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“But I Always Thought . . . ”: Green Lantern |
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Written by Commander Benson
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Thursday, 24 April 2008 |
 Here we go with another round of myth-busting. As regular readers of my Deck Log know, from time to time, I look at some of the mistaken notions that have cropped up about Silver-Age characters and set the record straight.
Many of these misconceptions took root because many of DC’s old-guard writers left, or were forced out of, the company in 1968, and a new generation of writers, the “Young Turks”, took over many long-running series. Whatever new literary qualities they brought to those titles, one common characteristic was instantly noticeable to long-time fans: frequent contradictions of established facts in the characters’ continuities. Mostly minor elements, but not insignificant; certainly significant enough to be annoying to the faithful.
The other major source of this misinformation about DC characters was its effort to reboot its entire mythos, with the 1985 Crisis on Infinite Earths. This rewrote the histories of all of its characters, and while that was fair enough, it was often confusing to the current readers, most of whom were a generation away from the Silver Age. Not having been there for the real thing, these fans often assumed that what was changed in the characters’ histories had always been thus.
Fortunately, this provides me plenty of grist for my column. As always, I address these misconceptions with two understandings.
 One, I acknowledge that, following the Crisis and later reboots, the revised continuities are the correct versions, now. In myths stemming from post-Crisis stories, I simply point out to those who are interested that what they think was true about the Silver-Age versions isn’t necessarily so.
Two, I don’t deal with any real-life, behind-the-scenes comic-book myths. I’m not equipped for that, and there are those who do deal with that sort of thing much better than I ever could. I stay on my side of the playground and talk about what was true within the fictional conceit of the Silver-Age DC universe.
Got it? O.K., then, let’s get started. To-day’s target: that Power-Ringed Paladin, the Emerald Crusader -- the Green Lantern!
Myth 1: After Quitting His Job as a Test Pilot and Leaving
Coast
City
, Hal
Jordan
Later Took a Job as an Insurance Salesman.
I just know a lot of eyebrows went up on this one. This, by my estimation, is the most common erroneous belief among both casual Green Lantern readers and his most strident fans. Curiously, this is one of the few misconceptions that neither the sloppy writing of the 1970’s, nor the post-Crisis reboot, caused. Nope, the reason for this one is plain and simple: bad memories.
In Green Lantern # 49 (Dec., 1966), dashing test pilot and all-around good guy Hal (Green Lantern) Jordan learns that his long-time lady love (and boss), Carol Ferris has become engaged to wealthy Jason Belmore. In a self-pitying response worthy of
Hamlet, Jordan
quits his job with Ferris Aircraft and leaves
Coast
City
.
A few issues later, in the tale “Captive of the Evil Eye”, from GL # 53 (Jun., 1967),
Jordan
moves to
Evergreen
City
and takes a job with the Evergreen Insurance Company,
Not as an insurance salesman -- but as an insurance adjustor.
There’s a difference, folks. An insurance adjustor investigates claims, verifies the facts, looks for indications of fraud, and determines the amount to be paid to the claimant. He has nothing to do with selling insurance policies. If one thinks about it, the adjustor job sets up far more plot possibilities for putting Green Lantern into action than a salesman’s job would.
Hal
Jordan
worked as an adjustor for Evergreen Insurance through issue # 69 (Jun., 1969). In the interests of accuracy (and because somebody else will bring it up, if I don’t), yes, in GL # 57 (Dec., 1967),
Jordan
did work as an insurance salesman. But this story made crystal clear that it was a temporary reassignment from his usual position -- in fact, Hal himself objected to the switch, insisting that he knew nothing about selling insurance -- and at the end, returned to being an adjustor.
And since we’re talking about Hal
Jordan
’s post-Ferris employment, I may as well throw in that his job with Evergreen Insurance was his second new occupation. The first job he took after leaving Coast City was as a charter pilot for Skyview Air Service, as seen in GL # 50 (Jan., 1967). He quit that one over a girl, too. Come to think of it, that’s also why he left Evergreen Insurance.
