Hal Jordan's gray temples

[BohemiaDrinker]

It fit him back then.

But post Parallax retcon they will never make sense again.

[SiegePerilous02]

I agree, the Hal in the main Green Lantern book and the Hal from the New 52 JL title were like two different people. Johns' Hal always had the cocky swagger the character is known for, but he never wrote him anywhere else like he did in the JL Origin/The Villain's Journey arcs. When Johns brought Hal back for The Darkseid War, he didn't write him that way there too.

I have to wonder, when did cocky swagger become synonymous with "frat-boy douche"?

New 52 Superman gets hit with that label a lot too, and I just don't get it. Hal is similar to characters like Han Solo, should we label Han that too?

[Johnny]

I guess it usually refers to a character that's not being balanced out well. Hal works best when he's neither too cocky, nor too serious. I didn't regularly follow the New-52 Superman book but I don't think he was that unlikable.

[j9ac9k]

I have to wonder, when did cocky swagger become synonymous with "frat-boy douche"?

When certain writers couldn't distinguish between the two and failed to convey the subtle yet all-important differences.

[SiegePerilous02]

I guess it usually refers to a character that's not being balanced out well. Hal works best when he's neither too cocky, nor too serious. I didn't regularly follow the New-52 Superman book but I don't think he was that unlikable.

I think that's exactly right. It's a delicate thing, but works great when it's done well.

As for New 52 Superman being unlikable, you are correct and he definitely wasn't.

When certain writers couldn't distinguish between the two and failed to convey the subtle yet all-important differences.

By certain writers, do you mean Johns? Because I think he got it right in the book that mattered, the GL solo. He didn't fail to convey it at all.

I don't know what was going on with him when he was writing JL, but the quality difference between that and GL, Aquaman and Shazam at the time were like night and day.

[j9ac9k]

By certain writers, do you mean Johns? Because I think he got it right in the book that mattered, the GL solo. He didn't fail to convey it at all.

I don't know what was going on with him when he was writing JL, but the quality difference between that and GL, Aquaman and Shazam at the time were like night and day.

Agree 100% but I wasn't thinking of just him specifically. There have been times when Hal came across as borderline obnoxious, which is not him. Can't remember specific instances at this time though.

[mrumsey]

I absolutely hated them. They appeared overnight and seemed so out of place considering that Bruce Wayne and other peers showed no signs of aging. If anything I think it helped to make the character seem less interesting to the comics reading audience of the '90s and symbolic of a "your father's superhero" type.

[CaptCleghorn]

It fit him back then.

But post Parallax retcon they will never make sense again.

This is my take on them as well. DC had gone with making their heroes a bot older which allowed the Titans group to move up (Wally becoming the Flash). It's not unheard of for a mna in his late thirties to be having some grey.

The "they were grey because he was possessed by Parralax" was dumb.

[j9ac9k]

.The "they were grey because he was possessed by Parralax" was dumb.

For what it's worth, I think it was kinda clever that Johns tied Hal's grey temples as well as his foray into the Central Power Battery at the end of the GLC series into Rebirth.

[j9ac9k]

.The "they were grey because he was possessed by Parralax" was dumb.

For what it's worth, I think it was kinda clever that Johns tied Hal's grey temples as well as his foray into the Central Power Battery at the end of the GLC series into Rebirth.

[Anthony Shaw]

Agree 100% but I wasn't thinking of just him specifically. There have been times when Hal came across as borderline obnoxious, which is not him. Can't remember specific instances at this time though.

Those New52 DC animated movies come to mind. It would have made more sense to me to use Guy intsead.

[Nite-Wing]

It was really dumb that Hal and Ollie were the only one from his generation to get older like that
everyone else got to stay in their prime
Its no coincidence that Hal and Ollie got replaced by younger heroes that's usually the sign of a time to hang it up old man type story

[WhipWhirlwind]

They don't work for the comics version of the character, but I think Hal being older works better for mainstream adaptations since it lets him believably lean more into the whole Chuck Yeager shtick.

[Ascended]

This never made sense to me.

If they were jumping forward in time then Bruce Wayne, Oliver Queen, Arthur Curry and everyone else from that generation should have started graying as well.

People go gray early. I started getting gray hair at 16. A friend of mine started going bald at 18.

Hal started going gray early. Not a big deal. Not a sign of being "too stressed" or being "old" or anything. He just went gray before 40.

I think it gave his look some extra character, tbh.

Agreed. I thought it was a good look for him and it made him slightly more visually distinct from his Silver Age peers who, aside from costume and hair color (sometimes haircut, but not always), all looked the same.

It should never happen because I don't like Hal as a character, but if I ever got to write him I'd have him start going gray early (again) and worry that Parallax was creeping up on him again.

[Buried Alien]

I wonder whether, if Barry Allen had survived COIE, DC would have also portrayed him as middle-aged as they did Hal and Ollie during this period. Would it also cover fellow Silver/Bronze Agers such as Atom (Ray Palmer) and Elongated Man?

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)