Congrats, my friend! Only you and I understand what an undertaking that was!!



And who says I didn't?



Cannot wait!!

Green Arrow #110
Hard Traveling Heroes: Next Generation Part 2
Dixon/Damaggio/Campanella/Loughbridge/Costanza

Rating 3/5

Plot: The address Eddie Fryer's finds for Kyle's dad turns out to be in Desolation, which Hal and Ollie visited WAY back in GL/GA #77. Apparently, it's now the litigation capital of the country, and a big city, but with small town citizens.

Kyle and Connor roll into town in a Ring generated Porche, and spend the 1st half of the issue chatting... Kyle seems suspicious as to why Connor's helping him, and Connor's just doing the 'aw shucks' routine.

Meanwhile, the townies don't like outsiders, so they watch them and lie to Kyle that his dad ever lived there.

We then cut to Eddie Fryers, working his contacts. Apparently, Aaron Rayner is some sort of toxic, and no one wants to talk.

Back in Desolation, Kyle and Connor suit up, and meet the redneck welcoming committee, complete with shotguns. For some reason, Kyle not only doesn't talk, but runs. After a couple pages of running, we meet Hatchet, yet another generic armored villain, this time with a big red gun that can change, almost like a ring construct. After a brief shootout... Kyle takes a hit so Connor can finish him.

Suddenly, a man in a trench coat appears.. Aaron Rayner! To be continued!

Analysis: Well, while I appreciate the history, and the litigation city thing is funny (in two different scenes a flock of lawyers give Kyle business cards), this was really a marking time issue... it could have been 6 pages instead of a whole issue. Also, I'm not sure why Kyle borders on being angry at Connor for helping him.. he seems to expect a motive.. I guess tradition doesn't cut it?  

Ring Constructs: The aformentioned Porsche... when running from the cops, Kyle summons up a rocket cycle that reminded me of the ones Hawkeye used in West Coast Avengers. There's a bunch of guns, including one panel (the best of the comic, IMO) where Kyle's draped in 90s oversized hardware, which is fun. He uses a shield shaped like his mask, too... also cool. Nice to see the artist have fun with the ring.

Extras: Lots of business in the background, but no name dropping. The boys stop at a Irish fast food burger place at the beginning, which is kinda groan-worthy.. there's a store called “the Legal Beagle' and 'Johnny Walden's night club'.. the former fits with the town, the later seems just random.

Hatchet is a pretty minor villain... showing up here, once in Robin's solo book, then again in the next Kyle crossover, Three of a Kind (which includes Wally West)

All house ads, with the exception of one for 'Ace Ventura, Pet detective', and Sam Goody on the back cover. mostly legends of the dead earth (this year's annual theme).

Funny reading a letter whining about Ollie being gone...I think it was the same guy that complained about Hal last GL issue, actually.

Green Arrow #111
Hard Traveling Heroes: The Next Generation Part 4

Dixon/Damaggio/Campanella/Loughridge/Constanza

Rating: 3/5

Plot: Kyle's Dad sends people to kill Connor, while he tells Kyle everything is fine.  The assassin Crackshot, apparently has a think for Connor, and ends up trying to seduce him instead.  More bad guys come, and try to kill them both, until Eddie saves them.

Meanwhile, Kyle is getting suspicious.  Connor and Co. find him in his dad's compound and explain things, so Kyle helps them rip up the place.   Apparently, the satellite they put in orbit is a laser firing platform, aimed at Washington... and Mr. Rayner sets it to fire, claiming Kyle wasn't a good enough hero to stop it.   He does, while Connor and Crackshot mop up.  

Kyle's Dad dies in the chaos, only to reveal he's really his Uncle, not his dad... the last panel shows who we assume is his REAL dad getting a condolence note from a military officer.  

Analysis:  Pretty decent action issue, but really isn't a team up as much as a Green Arrow story that happens to have Kyle in it.   Good character bits with Connor, talking about how he wants to be like Ollie the hero, but not the man, and Crackshot is pretty interesting.  Sadly, she only appears one other time.  Kyle is pretty generically written, though the few ring bits used were interesting, at least... it doesn't seem like Dixon bothered to try to get a handle on Kyle the character, he's just inexperienced Green Lantern #32 under Dixon's pen.  

Ring Slinging:  Exactly 2 things... a charging rhino to show he's realized his fathers bad (scrambling the minions) and an X-Wing to fly into space and blow up the weapon.  

Green Lantern #79 'Hard Time'
Marz/Banks/Tanghal/Setzer/Eliopoulous

Rating 4/5

Plot:  Radu brings a package up to Kyle, only to find Donna instead... after a late night, apparently.  Kyle's over at the Slab, checking on Sonar, who apparently is starting a riot/breaking out/etc.  Kyle finds him sitting on a 'throne', and pretty messed up from his 'transformation'.. he claims he's more powerful, or so he tells his 'subjects'.  Just before Kyle attacks, Sledge (I big, dumb, musclely supervillain that Guy Gardner put away a while back) tells him HE'S taking Sonar out, and asks Kyle to help him.  Kyle agrees.. he gets through the minions easily (they're 'out of practice', after all), but Sonar is too tough.. until Sledge literally pounds him through the floor... and into the ocean.

That lets the ocean IN, too, and Kyle has to go into rescue mode.  The warden is only slightly happy, but Kyle tells him, unconvincingly, that surely Sonar and Sledge drowned, then we see Sledge very alive.

Epilogue, Donna leaves Kyle a note on his power battery and leaves, just as Doctor Light escapes said Battery... to be continued!

Analysis:  I LOVE that Kyle new every inmate in the place... having done research to be ready.   It clearly shows he's not a total rookie.  OTOH, the fact that they offered to call Flash, and he said no, shows he feels he's not totally proven himself... little things that please me.  Artwise, weget an awesome panel of Sonar looking quite Conan-like, with a female supervillain at his feet (Spellbinder), and Kyle says she's doing a 'Frazetta'... awesome.

The prison warden was pretty fun, if a kind generic 'I hate heroes' guy.  I love that the 'background' villains were all actual DCU villains, inlcluding Shrapnel (who Kyle actually fought at the very beginning), Hellgrammite, The Alter, Dervish, and the previously mentioned Spellbinder... that's the sort of thing that makes me love the shared universe concept.

Ring Constructs:  Kyle uses a little fan on the warden's cigarette, which was clever.   We get a ring-generated recap of Sonar's last appearance (no editor note, though).  Kyle starts off the fight with a Samurai outfit and a giant club that reminds me of Xu Zhu (from the Three Kingdoms).. then goes to a manga robot with a freeze ray.  He briefly has a 'sound collector', but it doesn't work and Sonar gets the upper hand.  Then there they expected scuba gear for underwater rescuing.

Extras:  There's a hilarious ad for Pincchio: the live action movie trading cards.. talk about looking dated.  Lots of house ads, including Nightwing, two for the Superman/Batman cartoons, and one for 'Detention Comics', a one shot team up with Robin, Superboy and Gut Gardner, which is weird.