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u/Training_Pirate1000 1h ago
No reason why a competent studio can’t have both.
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u/repsol99999 1h ago
Maybe this is what they wanted. A grounded show with a famous ip in the backseat. After some point you have to believe that maybe this is what they wanted, a complete emotional show about two characters that wouldn’t be overshadowed by the ip. Im not saying i dont want more green lantern but thats just my expectations, and i also respect the makers for their brainchild.
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u/Training_Pirate1000 1h ago
I thought the show was good. But I don’t like framing this discussion as an “either or”situation. People glazed Superman to the moon because it was unabashedly “comic booky”.
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u/repsol99999 1h ago
I love daredevil for what it is. At the same time i love peacemaker for what it is as well. Doesnt mean i want daredevil to start having a dancing intro or needle-drops every five minutes. All these years on earth and you still didnt develop the fact that people’s preferences arent exactly confined to a single thing?
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u/Training_Pirate1000 37m ago
…I’m sorry, but could you clarify what you mean? And with about 50% less snark
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u/TheRealCheGuevara 15m ago
He's saying that people like different aesthetics of things and don't want one thing all the time. Superman was good in part because of how comic booky it was, yes. However, if everything felt like that, it would become super stale to general audiences (maybe idk but I definitely would grow sick of it) and this would mean people don't like it as much. So sometimes the suits and comic book stuff is fun to look at, but other times it's just not what people are looking for. Variety is the spice of life and whatnot. I think not having the suits be worn all the time is a good idea. If they were wearing it all the time for this 8 hour show it would grow stale looking, lose all of it's aura. It could be unabashedly comic booky and have them wear the suits all the time if it wanted but that doesn't really make sense for a noir style show.
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u/repsol99999 18m ago
When we say superman is good for its comic-book accuracy, thats because that’s what they were aiming for. When we say lanterns is a great human emotion first show, thats because thats what the makers are aiming for. People like things for multiple reasons. We arent bound by a single thing. We can be satisfied by any number of things as long as it does that convincingly. I like my chocolates dark and bitter but i would also want my hot chocolate to be sweet.
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u/dacrookster 1h ago
The competent studio is the one that follows its narrative and follows through on its themes and points. Introducing the suit would have made them incompetent. Regardless, he'll be getting a suit in MoT, so what's the point in creating a tv one now that'll just be different anyway in a few months?
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u/TooCozy21 1h ago
It did have fan service the problem is the fans what to see the fan service not hear it.
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u/Batfreeze 1h ago
Lanterns is a self-contained HBO show first and a Green Lantern show second. I think there's something beautiful about that.
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u/Lolbwah916 1h ago
but i think it’s important to note that it does have big implications for the DCU - things that matter happened in the show in terms of implications for the wider universe, it just doesn’t place value on the exact thing some people want
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u/Joetheshow1 1h ago
I think there's something wrong in that, on the flip side. Why are the comicbook natures of these characters playing second fiddle to "the brand". We have to adapt the cosmic superheros to make sense on an HBO platform? Lame
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u/BlenderBluid 1h ago
Is that what you actually think of the show? Was there something about the characters you felt were betrayed by telling a more grounded and intimate story?
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u/Joetheshow1 1h ago
Hal is widely regarded as the greatest Green Lantern of all time, and most of the Corps treats him that way. Guys like Kilowog are a great friend who trained him, Tomar-Re, another ally, and Kyle Rayner looks up to Hal as a legend.
Did we get any sense of that with this Hal? Not at all. Even the last thing he said to John before dying, you'll be way better at this than I was. It's such a disservice to Hal imo
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u/BlenderBluid 1h ago
That wasn’t my takeaway at all. I think this show continuously demonstrated how great Hal Jordan was as a hero, a detective, a mentor, a partner, and a person. Even with John, he only started to level up into a true hero when he started following Hal’s guidance and trusting his gut and becoming more unconventional. The ability to not only be a great Green Lantern but also nurture the greatness in a future Green Lantern sounds like the greatest Green Lantern to me.
