Hal Jordan: The Green Lantern Appreciation 2023

[Frontier]

I honestly wouldn't mind if she doesn't break up with Nathan. I think Carol is meant to represent Hal's "home" as said before, what grounds him and makes him feel less isolated on Earth, but it shouldn't be limited to that and I thought this would be the real challenge for him to realize. But after seeing some of the other comments, maybe I've been romanticizing the whole thing a tad bit too much due to Adams' remarks about whether Hal thinks it's right to reinsert himself into Carol's life again. Maybe it's not meant to have him get that realization and let her go, perhaps it's about him royally screwing things up with her again and when it goes bad running away from his problems again. I hope it doesn't retread that old ground too. Retreating old grounds in the first few issues with the idea of introducing the character to a new audience makes sense, but don't go too overboard with it.

It would definitely buck convention if she doesn't break up with him but he feels like a quintessential placeholder boyfriend.

[StarSpangledMan]

I honestly wouldn't mind if she doesn't break up with Nathan. I think Carol is meant to represent Hal's "home" as said before, what grounds him and makes him feel less isolated on Earth, but it shouldn't be limited to that and I thought this would be the real challenge for him to realize. But after seeing some of the other comments, maybe I've been romanticizing the whole thing a tad bit too much due to Adams' remarks about whether Hal thinks it's right to reinsert himself into Carol's life again. Maybe it's not meant to have him get that realization and let her go, perhaps it's about him royally screwing things up with her again and when it goes bad running away from his problems again. I hope it doesn't retread that old ground too. Retreating old grounds in the first few issues with the idea of introducing the character to a new audience makes sense, but don't go too overboard with it.

Please let it be the former and not the later. What we have here is an opportunity to do something really different and I hope Adams goes for it.

[Johnny]

Could also be connected to the mystery story and how it affects Hal currently. There are lots of speculations about what happened to Kilowog and I think they could be on the right track. There are a few writing tropes in the first issue that hint at Hal being traumatized by whatever happened and constantly trying to hide it under his bravado. In the first issue he talks to his imaginary friend while stargazing, even imitating him, clearly indicating that he's missing someone close to him. Then after Carol asks him where he's been and what happened, he flatout ignores the question and tries to hit on her in attempt to dismiss it entirely since he knows she'd get annoyed and stop asking him about it and he clearly doesn't want her to know. Here we actually see him talk to Kilowog who tells him to get his act together and this time it happens in the present, not a month ago like the stargazing scene did. Whatever happened during that month seems to have traumatized him even more, though at the same time it's purposely left vague enough since the one who saves Hal from the fall could still end up being Kilowog.

I think when the audience finds out that's when Carol will find out too. She doesn't know what Hal's been dealing with and neither do we, but once she does it would likely give her a much better perspective of why Hal's doing what he's doing. I think him going after her the way he has is his coping mechanism to try to bring back some sense of "normalcy" after what happened that sent him back to Earth in the first place. But again, I could just be romanticizing all of this to explain to myself why Hal is the way he is here when in the end it could be entirely unrelated and it's just "Hal being Hal".

Still it makes you think.

[mrumsey]

Could also be connected to the mystery story and how it affects Hal currently. There are lots of speculations about what happened to Kilowog and I think they could be on the right track. There are a few writing tropes in the first issue that hint at Hal being traumatized by whatever happened and constantly trying to hide it under his bravado. In the first issue he talks to his imaginary friend while stargazing, even imitating him, clearly indicating that he's missing someone close to him. Then after Carol asks him where he's been and what happened, he flatout ignores the question and tries to hit on her in attempt to dismiss it entirely since he knows she'd get annoyed and stop asking him about it and he clearly doesn't want her to know. Here we actually see him talk to Kilowog who tells him to get his act together and this time it happens in the present, not a month ago like the stargazing scene did. Whatever happened during that month seems to have traumatized him even more, though at the same time it's purposely left vague enough since the one who saves Hal from the fall could still end up being Kilowog.

I think when the audience finds out that's when Carol will find out too. She doesn't know what Hal's been dealing with and neither do we, but once she does it would likely give her a much better perspective of why Hal's doing what he's doing. I think him going after her the way he has is his coping mechanism to try to bring back some sense of "normalcy" after what happened that sent him back to Earth in the first place. But again, I could just be romanticizing all of this to explain to myself why Hal is the way he is here when in the end it could be entirely unrelated and it's just "Hal being Hal".

Still it makes you think.

I think this line from the announcement of the new series is pretty important: "A heartbreaking defeat has sent Hal reeling, returning home to rediscover his roots…and find the man responsible for ruining his life: Sinestro." Grief is a funny thing and people respond to it in different ways, especially when it hits very close to home.

[j9ac9k]

Man, I hope this isn't like a "Rescue Me" situation where Kilowog's dead and Hal's just imagining him because of trauma. Honestly, not because of Kilowog, (I find he's just used as a character type and feels super underdeveloped to me for all the time he's been used as "the alien GL") but because of the storyline itself. But as with anything, it'll come down to execution and so far Adams isn't filling me with confidence. I guess we'll see ...

[Frontier]

Man, I hope this isn't like a "Rescue Me" situation where Kilowog's dead and Hal's just imagining him because of trauma. Honestly, not because of Kilowog, (I find he's just used as a character type and feels super underdeveloped to me for all the time he's been used as "the alien GL") but because of the storyline itself. But as with anything, it'll come down to execution and so far Adams isn't filling me with confidence. I guess we'll see ...

Adams doesn't seem like the type to unceremoniously kill off Kilowog.

[j9ac9k]

Adams doesn't seem like the type to unceremoniously kill off Kilowog.

We haven't seen the "traumatic incident" yet. Would Adams do it if it were in a very ceremonious fashion?

[Frontier]

We haven't seen the "traumatic incident" yet. Would Adams do it if it were in a very ceremonious fashion?

Maybe, but I feel like killing Kilowog would be too big a deal to have happen here. I remember people freaking out when they thought he might've bit it during Geoffrey Thorne's run.

[Johnny]

[j9ac9k]

I would prefer if they just hooked up whenever Hal's on earth and she's available. Just seems more adult and there'd be less drama, and I'd find that interesting. A well-written relationship doesn't always have to center on drama. For instance, Hal could've had that talk with Carol instead of Kilowog which would've added to their dynamic rather than this "jealous ex boyfriend" sitcomy senario of Hal getting her to spill her drink on her fiance, etc.

[Frontier]

I would prefer if they just hooked up whenever Hal's on earth and she's available. Just seems more adult and there'd be less drama, and I'd find that interesting. A well-written relationship doesn't always have to center on drama. For instance, Hal could've had that talk with Carol instead of Kilowog which would've added to their dynamic rather than this "jealous ex boyfriend" sitcomy senario of Hal getting her to spill her drink on her fiance, etc.

I'm not sure if that's in-character for Carol.

[Johnny]

Wouldn't that basically make them friends with benefits. I think they always want more than that, otherwise Carol wouldn't feel hurt anytime Hal leaves the planet and Hal wouldn't seek to have a serious relationship with her again. A "no strings attached" scenario could be something new and interesting, but maybe not for these particular characters.

[Gaius]

[Vordan]

Part of me suspects that Adams is drawing out the mystery because he knew Knight Terrors was coming and he didn’t want to get too deep into the overarching plot knowing that he was going to have to take a two month break. Optimistically when the book comes back in Sept things will move more quickly and we will start getting answers.

[Johnny]

He said in another interview that #3 will explain more about Sinestro.