is in these panels, especially with the exaggerated poses and the final fade to black. :D
-Harlequin comes to GL, Jade, and Obsidian's rescue. Then when Thorn attempts to murder her, Jade and Obsidian, Rose fights her way to the surface.
-Todd's face is naked here as the black parts of his costume were his shadow form and he was currently powered down.
Thus, Alan finally realizes his folly and just who his enemy has been...
x-posted to jsa_allstars
The Seduction of Alan Scott
-This section was pencilled by Todd McFarlane and I really enjoy the experimental (for the time) panel compositions and how the entire page is utilized. I also love the stylized formal language used to tell this part of the story. I think this story is actually rather touching (in addition to being completely crack!) and so no more comments from me, just the scans. :)
-I love how Harlequin is the one to tell most of this story - Alan is still in the dark to a lot of it. Also, I will forever snicker at Alan's green bubble of potency. :P
Molly Mayne Finally Gets Her Day
-We're back to Ron Harris' pencils for the finale. I love how Alan admits his failures and acknowledges what he's missed.
-Once again I really like the composition - how Molly in the foreground is making almost the exact same expression as Alan in the background. I love how his back is to us and we can only see his distorted reflection in the cracked mirror. All of his illusions have been broken.
-Alan wears a toupe and Jade does his proposing for him!
-Hand-made invites and Jay's the best man! ♥
-Yay! for Carter and Jay is so gracious! ♥
-I love their understanding of each other.
-Also, they're drawn looking somewhat closer to their actual ages; It makes a bit of sense since this was long before "Sentinal".
-*sniff* I wonder what this picture looks like three Crises later...
Somehow, I managed to restrain myself and not post all forty pages, so if you are interested in reading the whole story, here's the cbr file (22.15 MB):
hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=7G22IZY2
(copy and paste into address bar, change "xx" to "tt")
Alan Scott (Green Lantern I), Todd Rice (Obsidian), and Jenny Hayden (Jade) are all among my favorite characters. No wonder I like this comic so much! Presenting Infinity Inc. Annual #1 by Rob Thomas, with pencils by Ron Harris and Todd McFarlane, published by DC Comics in 1985:
The Mother of Jade and Obsidian
-At the table from left to right are Alan, Silvester Pemberton (aka Star-Spangled Kid), Jennie-Lynn Hayden (Jade), Alan's secretary Molly Mayne, Northwind (who recently appeared in support of Gog), Al Rothstein (Nuklon, now Atom Smasher), Hector Hall (Silver Scarab, later Dr. Fate), and his girlfriend Lyta Trevor (Fury; her history would be revised following the crisis, but at this point she was the daughter of Wonder Woman Diana and Steve Trevor.). I love all the little side conversations and also the adorable little fanboy.
"A Rose by Any Other Name..." - Issues of Infinity Inc. always open with a literary quote - I find it incredibly cute and ridiculous that this is credited to Franco Zefferelli in addition to Shakespeare.
- I like Alan's body language when he admits to Jade that he was once married. Also, Molly's boredom listening to Silvester, Hector and Lyta's banter, and Jade's connection to Obsidian (who is the shadow across the ceiling returning from a Crisis adventure.)
-I like these two panels for their composition: The Infinitors in the clear elevator to show the background from above for added interest; and the pulp style profile of Alan's contemplating his relationship to Todd and Jenny.
-Note: Todd really had been dating "Rose" which as you'll see is squickily oedipal.
-Hee! "About time!" Al's thought caption is fantastic - he's always been for calling anyone on not being "a better hero" or of living up to the JSA and that includes even the elder-statesmen, despite how much he respects them.
- Now we are introduced to Rose and her story. I love these next two pages simply for how awesome they are as pulp - seriously classic.
-Flash forward to Thorn's showdown with Alan - at this point he still didn't know about her alter-ego...
-Once again I like just how much pulp is in these panels, especially with the exaggerated poses and the final fade to black. :D
-Harlequin comes to GL, Jade, and Obsidian's rescue. Then when Thorn attempts to murder her, Jade and Obsidian, Rose fights her way to the surface.
-Todd's face is naked here as the black parts of his costume were his shadow form and he was currently powered down.
Thus, Alan finally realizes his folly and just who his enemy has been...
x-posted to jsa_allstars
The Seduction of Alan Scott
-This section was pencilled by Todd McFarlane and I really enjoy the experimental (for the time) panel compositions and how the entire page is utilized. I also love the stylized formal language used to tell this part of the story. I think this story is actually rather touching (in addition to being completely crack!) and so no more comments from me, just the scans. :)
-I love how Harlequin is the one to tell most of this story - Alan is still in the dark to a lot of it. Also, I will forever snicker at Alan's green bubble of potency. :P
Molly Mayne Finally Gets Her Day
-We're back to Ron Harris' pencils for the finale. I love how Alan admits his failures and acknowledges what he's missed.
-Once again I really like the composition - how Molly in the foreground is making almost the exact same expression as Alan in the background. I love how his back is to us and we can only see his distorted reflection in the cracked mirror. All of his illusions have been broken.
-Alan wears a toupe and Jade does his proposing for him!
-Hand-made invites and Jay's the best man! ♥
-Yay! for Carter and Jay is so gracious! ♥
-I love their understanding of each other.
-Also, they're drawn looking somewhat closer to their actual ages; It makes a bit of sense since this was long before "Sentinal".
-*sniff* I wonder what this picture looks like three Crises later...
Somehow, I managed to restrain myself and not post all forty pages, so if you are interested in reading the whole story, here's the cbr file (22.15 MB):
hxxp://www.megaupload.com/?d=7G22IZY2
(copy and paste into address bar, change "xx" to "tt")