And as for the “you’d be better than me” comment: Just because his character said something or believes something doesn’t make it true. We saw the exact same thing with the Bernadette “privilege” comment. What do you think is a more Hal thing to say in his last parting moment to his mentee? To me, the mix of love and desire to reassure John mixed with his own humility and insecurity is exactly the combination of personality traits that would lead him to say and believe that John would be better. That doesn’t make it a universal truth tho. It’s just proper characterization. Hal’s a really good dude who would always use that moment to empower someone as hard as he could, especially if it’s the last thing he’ll get to say.
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u/FloppyShellTaco 1h ago
The guy who stopped Sinestro after he killed a Guardian and was now feared by the Guardians, leading to him becoming somewhat estranged, was not made out to be great? Your argument falls apart the moment you introduce any context the show actually gives you.
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u/ElMatasiete7 58m ago
I don't think those last words to John are out of context for Hal, but I do agree with some critiques that his more heroic shine doesn't shine as much as we'd like. I really hope we get to see more of it in S2 and that the writers don't just toss Hal aside.
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u/MuddFishh 1h ago
At this point it does bear repeating: the comics do not matter. I know that's a sore spot for a lot of people who spend a lot of time reading comics, but it is that simple. Assume nothing you know from the comics exists in this universe until stated otherwise.
This show isn't a 1:1 adaptation of any comic. It's taking the characters, wiping the slate, and presenting a new story.
I think comic readers get off on knowing what's coming next, and when that is taken away they are lost, confused, and angry. At least that's the impression they give.
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u/theaveragenerd Green Lantern Corps 45m ago
So, me being a fan should never expect the things I like about the thing I am a fan of? Why should I ever watch another minute of the show again then? Why should I settle for what casual fans, who have never helped prop up the fandom, want?
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u/Slow-Chemical1991 1h ago edited 1h ago
Well, the story they’ve presented is pretty poor.
There was no excuse; fans would have absolutely loved to see Hal, John and Guy at their peak. And knowing that we missed out on that is NOT worth their story.
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u/hansoto108 1h ago
Lmfao ah yes because it’s impossible to have both. Can’t have a good story and great action sequences. Yeah you’re right. You lot are insufferable I swear
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u/BoredAndLonely96 1h ago edited 1h ago
Marvel just released a 2.5 billion dollar movie that is comics through and through, and DC makes a show embarassed that its source material comes from comic books, and they do it with maybe the most comic book-y superhero of all.
We got one real construct in the show, and it was literally a boring machine.
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u/Marshall_666 The Goddamn Batman 1h ago edited 1h ago
People in this subreddit prefer to pretend that this series was a refreshing story rather than accept the reality of the facts, and that's insane, Lanterns has weak research and has almost nothing to do with the Green Lanterns, It's True Detective with a little bit of sci-fi, but True Detective is 100x more efficient at building a plot around a mystery.
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u/BoredAndLonely96 1h ago
The worst part is I liked the show. Eps 1,2, and 4-7 had me amped for the next episodes...
And then the finale was just.. This. The show was building to nothing the whole time. I'm so dissapointed.
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u/VichAssLingLing The Wall 23m ago
you cannot possible compare a 5th MCU spiderman movie and the 12th Spiderman movie overall to a GL show lmao get a grip son
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u/BoredAndLonely96 22m ago
The point:
You:
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u/VichAssLingLing The Wall 4m ago
nah that applies to you. not only is your comparison faulty but you are also factually incorrect.
get a grip son.
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u/Commercial-Leg-9462 1h ago
Thank you! Some of the discourse around this show, and the DCU as a whole, has been driving me up a wall.
I saw someone in a thread complain that Lanterns doesn't have enough fan service, and I was like, "what seriously?!" Haven't we been complaining for years that superhero movies and shows are just fan service now?
I love Green Lantern. I love the comics, and I loved this show - not because it was a one-to-one recreation of my favorite moments from the comics, but because it took the core of Green Lantern and did something completely new with it. And that's exactly what an adaptation should do.
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u/WunShawtMasturr 0m ago
“Just fan service” as in adding references and hype that doesn’t actually serve the story in any way. This show on the other hand pretty much just makes references so we don’t forget what it’s supposed to be an adaptation of.
