If You Could Kill Off/Retire *ONE* Green Lantern Who Would You Choose?

[Username taken]

In my case, I voted for Simon Baz.

No distinct personality, his back story read like a collection of stereotypes (WTC? Car thief? Guantanamo Bay?) obviously written by someone who is *not* from a muslim community or background. Imagine if Neal Adams didn't fight for John Stewart and instead went with the stereotypical 'Lincoln Washington' gangbanger interpretation of the character.

DC can and should do better so I think killing off Simon and focusing on developing existing muslim characters like Khalid Nassour and introducing better and thoughtful representations of muslim characters would be a better deal.

I thought Geoff Johns created Baz because he himself is of Lebanese descent.

I could be misremembering though.

[Redjack]

I thought Geoff Johns created Baz because he himself is of Lebanese descent.

I could be misremembering though.

Nope. That's correct.

[Refrax5]

Well it's simple, Hal is the go-to guy seen as, for the lack of a better word, a "threat" to others. Taking him out has actual consequences to the future direction of the GL franchise as we've seen before, so naturally people would make the usual claims that they don't want him around because he is boring and overrated or that they only like him as a villain, since that's the most certain way he's not being prioritized over their favorites who get to beat him up. Getting rid of most of the other GLs is inconsequential since they don't pose a threat for anybody. There's a reason more than one person has mentioned Hal, John and Jessica as the only Lanterns they'd keep around. Getting rid of Hal has the most consequences so naturally he's the easiest choice to slander.

My apologies to people who were worried this thread would inevitably turn into another bitch-fest, but this needed to be pointed out.

No, you're absolutely right. It's the same reason a lot of Wally West fans despise Barry and want him dead but love Jay. It's not because Jay is inherently more interesting. It's because he isn't a threat to Wally. (For the record, I like all of the Flashes)

[JackDaw]

Don't sweat it Johnny Boy, CBR represents a minuscule amount of the DC fanbase, Hal Jordan sells better than Clark Kent if you go back and crunch the numbers.

Which numbers? (I can see it being case at height of Colour Wars success…but surely generally Clark outsells Hal by a large margin?)

[Captain Nostalgia]

Which numbers? (I can see it being case at height of Colour Wars success…but surely generally Clark outsells Hal by a large margin?)

Comicron, back in the days when Geoff Johns was writing Hal. (Not by a large margin) but there was a time when he was selling extremely successfully.

I'm neither her nor there on the issue to be honest. I'm just for what sells, and he sold bigtime.

[Green Goblin of Sector 2814]

Well it's simple, Hal is the go-to guy seen as, for the lack of a better word, a "threat" to others. Taking him out has actual consequences to the future direction of the GL franchise as we've seen before, so naturally people would make the usual claims that they don't want him around because he is boring and overrated or that they only like him as a villain, since that's the most certain way he's not being prioritized over their favorites who get to beat him up. Getting rid of most of the other GLs is inconsequential since they don't pose a threat for anybody. There's a reason more than one person has mentioned Hal, John and Jessica as the only Lanterns they'd keep around. Getting rid of Hal has the most consequences so naturally he's the easiest choice to slander.

My apologies to people who were worried this thread would inevitably turn into another bitch-fest, but this needed to be pointed out.

^ Pretty much this. The simple fact that some fans of the franchise don't want to accept is that Hal is still, by far, the Green Lantern who sells the most. The most successful Green Lantern run of all time was centered on...wait for it...Hal Jordan. If he really was as "cardboard" or "boring" as some on here are claiming, then that wouldn't be the case.

So, yeah, he's really not going anywhere guys.

[Stanlos]

No, you're absolutely right. It's the same reason a lot of Wally West fans despise Barry and want him dead but love Jay. It's not because Jay is inherently more interesting. It's because he isn't a threat to Wally. (For the record, I like all of the Flashes)

What is this threat talk? The only threat to Wally unfortunately was Johns and DiDio.

[JackDaw]

^ Pretty much this. The simple fact that some fans of the franchise don't want to accept is that Hal is still, by far, the Green Lantern who sells the most. The most successful Green Lantern run of all time was centered on...wait for it...Hal Jordan. If he really was as "cardboard" or "boring" as some on here are claiming, then that wouldn't be the case.

So, yeah, he's really not going anywhere guys.

No, of course he’s not.

