Hal Jordan: The Green Lantern Appreciation 2021

[HsssH]

I think these days debates and arguments are never about convincing "the other side", but about convincing undecided people. When someone new picks up a GL book he shouldn't hear only "Hal is boring" voices.

[liwanag]

[liwanag]

[silly]

I agree there's no point, but that doesn't mean it should be ok. How long are these people going to use this character's immutable characteristics against him. Noone calls them out on it and they always have an excuse for it "because there's too many like him". Hal fans don't need to be ok with this kind of attitude just because it's a pointless waste of energy, and those people sure don't seem to find it pointless to keep using his cultural identity against him.

Good point Johnny.

[Anthony Shaw]

Well, he'd probably make quick work of anyone in Gotham .

(Flashbacks to Thrones of Atlantis movie where Hal interrupts Batman chasing Scarecrow goons).

I think that was the last DC animated work I've watched.

I imagine Hal encountering the Joker would end up similar when Terry dealt with the Joker in Batman Beyond.

Yeah, I think you're right.

[Gaius]

I agree there's no point, but that doesn't mean it should be ok. How long are these people going to use this character's immutable characteristics against him. Noone calls them out on it and they always have an excuse for it "because there's too many like him". Hal fans don't need to be ok with this kind of attitude just because it's a pointless waste of energy, and those people sure don't seem to find it pointless to keep using his cultural identity against him.

Yeah, I try to stay out of GL fan wars but the thing that always grinds my gears whenever it comes is when people equate liking Hal with only Silver Age nostalgia or that liking him is somehow a stance against the other GLs.

[Vordan]

Yeah, I try to stay out of GL fan wars but the thing that always grinds my gears whenever it comes is when people equate liking Hal with only Silver Age nostalgia or that liking him is somehow a stance against the other GLs.

That attack is funny to me because it’s never been true for me. I’ve never read any Silver Age GL, and Johns’ turn on the books which brought Hal back, which was baby’s first comic for me, was the most popular and best selling the franchise has ever been. I like Hal because of comics from the 2000s and 2010s.

And liking Hal hasn’t affected my affection for John who is my other favorite and “first” GL I was introduced to thanks to the DCAU that I grew up watching. I would never have read any Kyle or Guy comics without Hal, devouring Johns GL stuff made me hungry for more so I read Tomasi GLC and that brief time when Kyle was Ion. And that made me a fan of the Core 4.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

I agree there's no point, but that doesn't mean it should be ok. How long are these people going to use this character's immutable characteristics against him. Noone calls them out on it and they always have an excuse for it "because there's too many like him". Hal fans don't need to be ok with this kind of attitude just because it's a pointless waste of energy, and those people sure don't seem to find it pointless to keep using his cultural identity against him.

I dunno, Johnny, there are bigger injustices in the world for me to get upset about than people having dumb reasons for not digging Hal Jordan.

If you're going to get bent out of shape every single time people say or do stupid stuff online, you're going to exhaust yourself for nothing more than defending the honor of a fictional character owned by a multinational corporation that views him as little more than a intellectual property to be exploited.

I know that Hal Jordan means a helluva lot more to you and I than that, but we have to keep things in perspective. You've got to stop taking it so personally, because that won't lead anywhere good.

That said, you should always feel free to vent about your frustrations, just as long as you don't let your passion turn into venom and poison you towards others.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

I think these days debates and arguments are never about convincing "the other side", but about convincing undecided people. When someone new picks up a GL book he shouldn't hear only "Hal is boring" voices.

The stories refute those voices far better than more pointless nerd vs nerd pissing contests, which inevitably make both sides look bad.

People who enjoyed New Frontier, The Animated Series, Earth One, and The Green Lantern don't care that some people think Hal Jordan is boring or outdated. They know he isn't because they've read those stories.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

Yeah, I try to stay out of GL fan wars but the thing that always grinds my gears whenever it comes is when people equate liking Hal with only Silver Age nostalgia or that liking him is somehow a stance against the other GLs.

People love to pigeonhole others into easily definable groups. Hal Jordan fans are like this. Star Wars fans are like that. Star Trek fans are even moreso. Snyder fans must be like this. Yadda yadda yadda. It's all nonsense. It doesn't matter who the nerd faction is, there's always more to it than the vocal minority who tend to be the most obnoxious and fanatical.

You don't convince people you aren't like that by telling them they're wrong, you do so by showing them what you love and not taking it personally if they feel differently. Sometimes that isn't easy and you just have to disengage and let them be wrong because, sooner or later, they'll figure it out for themselves...or they won't and that's too bad for them

[Johnny]

I dunno, Johnny, there are bigger injustices in the world for me to get upset about than people having dumb reasons for not digging Hal Jordan.

If you're going to get bent out of shape every single time people say or do stupid stuff online, you're going to exhaust yourself for nothing more than defending the honor of a fictional character owned by a multinational corporation that views him as little more than a intellectual property to be exploited.

I know that Hal Jordan means a helluva lot more to you and I than that, but we have to keep things in perspective. You've got to stop taking it so personally, because that won't lead anywhere good.

That said, you should always feel free to vent about your frustrations, just as long as you don't let your passion turn into venom and poison you towards others.

Which I don't think I've ever done before. There was that one time I probably came the closest to it was when I got banned for calling someone who wrote an anti-Hal article for this site a "hack". You know I always appreciate what you're doing, but sometimes I don't understand why I need to be lectured about perspective for pointing out something that I thought was wrong. Of course there are awful things happening in this world, but it's a bit strange to believe I'm blind to it just because this little corner happens to deal with fictional characters people are emotionally and financially invested in. Pointing out that a fictional character is being needlessly disrespected does not make you oblivious to issues like abuse of power or the woes of the underpriviliged or any issues that constantly plague our society. I consider places like this to be an escape of sorts from that so if I feel like characters who provide that sense of momentary escape are subjected to what I could consider to be unfair criticism, I may just decide to bring it up. Please don't conflate criticizing stupid takes about fictional characters with lacking better perspective.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

Please don't conflate criticizing stupid takes about fictional characters with lacking better perspective.

Fair enough. If getting upset over this stuff is actually a positive for you, then have at it. It only made my life more miserable, but if you’re enjoying it, then I am happy for you and I apologize for thinking you’d lost perspective.

[Johnny]

Fair enough. If getting upset over this stuff is actually a positive for you, then have at it. It only made my life more miserable, but if you’re enjoying it, then I am happy for you and I apologize for thinking you’d lost perspective.

It's not that it's positive or that I'm enjoying it, I just don't find it to be nearly as big of a deal as you seem to think it is for me. If I did come off as highly agitated, that certainly wasn't my intention. And again, the concern is always appreciated.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

It's not that it's positive or that I'm enjoying it, I just don't find it to be nearly as big of a deal as you seem to think it is for me. If I did come off as highly agitated, that certainly wasn't my intention. And again, the concern is always appreciated.

Yeah, I think it's a matter of the fuzziness of tone when it comes to online comments.

I'm probably reading more frustration and unhappiness in your posts than you're actually intending and my own past as a deeply frustrated and unhappy Hal Jordan fan during the late 90s and early aughts are no doubt coloring my perceptions.

Those bad old days also color my views towards how DC editorial treats Hal Jordan. After suffering through Emerald Twilight and its aftermath upon the entire franchise, nothing really seems that bad to me anymore

[liwanag]