Hal Jordan Appreciation

[Dispenser Of Truth]

Just asking. What is it in 90% of those stories that you don't like about Hal? Nice pics.

Really more like 60-70%, now that I think about it. But what makes Hal interesting at his best is that he is every bit as superhuman in his personality as Clark and Bruce and Diana. That's what makes Guy effective as a contrast, he's the "what it'd really be like" version of GL, where it unsurprisingly turns out that a totally honest and fearless guy is actually kind of a titanic asshole. But he's still likable, because, y'know, honest and fearless hero. Hal's larger than life, this absolute unyielding force pushing as hard as he can to do as much as he can, which allows him to overcome the flaws that he always has. Even more than Bruce, he's essentially as close as a human can get to being Superman. But so often, he doesn't have that. He's just this doofy guy that blunders through life because he's too arrogant and too stupid to sort his s#!t out, and repeatedly and deservedly pays for it. They're trying to show him as an everyman, but it's this really screwed up modern idea of the everyman as a loser, which actively takes away from everything that makes him special (Guy's kind of down-to-earth himself, but he's hardly 'normal'). He really starts to transmogrify into that over the course of Johns run: from Rebirth where he talks about not settling down, but you get the sense that it's just because no one else could keep up with the sort of life he wanted to live, to Sinestro Corps War (a great story with a great depiction of Hal, mind you) resorting to half-assed "he's afraid of one thing...commitment! Wah wah wah" jokes to the start of the New 52 where he's this unselfaware train wreck of a man asking his ex to cover his loan payments. I get that Johns was trying to go for the idea that he's good at being a Lantern but bad at everyday life, but it undermines him by making him unable to define his own life, a basic aspect of willpower, and makes his increasingly rare heroic feats less and less plausible. Most of the worst stuff with Jordan seems to revert back to that idea I mentioned earlier of him as a dumb jock type.

[Dispenser Of Truth]

John Stewart is way more boring than Hal. There's nothing exciting about John in any way. He seems so emotionless most of the time.

I remember how he was the one superhero on the Justice League cartoon I disliked as a little kid, when I was in full-on "all superheroes are awesome by default". He was essentially "the guy who's there to elevate the awesome characters, especially the Flash, by sucking as hard as possible by comparison". And his one endearing trait--that he liked comics as a kid--was ripped straight from...the Flash. And sadly, this seems to be the case in most of the comics, too. He was enjoyable and had a unique character, if clearly in need of adjustment for the times, in his first appearance, but Cosmic Odyssey damned the character forever to the worst kind of endless moping.

[Pharozonk]

I'm not starting anything, but I wanted to ask why is there such animosity between Hal Jordan and John Stewart fans. Me and my brother LOVE Green Lantern. We both were GL rings. My GL is Hal his is John. I was showing him some of the posts on this site and he can't understand why both fan bases bash each others character. Why can't we just respect each others favorites. I like John, but Hal is my favorite. I don't hate any GL. I never cared for Kyle, but I don't hate him. Some of the things Hal fans have said about John fans is pretty harsh and vice versa. I really want to talk about why there is such hate between people who love comics.

I joined the old CBR forums back in March last year. I pretty much never had a problem with John Stewart prior to joining the CBR forums. I always thought he was a boring chararcter, but his presence never really bothered me. However around June last year, Mr. Mastermind created a poll asking which Green Lantern fans wanted to see in an upcoming Justice League movie: Hal Jordan or John Stewart? It started off fairly civil, but quickly degenerated into a 130+ page war of strawman arguments and accusations of racism, selfishness, and nostalgic blindness. After the mods shut down the thread, the John Stewart fans were quick to bring up the debate in various threads that had nothing to do with the Hal vs John debate, especially a poster by the name of WaveHeater. After that, for months, every Green Lantern related thread evolved into a fight between the two factions and both sides came to hate each other and their respective characters.

[TommyJones1945]

I'm not starting anything, but I wanted to ask why is there such animosity between Hal Jordan and John Stewart fans. Me and my brother LOVE Green Lantern. We both were GL rings. My GL is Hal his is John. I was showing him some of the posts on this site and he can't understand why both fan bases bash each others character. Why can't we just respect each others favorites. I like John, but Hal is my favorite. I don't hate any GL. I never cared for Kyle, but I don't hate him. Some of the things Hal fans have said about John fans is pretty harsh and vice versa. I really want to talk about why there is such hate between people who love comics.

