I am really pissed off, well maybe I am exagerating but I dunno, my jimmies have been rustled.
WHY ARE PEOPLE HATING ON THE LANTERNs TRAILER???
Most complains I read and heard/watched online are:
- The suit is awful, does not look green, its not comic accurate
- Hal is old
- Not cosmic enough
This brings me to my jimmies being rustled. People are either illiterate or if they have read comics they are oblivous to the metatextual significance of the characters, when they were initally introduced and what role their identity as a character has played in the industry.
Which in turn brings me to my next point of grievance: everyone is either missing or completely missunderstanding what James Gunn is mostly adapting his DCU from. And the answer is awfully simple: in broad strokes Gunn is adapting the DC universe as it existed at that weird point in time post Crisis on Infinite Earths. The references are pretty obvious, the Justice Gang is an obvious adaptation of the Justice League International era. The Peacemaker tv show is a translation of all the weird Charlton characters suddenly being brought into main DC continuity post crisis and somehow landing multiple limited series or ongoing series. (Project Janus anyone?)
Circling back on the green lantern stuff, GL and Flash are the two forerunners of the Silver Age, along with the FF and Spider-Man. 1960S GL and Flash are re-imagined versions of their 1940s counterparts. This sci-fi approach paved the way for the Silver Age to take shape "A new age, as pure as sterling silver..."
Hal probably more than Barry is the embodiment of this. A fully realized sci-fi superhero, who is also able to dabble in earthbound adventures. Hal is not just his ring, he has the willpower to wield it, he has "the right stuff" which also places him alongside the true life heroes of the time: the early space program astronauts.
So he is a product of his time and eventually also the embodiment of said time. That is probably why by the end of the 80s Hal was no longer in his prime, he was now tired, with grey hair on his temples and younger replacements ready to take the mantle (John and Guy)
And I think these two moments in GL history are what the TV show is going for. The 2016 storyline probably seeing Hal old and jaded training his replacement after what looks like 20+ of service. He comes from (supeficially) simpler times, the 90s. Likely his test pilot career happened during this time before he was recruited to the corps and made his debut. Also likely he was the top dog super hero during his prime since no active Superman means he is one of the most powerful beings on the planet.
And again here is the parallel between comic book hal and his adaptation. Both are products of a bygone era, recognized by the public and fans alike as important figures on their own right but now outdated. This status also serves Hal well because in the comics he was somehow this middle aged, graying dude while his JL peers were either younger ( post crisis Clark and Bruce are arguably on their early to mid 30s, tops) or might not have even made their debut yet (Wonder Woman) which had no logical explanation at the time (post crisis continuity errors deserve their own post)
In a a very real sense the character of Hal Jordan was practically a holdover from the Silver Age, Barry sacrificed himself and was given a proper send off. Hal was not so lucky.
In post crisis continuity metahumans had existed for a long time and were active throughout the 20th century but it was not until Superman's debut that the new heroic era really kicked off. And it took a decade for the new era to really take off (Morrison JLA run). Hal was not part of it, GL at the time was Kyle Ryner or later on John Stewart again.
I understand Hal has his fan base, but he wont be part of the Justice League in the new DC cinematic universe because I believe that the period of tribulations/shake ups that Gunn is adapting as a whole will leave Hal behind, a retired hero or worse.
If you want to read a good comic that reflects on this theme read Astro City: Local Heroes #4 which is a thinly veiled Hal Jordan at his twilight story.
