It's The Fanboy Circus Underneath The Big GL Tent
It's to the point where I can't tell if this is a real
Newsarama
thread or an
Onion
spoof: Newsarama posters discuss whether there's room for
both Kyle Rayner fans and Hal Jordan fans in the "big GL tent."
First off, poster James Meeley (who I'm assuming is a big Kyle Rayner
fan since he refers to himself as "The real life Kyle Rayner") explains
why H.E.A.T. is more an evil force than a sad group of comic book
fans:
H.E.A.T.'s constant attempts to paint themselves as
martyrs and just a
group of fans who only wanted what was best, is a fallacy of the
highest order. And now that Jordan is coming back, it becomes very
dangerous to let people think H.E.A.T. somehow masterminded this, and
that all the bad blood they have created is now being rewarded. That is
a bad belief to allow to run rampant. It opens the door for fans of
other characters to think doing the things H.E.A.T. memebers have done
(be it good or bad) is accpetable, as you will get what you wantin the
end. That's wrong. That's untrue. And people must be told such.
H.E.A.T. member "MaestroJMK," however, wants to move beyond the sins of
the past and let the time of healing begin:
The simple truth now is that if DC is doing what I
think they're doing, they are allowing Green Lantern fans the chance to
unite for the first time in over 10 years. I and the vast majority of
HEAT want ALL GL fans to be happy after all this is over....
We're willing to put an end to all this animosity and join with all
Green Lantern fans to make this book the one with the best fanbase in
comics.
But "The real life Kyle Rayner" isn't convinced. In fact, the
whole thing brings up painful high school memories:
In fact, all I've really seen, aside from the
happiness for Hal's
return, is a lot of "there's room for everyone" type stuff. But don't
you think that a bit premature, considering that some of those for whom
H.E.A.T. is declaring room are folks they've insulted and berated for
YEARS? I mean, imagine the high school bully suddenly inviting you over
to his home for his birthday after he tormaneted you day after day for
YEARS. Would you feel inclinded to go to his party? I know I wouldn't.
I know that there are many here who feel the same. It just seems so
totally naive on your group's part to expect everyone to join in a
group hug after all that some members of your group have done to and
towards them for such a long time.
"The real life Kyle Rayner" also makes it clear that he has a firm grip
on the difference between reality and fiction (or not):
I know you are smart enough to know that some of
things some H.E.A.T.
members have done in the name of your cause were worse then the wrong
you felt done to a fictional character, if for no other reason, because
what they did and said were done to REAL people. And unlike Hal Jordan,
the strokes of a writer's keyboard cannot easily fix this. Personally,
I don't know if I will ever fully be able to let go of my poisoned
feelings towards Hal Jordan. The bad blood runs pretty deep.
"MaestroJMK" tries once again to focus on the positive present rather
than the unpleasant past, but there are some wounds that even he can't
forget:
I
think the ultimate goal in HEAT right now is to make as wide a tent as
possible so that ALL GL fans can join together to celebrate the return
of the Green Lantern books to the legacy that had been put into the
background the last 10 years.
...
From our side, the bullying has come more from the people who have
taunted us, told us to "Get Over It", or have reveled in the fact that
it's a Green Lantern title devoid of Hal Jordan. It's like in the old
days when you'd see in the shop windows "Irish need not apply". You've
been able to enjoy your Green Lantern while we were left in the cold. I
have never seen the fairness in that.
Finally, "The real life Kyle Rayner" gives us our fanboy "Taxi Driver"
moment of the day:
Oh, I have plans for Alex Ross and many other pros
who've berated Kyle
and Marz over the years. Trust me on that.
It's so nice to see that -- contrary to the unfair stereotypes --
comic book fans are able to keep things like the return of a comic book
character in perspective.
