Hal Jordan

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Green Lantern
Hal Jordan as Green Lantern Art by Ethan Van Sciver
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Showcase #22 (October 1959)
Created by	John Broome Gil Kane
In-story information
Alter ego	Harold "Hal" Jordan
Team affiliations	Green Lantern Corps Justice League US Air Force
Notable aliases	Pol Manning, Parallax, Spectre
Abilities	Green Power Ring

Harold "Hal" Jordan is a fictional character, a DC Comics superhero. He is DC Comics' second Green Lantern and the first earthman ever inducted into the Green Lantern Corps and founding member of the Justice League of America. Created by John Broome and Gil Kane, he first appeared in Showcase #22 (October 1959).^[1]

The revamp of Green Lantern as Hal Jordan was one of many DC Comics characters to emerge in the Silver Age of comics.

In 1994 Hal Jordan turned into the supervillain Parallax and was replaced by Kyle Rayner as the new Green Lantern. Jordan then underwent a number of further changes in the 1990s including dying and later returning as a new incarnation of The Spectre. Hal Jordan returned to the role of Green Lantern in 2004's Green Lantern: Rebirth miniseries and is currently the protagonist of the current volume of Green Lantern.

Publication history

Recreated for the Silver Age

After achieving great success in 1956 in reviving the Golden Age character The Flash, DC editor Julius Schwartz looked toward recreating the Green Lantern from the Golden Age of Comic Books^{[citation needed]}. Like The Flash, Schwartz wanted this new character to have a different secret identity, origin, and personality than his 1940s counterpart. A long time science-fiction fan and literary agent, Schwartz wanted a more sci-fi based Green Lantern, as opposed to the mystical powers of Alan Scott, the forties Green Lantern. He enlisted writer John Broome and artist Gil Kane, who in 1959 would reintroduce Green Lantern to the world in Showcase #22 (September-October 1959).

Like E.E. Doc Smith's Lensmen, the new Green Lantern was a member of an intergalactic constabulary made up of many different alien species who were given a device that provided them with great mental and physical abilities; however, both Broome and Schwartz have denied a connection between those stories from science fiction pulps and the Green Lantern comic book stories.^{[citation needed]} Gil Kane drew from actor Paul Newman in creating Hal Jordan's likeness,^[2] and redesigned the Green Lantern uniform into a very sleek form-fitting outfit of green, black, and white - quite the opposite of Alan Scott's red, yellow, green, purple, and black costume with a puffy shirt and cape.

The character was a success and it was quickly decided to follow-up his three issue run on Showcase with a self-titled series. Green Lantern #1 began in July-August 1960 and would continue until #84 in April-May 1972.

Cover to Showcase #22 (October 1959), the first appearance of Hal Jordan. Art by Gil Kane.

This creative team was responsible for introducing many of the major characters in Hal Jordan's life. First and foremost was Carol Ferris, Jordan's love interest. She was in charge of Ferris Aircraft, and as such, Hal's boss. While she preferred Green Lantern to Hal Jordan, she took an active role in trying to win him over, even going so far as to propose to him in the old Leap Year tradition. Although she gave Jordan some attention, her job and company always came first. Ferris was a strong-willed woman of authority at a time when this was rare, especially in comic books.

Another unique addition to Green Lantern's supporting cast was his best friend, Tom Kalmaku, who was both Hal's mechanic and the chronicler of his super-hero adventures. An Inuit (Eskimo) from Alaska, Tom's nickname was "Pie" or "Pieface", in reference to Eskimo Pie ice cream sandwiches. Like "Chop Chop" from the Blackhawk comics, this nickname is today understandably viewed as racist and has been downplayed by most modern writers^{[citation needed]}. However, unlike "Chop Chop", Tom was actually a competent and intelligent character with a well-rounded personality, not a stereotypical buffoon. Despite the unfortunate nickname, Tom Kalmaku was among the first minority characters to be portrayed in this manner and broke new ground for mainstream comic books. Tom would later be followed by another trail-blazing minority character, John Stewart, the first African-American super-hero of the DC Universe.

