The Life and Times of Green Lantern Hal Jordan:

In Showcase #22, Oct. 1959, Hal Jordan makes his first appearance in comics and receives his Green Lantern power ring and battery from a dying alien, Abin Sur, who crash landed on Earth.  Abin commanded his ring to scan the Earth and find someone who was completely honest and born without fear -- two of the primary qualifications necessary to become a Green Lantern.  Taking the ring from the dying alien, Hal Jordan pledged to uphold the mantle entrusted to him and buried Abin Sur beneath the desert sands of the American Southwest.

In this issue, Hal's job as a test pilot for Ferris Aircraft as well as Hal's potential love interest, Carol Ferris (his boss at the company) were also introduced.  Carol was somewhat unique for a female character in comics at the time.  She was a career-minded woman who took over the day-to-day operations of the company from her vacationing father, and she was constantly rebuffing Hal's romantic advances toward her.  However, she did take a liking to Hal's alter-ego, Green Lantern, which put Hal in competition with himself for her affections.  This may not have been a revolutionary development in comics, but at the very least it was evolutionary: Hal Jordan was not portrayed as the typical meek and mild alter ego as was the norm established by the Superman/Clark Kent paradigm, and Carol Ferris was certainly not the helpless female who needed to be rescued in every story as Lois Lane had been at the time.

In Green Lantern vol. 2 #2, Oct. 1960 (note that Green Lantern vol. 1 told the adventures of the 1940s Green Lantern, Alan Scott), Green Lantern battles the evil Weaponers from the Antimatter Universe of Qward for the first time.  The Weaponers and the Antimatter Universe would figure prominently in the adventures of both Green Lantern and the larger DC Comics universe for decades to come.

In this same issue, Hal Jordan's confidant, Tom Kalmaku ("Pieface") is introduced.  Tom would chronicle Hal's adventures as Green Lantern in a secret journal that he kept.

Green Lantern vol. 2 #6, dated June 1961, was a pivotal issue in the series as Hal Jordan learned, for the first time, the full scope of his responsibilities as Green Lantern.  Hal encounters an alien Green Lantern named Tomar-Re of the planet Xudar who tells Hal that he is one of many Green Lanterns operating throughout the cosmos all under the command of an omniscient race of alien beings known as the Guardians of the Universe.

This issue was just the first of many encounters Hal would have with Green Lanterns from other worlds as Hal's adventures would take him across the galaxies and beyond, giving this series a decidedly distinctive flavor from that of other superhero comics on the market at the time.

Green Lantern vol. 2 #7 (Aug. 1961) introduced one of the most significant characters to the Green Lantern mythos: Hal Jordan's arch enemy, Sinestro.  Sinestro had been the Green Lantern of space sector 1417 where his home planet of Korugar was located.  However, over time, Sinestro became power-mad and installed himself as absolute dicator of Korugar.  Learning of this, the Guardians transported Sinestro to their home on the planet Oa where they stripped him of his rank and power as a Green Lantern and exiled him to the Antimatter Universe of Qward.

However, once there, Sinestro joined forces with the evil Weaponers and vowed to help them destroy Hal Jordan, whom they had tried to kill several times before.  In the end, Sinestro and the Weaponers were unsuccessful, but a significant development would occur in Sinestro's next appearance, just two issues later, that would make Sinestro a more formidable match for Green Lantern.

In Green Lantern vol. 2 #8 (Oct. 1961), another unique twist was added to the series as the writer gave him a second secret identity -- that of Pol Manning of the year 5700 AD.

In this story, Hal Jordan is selected by Earth's ruling council of the year 5700 AD to become their new "Solar Director," who would be charged with leading the assault against an attacking race of aliens called the Zegors.  Using their advanced technology, they transported Hal across time to the 58th century.  However, since their method of time travel had the side effect of wiping out Hal's memory, they programmed him with a false identity so that he would be able to function normally and not feel disconcerted while he was in the future.  Thus, Hal became Pol Manning, famous space explorer and newest Solar Director.  This new gig even came complete with a girlfriend, Iona Vane, who agreed to play the part to complete the illusion that Hal truly belonged in that time period.  Once Hal saved the Earth from the aliens, he was returned to the 20th century, his mind having been wiped clean once again, so he had no memory of his adventure as Pol Manning, but his Hal Jordan memories returned.