What a sob sister!
Myth 2: Guy Gardner Was the Original Back-Up Green Lantern for Space Sector 2814.
 This was one of the first myths propagated by DC’s Young Turk writers. Denny O’Neil, specifically, in this case.
O’Neil’s story, “Beware My Power”, from GL # 87 (Dec., 1971-Jan., 1972) was designed to set up John Stewart as the new back-up Green Lantern for Sector 2814. However, for some reason, O’Neil felt there was an old back-up that he had to dispose of. Early in “Beware My Power”, school athletic instructor Guy Gardner is severely injured while trying to rescue one of his students from a crumbling bridge.
Gardner
’s injuries will keep him bedridden for at least six months. This is a serious concern to the Emerald Crusader because, as the story insists, Guy was his understudy, the fellow who would take over as Green Lantern if something happened to
Jordan
. O’Neil’s script emphasises the fact that this was not an unofficial position, either. When the Guardians of the Universe learn of
Gardner
’s incapacitation, they inform GL that they have selected a new back-up for him, in the person of John Stewart. The Little Blue Guys then direct Jordan to instruct Stewart on the details of being a Green Lantern, just as, it is inferred, he did with
Gardner
.
Later retellings of Guy Gardner’s life would reïnforce the idea that he was the official second-string GL of Earth, and well aware of it.
It’s true enough that the character of Guy Gardner debuted in the Silver Age, but the business of him being Hal
Jordan
’s back-up, O’Neil just made up.
Gardner
was introduced in the story “Earth’s Other Green Lantern”, from GL # 59 (Mar., 1968). While visiting Oa, the home of the Guardians, Hal Jordan learns that when his predecessor, Abin Sur, after being mortally injured in a crash-landing on Earth, ordered his power ring to find his successor -- a man who is honest and entirely without fear -- it located two candidates: Jordan himself and Guy Gardner. The ring selected
Jordan
because he was closer.
The bulk of “Earth’s Other Green Lantern”, though, is a computer-projected account of what would have happened if Abin Sur’s ring had selected Guy Gardner to become Green Lantern.
After watching
Gardner
’s hypothetical life as Green Lantern play out,
Jordan
decides to meet
Gardner
. In the four remaining panels in the story, he makes
Gardner
’s acquaintance and they become buddies. Yet -- and this is the important part -- Hal never divulges anything about Guy’s almost-career as Green Lantern, nor anything about his own rôle as the Emerald Crusader. As
Jordan
thinks to himself, “I wish I could tell Guy how close he came to becoming Green Lantern -- but I can’t!”
As far as the Silver Age is concerned, Guy Gardner -- or anyone else, for that matter -- was never the back-up Green Lantern for Sector 2814.
Myth 3: Hal
Jordan
Refused to Wear His Power Ring While Test-Flying Aircraft.
 This is a modern innovation, intended to demonstrate what a “man’s man” Hal
Jordan
was, by showing that he never wore his power ring during test flights. Because it would “take away from his edge as a pilot”, or some such drivel.
Apparently, the Silver-Age Jordan thought differently about it. Instances in which he wore his power ring while testing Ferris aircraft abound:
“Starro the Conqueror”, The Brave and the Bold # 28 (Feb.-Mar., 1960). In order to answer his JLA emergency signal while he is occupied on a twenty-four-hour test flight, Hal uses his ring to change to Green Lantern and then commands the plane to fly itself.
“Prisoner of the Power Ring”, GL # 10 (Jan., 1962).
Jordan
is test-flying a fighter. He is clearly wearing his power ring, and after spotting some diamond smugglers, uses it to change to his alter ego after he lands.
“The Spy-Eye That Doomed Green Lantern”, GL # 17 (Dec., 1962).
Jordan
takes advantage of a stratospheric test flight to become the Emerald Gladiator and return to Earth to apprehend a spy ring. Obviously wearing his ring there.