Jordan's masters, the mysterious Guardians of the Universe, were physically based on David Ben-Gurion, the first Prime Minister of Israel, and were developed from an idea Schwartz and Broome had originally conceived years prior in a story featuring Captain Comet in Strange Adventures #22 (July, 1952) entitled "Guardians of the Clockwork Universe".^[3]

Schwartz and company also allowed Jordan to have a family, which was another rare thing at this time in superhero comics. While he didn't have a wife or children of his own, he had many interactions with his two brothers, Jack and Jim. The Brothers Jordan were primarily inspired by the Kennedy brothers, who rose to prominence during the sixties.

When compared to comics of the thirties, forties, and early fifties, Green Lantern broke new storytelling ground and can be seen as a precursor to the "Marvel Revolution" that would take place several years later.^{[citation needed]} Whereas older comics treated each issue as a stand-alone with no real sense of temporal direction between issues, Green Lantern's issues followed the order of publication, with references within the stories to previous stories and adventures. Not only were references made, but subplots (such as Hal and Carol's romance, the marriage of Tom Kalmaku, etc.) were advanced showing actual growth in the character's lives. While these subplots rarely were given much notice in comparison to Marvel's storylines in the sixties and especially to today's modern stories, they were the first step toward this sort of serial storytelling instead of the episodic nature of older comics^{[original research?]}.

Likewise, Green Lantern was one of the first comics to be a part of a "shared universe". The Justice League of America united several superheroes that DC owned, just as the Justice Society of America had in the Golden Age. The crucial difference was that events occurring in the Justice League title were reflected and referenced in individual superheroes' titles (such as Green Lantern).

Also adding to the advancement of the medium was Gil Kane's use of dynamic art.^{[citation needed]} Whereas previously, comics had mostly stuck with a six panel page consisting of six equal sized rectangles, Kane's panels changed in size and shape to offer a more emotional and visceral experience. The action and/or scene dictated the art instead of being forced into a rigid box structure. In addition, while there had been plenty of flying superheroes in the past, none flew quite like Hal Jordan. Kane’s art made Hal look more like he was gliding or swimming through the air than the usual leaping or bullet-like flying motion of other superheroes. His fluid poses made Hal a more graceful and, as a result, realistic-looking flying man.^{[citation needed][original research?]}

John Broome seemed to come up with stories centered on a common theme and then run them together within a fairly short time. For example, Green Lantern #2-4 each contained stories involving the anti-matter universe of Qward, issues #12 and #15 featured "Zero Hour" stories^{[clarification needed]} , and issues #8 and #12 involved Hal being sent to the year 5700 AD in the guise of Pol Manning.^[4]

Starting in issue #17, Gardner Fox joined the book to share writing duties with John Broome. The quartet of Schwartz, Broome, Fox, and Kane remained the core creative team until 1970.

The Era of Social Conscience

Starting with issue #76, Dennis O'Neil took over scripting duties and Neal Adams took over as artist. This issue is one of the comics which is considered to have ushered in the Bronze Age of Comic Books^{[citation needed]}. It is worth noting that Neal Adams actually drew his first cover in Green Lantern #63 in the late Silver Age. The collaboration of O'Neil and Adams produced the most famous and celebrated runs on Green Lantern^{[citation needed]}. Julius Schwartz remained editor and hand-selected the two^{[citation needed]} to revitalize the title, whose sales had been slipping. O’Neil and Adams had already begun preparation for the classic run in the form of their re-workings of another DC character: Green Arrow.

Green Arrow was a character originally created by DC in 1941 (then known as National Comics). He was a wealthy businessman named Oliver Queen who wore a green Errol Flynn-esque Robin Hood costume and shot “trick” arrows in his efforts to fight crime. His characterization was fairly basic (borrowing heavily from Batman but lacking the depth and tragedy of that character^{[original research?]}) and as such remained a second or third string hero throughout the Golden Age. However, the character managed to survive the fifties (during which most superhero comics were eliminated) by being a backup character in Adventure Comics. In 1961, DC added Green Arrow to the roster of the Justice League of America, but he still remained in the background.

Three panels ushering in the O'Neil/Adams run in Green Lantern #76.

