Secret Origins #9 (DC)

via DC Comics

writer: Charles Soule (Swamp Thing), Paul Levitz (Power Girl), Van Jensen (John Stewart)

artist: Alessandro Vitti (Swamp Thing), Alisson Borges (Power Girl), Pat Broderick (John Stewart)

The last DC commitment Charles Soule is concluding Swamp Thing, a series I've caught on occasion and thought filled with typical Soule brilliance.  I haven't read regularly, so I hope to catch up at a later date, which means an aside like this origin/recap is extremely welcome.  And that's what was so great about Secret Origins, a chance for readers to catch up on or be introduced to not merely characters but creators.  A hugely underrated experience.

Paul Levitz, a DC institution, catches readers up on the new Power Girl spinning out of World's Finest and Batman/Superman and into Teen Titans.

But aside from Soule's Swamp Thing, the other entry worth writing about is the John Stewart origin.  John's the Green Lantern some fans still think ought to be the new mainstream face of the franchise thanks to his appearances in the animated Justice League, a rare black hero of significance in DC (wait, that sounds bad...).  The writer is Van Jensen, who along with Soule was one of the newbies who came into the GL titles after the end of the Geoff Johns era.  Since I really only read Red Lanterns at that point, I'm not hugely familiar with Jensen's work, so it's really just a matter of appreciating the rare opportunity to revisit John Stewart's story.  Soldier.  Architect.  Green Lantern.

...If I'm right, in what I've guessed recently, we may be headed toward a new John Stewart solo title.  Maybe reason enough for DC to reprint Mosaic?  Please?