“Prisoner of the Golden Mask”, GL # 35 (Mar., 1965). When the VTOL craft he is piloting is damaged by a super-villain, the Aerialist, Hal bails out. He is wearing his ring, but does not change to Green Lantern, since that would reveal his secret identity to the bad guy.
“The Spies Who ‘Owned’ Green Lantern”, GL # 37 (Jun., 1965). While testing another jet,
Jordan
spots an attack on the high seas by modern-day pirates. Wearing his ring -- check. Changes to GL -- check. Uses his ring to keep the plane flying -- check.
“Prince Peril’s Power Play”, GL # 45 (Jun., 1966). Hal is on another test-flight when he spots a flare signal from Doiby Dickles, and uses his ring to switch to his other identity while the plane lands on auto-pilot.
I rest my case.
Myth 4: Abin Sur was Flying a Spaceship the Day He Crashed on Earth Because He Routinely Did So, Out of a Fear That His Power Ring Would Someday Fail Him in Space.
 The Emerald Crusader’s origin story, “S.O.S. Green Lantern”, from Showcase # 22 (Sep.-Oct., 1959), has a glaring lapse of internal logic, mainly because writer John Broome had not anticipated how the character of Green Lantern would develop.
According to that first story, and all the re-tellings, after the spacecraft piloted by Abin Sur, then the GL of Sector 2814, crash-landed on Earth, the dying alien passed on his costume and power ring to Hal
Jordan
. A solid story, until within a few stories, it was established that Earth’s Green Lantern, like all GL’s, could travel through space simply by the power of their rings. That opened a big hole in the origin tale. If Green Lanterns could use their power rings to fly through space, why did Abin Sur need a spaceship?
Writer Alan Moore, in his “Tygers”, from Tales of the Green Lantern Corps Annual # 2 (1986), attempted to plug this gap in logic.
Moore
wrote a tale of Abin Sur, set some ten years before his death. In a land called the Empire of Tears, a malevolent being informed Abin Sur that he would someday his power ring would run out of energy while he was travelling through space, and no longer protected from the vacuum, would die. Though sceptical of the prediction, Abin Sur was disturbed by it enough to make the decision to use a spaceship on his interplanetary travels.
The kicker of the story was that, had not Abin Sur been flying a spaceship when he accidentally entered Earth’s Van Allen radiation belt, he would not have crash-landed and perished; thus, the evil entity had set him up for his own death.
Like so many later-generation comics writers, Moore set about to address a matter that didn’t need addressing. Or perhaps
Moore
knew that it had been, and just thought he could tell a better story.
Either way, John Broome had beaten him to the punch.
In “Earth’s First Green Lantern”, from GL # 16 (Oct., 1962), Hal
Jordan
tells his confidant, Pieface, the reason why his predecessor was flying a spacecraft when he died. Shortly before his death, Abin Sur encountered a race of energy-creatures called the Larifars. The Larifars survived by stealing the ability to imagine from the brains of sentient beings. Abin Sur captured and imprisoned the Larifars. All, but one. This one, Balzona, was able to find Abin Sur in his civilian identity on the world of Ungara. The Larifar took mental control of Abin Sur while he slept and his ring was uncharged.
The energy-creature commanded the Ungaran Green Lantern to fly to where he had confined the other Larifars and free them. Still able to guard his thoughts from the creature, Abin Sur told him that such a flight would tax the energy of his power ring, and there would not be enough left to free the other Larifars. Falling for the deception, Balzona forced Abin Sur to steal a spaceship for the flight. While in space, Abin Sur was able to charge his ring and turn the tables on Balzona.
After imprisoning him with his fellow Larifars, Abin Sur was piloting the ship back to Ungara when he accidentally flew into Earth’s radiation belt and crashed.
Moore
’s version, it can be argued, holds true for the post-Crisis Abin Sur, since all bets were off when the DC universe got rebooted. I agree. The problem arises when modern fans don’t know there was ever any other accounting, and then I come across some “Silver-Age Green Lantern” website that has it all wrong.
It’s like somebody thinking that Paul McCartney got famous for his band, Wings.
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