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u/VisualSwan6129 1h ago edited 1h ago
I never quite understand why it has to be wholly one or the other. The people who wanted to see a suit, a glimpse of the aliens/Manhunters, a little ringslinging, also probably enjoy good writing, it’s not like embracing the superhero/sci-fi side means having to write in a meaningfully different way.
Edit: if he’d constructed a suit before he’d flown off, I don’t see how that affects literally anything else other than just being a cool moment, doesn’t change the story or writing at all, had just embraced becoming a Lantern.
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u/After-Elk-3872 1h ago
Yes. Lots of fanboys wanted the "BEWARE MY POWER!" for John. But throughout the series, we see how much harm both physical and emotional John has endured from people with more power than him.
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u/DaltonMalton 1h ago
"If you guys are really gonna fight for the suit instead of story, then don’t be surprised when the quality of projects starts going down, especially with new leadership."
Are you saying people's comments on reddit have any effect on the DCU? Do you really believe that?
Or are you just upset when people make comments that you don't like?
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u/BlenderBluid 1h ago
I don’t think that’s a fair view of what OP is saying. The reception of a show happens in tons of online spaces. We’ve seen multiple interviews with the writers talking about things they’ve heard online. Episode 3 got review bombed into having the lowest reviews of the season likely because of it’s subject matter. I think it’s reasonable to assume that this feedback will get back to the creators in some form or fashion and that it could affect the show negatively.
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u/Remote_Nature_8166 1h ago edited 1h ago
Stop being such a wise guy and face the reality that fanservice is what DC fans live for. Plus, James Gunns Superman already teaches a good lesson at the same time having exciting action with how his bio parents turn out to be bad people, but he still is free to be who he wants to be.
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u/BoisTR 1h ago
I think this is a fair thing to say for an HBO Original's take on Green Lantern lore. And a great way to consider the DCU as it is developing. I just as we get further along that the DCU doesn't shy away from some fanservice moments. I think they will, and they will feel more earned as a result.
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u/FinalForerunner 1h ago
I don't agree that the lack of the suit is an interesting writing decision or anything, the payoff is that it's a little bit of fan service. People just like superhero costumes, it's not satisfying, interesting, or smart to make a superhero project and exclude/reject the costumes.
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u/Personal-Chocolate39 1h ago edited 1h ago
"Is more concerned with telling a story than having some fan service moment"
Nice, but then what is the story they tryna sell to us? A detective drama one or a Green Lanterns one? Cause I'm quite sure they chose the detective one and if they want more people to be invested in the DCU they better choose the latter, or even choose both. God forbid people who loves the original material just want some green in their Green Lanterns show.
Idk man this show was a great detective drama with a mid ending, but as a Green Lantern show it was disappointing. Overall, not enough to convince me of a bright future for the DCU, still very skeptical about James Gunn.
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u/FloppyShellTaco 1h ago
They literally billed it as a detective drama… it’s on you if you refused to believe them then got disappointed
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u/Slow-Chemical1991 1h ago
Well, they should have used something that actually fits the detective drama of True Detective instead of Green Lantern which is nothing like TD.
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u/0Galahad 26m ago
Well its gonna be on them when people start believing them and not showing up to provide support, gunn is genuinely gonna become like a mirror to snyder, a rich fucker from hollywood with a literal cult following but with obnoxious redditors unironically going about "themes and such"
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u/VaultDoge91 1h ago
It’s not one or the other. The acting in the show was very very very good. The writing was really messy in the finale. And killing Hal Jordan off while dragging his name through the mud the entire season is just garbage imo. I’ve heard all the arguments. And i don’t care. It just sucks. John is a lot of people’s favorite lantern, so I’m honestly happy for those people. Hal has always been my favorite and this just bums me out. In this moment, i can’t say I’m looking forward to how the GL lore is going to be handled going forward.
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u/strangeasylum 1h ago
I mean I didn’t like the fucking show finale what do you want me to do, lie? People are such losers about any criticism nowadays
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u/FloppyShellTaco 1h ago
Where is the critique offered in what you’re saying? Throwing a fit is not criticism.