But the question isn’t “which character is DC most likely to stop using”, but just asking each persons personal preference.

I think Hal “winning” this thread was fairly predictable. He’d also probably win a poll for most popular GL…he’s a marmite GL, loved or hated, few GL fans are indifferent to him.

[Captain Nostalgia]

^ Pretty much this. The simple fact that some fans of the franchise don't want to accept is that Hal is still, by far, the Green Lantern who sells the most. The most successful Green Lantern run of all time was centered on...wait for it...Hal Jordan. If he really was as "cardboard" or "boring" as some on here are claiming, then that wouldn't be the case.

So, yeah, he's really not going anywhere guys.

I'm for what sells and kicks the crap out of Marvel, and so far Hal Jordan is the only Green Lantern that shown the potential to do that.

Here is every Hal Jordan issue #1 in sales since 2005. (Source comicron)

May 2005 Issue 1 Spot on the charts 1 Green Lantern DC Units sold 168,324

Sept 2011 Issue 1Spot on the charts 3 Green Lantern DC Units sold 141,682

July 2016 Issue 1 Spot on the charts 11 Green Lantern DC Units sold 108,708

Nov 2018 Issue 1 Spot on the charts 2 Green Lantern DC Units old 113,651

There are very few DC superheroes that can sell 6 figures on their first issue. (I will support a Green Lantern over Hal if they sell better)

In the meantime I will support other Green Lanterns who can sell alongside him, I will never advocate killing or retiring a Green Lantern with a large fanbase.

[Johnny]

What is this threat talk? The only threat to Wally unfortunately was Johns and DiDio.

Well the "threat" is the fact that Barry is the only real "competitor" to Wally for the main Flash position. Jay isn't for obvious reasons, Bart isn't for even more obvious reasons, while Wallace is a tricky one since WB still seems to see him as a diverse Wally and not a standalone character, but I don't think he would ever present the kind of competition for Wally that Barry does. Not just because of who the higher-ups happen to take a liking to, but because Barry is a popular character with an established fanbase. It's the same thing with Hal. You and others may personally find him to be "bland and boring" but a lot of others don't and given the GL franchise has traditionally revolved around him, taking him out will always have consequences as I said before. People can say what they will about Hal, but one thing they can't say with a straight face, no matter how much they like to make that claim, is that he is irrelevant and doesn't matter to the GL franchise, when anytime DC has tried to take him out was always consequential for the brand and eventually always had to bring him back. Characters that are irrelevant and redundant don't make waves felt across the DCU for years to come. So yes he is indeed very much a "threat".

[godisawesome]

Well the "threat" is the fact that Barry is the only real "competitor" to Wally for the main Flash position. Jay isn't for obvious reasons, Bart isn't for even more obvious reasons, while Wallace is a tricky one since WB still seems to see him as a diverse Wally and not a standalone character, but I don't think he would ever present the kind of competition for Wally that Barry is. Not just because of who the higher-ups happen to take a liking to, but because Barry is a popular character with an established fanbase. It's the same thing with Hal. You and others may personally find him to be "bland and boring" but a lot of others don't and considering the GL franchise has traditionally revolved around him, taking him out always has consequences as I stated before. People can say many things about Hal, but one thing they can never say with a straight face, no matter how much they like to make that claim, is that he is irrelevant, when anytime DC has tried to take him out was always consequential for the GL brand and eventually always had to bring him back. Characters that are irrelevant and redundant don't make waves felt across the DCU. So yes he is indeed very much a "threat".

I'll be honest and say that I know my vote against Hal is a generational one; I came in with Kyle, but I only prefer Kyle because of that. Both Hal and Kyle are designed to be more universal POV characters; that *can* be mistaken for blandness, but functionally it just means they're designed to be more traditional protagonists reacting to the story around them. And when Kylo is portrayed as having matured, the differences between them blur a great deal... in which case, I must admit that my preference is only a preference, and not a true judgement, because Hal clearly has a greater proven track record in that case.

But I do think there is a also great deal more nuance and substance to the Barry and Wally situation.

Wally has the personality advantage overall and chemistry advantage in a larger group. A more witty and fun speedster is a naturally more intriguing personality both for a solo hero and for a team... and when matured, it's a different personality from Barry's. TV Barry is the only real example of someone working out a similar formula for him, which works well in a ensemble like the show has, but tends to struggle a bit in comparison to Wally's formula. That's part of the reason why Wally's personality tends to subsume Barry's any time they combine in other media, and why sometimes defensive Barry fans have to try and bury or ostracize Wally from their stories. That's not really a problem Hal has at all with Kyle, but is one Barry experiences, and is likely why his comic writers have failed to achieve the same success Wally enjoyed.