This changed in 1968 with Justice League of America #66. Written by Denny O’Neil, Green Arrow started to show resentment toward his fellow superheroes who wielded great power (as he himself, possessing exceptional skill but no actual super-powers, did not), but did little to help the ordinary people with ordinary problems. O’Neil continued to push Green Arrow’s tolerance for his peers, and a little less than a year later, Neal Adams (not working in any sort of cooperation with O’Neil) redesigned Arrow, giving him a goatee and a new outfit. Justice League of America #74 (still being written by O’Neil) introduced Black Canary as Arrow’s love interest and issue #75 left him broke, his company and fortune stolen from him. O’Neil wanted to recreate Green Arrow to better represent a modern Robin Hood, but felt a rich man would be a poor champion of the downtrodden^{[citation needed]}.

Some time after this, Schwartz invited O’Neil to take over Green Lantern. Wanting to represent his own political beliefs in comics and take on social issues of the late sixties and early seventies, O’Neil came up with the idea of pitting Hal Jordan, who as an intergalactic cop stood for not only Law and Order but The Establishment, against Oliver Queen, who O’Neil had characterized as a profoundly outspoken liberal and stood for the Counter-Culture Movement^{[citation needed]}. The first issue he wrote had Green Lantern capturing a street "punk" who was pushing around a man. All around him, people start throwing things at the bewildered Jordan. As he steps in to attack, he is stopped by Green Arrow, who explains that the man he defended was a slum lord "fat cat" and goes even further to show Lantern the conditions of the slum. At the roof, in a now famous scene, an elderly African-American man grills Jordan as to why he has not done much for the "black skins" of his own planet while helping out other different colored aliens of other planets.

Following Schwartz's approval of the story, Neal Adams was brought in to replace Gil Kane, much to the surprise of Denny O'Neil. And yet, the pair had already been working together on Batman (where Adams successfully reconstructed the character into a more dramatic "Dark Knight"), Adams had been the one to redesign Green Arrow's costume, and the artist had a growing reputation for one who did not back down and pushed for innovative, good ideas^{[citation needed]} and therefore, was the perfect candidate to work with O'Neil^{[original research?]}.

The pair tackled a number of social issues including corruption, sexism, cults, consumerism, the environment, racism, poverty, and even (subtly) child molestation^{[citation needed]}. However, none were more shocking and controversial^{[citation needed]} than the issue explored in the famous "Snowbirds Don't Fly" issues #85 and #86. Neal Adams drew the cover, which showed Green Arrow’s youthful side-kick, Speedy, shooting heroin. Editor Julius Schwartz did not want it published^{[citation needed]}. Neither did publisher Carmine Infantino^{[citation needed]}. But over at Marvel Comics, Stan Lee had green-lit Amazing Spider-Man #96, which featured pills and presented an anti-drug message without the Comics Code Authority seal. Facing opposition and controversy, the Comics Code Authority revised its rules in regard to what could and could not be presented in comic books and, while still restrictive, became more lenient. As a result^{[citation needed]}, DC approved Adams’ cover and O’Neil wrote a two-part story involving drugs with Speedy being hooked. Green Arrow, who was usually presented as being the more understanding and mentoring of the Arrow/Lantern duo, now had his world turned upside-down, not only unable to understand his own part in leading Speedy toward drugs, but even coming off as uncompassionate toward the troubled youth. With this story, Adams and O’Neil not only tackled a difficult social ill, but looked inward at the ways that their “champion of the everyman” could be wrong^{[original research?]}. New York Mayor John V. Lindsay wrote a letter to DC in response to the issue commending them, which was printed in issue #86.

Due to losing sales Green Lantern/Green Arrow was canceled, one of many titles that ended publication under the reign of Carmine Infantino. Julius Schwartz had a reprint of an older story published for issue #88 and saw the comic he began back in 1959 come to an end in 1972 with issue #89. However, he had Denny O’Neil and Neal Adams do one last story together, stretched out over Flash #217-219 as a backup story.

