Tony Bedard talks Green Lantern New Guardians

I had the opportunity to interview Green Lantern writer Tony Bedard for Starburst magazine. Here is an excerpt, but you can read the whole thing at Starburst.

STARBURST: Can you explain the New 52 Green Lantern status quo for fans that saw the movie, but haven't read any comics yet?

TONY: The movie established a lot of the basics: that ancient blue aliens called the Guardians of the Universe empowered the Green Lantern Corps to act as an interstellar army of peacekeepers. Hal Jordan became the first Green Lantern from Earth, eventually outshining even the great Green Lantern Sinestro, who goes on to become Hal's greatest foe. In September, the New 52 comics will be a great jumping-on point for anyone who hasn't been reading DC Comics, and each issue will re-establish everything you need to know to enjoy that particular series. But in GREEN LANTERN the big twist is that Hal Jordan has been kicked out of the Corps and Sinestro has taken his place! Over in GREEN LANTERN CORPS we'll follow two more of Earth's Green Lanterns, Guy Gardner and John Stewart, as they take on an all-new menace that is immune to green power rings. And in the all-new GREEN LANTERN: NEW GUARDIANS series that I will be writing, we follow Earth's newest Lantern, Kyle Rayner, and he must pull together a new team with representatives from all the different Corps. Somehow, Kyle has to get Red Lanterns, Blue Lanterns, Indigo Lanterns, etc to work together -- something that the Guardians of the Universe see as a threat to their authority. So while Kyle will be wearing the badge and ring of a Green Lantern, he is very much off the reservation, so to speak. Not only will we discover new things about all the other Corps, but we'll see that the only thing the Guardians of the Universe fear...are New Guardians.


STARBURST: Are there any essential storylines that new readers should pick up or will the past be recapped as the new stories go on?

TONY: One of the guiding principles in the "New 52" relaunch of the DC Universe is that every one of these new books will be completely accessible to new readers. It's the best intro to this pantheon of characters since they first appeared so many years ago. Pick up any book from Superman #1 to GREEN LANTERN: NEW GUARDIANS #1 to BLUE BEETLE #1 and you're going to have everything you need. We have the greatest heroes, the most memorable villains, and a whole universe full of cool concepts and places. Of course, once you check out some of these new books, you may want to go read some of their previous adventures, but in September all DC Comics will be "come as you are, no experience necessary." It's the ground floor, and you're invited.

STARBURST: You've written both Green Lantern Corps and now New Guardians starring Kyle Rayner. What is it about Kyle that is appealing to you as a writer and a fan?

TONY: Kyle is the most accessible, most normal, most empathetic Lantern in the Corps. He's not some fearless hero or badass warrior when he gets his ring, he's just a normal twenty-something struggling to make ends meet, and even though he proves himself worthy of the honor, he's still just a regular dude. Being a commercial artist and cartoonist, he finds that his visual sense and boundless imagination make him a natural at ring-slinging and coming up with cool energy-constructs. He's also sensitive, as artists often are, but this emotional core will prove crucial as he seeks to master the whole emotional spectrum, from Red Rage to Violet Love. Kyle also has an origin unlike any other Green Lantern, which you'll see in GREEN LANTERN: NEW GUARDIANS #1. He is unique in the Corps, and he's the only Lantern in any Corps with a prayer of pulling together a team like the New Guardians.