Hal Jordan: The Green Lantern Appreciation 2022

[Proto Man]

I suspect Johns' Hal was an answer to--and somewhat criticism of--the Gerard Jones version of Hal. That is the uncertain hobo with gray temples who struggled with his role as Green Lantern. Though, I'm not sure if it's right to call that the Gerard Jones version because much of that was just a continuation of what had happened in Action Comics.

I kinda' like that lonely man, Bill Bixby sort of thing Jones had going on with Hal at first, but I understand how and why some may not for this particular character.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

Damn, now I want a Hal crossover with the 4th Doctor (Who).

.

Morrison said that The Green Lantern Season was very much a riff on the 3rd Doctor's exile on Earth era.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

GL: TAS imo was the better, more refined, version of Johns "hot shot" take on Hal.

100% agreed. GL: TAS created the platonic ideal of Hal Jordan characterizations. It balanced the Captain Kirk, the Han Solo, and the Chuck Yeager elements perfectly.

[Mantis-Ray]

Thinking about it, the latter half of Morrison's GL being incredibly meta has to do with the fact it was their swan song for DC and they were ending it early presumably to make way for 5G/IF.

The final arc featured plenty of potshots towards DC and the ending was a straight metaphor for a bunch of real life shit like the Guardians telling Hal they are replacing him with new GL's ( Sojourner Mullien from far Sector, Tai Pham from GL: Legacy, and Teen Lantern/Keli Quintela) cause they "have less real self-determination to prevent future individualistic opposition to their collective behavioral authority"

And during the final issue the Guardians offer Hal the opportunity of a promotion and a few words to his successors, he instead just immediately leaves for parts unknown symbolizing Morrison getting the Hell out of DC in real life

[Captain Nostalgia]

Yep, agreed. And the sooner the character is distanced from the other shit-for-brains EVS-aligned extreme of the fanbase, the better. I do not want to read thinly veiled US military industrial complex apologia in my GL stories. The sad part is the character John Broome and Gil Kane created is far weirder and more interesting than the shitty Maverick version written by Johns. So yeah, I'm absolutely game for a pansexual Hal, no problem at all.

It's hard to criticize Geoff Johns, for he made Green Lantern and Hal Jordan a top selling comic book. I don't think Green Lantern had ever been consistently in the top 5 to 10 sales wise before.

That being said.....if I had to pick a bone with Geoff Johns, it is that weird authoritarian right wing tinge that popped up in Hal Jordan from time to time, that I do not recall encountering before (Denny O Neil to my recollection, just painted him as a straight man in comparison to Ollie's left wing rhetoric)

I remember in particular, being really pi$$ed off by this....(bottom panel in response to Ollie's comments about cameras)



As for Grant Morrison, I tried really hard to get into it, but I just couldn't. It was the first thing I read by Morrison.

I'm determined to give it another go. I almost view Morrison's run like trying to get into the band Rush or Dillinger Escape Plan in terms of writing.

I imagine it's the writing equivalent of having to appreciate complex odd musical keys?

[Bored at 3:00AM]

It's hard to criticize Geoff Johns, for he made Green Lantern and Hal Jordan a top selling comic book. I don't think Green Lantern had ever been consistently in the top 5 to 10 sales wise before.

That being said.....if I had to pick a bone with Geoff Johns, it is that weird authoritarian right wing tinge that popped up in Hal Jordan from time to time, that I do not recall encountering before (Denny O Neil to my recollection, just painted him as a straight man in comparison to Ollie's left wing rhetoric)

I remember in particular, being really pi$$ed off by this....(bottom panel in response to Ollie's comments about cameras)

I think there's certainly a few elements of right-wing rhetoric to found with Johns's Hal, but this never felt like one of them. Hal is essentially a space cop, particularly during this era. Why on Earth wouldn't we want police officers, after all we know about how our own police officers abuse their power, monitored by "Big Brother" at all times while they're on duty?

[Mantis-Ray]

I think there's certainly a few elements of right-wing rhetoric to found with Johns's Hal, but this never felt like one of them. Hal is essentially a space cop, particularly during this era. Why on Earth wouldn't we want police officers, after all we know about how our own police officers abuse their power, monitored by "Big Brother" at all times while they're on duty?

