About five years ago, I remember entering the comic book scene and figuring out my interests. I wish I could give my younger self some advice on choice, as I remember attempting to be a hipster and reading oddball titles from Marvel and DC Comics rather than their flagship titles (let it be known that a true hipster would not be reading Marvel or DC in the first place). One of those oddball titles happened to be Green Lantern: New Guardians, a new series after the 2011 DC Comics New 52 reboot took place. The star was Kyle Rayner, a green lantern with great potential and went on to lead members of other lantern corps and master the emotional spectrum, ultimately becoming the legendary white lantern. At all costs, I avoided reading the main flagship title, Green Lantern. It made such little sense that my comic shop owner actually asked me and I could not give a proper explanation- quite embarrassing by the way.
In due time, as my interests expanded and since I already owned a copy of Green Lantern that I accidentally picked off the shelf (I saw lanterns, got confused and bought the wrong series), I decided to go ahead and regularly buy it. I already had my favorite heroes and favorite books set in stone; it would take a lot of effort to sway me from them, but that is exactly what the series did. Geoff Johns’ writing, and later on Robert Venditti’s take on the title, floored me. I was taken on a cosmic adventure like no other, led by the greatest green lantern who ever lived, Hal Jordan.
Hal, like other green lanterns, uses a ring that channels will power from the emotional spectrum to create constructs, fly, and do all the extraordinary things they do. He is different from the rest though. I was able to connect with Kyle Rayner and his rise from nothing to greatness, and to a degree I related to John Stewart, a green lantern with a level-headed attitude and a deep sense of respect, but I was nothing like Hal Jordan. He is a character fueled by adrenaline, always challenging authority when he believes they are wrong, and knows how to lead when needed. In contrast I was too calculated of a person, quiet and always to myself. I wanted to write and learn science, whereas Hal was a test pilot that lived to tear through the skies.
While it took me a long time to understand why Hal Jordan became my favorite, it became quite clear over time. All the challenges that characters I actually connected to faced were lessons I had already learned and mastered; they had nothing left to teach me. Hal, although not always the best role model, was constantly teaching me about how to grow the other half of my personality. He was the one who taught me that we all fear, but it’s the ability to overcome those fears that makes us strong. He helped me learn, little by little, to speak up when I had something to say and to have confidence in opposing things I do not believe in. The greatest green lantern who ever lived taught me that plans are great, but believing in one’s own capabilities are what will take you to the stars and beyond, quite literally for him.
As corny as it may sound, most of my growth as a person has happened after I began reading about the adventures of Hal and the Green Lantern Corp. Of course, it was not the only influence. I graduated from high school, went to college, met an amazing girl, I earned a job, studied harder than I thought I ever could and more. All these events changed me remarkably and I had no choice but to grow and adapt. The notable difference in how I did lies in the lessons I learned from all those books I read prior and the saga I took part in alongside the hero I looked up to. It was the invisible force that pushed me each and every time to get outside my comfort zone and become better. I doubt I’ll ever fully become the best person I could possibly be, and to a great extent that is due to the characteristics I lack or have trouble expressing. For that I will always have my friends, family, girlfriend and even Hal Jordan at my side. He is everything I am not, and perhaps that is just the teacher I needed.
