Classic and Modern Version of Superheroes

[phantom1592]

You didn't explain how Alan Scott ended up with the same name and gimmick (power ring, lantern battery) as a bunch of space cops he had absolutely no knowledge of.

DC did explain it, and it was convoluted.

My favorite version was in GL vol 3 #19.

Basically, he WAS from the corps... just didn't know it. His ring and battery were from an alien GL that got too arrogant, so the guardians changed his vulnerability to wood. Sure it opens up a lot more questions than it answers... but I still prefer to anything involving chaos magic and the starheart. Hate that story.

ga_green_lantern_19.jpg

[Jim Kelly]

In the early issues of the 1960s GREEN LANTERN run, Hal is the only one who is called Green Lantern. There are other ring wielders introduced, but they are not identified as Green Lanterns. Eventually they are referred to as other Green Lanterns--although the Green Lantern Corps name itself is never used (it seems like the GLC doesn't become their official title until the 1970s).

Hal adopts the Green Lantern name because his power battery looks like a Green Lantern--but since he never flies around with his power battery, there would be no obvious reason for anyone else to give him that name; however, Barry Allen called himself the Flash because of the comic books he read as a boy, so people knew there were these JSA characters in a comic book, including one Green Lantern. So it seems fair to say that Hal was called Green Lantern, because the name was known on Earth as the name of that comic book character.

Since every other planet doesn't speak English, the rings are just translating the name for us--and for convenience of the reader, we see this as Green Lantern. But each champion could have his own name--given these are local concepts--the perception of colour and the fashioning of light sources would be different for each culture.

[docmidnite]

You didn't explain how Alan Scott ended up with the same name and gimmick (power ring, lantern battery) as a bunch of space cops he had absolutely no knowledge of.

DC did explain it, and it was convoluted.

I didn't have to. That was already explained in his original Golden Age origin which the origin of the Starheart simply sets up (like I said earlier).

It's not convoluted in the slightest. It took only 3 sentences for me to explain it and I could even have shortened it even down to one sentence if I wanted to. I understood it fine when I was 4yrs old (same with the Multiverse concept) but if it's too "convoluted" for you to understand that's on you not anyone else.

[docmidnite]

My favorite version was in GL vol 3 #19.

Basically, he WAS from the corps... just didn't know it. His ring and battery were from an alien GL that got too arrogant, so the guardians changed his vulnerability to wood. Sure it opens up a lot more questions than it answers... but I still prefer to anything involving chaos magic and the starheart. Hate that story.

ga_green_lantern_19.jpg

lol That story includes the Starheart and it's origin. Yalan Gur (the rogue GL in that story) tried to take over Ancient China, was given a weakness to wood by the Guardians so the Ancient Chinese could defeat him with their bows and arrows, and then he was imprisoned in the piece of the Starheart that fell to Ancient China by the Guardians.

It was even drawn by Alan Scott's co creator Mart Nodell.

[Lee]

They had to go out of their way to explain why a character with no connection to (or knowledge of) the Green Lantern Corps would also have a green power ring and lantern shaped battery and go by the name Green Lantern.

Before Crisis on Infinite Earths this wasn't necessary.

[docmidnite]

They had to go out of their way to explain why a character with no connection to (or knowledge of) the Green Lantern Corps would also have a green power ring and lantern shaped battery and go by the name Green Lantern.

Before Crisis on Infinite Earths this wasn't necessary.

Dude. I already told you that the origin of the Starheart was created in the early 60's way before Crisis on Infinite Earths. And they didn't go out of their way to explain why "a character with no connection to (or knowledge of) the Green Lantern Corps would also have a green power ring and lantern shaped battery and go by the name Green Lantern". The Starheart has always been a part of Alan Scott's GL since the Golden Age but because his creators Bill Finger and Martin Nodell never gave the Starheart an origin, John Broome and Gil Kane decided to give the Starheart an origin in the early 60's. Still there was no direct connection to Alan and the Green Lantern Corps. There was only a connection between the Guardians and the Starheart. That's all (for nearly 50's years anyway until Jones and Martin Nodell did the Yalan Gur story in the 90's)

The reason Alan ended up with a ring and the name Green Lantern has never been changed. It's still for the same reasons, because no one has ever changed his Golden Age origin and everything the Starheart metal went through between landing in Ancient China and eventually ending up as a train lantern

[Lee]

Green Lantern #19, posted above. It retconned the Green Lantern Corps into Alan Scott's origin, rather than having his name, power ring and lantern battery all be a wild coincidence.

[docmidnite]

Ummm… I already said that story connected Alan to the GLC. It also explained the wood weakness. But that story is out of continuity like all of Gerard Jones' stories are because of his 7 year sentence for having child pornography.

[Dr. Ellingham]

I dont know how to explain, but I often thougt that it would attract more readers to DC if they would give each (classic) (major) character a "modern" counterpart who is younger, wears a "modern" costume, has different attitude etc. but is not much considerable weaker (or maybe even stronger).

NOT!!! replacing them, but acting like a modern counterpart (NOT!! Sidekicks, but be confident and independent...)

DC's most marketable properties revolve around their classic, decades-old characters.

DC has wised up....some...in how they approach updating them. Instead of superficial fluff like giving Batman gauntlets, Aquaman a hook hand or Superman a pony tail, they've created imprints where they can explore different story types, and aim them at different demographics - young teens, adults, classic comic fans, etc.

With this approach, these characters can continue to evolve, such that they are always "modern".

So instead of a continuity with two Supermen where one is faux modern - writers can pitch stories for their various imprints where they can reinvent Superman a bit to tell their stories. Infinitely better approach, in my book.