My Top 10 Science Fiction and Fantasy Characters: #1

1. Hal Jordan (Green Lantern)

Rewind to about 6 years ago and this number would have probably been a totally different character. Back then, I was not much of a DC comics fan and the Justice League was not my super team of choice. No, I was a huge Spider-Man fan even going so far as enjoying the unfolding of the Clone Saga and reading the heck out of Maximum Carnage, Marvel Knights, New Avengers, and Civil War. All the good will granted from these story lines was not to last for in 2007, the abomination (I am not talking about the Hulk’s villain) that is One More Day hit comic book store shelves. To say this ruined the character of Peter Parker is an understatement. 

For those not initiated, One More Day is a story set after Marvel’s Civil War (I could explain the story, but it is just shorter linking to the Wikipedia page) where Aunt May is shot because Peter Parker revealed his secret identity to the world. All the universe’s most powerful heroes and villains cannot save her; so, enter in Mephisto, Marvel Comics’ embodiment of the devil. Peter, in turn, makes a deal with Mephisto (the devil) to save Aunt May’s life which breaks up Mary Jane and Peter Parker’s marriage. My heroes don’t make deals with the devil, period. Thus, I was no longer a Spider-Man fan similar to thousands of other fans who had felt betrayed after all those years of engrossing oneself in the character. I actually didn’t read comics for a while after that which changed after picking up a copy of Green Lantern: Rebirth written by Geoff Johns.

It is sad to know that Johns’ run on the character is over because reading from Rebirth through the new 52 First Lantern storyline has been a pleasure. I guess it’s time for a little more back story. In the mid-nineties, DC Comics decided that Hal Jordan was not modern or popular enough; so, they initiated Emerald Twilight which turned Hal Jordan into the supervillain Parallax and introduced a new Green Lantern, Kyle Rayner. I was never a big fan of Rayner and it seemed comic book fans in general shared my sentiment as the book began to lag in sales and a plan was enacted to bring back Hal Jordan as the Green Lantern proper. The job fell to Johns which culminated in one of the greatest retcons in comic book history and from that point, I just couldn’t stop reading Green Lantern comics. He quickly became my favorite comic book superhero and I converted from Marvel to DC. 

What endures me to the character is that his fight of fear versus will is very close to a Christian’s walk. Fear is our enemy just like it is the main enemy of the Green Lantern Corps. The actual requirement to becoming a Green Lantern is that one must be able to overcome fear. This is also why Batman has not always been a huge fan of Jordan because Hal is not afraid of him. Another thing I like about Green Lantern is that his powers are very unique in that he can make any construct he thinks of with the ring in addition to the standard powers of flight, super strength, and invulnerability. Also, Hal Jordan is a very relatable character for me as he is a guy who likes to “wing it” in many respects. He is most likely a procrastinator and he can be overconfident with the occasional witty line but he won’t stray too far from the right path. Well, unless a cyborg superman and extraterrestrial terrorist come along and destroy his hometown and every in it, that is. 

Best portrayal: War of the Green Lanterns; The Sinestro Corps War 

Favorite moment(s): Hal Jordan straight up kills the evil renegade Guardian, Krona, in epic fashion. The Guardians become scared of this because of their future plans of replacing the Green Lantern Corps and they exile Jordan.

In Rebirth, as Kyler Rayner is having his butt handed to him by Sinestro, Jordan is rejuvenated into his old body from his time as the Spectre and he promptly makes short work of his long-time foe. 

Jordan uses the power of the indigo tribe to trick the ring Sinestro made for him into no longer obeying the commands of Sinestro.