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u/strangeasylum 1h ago
Top 1% Commenter here to defend the show against all odds!!!!
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u/FloppyShellTaco 52m ago
Another strong argument 🤡
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u/0Galahad 25m ago
Redditor!
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u/FloppyShellTaco 19m ago
You just stalking my comments or what?
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u/0Galahad 17m ago
No you redditor, im not stalking your redditor ass.
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u/FloppyShellTaco 13m ago
If you’re going to troll, either be clever or funny. You’re failing at both. Hell, you’re failing to even form coherent sentences.
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u/theaveragenerd Green Lantern Corps 50m ago
Why is it so terrible to want GL lore in my GL show? The Last Starfighter did aliens better in the 1980s.
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u/pm-me-your-rumps 1h ago
Apparently juggling those two things is impossible for people that make millions. Wow they’re even less talented than I thought
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u/Old-Caterpillar3658 1h ago
I do think at some point we can see Hal again but I have a feeling it won't be in a way that'll diminish John's growth
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u/Last_Set_8634 1h ago
Why not? This show turned Hal into smeagol to make room for John.
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u/Old-Caterpillar3658 1h ago
Having Hal dead, we see John grieve him and appreciate him. We see him say "I love you". If he returns without a purpose then s1 has no use
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u/ANewPrometheus Green Lantern Corps 1h ago
I think many people will call the Finale disappointing because it didn't have a big action fight but I was really invested in the twist with Noah and how they played it.
Having Zoe basically commit suicide by having John kill her, then having Noah ask John to kill him which is also a form of suicide reminded me a lot of the "Jordan Boys' Legacy" and John's decision to let him live was such a nice touch. I think people are mad that John didn't retaliate or "avenge" Hal but what good would that have actually done?
By John choosing to let Kerry continue to support Noah and be in his life while letting Noah live, he has potentially saved a life and has also honored what Hal probably would've wanted.
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u/Colombiana87 1h ago
I really enjoyed it! It was a mature take on a great character and they actually developed the characters before throwing them in fancy suits and big fights
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u/interestinghuman_15 1h ago
Imagine MCU fans saying this shit. HAH you are pathetic. Youd probably eat the spit out of Gunns mouth just because it tastes different
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u/Daniel_Spidey 46m ago
Only thing I was off about was that lantern clearly was fucked up, I thought John would reject it entirely. I guess it has to be a set up for something down the line, but John is like the least likely to go all yellow lantern on us.
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u/Pardybro911 36m ago
Sinestro just being left and that thread being abandoned was perfect tbh. What a way to leave the door open to the story.
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u/brucebananaray 36m ago
There are problems in ending that I legitimately have.
I don't like how quickly they reslove John relationship with his mom. Like we had epsiodes that he doesn't like her.
I don't like how they handle John and that girl because she was jack ass.
Also, I kinda don't like how they wanted to add a new thing for John like having his own oath. I feel like they tired to Masioc and Earth One verison.
Honestly, after the integration with Sinestro that it went down hill.
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u/Pumpkin_Libra_26 34m ago
I totally agree that we should be patient BUT we got Kerry and Hal to have a relationship. He made love to her with his COWBOY BOOTS on. In season 1! That was HEAVY fan service, even if it did come at a cost.
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u/saibjai 26m ago
Don't get it twisted. You can do both. If John didn't want the suit, he wouldn't have kept the ring or the lantern. I respect the full dive into a grounded true detective show. But the DC mark needs to mean more than that. It needs a commitment to the genre. No fight? Okay. Understandable. Genre. No action, chase scene? Fine. Genre. No superhero costume? Now you are embarrassed of what you are, and that's not okay. You can commit to the genre, but you can't be ashamed of what you are. If Matt Reeves can have a suit in his show... You can have suit in yours.
I'm sick of people combining people who are asking for ridiculous things along with people asking for reasonable things. The show is fine. The genre is fine. The story is great. If a suit reveal messes up your story... Then I'm sorry, you don't have the right story.
If daredevil can do it. If Gotham can do it. Your "return to comic books DCU" can and should do it.
If the only way to cure comic book show fatigue is by removing superhero elements.. then you have gone full circle and fucked yourself.
