While you are probably right, I think that there's a good chance of Montoya being the next Spectre. For one, her rage issues and desire for vengeance are a lot closer to old Corrigan's issues than Allen's. After all, she was possessed by the escaped sin Wrath, not Crispus. She is in greater need of redemption than Allen. Secondly, she would become, in a very natural way, the new GAY superhero that DC is promising.
I'm thinking it's Renee, too, but I like the Crispus angle much more. Especially your reasoning behind it. Of course, they built Ted Kord up, too, just to put a bullet in his head at the end of the story, so maybe Crispus is, in fact, just dead.
Even if Allen doesn't become the Spectre, showing his inner struggles isn't pointless if he dies the next issue. It was because of who he was that he decided to get the goods on Corrigan, so showing what motivates him very specifically makes sense. Also, getting to know a character before they die makes the death more impacting, and makes it more tragic. It's a time-tested dramatic technique, which worked for me: I've only been reading GC for about the past ten issues, and when Allen got shot, I was quite taken aback.
Montoya's been a leading suggestion, but I can't see that happening. For one, she's not dead, and the solicitation for #40 doesn't make it sound like she's going to die. And given Rucka's love for the character, I just don't see him killing her off, or agreeing to turn her into the Spectre.
Although it's just a suspicion on my part, I don't anticipate DC getting really experimental with the Spectre again, and giving us a gay agent of God. Corrigan worked, and they'd be smart to replicate that, not to try something radically different.
(Besides, isn't the 'gay superhero' supposed to be getting an ongoing series? There hasn't been word of a new Spectre monthly yet.)
And Montoya-Spectre still leaves Allen's character arc unresolved, in my eyes. If #37 had been a more broad character analysis, I wouldn't be reading as much into it. But it raised, for the first time, Allen's atheism, dealt a little with his struggle of faith, and ended with him praying with his family. It didn't get any real resolution, either. That seems like a strange note to close a character out on, killing him right after establishing his spiritual doubts. But it's a perfect set-up if they plan on putting him in a post-mortem situation that will test his beliefs.
Montoya has (according to the newest Wizard) a large role in 52. Take from that what you will.
at first i thought it was just going to be jim corrigan. falling for the red herring. but the idea that crispus could become the next spectre is a great one.
Good call!
While you've since been proven right as to who the next Spectre was, there was one thing that was another big hint that Crispus Allen was the next Spectre: his name.
Crispus: Crispus Attucks, dead in the Boston Massacre.
+
Allen: Barry Allen, DC's first and foremost martyr, the man who died heroically with a spotless record.
C'mon, two martyrs (in a manner of speaking) in one name was too good to pass up!
Commenting by HaloScan
