Hal Jordan
Hal Jordan, known as Green Lantern, is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics.
See also Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps.
Contents
History
Hal Jordan is a reinvention of a previous character called Green Lantern that had appeared in 1940s comic books as the character Alan Scott.
The character was created in 1959 by writer John Broome and artist Gil Kane, and first appeared in Showcase #22 (October 1959).
Quote
After the runaway success of the revamped Flash in Showcase 4, DC editors scrambled through the archives looking for Golden Age heroes to rework and repackage for the atomic age.
Unsurprisingly, the next big hit of the DC Silver Age was a refurbished Green Lantern, who was upgraded to a devil-may-care hero with a science-fiction themed secret identity and origin tale perfectly suited to the Sputnik-era.
Crack DC draftsman Gil Kane turned in an extraordinary and timeless costume, and indefatigable scribe John Broome worked with DC editor Julius Schwartz to concoct a mystical, yet futuristic, and surprisingly moving debut.
If the Flash was the hint of a Silver Age of heroes, this book affirmed its existence and assured everything that followed. Its importance to comic history cannot be understated.
Source: http://www.comicconnect.com/bookDetail.php?id=328211
Green Lantern Corps
Hal Jordan is a member and occasionally leader of the intergalactic police force called the Green Lantern Corps. He fights evil across the Universe with a ring that grants him a variety of superpowers.
First appearance
Hal Jordan first appeared in Showcase, Volume 1, Number 22 (October 1959).
Summary @ dc.wikia.com
Hal Jordan first appears in Showcase, Volume 1, Number 22.
The issue contains three Hal Jordan stories.
"S.O.S. Green Lantern!"
An alien peace officer named Abin Sur of the Green Lantern Corps crash lands in the middle of the California desert. As he lay dying, he commands his power ring to seek out a worthy successor -- one who proves to be fearless and strong-willed.
Miles away, test pilot Hal Jordan is examining a flight simulator when a corona of green light envelops him, pulling him along with the simulator to the spot of Abin Sur's crashed vessel.
Abin Sur tells Hal that the power of the ring selected him to take on the role of the Green Lantern. He gives him the ring, his costume and a power battery. He instructs him that the ring will obey his every command, but is powerless against anything colored yellow. He further tells him that the ring's energy must be charged from the power battery once every twenty-four hours.
Hal agrees to accept the responsibility of wielding the ring in the cause of justice, and with that, Abin Sur passes away. Hal Jordan is now Green Lantern.
"Secret of the Flaming Spear"
Test pilot Hal Jordan goes to the office of Carol Ferris, daughter of Ferris Aircraft's president and CEO Carl Ferris. He asks Carol out on a dinner date, and Carol agrees.
Suddenly, an S.O.S. pipes through the office intercom. A Ferris aviator piloting the experimental Flaming Spear is in trouble.
Hal sneaks away and changes into the Green Lantern. He flies out towards the runway and helps bring the Flaming Spear safely to ground.
His ring picks up a strange radiation emanating from the nose of the plane. Tracing the energy signature back to its source, Green Lantern finds that a group of saboteurs are responsible for disrupting the Flaming Spear's flight path.
When Green Lantern appears before them, the thugs begin shooting at him, but he uses his ring to make their bullets explode. One of them picks up a yellow lamp and heaves it at Hal Jordan. As the power of his ring is vulnerable against anything colored yellow, the lamp succeeds in striking Jordan's head, knocking him down. The saboteurs take this opportunity to make their escape.
Green Lantern revives and gives chase, but quickly discovers that their getaway car is colored yellow as well. He uses his ring to spike the vehicle's tires causing it to skid to a halt. The three criminals attempt to flee, but Hal binds them with tendrils of green energy.
With the threat abated, Green Lantern changes into his civilian attire and returns to Ferris Aircraft.
Carl Ferris calls Carol and he into his office for an important announcement. He tells them that his wife and he are going on an extended vacation for the next two years. During this time, Carol will retain full control of the company.
After Carl leaves the room, Hal asks Carol if they are still on for their dinner date, but Carol tells him that as his new boss, their relationship will be "strictly business" for the next two years.
Back in his locker room, Hal laments the fact that his power ring can grant him his every desire except the one thing he wants most in the world -- Carol.
"Menace of the Runaway Missile"
After partaking in a test flight, Hal Jordan tries to ask Carol Ferris out on a date, however she rebuffs him stating that she is going to the celebrity ball to meet Green Lantern.
That night, Hal changes into Green Lantern and has a romantic interlude with Carol until he notices a missile in the sky. Speeding off to try and stop it, he realizes that the missile is coated in yellow paint and his power ring cannot effect it. That is until he notices that the nose cone of the missile is not yellow and is able to stop it by creating a net with his power ring.
Tracking the missile to its source, he captures its creator: a scientist who put his evil ambition ahead of his country. After Green Lantern turns him over to the military, he returns to the Ferris Aircraft Company the next day as Green Lantern to apologize to Carol, who coldly rebuffs him.
Summary @ comicvine.com
Abin Sur lay dying in the desert next to his crashed ship. He uses the Power Battery to send the ring out to find help. The ring finds Hal Jordan, a test pilot, who is sitting in a trainer. The ring takes him to Abin Sur. He tells the story of how he came to Earth and crashed, that the yellow sunlight blinded him. Abin tells Hal there is an impurity within the power battery which makes the rings useless against the color yellow. The ring also has to be charged every 24 hours. Hal becomes the keeper of the battery and decides to call himself the "Green Lantern".