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u/redrfgdfdsfewq 23m ago
It's a superhero show. If John doesn't want the mantle, make the show about someone who does.
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u/ColonelFadeshot 21m ago
It’s not about a big suit moment or a special fight for me. I was wondering how they were going to tie it all together, and answer what was left unanswered in an enjoyable way. And the finale didn’t do that.
Spoilers ahead, don’t know how to do the cover up words thing
Hal Jordan, one of the best if not the best Green Lantern, dies for no purpose. He was trying to troubleshoot with Kelly the best way to proceed forward, not threatening her or Noah, and she just shoots him basically throwing a temper tantrum, a man she supposedly is in love with. It was totally reactionary, to something not threatening? They also even go so far as for Sinestro to offer a way to resurrect Hal after fans have been constantly theorizing way he could be coming back, or that it’s not actually him that died, plenty of which made sense, just to not do it.
The whole thing with the blond haired girl “blackmailing” John was dumb and by the end ultimately pointless.
Kerry is known to kill Hal, for no good reason and is just left alone because he would’ve wanted it that way. Sure maybe he would’ve wanted to grant her mercy or whatnot, but she still MURDERED him, even if it was in the heat of the moment.
Noah is known to be a manhunter which is a threat in and of itself, and is just left to be. Not only that but from what we’re told he broke Sinestro out of prison, and forced him to craft an illegal lantern, and isn’t facing anything for his crimes.
Guy Gardner, a headstrong lantern unafraid of even Superman, is threatened by John Stewart who has a more or less dead ring, and an illegal lantern, and just takes it and lets John be instead of seizing the contraband to take to the Guardians.
And John doesn’t even say the standard oath. I get he’s doing his own thing and that’s fine, and could’ve said something to the effect of he’ll make his own later, but it would’ve been really cool to at least hear him say it once.
For me at least, it all adds up to a terrible ending to a very enjoyable show. I was really excited coming into this and through the season, just to ultimately be disappointed.
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u/Sergeantson 18m ago
I also dont want slop over story but this last episode really lacked a punch. I hope they increase the budget of second season.
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u/ForbiddenVillaint 14m ago
I don't really care if he had a suit, but like... I would've liked any cool or interesting action scenes... across any of the show. But nah, we just get bubbles instead. And like 3 shields. And one single cool contruct with the tornado. That being said, it wouldn't bother me if it were about basically any other DC characters. It's just the fact that they picked the DC characters most well known for being bright and colorful and having crazy space adventures with super creative fights. I still think the show is good, but it's just so SOOOO fucking weird that they went with Green Lantern to star in their small town detective story.
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u/rednaxthecreature 1h ago
The pay off is him showing his reunited family he finally accepted his destiny that was forced upon but within his own conditions rather then theirs. He had a perfect moment to show them but instead they saved the budget
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u/statebirdsnest 1h ago
I’d like to think there’s a lot of potential moving forward to season 2. I think there’s some things about S1 I’ve got some issues about, but as a whole I enjoyed the show. I hope they take some critiques of the fandom after the finale though and implement some more construct usage in the next season.
I’m excited to see what season 2 holds.
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u/ElMatasiete7 1h ago
Watch him suit up in Man of Tomorrow and this point be moot lol. I'll be clear that I don't want this massively sanitized and curated MCU style of content where everything feels the same, but some things could have been threaded better.
TBH though the suit was not my biggest complaint.
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u/GeneCreemer 1h ago
What exactly does the DCU have?
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u/thedrizzle126 1h ago
You could watch the first 45 seconds of Superman and understand what's going on.
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u/Lolbwah916 1h ago
i guess i didn’t specifically label but i did say in the post: it cares about its story more than the fan service moments
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u/SubstantialBasket709 1h ago
Exactly, please for God’s sake, don’t turn into MCU. Fan service is much more important there than a really good and heartfelt storytelling (except for a handful of shows and movies).
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u/repsol99999 1h ago
That moment where hal says, “Don’t be afraid to be afraid”. Such a wholesome moment. Undoing all his childhood trauma. Mad respect for the makers and writers for sticking to their content rather than making it just about the ip.