Modern Era

In December 1989, following the cancellation of Green Lantern Corps at issue #224 (May 1988) (originally Green Lantern vol. 2 until the title was changed with issue #201 (Jun. 1986)), DC made Green Lantern and his adventures exclusive to Action Comics Weekly for a bit less than a year in 1988-1989. The origin of Hal Jordan was retold/retconned (in a similar manner to Frank Miller's Batman: Year One and John Byrne's The Man of Steel) in the 6-issue limited series Green Lantern: Emerald Dawn, written by Jim Owsley (issue #1), Keith Giffen & Gerard Jones (#2-6) with art by M.D. Bright and Romeo Tanghal. This story, published between the second and third volumes of Green Lantern is chronologically the first Hal Jordan story in the modern day post-Crisis on Infinite Earths continuity. The story is followed by Emerald Dawn II. The six-issue limited series (released from April to September 1991, again by the Emerald Dawn I creative team of writers Keith Giffen & Gerard Jones and artists M.D. Bright and Romeo Tanghal).

In 1994, the Green Lantern books were becoming less profitable, so DC Comics decided to do away with Hal Jordan, hoping to replace him with a new character Kyle Rayner, in order to attract new readers to the failing title. The "Emerald Twilight" storyline began in Green Lantern (vol. 3) #48 (January 1994). Following the complete destruction of his home town Coast City by the villain Mongul, Hal Jordan descends into madness. Jordan went on a rampage, destroying the Green Lantern Corps, killing his friend Kilowog and all of the Guardians except for Ganthet.

Jordan's origin was revamped again in 2008, this time by Geoff Johns in the fourth volume of Green Lantern. This story, Secret Origin, is Hal Jordan's New Earth origin in the post-Infinite Crisis continuity.

Other versions

As with other characters published by DC comics, many alternative universe versions and analogues of the character have appeared within both the Green Lantern series and other titles. In Action Comics #856, a Bizarro version of Hal, called Yellow Lantern, is featured. Yellow Lantern possessed a Sinestro Corps ring and used to inflict fear among Htrae's inhabitants.

The Green Lantern of Earth-5 is shown to be the Hal Jordan of Captain Marvel's world in the new 52 multiverse. He is killed in Countdown: Arena #2 by Monarch. A Green Lantern named Hal Jordan III, grandson of the original Hal Jordan, from the world of Batman Beyond. He is labeled as Green Lantern of Earth-12. He loses his left arm in battle with Monarch.

The character has also appeared in and been the focus of many Elseworlds titles such including JLA: Age of Wonder, DC: The New Frontier, Superman: Red Son, JLA: The Nail, Green Lantern: Evil's Might and the John Byrne penned Superman & Batman: Generations 2 and a part of the Frank Miller Dark Knight universe, appearing in All Star Batman and Robin and Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again.

In the DC/Marvel Company crossover series Amalgam, there appeared to be two amalgams of Hal. The Iron Lantern was the amalgam of Hal Jordan and Tony Stark. His identity was know as Hal Stark. Another unknown amalgam of Hal Jordan appeared in Speed Demon #1, in which the Speed Demon killed him, as apparently this Jordan had committed a horrible crime.

Hal Jordan is a character in JLA/Avengers, which featured a crossover between DC and Marvel Comics. Despite the fact that both teams travel to both of their respective universes, this is one of the few comics featuring multiple universes that remains in (DC) continuity.

An alternate version of Hal Jordan also appeared in the Pocket Universe Earth created by the Time Trapper. He, along with various other heroes who had no superpowers in this reality, teamed up with a good version of Lex Luthor to stop three evil Kryptonians who had escaped from the Phantom Zone. Hal Jordan piloted an advanced jet craft that was easily destroyed by the Kryptonians.

Though Jordan was never one of the main characters in the award-winning mini-series Kingdom Come, a version of him from the Earth-22 (A post Infinite Crisis alternate universe) made a cameo on the end of the storyline" Thy Kingdom Come" story arc on the issue of Justice Society of America (vol. 3) #22, during Batman's funeral.

Other media

Animated television

The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure

• Hal Jordan made his first cartoon appearance in 1967 in an eponymously-titled segment of The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure cartoon by Filmation. In it, he fought evil with the aid of a blue-skinned, pointed-eared sidekick Kairo, Hal's Venusian Helper. It is revealed that Hal is a member of the JLA. In these cartoons, Hal Jordan was voiced by Gerald Mohr.