I joined the former CBR boards late October last year. During that time up untill it ended, there was this user called WaveHeater with a Mr Manhattan avatar who was a John Stewart fan that would lurk around here. 90% of his posts involved taking a piss on Hal and preach about how GL is only relevant because black John Stewart appeared on a show that ended six years ago. I don't hate any section of fans, but his antics darkened my view on JS fans.

People who diss other characters just to make theirs seem more high and mighty. I have no respect for such fans.

[nightrider]

I joined the former CBR boards late October last year. During that time up untill it ended, there was this user called WaveHeater with a Mr Manhattan avatar who was a John Stewart fan that would lurk around here. 90% of his posts involved taking a piss on Hal and preach about how GL is only relevant because black John Stewart appeared on a show that ended six years ago. I don't hate any section of fans, but his antics darkened my view on JS fans.

People who diss other characters just to make theirs seem more high and mighty. I have no respect for such fans.

Great speech. I happen to think Hal is a great character and a dear one to me. I was never much a GL fan until reborn, so that was my entry into GL universe and I gotta say, how boring GL-verse would be with Hal's melodrama.

[Anthony Shaw]

Anyone got a scan from that scene in the casino with Batman from BatB? I remember in being really awesome.

But here's Hal's awesome facepalm:

This is one of my favorite covers.

[LoneNecromancer]

Really more like 60-70%, now that I think about it. But what makes Hal interesting at his best is that he is every bit as superhuman in his personality as Clark and Bruce and Diana. That's what makes Guy effective as a contrast, he's the "what it'd really be like" version of GL, where it unsurprisingly turns out that a totally honest and fearless guy is actually kind of a titanic asshole. But he's still likable, because, y'know, honest and fearless hero. Hal's larger than life, this absolute unyielding force pushing as hard as he can to do as much as he can, which allows him to overcome the flaws that he always has. Even more than Bruce, he's essentially as close as a human can get to being Superman. But so often, he doesn't have that. He's just this doofy guy that blunders through life because he's too arrogant and too stupid to sort his s#!t out, and repeatedly and deservedly pays for it. They're trying to show him as an everyman, but it's this really screwed up modern idea of the everyman as a loser, which actively takes away from everything that makes him special (Guy's kind of down-to-earth himself, but he's hardly 'normal'). He really starts to transmogrify into that over the course of Johns run: from Rebirth where he talks about not settling down, but you get the sense that it's just because no one else could keep up with the sort of life he wanted to live, to Sinestro Corps War (a great story with a great depiction of Hal, mind you) resorting to half-assed "he's afraid of one thing...commitment! Wah wah wah" jokes to the start of the New 52 where he's this unselfaware train wreck of a man asking his ex to cover his loan payments. I get that Johns was trying to go for the idea that he's good at being a Lantern but bad at everyday life, but it undermines him by making him unable to define his own life, a basic aspect of willpower, and makes his increasingly rare heroic feats less and less plausible. Most of the worst stuff with Jordan seems to revert back to that idea I mentioned earlier of him as a dumb jock type.

Yeah, I agree with you particularly on Hal not being an everyman, and Johns' characterisation growing steadily worse. Don't like it at all.

[Hilden B. Lade]

[TommyJones1945]

Great speech. I happen to think Hal is a great character and a dear one to me. I was never much a GL fan until reborn, so that was my entry into GL universe and I gotta say, how boring GL-verse would be with Hal's melodrama.

Thanks. My entry into the GLverse was SCs...I read Rebirth later on.

[nightrider]

Thanks. My entry into the GLverse was SCs...I read Rebirth later on.

Silly autocorrect. I meant Rebirth, yes. Sinestro Corp War was a fine event though. I've gotta say Blackest Night was my favorite, but the one that'll stay forever in my mind would have to be Johns' last issue.

[Mr. Mastermind]

Is this Alex Ross?

Good find, either way.

[Pharozonk]

[Hilden B. Lade]

Is this Alex Ross?

Good find, either way.

Yes, from the miniseries Justice

[LoneNecromancer]

Yes, from the miniseries Justice

Hal had a few decent moments in that, as I vaguely recall. Though from what I remember and it being Alex Ross, it was mostly the Superman and Captain Marvel Show.

[BFD]

Just joined here again, glad to see there is a Hal Jordan Appreciation thread going!