Hal first uses the oath to recharge his ring and he is off. Hal saves a plane from crashing only to find out three thugs used a "radiation-sender" to bring it down. Hal easily takes care of the thugs and rushes back to try and woo Carol Ferris. She informs him that she is his superior and their will be no romance between them.
Hal tries harder and harder to get somewhere with Carol, but nothing happens. Since Carol has an infatuation with the Green Lantern, Hal goes to the ball as the Lantern and dances with her, which eventually leads to a kiss. Hal goes after a runaway missile, but his ring has no power over it since the missile is yellow. Hal creates a giant net and catches the runaway missile, then goes after and catches the man who launched it. Hal (as Green Lantern) returns to goes Carol, who is angry because he left in the middle of their kiss.
Biography @ glcorps.dcuguide.com
Source: http://glcorps.dcuguide.com/profile.php?name=greenlantern2
In the three billion year history of the legendary Green Lantern Corps, one name outshines all others. Known as the greatest of the Green Lanterns, he is Hal Jordan of Earth, Space Sector 2814. His many years as the emerald gladiator brought him recognition throughout the cosmos.
Born the middle of three brothers, Harold "Hal" Jordan idolized his father, test pilot Martin H. Jordan, and wanted to follow in the elder Jordan's footsteps. One fateful day, that dream all but came to an end. A critical loss of pressure in a jet Martin was test piloting caused the aircraft to crash. Hal saw his father die in front of his eyes. [Green Lantern: Emerald Dawn #1]
Three years after his father's death, Hal started dating a girl named Jennifer. She helped convince Hal to continue with his love of flying. They dated for a year before Hal broke up with her, wanting to see other people. [Green Lantern Vol. 3 #48]
At some point in his teenage years, Jordan met Jay Garrick, the Golden Age Flash. For some unknown reason, Garrick does not recall the incident, and the details of this meeting have yet to be revealed. [Justice League Europe #50]
Garrick was not the only super human Jordan would come into contact with before receiving the power ring. Returning to Coast City after a visit to Metropolis University, Jordan met Clark Kent of Smallville. Their plane hit heavy turbulance which spun the aircraft out of control. Jordan helped calm frightened passengers while Clark Kent secretly stabilized the 707 jet liner.
A few nights later, Jordan's life was jeopardized by his lack of fear. He inadvertantly came across a smuggling ring while scuba diving and charged in without concern for his safety. Jordan was taken aboard their World War II submarine but was later rescued by the authorities when the submarine was run aground by mysterious forces. From this event, Jordan would come to learn to combine his fearlessness with good judgement. [New Adventures of Superboy #13]
Jordan and Kent would remain acquaintences. Years later, Metroplois reporter Clark Kent interviewed the young test pilot for the Daily Planet. [Action Comics Weekly #642]
After high school, Jordan enrolled in a West Coast college and earned a degree in aviation engineering. Following that, Jordan enlisted in the Air Force and served under Captain Richard Davis. The commanding officer became mentor and lifelong friend to the young pilot. [Green Lantern Vol. 2 #144]
Hal met fellow U.S.A.F. pilot Larry Trainor while in the service. Trainor would later leave the Air Force to become a test pilot as would Hal. As fate would have it, this would not be the only coincidence in these mens' lives, as Trainor went on to become the Doom Patrol's own Negative Man. [JLA: Year One #6]
Another Air Force friend of Hal's, pilot Bill Davis, was killed in Korea. Over the years, Hal kept in touch with Bill's elderly parents, Sally and Steve Davis. There does not appear to be any relation between Richard Davis and Bill's family. [Green Lantern Vol. 2 #36]
Jordan rose quickly in the ranks and became a test pilot for experimental aircrafts. During a test run of an experimental stealth bomber a fellow test pilot, Vince Hardy, took control of the aircraft at gun point. Hardy offered him a share of the money the Soviets would give for the bomber but Jordan refused. Jordan and Hardy fought, which sent the bomber in an uncontrollable dive. Hardy parachuted to safety but Jordan tried unsuccessfully to pul the plane out of its dive. He too jumped to saftey before the plane crashed into the side of a mountain.
Jordan wandered the Alaskan wilderness for two days before search parties found him. Without Hardy in custody, the miltary chose to make an example of Jordan. He was discharged from the Air Force. [Green Lantern Vol. 3 #104]
With his degree in aviation engineering, Jordan easily rejoined civilian life. He designed a flightless trainer for the Ferris Aircraft Corporation and for some time was Ferris' number one test pilot. Though his aviation career showed great promise, Jordan was passed over by the astronaut program. Metropolis reporter Clark Kent interviewed the young test pilot for the Daily Planet. [Showcase #22, Action Comics #642]
Jordan soon started to date Carol Ferris, the daughter of owner Carl Ferris. The elder Ferris was not an easy man to work for and Jordan eventually fell into disfavor with his employer. Carol and Hal broke up, and Carol started to date Biff, another Ferris emplyee. Hal was later fired for an unknown reason, but his mother talked Ferris into rehiring her son. Carl Ferris took Hal back at a third less pay and the test pilot was grounded.
After work, Hal, his brother Jack and Jack's girlfriend Dee, and fellow test pilot Andy went out for drinks. Despondent over recent events, the alcohol Hal drank impaired his judgement. He lost control while driving home, narrowly avoiding a roadside billboard but rolling the jeep into oncoming traffic. Hal woke up in the hospital, and Andy had been critically injured in the accident. [Green Lantern: Emerald Dawn #1]