Super Friends

• Green Lantern was featured as a 'guest hero' in The All-New Super Friends Hour. Unfortunately, his powers were consistently misrepresented, such creating vehicles for transportation with his ring such as a "Lantern Jet," ignoring the fact that the power ring traditionally allows him to simply will himself to fly. Also, whenever Green Lantern would use his ring to create something, such as a life raft or a double-bladed transport helicopter, the final product would often be shown with its appropriate colors, instead of the same green shade as the power beam.
• Hal Jordan and his archnemesis Sinestro were also regulars in Challenge of the SuperFriends which aired 1978–1979. One notable episode featured a re-telling of Hal's origin in which the dying Abin Sur passes on his ring. The character would continue to be brought back for the subsequent Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show and The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians shows. Michael Rye voiced the character for all three shows.

DC animated universe

Hal Jordan in Justice League Unlimited, with Terry McGinnis and Static behind him and Batman to the right.

• Hal Jordan has a single appearance in the Justice League Unlimited episode "The Once and Future Thing Part II: Time Warped". When time becomes fluid, John Stewart is unexpectedly replaced by Hal. He quickly introduces himself to his bewildered teammates and continues on as if nothing happened, explaining that the ring has brought him "up to speed". Later, as the assembled heroes close in on the time-warping villain responsible, Hal reverts back to John, causing an annoyed Static to say "Make up your mind!" Hal was voiced by Adam Baldwin in this episode.

The Batman

• In the fourth season finale of The Batman, "The Joining", the Justice League was introduced. Hal Jordan was included among its members, in a non-speaking cameo. He and the other members of the League play a role in the show's fifth season. He appears in the episode "Ring Toss", and in the finale "Lost Heroes", both times voiced by
  

  

  Hal Jordan in Duck Dodgers
  Dermot Mulroney.

Duck Dodgers

• Hal Jordan also appeared in a 2003 episode of the Duck Dodgers animated series entitled The Green Loontern, in which Duck Dodgers is mistakenly given a Green Lantern uniform by his dry cleaners. Donning it, he meets the Corps and fights Sinestro before meeting Hal (voiced by Kevin Smith), who is wearing Dodgers' too-small uniform.

Batman: The Brave and the Bold

• Hal Jordan appears in the Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode The Eyes of Despero, voiced by Loren Lester. He is first seen leading many other Green Lanterns into battle against Despero, only to have them be turned against him by Despero's mind control. Releasing a discharge of power from his ring, he seemingly perished in the blast alongside his fellow Lanterns, with his ring going across the universe in search of another wielder. It makes its way to Batman, sending him to space. Hal, the missing in action Lanterns, and the Guardians of the Universe were revealed to be alive and in the ring near the end.

Live-action television

Legends of the Superheroes

• In 1979, a two part mini-series of live-action films featuring The Justice League and their villains The Legion of Doom was produced under the title Legends of the Superheroes. It featured Howard Murphy as Hal Jordan.

Films

Hal Jordan in Green Lantern: First Flight.

• Hal Jordan is one of the main characters featured in Justice League: The New Frontier. He is voiced by David Boreanaz, while Carol Ferris is voiced by Brooke Shields.

• Christopher Meloni voices Hal Jordan on Warner Premiere animated feature Green Lantern: First Flight.

• Hal Jordan will appear in the animated feature Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths. ^[5]

• Ryan Reynolds has been cast to play Hal Jordan in a Martin Campbell directed Green Lantern motion picture feature.^[6]

Video games

• Hal Jordan is a playable character in the video game, Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe. His Game Ending has him and the other Green Lanterns becoming aware of a giant pyramid (from MK: Armageddon) emerging. Realizing Sinestro could try and take the pyramid's secret, he and the Green Lantern Corps try to stop him.

Other references

• A nod to Hal Jordan was made in Ninja Turtles (2003) 7th season episode "The Super Power Struggle". The character in reference was Al Gordon, The Green Mantle. An emerald cape gives him super powers, however it is not triggered by will power. The character lost the cape after a fight with his arch nemesis, Mechazar. A kid found it and kept it as a collectible for more than 40 years. The character in modern day looks like Hal Jordan from 1990 to 2004 with the gray streaks of hair. He reclaims the cape and repairs it to resume the identity of The Green Mantle once again.

