I’ve been reading Identity Crisis; it’s the first DC comic series I’ve really dived into since they changed Superman back from his Electric Blue version. So basically, most of what I know about current DC characters comes from the Rock of Ages storyline, and whatever else was going on around that time (parts of DC One Million, for example).
Two things I’m confused about:
Green Arrow: He’s alive. Though I didn’t know how he died, it seemed his kid had taken over and was doing just fine. So where’s the kid who took over, and how did Arrow come back to life (for that matter, how – and for how long – did he die)?
Green Lantern: It seems this is the same Kyle, but his costume has become incredibly … forgive my choice of words, but … lame (his logo now glows in the dark??). His old costume was an acquired taste, but it was a refreshing difference from the usual fare. Now it just looks like any ol’ superhero. Why did he change it?
Someone probably decided that Kyle didn’t look enough like a Green Lantern. His new costume isn’t TOO bad, certainly better than the old Hal-era costume (which it was clearly informed by).
I call this one another case of ‘Let’s bring back the 70s, regardless of how well what we have is working’ - see Impulse becoming Kid Flash (aaauuuugggh!) for another example.
Kevin Smith brought him back. You can find out how in a TPB called “Quiver.” I’d recommend reading the book, 'cause it’s really good, but if you don’t care about being spoiled…
[spoiler]I haven’t read the comics where Green Arrow and Hal Jordan got killed and/or went crazy, respectively, so this is what I gathered from reading “Quiver.” Green Arrow was killed while trying to defuse a bomb in an airplane over Metropolis. Some years later, Hal Jordan, trying to redeem himself for going crazy and trying to kill everything, is going to fight something called The Suneater, which fight he does not expect to survive. Before he goes, he wants to try to set right one of the things he’s messed up, and chooses to ressurect Green Arrow. GA is in heaven, though, and not keen on leaving, and tells Hal to ressurect the body, erase all the memories of everything that had happened since he and Hal had road-tripped across America (this was the late '60s in the real world, but only about ten years ago DC Universe time. Which confused the hell out of me until I learned about DC’s “everything happened ten years ago” rule.) However, while the resurrected body will look and act and feel like the real GA, it won’t have a soul: that’s staying in heaven.
So, Hal does this, goes off to fight the Suneater, and dies heroically. And then becomes the Specter. GA lives on the streets of Star City, partially amnesiac, fighting street crime, until he’s recognized by a kindly old man who takes him in and helps him re-integrate with a society he’s been absent from for ten years or so. That’s more or less where Quiver starts (although you don’t learn about Hal’s involvement until much later)[/spoiler]
As for Green Lantern’s new costume, I believe it originated in “The Power of Ion.” GL essentially absorbs the power of the sun, and becomes an extremely powerful God-like being called Ion. He goes around essentially being God to everyone until he realizes everyone is depending on him too much (I think…I may be confusing this with that one episode of Futurama where Bender meets God.). Anyway, he makes a few minor improvements to his ring, and changes the costume a bit, and goes back to being a normal GL. Oh, I forgot to mention him ressurecting the Guardians, as well.
The Green Hornet(Britt Reid) exists in his own world and is still owned by Green Hornet, Inc. He is the nephew of the Lone Ranger(John Reid). Both characters were created by Fran Striker.
Indeed. How many arcs or mini-series have ended with two super-heroesstanding back watching as a (really evil) person is devoured by a (not all that evil) demon. One asks “shouldn’t we be doing something?” and GA replies “What? Offer him some salt?”
He’s still with him, they’re a father and son team, but as Connor (the younger Green Arrow) says in The Straight Shooter TPB “I’m your partner, not your sidekick”.
And he’s been allowed to keep the Green Arrow name.
Hey, do they ever give them a method of locomotion? It seems all the superheroes fly, swing, or drive some sort of supervehicle, but the various Arrows just show up at wherever they need to. And it’s not teleportation because they bring up a recurring thing that teleporting makes 'em sick.