But a bigger difference that has a more nuanced and positive effect is that when Wally is allowed to succeed Barry, there's an extra layer of magic the franchise receives that isn't really present with Kylo and Hal, since Kyle was designed to replace Hal rather than succeed him. Even just the acknowledgment of time passing and legacy being a thing open up Barry and Wally each to a greater resonance and flexibility in storytelling... albeit at the general cost of Barry having to eventually die.

As straight up IPs, I'd argue Hal has an advantage over Kyle. But I'd argue the comparison doesn't really work that way with Barry and Wally - they're costumed designs are too similar, their characters too different, and what advantage Barry gets with the easier origin story is offset by Wally getting the legacy advantage.

[Refrax5]

What is this threat talk? The only threat to Wally unfortunately was Johns and DiDio.

I'm saying that a lot of the anti-Barry sentiment is from people that perceive him as a threat to Wally's place in the comics.

[Refrax5]

I'll be honest and say that I know my vote against Hal is a generational one; I came in with Kyle, but I only prefer Kyle because of that. Both Hal and Kyle are designed to be more universal POV characters; that *can* be mistaken for blandness, but functionally it just means they're designed to be more traditional protagonists reacting to the story around them. And when Kylo is portrayed as having matured, the differences between them blur a great deal... in which case, I must admit that my preference is only a preference, and not a true judgement, because Hal clearly has a greater proven track record in that case.

But I do think there is a also great deal more nuance and substance to the Barry and Wally situation.

Wally has the personality advantage overall and chemistry advantage in a larger group. A more witty and fun speedster is a naturally more intriguing personality both for a solo hero and for a team... and when matured, it's a different personality from Barry's. TV Barry is the only real example of someone working out a similar formula for him, which works well in a ensemble like the show has, but tends to struggle a bit in comparison to Wally's formula. That's part of the reason why Wally's personality tends to subsume Barry's any time they combine in other media, and why sometimes defensive Barry fans have to try and bury or ostracize Wally from their stories. That's not really a problem Hal has at all with Kyle, but is one Barry experiences, and is likely why his comic writers have failed to achieve the same success Wally enjoyed.

But a bigger difference that has a more nuanced and positive effect is that when Wally is allowed to succeed Barry, there's an extra layer of magic the franchise receives that isn't really present with Kylo and Hal, since Kyle was designed to replace Hal rather than succeed him. Even just the acknowledgment of time passing and legacy being a thing open up Barry and Wally each to a greater resonance and flexibility in storytelling... albeit at the general cost of Barry having to eventually die.

As straight up IPs, I'd argue Hal has an advantage over Kyle. But I'd argue the comparison doesn't really work that way with Barry and Wally - they're costumed designs are too similar, their characters too different, and what advantage Barry gets with the easier origin story is offset by Wally getting the legacy advantage.

I don't really agree that Wally has a "personality or chemistry" advantage but I generally like all of the Flashes. As for the legacy aspect, I feel like once Wally grew into the role, his character arc stagnated. A lot of legacy characters function on the struggle to fill big shoes, but once they do, they lose a lot of their drama. By the Johns time, Wally wasn't really the interesting part of the series. The villains were.

Also, I personally prefer the other Flashes simply because I usually find Wally to be a jerk outside of the animated series. He's an interesting character, but I struggle to sympathetize with him.

[Digifiend]

Haha, i can see that the good ol' Hal/Kyle rivalry has still some life in it.

Voted for Keli cause i have no freaking idea who that character is. (yeah, i haven't really followed the green squad adventures for quite a while)

Debuted in Bendis's Young Justice then moved to Thorne's Green Lantern. She had a gauntlet instead of a ring, so she's not a true Green Lantern, and uses the codename Teen Lantern, despite actually being a pre-teen.

She’s American, like all of the others.

Yeah, Jessica is American. Teen Lantern is the only non-American, she's Bolivian.

[SJNeal]

Keli gets my vote.

Sure, she's not technically a GL, but she was still shoehorned into the franchise and is currently a superfluous waste of space.