• The pop/rock band The Roy Clark Method released "Sector 2814," a song about Hal Jordan's fall after the Reign of the Supermen series, on their 2002 album Mild-Mannered Supermen. A second version of the song appeared on their self-titled second album in 2005.^[7][8]

• In an issue of the Bongo Comics series Simpsons comics Comic Book Guy says "I wanted to be a Martian Manhunter but I ended up a Hal Jordan."
• In the song "Sunshine Superman" by Scottish singer Donavan In 1968, Superman and Green Lantern are both referred to.
• Kirby Krackle composed a song about Hal Jordan called "Ring Capacity" that hasn't been added to any album although it has been announced they will ad it to their next album

Bibliography

Ongoing series

Hal Jordan first appeared in Showcase #22-24 (September 1959 – February 1960, DC Comics). After that, he was given his own series. Over the years, it has been renamed, canceled, and rebooted several times. His “core” series have been:

• Green Lantern (vol. 2) #1-75 (July 1960 – March 1970, DC Comics). Renamed following issue #75.
• Green Lantern/Green Arrow #76-89 (April 1970 – May 1972, DC Comics). Canceled following issue #89.
• The Flash (vol. 1) #217-246 (August 1972 – January 1977, DC Comics). Hal’s stories were a backup feature which stopped following his own title’s return.
• Green Lantern/Green Arrow #90-122 (August 1976 – November 1979, DC Comics). Renamed following issue #122.
• Green Lantern (vol. 2) #123-200 (December 1979 – May 1986, DC Comics). Renamed following issue #200.
• Green Lantern Corps #201-224 (June 1986 – May 1988, DC Comics). Canceled following issue #224.
• Action Comics Weekly #601-635 (24 May 1988 – 17 January 1989, DC Comics). Hal’s stories were one of several characters featured in the series. Canceled following issue #635.
• Green Lantern Special #1 (1988). Tying in with the stories from Action Comics Weekly.
• Green Lantern Special #2 (1989). Concluding the story plots from Action Comics Weekly, after the anthology series' cancellation.
• Green Lantern (vol. 3) #1-50 (June 1990 – March 1994, DC Comics). Following issue #50, the character Kyle Rayner took over this series.
• The Spectre (vol. 4) #1-27 (March 2001 – May 2003, DC Comics). Hal Jordan's adventures as the Wrath of God. Canceled following issue #27.
• Green Lantern (vol. 4) #1-present (July 2005 – present, DC Comics). Currently written by Geoff Johns with various artists.

Team series

Hal Jordan was a founding member of the Justice League of America, which first appeared in Brave and the Bold #28-30 (February 1960 – July 1960, DC Comics).

• Justice League of America (vol. 1) #1-200 (October 1960 – March 1982, DC Comics). Hal was exiled to space by the Guardians following this and the League was disbanded by Aquaman later in Justice League of America Annual #2 (November 1984).
• Justice League of Europe #39-61 (June 1992 – February 1994, DC Comics). At the time of joining, Hal took leadership of this team, but left for “personal reasons” following the destruction of Coast City.
• JSA #19-20(February 2001 - March 2001), 60-62 (June 2004 - August 2004), JSA: All Stars #1 (July 2003), 8 (February 2004). After becoming the Spectre, Hal aided The Justice Society of America on several different adventures.
• JLA #35 (November 1999), 115-120 (August 2005 - January 2006). While he was The Spectre, Hal aided the JLA on one case. After becoming Green Lantern once again, Hal rejoined and aided the JLA on their final case before breaking up once more and attended the gathering to announce the official dissolving of the JLA.
• Justice League of America (vol. 2) #1- (October 2006 – , DC Comics). Hal had been chosen by Superman, Wonder Woman, and (reluctantly) Batman to be a part of the new incarnation of the League.

Collected editions

Hal Jordan's stories have been collected into a number of volumes:

See also

• Kristogar Velo

Notes

References

External links

• Official Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) Website
• Alan Kistler's profile on Green Lantern
• GEOFF JOHNS - AMON SUR, AND EVERYTHING GREEN LANTERN
• Green Lantern's (Hal Jordan's) origin @ dccomics.com
• The Silver Age Green Lantern, a critical study
• Bio at the Unofficial Green Lantern Corps Webpage