Traveling to the future to assume the Pol Manning identity was supposed to have been a semi-regular occurrence in the series, but it only happened a few more times before the idea was dropped.

Dated December 1961, Green Lantern vol. 2 #9 is another pivotal issue in that annals of Hal Jordan's career as Green Lantern.  In this issue, Sinestro gains the use of a yellow-energy power ring, which, in its initial appearance, gains its power by draining the power from the rings of the Green Lanterns.  We are also introduced to some more of the alien Green Lanterns, and at the end of the story, we see the GL Corps on Oa for the first time charging their rings on the giant Central Power Battery from which each individual Green Lantern's power battery draws its energy.

The second story in this issue is equally important as we meet members of Hal Jordan's family for the first time, specifically his older brother Jack and his younger brother, Jim.  This was yet another unique twist for the series as most comics heroes up until this time were depicted as only children with parents long deceased.  The close bond of the Jordan brothers was often neglected by subsequent writers once GL creator John Broome left the series, however.

Green Lantern vol. 2 #16 (Oct. 1962) introduced another main antagonist for Hal Jordan -- that of Carol Ferris' alternate personality, Star Sapphire.

An alien warrior race of immortal women called the Zamarons arrived on Earth and told Carol that she was selected to be their new queen.  Carol refused, saying that she would never leave Earth because of her feelings for Green Lantern.  The Zamarons, who believe that all men are naturally inferior to women, decided to prove that Green Lantern was not her equal by bestowing on her the powers of their star sapphire gem.  Transformed and under the gem's control, Carol met Green Lantern in battle, but was defeated by him.  The Zamarons thus decided that Carol was not fit to be their queen and erased her memory of her deeds as Star Sapphire before leaving Earth.

However, the gem remained behind where Carol would encounter it numerous times over the years and be transformed into the villainous Star Sapphire.

Hal Jordan's adventures as Green Lantern continued along over the years, fighting new villains and facing new challenges, but the overall status quo of the series did not change until Green Lantern vol. 2 #49 (Dec. 1966).  Never mind the one-shot villain, The Dazzler, depicted on the cover at right.  In this issue, Hal is told by Carol Ferris that she has become engaged to be married.  This development sends Hal for a loop as he realizes that his feelings for Carol were never quite reciprocated -- first, Carol was pining after his alter ego, Green Lantern, and now she was bethrothed to another man entirely.

With this, Hal quit Ferris Aircraft, left Coast City, and decided to travel the country to find a new place for himself.  This abrupt change in his life was undoubtedly prompted by fans' outcries that nothing really ever changed in DC Comics as opposed to the magazines published by their crosstown rivals, Marvel Comics.  Over the next few years, Hal took on jobs as an Insurance Investigator for the Evergreen Insurance Company (complete with new girlfriend, Eve Doremus) and then as a traveling toy salesman for Merlin Toys.  Neither of these proved to be as interesting to readers as Ferris Aircraft and the title felt as though it were in a constant state of flux and sales began to decline.

In Green Lantern vol. 2 #59 (Mar. 1968), we are introduced to Guy Gardner, the so-called "Earth's Other Green Lantrern."  In a major revision to Hal Jordan's origin, Hal learns that the alien, Abin Sur, who gave Hal his ring had a choice as to whom to name his successor.  Close to death, Abin had his ring transport Hal to his side because he was physically closer to where Abin's ship had crash landed on Earth.  However, Guy Gardner was deemed by the ring to be equally worthy of claiming the power.

For most of the story, Hal is on the Guardians' planet of Oa witnessing a sort-of "what if" projection of Guy Guardner's career as GL if he were the one chosen by Abin Sur.  In the end, Guy Gardner would have ended up dying and Hal would have then received his ring from Guy making Hal Green Lantern under either scenario.

