Sequential Scholars

“Green Lantern/Green Arrow" by Dennis O'Neil with pencils by Neal Adams, comprises 14 issues of the regular “Green Lantern” series. Published from 1970-72, this storyline is highly ambitious, deeply flawed, and endlessly interesting, both on its own merits and as a piece of comics history. 1/10

The series is also influential as a showcase for the art of Neal Adams, whose expressionistic realism & experimental layouts similarly epitomized an era where superhero comics agitated to expand beyond their reputation as simplistic fantasy stories for children and become seen as serious art. 9/10

“Green Lantern/Green Arrow" by Dennis O'Neil with pencils by Neal Adams, comprises 14 issues of the regular “Green Lantern” series. Published from 1970-72, this storyline is highly ambitious, deeply flawed, and endlessly interesting, both on its own merits and as a piece of comics history. 1/10

Yet the series’ determination to challenge prevailing assumptions about the types of stories superheroes can star in was deeply influential, inspiring other creators and participating in discourse around comics censorship; the Speedy addiction story was enabled by a revision of the Comics Code. 7/10

“Green Lantern/Green Arrow" by Dennis O'Neil with pencils by Neal Adams, comprises 14 issues of the regular “Green Lantern” series. Published from 1970-72, this storyline is highly ambitious, deeply flawed, and endlessly interesting, both on its own merits and as a piece of comics history. 1/10

In some cases, the series is highly effective in illustrating the historical shortcomings of superhero comics, including their tendency to tell stories about good and evil that ignore contemporary social issues or offload political messages into sometimes-obtuse fantastic metaphors. 5/10

“Green Lantern/Green Arrow" by Dennis O'Neil with pencils by Neal Adams, comprises 14 issues of the regular “Green Lantern” series. Published from 1970-72, this storyline is highly ambitious, deeply flawed, and endlessly interesting, both on its own merits and as a piece of comics history. 1/10

O’Neil, who graduated college with a literature degree followed by a stint in the Navy and jobs in journalism before becoming a comics writer, described the storyline as an attempt to consider, “What would happen if we put a super-hero in a real-life setting dealing with a real-life problem?” 3/10

“Green Lantern/Green Arrow" by Dennis O'Neil with pencils by Neal Adams, comprises 14 issues of the regular “Green Lantern” series. Published from 1970-72, this storyline is highly ambitious, deeply flawed, and endlessly interesting, both on its own merits and as a piece of comics history. 1/10

Our series of threads on "Frieren: Beyond Journey's End" is over but not forgotten! As always, all our content is archived on our website. Here's a snapshot of what we covered, starting with "An Introduction to Frieren." 1/9 #ComicsStudies #Manga #Frieren sequentialscholars.com?page_id=6328

We also explored "The Symbolic Geography of Frieren." 8/9 sequentialscholars.com?page_id=6426

Our series of threads on "Frieren: Beyond Journey's End" is over but not forgotten! As always, all our content is archived on our website. Here's a snapshot of what we covered, starting with "An Introduction to Frieren." 1/9 #ComicsStudies #Manga #Frieren sequentialscholars.com?page_id=6328

Next, we investigated "The Ongoing Funeral in Frieren." 6/9 sequentialscholars.com?page_id=6396

Our series of threads on "Frieren: Beyond Journey's End" is over but not forgotten! As always, all our content is archived on our website. Here's a snapshot of what we covered, starting with "An Introduction to Frieren." 1/9 #ComicsStudies #Manga #Frieren sequentialscholars.com?page_id=6328

Our next post explored "Backward Significance in Frieren’s Funeral Scene." 4/9 sequentialscholars.com?page_id=6370

Our series of threads on "Frieren: Beyond Journey's End" is over but not forgotten! As always, all our content is archived on our website. Here's a snapshot of what we covered, starting with "An Introduction to Frieren." 1/9 #ComicsStudies #Manga #Frieren sequentialscholars.com?page_id=6328

Next, we discussed "Frieren and the Curse of Immortality." 2/9 sequentialscholars.com?page_id=6340

TBT: In a story that is deeply engaged with the philosophy of death and dying, The Many Deaths of Laila Starr uses the personification of death in the form of Laila, as well as the relationships and conflicts she encounters, to develop its commentary on the subject. #lailastarr 1/12

“Did that mean Laila Starr had her job back? Or did life resign itself to death and did Laila and Pranah set out to new beginnings on a beach somewhere in Goa? Perhaps such things are better left in closed boxes and set adrift out into the sea.” 11/12

TBT: In a story that is deeply engaged with the philosophy of death and dying, The Many Deaths of Laila Starr uses the personification of death in the form of Laila, as well as the relationships and conflicts she encounters, to develop its commentary on the subject. #lailastarr 1/12

The ending is thus a little cryptic, but we might reconcile things by suggesting that Darius learns that death is valuable. Laila does as well, but it’s the value of life that she comes to understand and death is required for that value to exist. 9/12

TBT: In a story that is deeply engaged with the philosophy of death and dying, The Many Deaths of Laila Starr uses the personification of death in the form of Laila, as well as the relationships and conflicts she encounters, to develop its commentary on the subject. #lailastarr 1/12

At the same time, the innate nature of Laila’s existence (a Goddess forced to live as a mortal) forces her to reconcile with her own mortality and, through it, the broader consequences of mortality in general. Darius does the same as he contemplates his life and the impact of a death-cure. 7/12

TBT: In a story that is deeply engaged with the philosophy of death and dying, The Many Deaths of Laila Starr uses the personification of death in the form of Laila, as well as the relationships and conflicts she encounters, to develop its commentary on the subject. #lailastarr 1/12

Though seemingly chosen at random, however, the first death of Laila Starr coincides directly with the moment of birth of Darius Shah, the child destined to end death as a concept. The Goddess of Death, thinking practically, seeks to destroy him. 5/12

TBT: In a story that is deeply engaged with the philosophy of death and dying, The Many Deaths of Laila Starr uses the personification of death in the form of Laila, as well as the relationships and conflicts she encounters, to develop its commentary on the subject. #lailastarr 1/12

The body that Laila is given is provided somewhat randomly. We know only that Laila Starr was an orphan who chose suicide just as the 2019 class of TI Media Studies were celebrating the end of their term. 3/12

TBT: In a story that is deeply engaged with the philosophy of death and dying, The Many Deaths of Laila Starr uses the personification of death in the form of Laila, as well as the relationships and conflicts she encounters, to develop its commentary on the subject. #lailastarr 1/12

In keeping with a rich tradition in high fantasy, Frieren uses symbolic geography to synchronize the internal and external journey that the characters embark upon. #frieren 1/7

Frieren, like all of us, is on a journey in which appreciating and understanding the past can produce self-knowledge ideally before we reach the realm of the dead. It’s a clear and cleverly articulated metaphor for our individual journeys toward death and the need to appreciate life in contrast. 6/7

In keeping with a rich tradition in high fantasy, Frieren uses symbolic geography to synchronize the internal and external journey that the characters embark upon. #frieren 1/7

This is important for portraying the reformative potential of exile. By disentangling the hero from the trappings of comfortable society, they can achieve self-knowledge. It’s a sort of stripping down of the accoutrements of identity in order to reveal the previously obfuscated central core. 4/7

In keeping with a rich tradition in high fantasy, Frieren uses symbolic geography to synchronize the internal and external journey that the characters embark upon. #frieren 1/7

The path that Frieren and company follow operates on the symbolic level in 3 key ways. First and foremost, the journey retraces the steps of the original party of heroes thus connecting the present to the past in a meaningful process of recontextualization. 2/7