Hal Jordan: Green Lantern Appreciation 2020

[j9ac9k]

Both Hal and Bruce lost their fathers in horrific deaths when they were young. And yet, Hal is far more well adjusted as an adult, and as a hero, other than being a reckless adventurer (absence of the fear gene, yo) and an unrepentant horndog, Hal isn't a paranoid psychotic and all around ******* like Bruce. Was Hal nurtured more as a child while Bruce only had Alfred to fall back on? Was there a difference between watching your father blown to bits in a malfunctioning jet from a distance over having your dad gunned down (along with your mother) right in front of you? Did those differences shape who Hal and Bruce are today?

I imagine their backgrounds were a huge determining factor:
-- Hal's father died pushing the boundaries and sometimes the boundaries push back. Hal spends his life fighting the thing that took his dad by continuing to push the boundaries.
-- Bruce's parents were killed by a man with a gun when he was a powerless boy. Bruce spends his life fighting guys with guns with anything but guns and while he uses weapons, he has honed his mind and body to be the ultimate weapon.

-- Hal had his mother and brothers as a support system. He then joined the military, so he understands working with groups and devotion to a higher cause. However, he maintained his individualism and always challenges authority.
-- Bruce traveled the world, and while he had a series of teachers, was basically alone committing himself to a personal quest. However, he keeps trying to cobble together a family with Alfred and his Robins/associates.

-- Hal works in space all the time, thriving in new situations and dealing with the unexpected. After losing his dad, he felt a need to get out. He's the ultimate extrovert.
-- Bruce works in his cave underground. Batman has become synonymous with Gotham. He knows every little inch of that place and thrives when he can plan ahead. After the city took his parents, he felt the need to make his home safe. He's the ultimate introvert.

[liwanag]

By J.H. Williams III.

really looks awesome.

[Frontier]

By J.H. Williams III.

It's kind of funny that such a cool design ended up only being around for, like, five seconds in-universe .

[cyclops1983]

It's kind of funny that such a cool design ended up only being around for, like, five seconds in-universe .

I feel the same way...like this and White Lantern Hal have little comic panel time. Would love to see more of that power combo in action

[silly]

Both Hal and Bruce lost their fathers in horrific deaths when they were young. And yet, Hal is far more well adjusted as an adult, and as a hero, other than being a reckless adventurer (absence of the fear gene, yo) and an unrepentant horndog, Hal isn't a paranoid psychotic and all around ******* like Bruce. Was Hal nurtured more as a child while Bruce only had Alfred to fall back on? Was there a difference between watching your father blown to bits in a malfunctioning jet from a distance over having your dad gunned down (along with your mother) right in front of you? Did those differences shape who Hal and Bruce are today?

I think someone already answered this before, but when was Martin's story first written? Was it way before the Silver Age?

And the rest of Hal's family?

[Mutatis_Mutandis]

I wouldn't say Hal is well adjusted in a normative common-sensical way. He's well-adjusted from the perspective of his own ethical system.

[Rise]

Their situations were pretty different. Bruce lost both of his parents and they were murdered while Hal lost his father in an accident.

It's understandable why Bruce come off "worse" than Hal because his parents' death was more traumatizing and had only Alfred who wasn't exactly a great role model.

[SebastianS]

The death of Bruce's parents is an integral element of the character, part of the canon of the character pretty much from the very beginning.

In Hal's case, as far as I remember, it is a recent (retroactive) development.

[Vampire Savior]

Chronologically speaking, the earliest I recall seeing Hal Jordan's dad's death really being a big part of the character was in Emerald Dawn, which was published in 1989, I believe. Even then, I don't think it was THAT big of a deal for the character. I think Geoff Johns took that beat and really ran hard with it.

[Mutatis_Mutandis]

Chronologically speaking, the earliest I recall seeing Hal Jordan's dad's death really being a big part of the character was in Emerald Dawn, which was published in 1989, I believe. Even then, I don't think it was THAT big of a deal for the character. I think Geoff Johns took that beat and really ran hard with it.

I think that was partially due to New Frontier which had come out at about the same time? Martin wasn't really portrayed in a very flattering light pre-Johns.

Anyway, New Frontier and the Tom King story are the only times I've cared about Hal and Martin's relationship.

[silly]

Chronologically speaking, the earliest I recall seeing Hal Jordan's dad's death really being a big part of the character was in Emerald Dawn, which was published in 1989, I believe. Even then, I don't think it was THAT big of a deal for the character. I think Geoff Johns took that beat and really ran hard with it.

Was there no mention of Martin Jordan before Emerald Dawn? How about Hal's brothers? And Hal's mom? (Actually, does anybody remember the name of Hal's mom?)

And how about Carl Ferris? Was it Geoff Johns who introduced him?

[j9ac9k]

Hal's brothers and Carl Ferris have been around since the silver age. Not sure when his parents were first mentioned.
Carl_Ferris_01.jpg

[Bored at 3:00AM]

From what I remember, Hal's parents were always dead, but Broome just never elaborated upon the circumstances of their deaths. Given the time period they were created, it was pretty likely that Hal's dad had died during WW2 and his mom dying in her 40s or 50s would have been pretty common place back then.

[vartox]

IIRC Hal’s parents didn’t exist and have names until the 90s? We saw a lot of his family in the silver age and Bronze Age but his parents just never came up.

[Johnny]

By Vasco Georgiev.