At the end of the story, Hal established contact with the real Guy Gardner, a school teacher on the East Coast, without telling Guy of his missed opportunity to be Green Lantern.

It should be noted that, in spite of this provocative cover, there was never actually a conflict between Hal and Guy in the story, and the what-if projection of Guy as Green Lantern showed him to be just as grounded and responsible as Hal Jordan had been.  However, it would seem that the cover image gave future writers ideas on how to portray Guy because when he was brought back as a featured character in the mid-1980s, he was just as loud, brash, and obnoxious as the cover above suggests -- making him an instant fan favorite.

The next big change came with the April 1970 issue, Green Lantern vol. 2 #76.  In this famous edition, new writer Denny O'Neill took over the scripting chores from departing creator John Broome.  O'Neil was joined by superstar artist Neal Adams, and together they created the memorable Green Lantern/Green Arrow series of stories that were an absolute game-changer regarding what could be done within the comics format and set new standards in comics writing and art that are still cited as being highly influential today.

O'Neil was 26 years younger than John Broome, the writer who created Hal Jordan and scripted the majority of stories in the Green Lantern title up until that point.  Denny joined DC Comics in 1968 having been brought over from rival publisher, Charlton Comics.  Other writers and artists from Charlton were also brought over to DC during this period marking a culture clash between the conservative suit-and-tie wearing staff that DC had beforehand with the more liberal, comparatively scruffy-looking talent that DC was newly employing.  O'Neil's prior work at DC -- taking over for the "old timers" on the Justice League of America and Wonder Woman titles and introducing more contemporary themes into those series set the stage for this major revision to the tone of Green Lantern.

Green Arrow was added to the series and the character, who had previously been a billionaire businessman, lost his fortune and was recast as a man of the people who espoused liberal political views not unlike O'Neil's own at the time.  Politically speaking, Hal Jordan assumed the role of "the establishment," which admittedly was an easy jump to make considering that the Green Lanterns are essentially a scifi police force.  Each issue, as Hal and Green Arrow traveled the country, Hal would dutifully learn whatever lesson that he was being taught in that particular story.  Did Hal become a strawman in his own book?  Did the writer lay it on a bit thick?  Perhaps, but this being 1970 at the height of the student movement and anti-Vietnam sentiment, questioning the establishment, "rich fatcats," and authority figures found a very receptive audience among the college crowd at whom these stories were aimed.  With these, and other stories DC had been publishing in the prior few years, comics could lay claim to having brought topicality into their storylines even before television sitcoms did it beginning with All in the Family in 1971.  Interestingly enough, the topics covered in these issues such as anti-war, corporate greed, polluting the environment, overpopulation, and drug use remain in the forefront of the American political discussion even today.

Green Lantern vol. 2 #87 (Jan. 1972) introduces a character who would become very significant to DC Comics beginning in the 1980s.  After Guy Gardner, the alternate pick for Green Lantern is disabled in an accident, the Guardians of the Universe decide that a new successor be chosen in case Hal Jordan is ever unable to fulfill his duties as Green Lantern.  The Guardians choose John Stewart, a young African-American architect.

After this issue, Stewart made one other appearance in the 1970s -- in Justice League of America vol. 1 #110 (Apr. 1974) where he substituted for Hal Jordan, who was incapacitated at the time.  The character then lay dormant until he was brought back in 1984.  John Stewart has been appearing in comics regularly ever since and had his own title, Green Lantern: Mosaic, from 1992-1993.  He is currently a featured character in the title Green Lantern Corps.

The Green Lantern title was canceled with #89, dated May 1972, due to low sales, but the character lived on as a secondary feature in The Flash comic and appeared in short stories in most issues from 1972 until 1976.  Two tryout Green Lantern reprint specials were also published during this period, and the good sales on those encouraged DC to try a revival of the Green Lantern series with all-new adventures.