Huh now that I think about it, yeah considering its his ring recording him Hal's words do indicate he's talking about himself and his fellow GL's. Especially since Ollie is talking about Hal himself being recorded.

Hal wouldn't commit an act of evil so he doesn't mind a nanny cam watching him on the job.

[Captain Nostalgia]

I think there's certainly a few elements of right-wing rhetoric to found with Johns's Hal, but this never felt like one of them. Hal is essentially a space cop, particularly during this era. Why on Earth wouldn't we want police officers, after all we know about how our own police officers abuse their power, monitored by "Big Brother" at all times while they're on duty?

I agree, I want a go pro on every police officer, but

When you put it into the context of the time it was written when camera's were becoming more of a wide spread phenomeneon.

I took Ollie's comments to be against a surveillance state, while Hal appeared to be in favour of it, so at the time it ticked me off.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

I agree, I want a go pro on every police officer, but

When you put it into the context of the time it was written when camera's were becoming more of a wide spread phenomeneon.

I took Ollie's comments to be against a surveillance state, while Hal appeared to be in favour of it, so at the time it ticked me off.

I'm putting it in the context of the conversation, in which the space cop's buddy is asking if he's upset over being monitored 24/7. Like I said, there's other stuff that Johns wrote you could give side-eye to, but this is definitely not one of them for me.

However, you're certainly free to interpret it as a larger statement of state surveilence, but that feels like a stretch given the characters themselves. Hal's whole shtick, particularly under Johns's pen, is anti-authoritarian.

[Captain Nostalgia]

I'm putting it in the context of the conversation, in which the space cop's buddy is asking if he's upset over being monitored 24/7. Like I said, there's other stuff that Johns wrote you could give side-eye to, but this is definitely not one of them for me.

However, you're certainly free to interpret it as a larger statement of state surveilence, but that feels like a stretch given the characters themselves. Hal's whole shtick, particularly under Johns's pen, is anti-authoritarian.

Fair enough, I think it was Ollie's use of the Orwellian term "big brother" that had me interpreting things in a larger context.

When this was published, there was a wider discussion in public media about the use of widespread street cameras in major cities to cut down on crime ( in London ect)

A lot of conservative types were using the term "only criminals need to be worried" , which is what Hal appeared to be saying there, if you frame it in a larger big brother context.

[Johnny]

[j9ac9k]

100% agreed. GL: TAS created the platonic ideal of Hal Jordan characterizations. It balanced the Captain Kirk, the Han Solo, and the Chuck Yeager elements perfectly.

I agree with that 100%!

[SiegePerilous02]

I think another small moment of Johns' Hal that doesn't age well is him being weirded out by Tasmanian Devil's crush on him, and how Wally would tease him over it. Considering Johns wrote Wallys friendship with Piper and created Jackson Hyde, he doesn't seem homophobic and I doubt he intended to characterize Wally or Hal as such. But it does come across as a little bit "ew, gay!" For my liking.

Morrison's Hal would hear the news of the crush and be all "fuck yeah, let's go"

[silly]

Cool. Where is this from?

[Gaius]

Ya know funnily enough I recently read the Johns run up to the end of the Sinestro War, didn't really found the issue with how Hal was portrayed aside from I guess him being a soldier

Sure he's somewhat acerbic but ehhhh I didn't find him that much of a douche

Johns' Hal was really more like that in New 52, which as a big reboot meant to catch a lot of eyes played a big part in that view of Hal, at least from my guess.

That they then made him even more more obnoxious in the JL:War movie also probably didn't help.

His Hal from Rebirth up Blackest Night is pretty fine, character wise, all things considered.

I suspect Johns' Hal was an answer to--and somewhat criticism of--the Gerard Jones version of Hal. That is the uncertain hobo with gray temples who struggled with his role as Green Lantern. Though, I'm not sure if it's right to call that the Gerard Jones version because much of that was just a continuation of what had happened in Action Comics.

I kinda' like that lonely man, Bill Bixby sort of thing Jones had going on with Hal at first, but I understand how and why some may not for this particular character.

I definitely think that was a motivation. One of the first things Hal says when he's revived is "no more road trips" and "no more doubts", which I took as potshots at Jones and O'Neil's characterization of Hal.