People have been having an issue with the DCAU and Green Lantern since a GL first appeared in Superman TAS. I’ve enjoyed it all.
Superman TAS introduced us to the Green Lantern Corps. Searching around the internet, stopping at places like www.ToonZone.net , reveals that DC told the animators which GL to use. So the Superman TAS crew used Hal Jordan’s origin, Hal’s greatest enemy, and Hal’s hair color to make their Green Lantern a combination of Hal and Kyle Rayner, the current GL in the DC comic universe. To me, this was a great idea. A tribute to Hal and recognition of the current GL Kyle. They had given us both.
The Justice League series developers went a differnt way. They chose to feature John Stewart in the role of Green Lantern. We already know DC wouldn’t let them use Hal. Hal was dead. DC wouldn’t even let Alex Ross use Hal in Kingdom Come. Dead = no use. Once again, they mixed Hal’s histoy with John’s character, giving us a combination of both. The second full JL story, Blackest Night, taken from JLofA #140 and #141 during the late 70′s.
Then JLU gave us a time travel story where the universe was twisted inside out. It gave the creators a chance to slip in an alternate reality. They gave fans an easter egg. A glimpse. A treat. Hal Jordan himself as Green Lantern for a moment. It was cool.
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Then there are the toys. John Stewart came as GL. Later on we got Kyle. The lack of Hal never bothered me. Why? Because to me animated Hal was already done in Kyle. In the DC Animated Universe, to me, they are the same character. As I explained above, animated Kyle has comic Hal’s origin. Animated Kyle fought comic Hal’s greatest enemy. In the animated DC universe they are merged. Until we get to that future/alternate time where Hal appears as himself. But the fact that this was an alternate universe and his screen time was minimal makes Hal as Green Lantern an anomaly. Hal’s just not that important in the DC Animated Universe. We do have a half dozen animated Green Lanterns: John, Kyle, Katma Tui, Tomar Re, Kilowog, Arkus Chummuck. And Sinestro.
Now Mattel offers us a Hal figure. The story still seems to be that Warner Brothers/DC will not allow Mattel to give us a Hal Jordan as Green Lantern figure. So Mattel gave us Hal as a pilot. We know he was a pilot in the DCAU because his name is scralled across the front of a plane in the Superman TAS episode. I think the figure is cool because the look is straight out of the JL:New Frontier movie. Plus Abin Sur from Superman TAS to add to our animated GL Corps. And we get Sinestro as a GL straight out of the upcoming Green Lantern:First Flight movie. On top of that the heads are swappable so we can make Hal as an unmasked Green Lantern.
This is really a very cool, very nice package. Thanks Mattel.
(DC Animation picture credits: World’s Finest on Line )
(Toy picture credits AFI and Ham Salad’s JLU Archive )
My sentiments exactly. Excellent post!
I can’t wait to pick up this set. Also, I can’t wait to see how Mattel intends to re-use those spiffy new legs
Pros: they are cool, and i’ll probably get them.
Cons: Hal’s head will look really odd on the lantern bodies, due to the flesh-colored neck. So that idea is a lot less cool. Hal’s presence in JLU is nada, but if Mattel wants to do animated superfriends figures (like the 3-pack they have shown), I’d like to have animated versions of the core characters. This includes Hal (and a better Aquaman). I understand that if it can’t be done- it can’t be done. However, can we have a Power Ring Crime Syndicate figure with a removable head that looks alot like Hal? And has a green neck? I would then declare Mattel the best company ever for figuring out a way around this mess…
Hell, I’d cut off the head and glue it on if it looked good in the end!
“Hal’s just not that important in the DC Animated Universe.”
Maybe better to say:
“Hal WASN’T that important in the DC Animated Universe.”
Things are changing for Hal in the world of animation. He was prominently featured in “Justice League: The New Frontier,” had a bigger part in Batman: The Brave and the Bold than either Jon or Kyle (despite Guy being THE B&TB GL)and is THE focus of the upcoming “Green Lantern: First Flight” movie. (Hopefully the “First” part of the title means we’ll see more GL movies!)
Now I’ll admit if you consider Bruce Timm’s STAS/JL/JLU THE “DC Animated Universe” then sure, Hal WASN’T that important.
But from my perspective Hal’s animated present and future looks pretty bright!
Spy
Almost no one outside of the core 7 were “that” important in the Timm DCAU… That’s such a weak argument for Mattel giving us a crap figure.
It’s actually not so much that the figure is crap (Though it kind of is) but that it’s crap because it’s an advertisement for a figure that it’s not. You can paint a Lex Luthor figure brown and call him Superman, but he’s still not anything like what Superman is supposed to be.
That’s basically what they’ve done here. Made a figure that isn’t what fans wanted and then expected us to praise them for it. Not me.
If you can’t do it right, don’t do it at all.
Oddjob is right, saying Hal wasn’t important in the DCAU timmverse, is a straw man argument. Hal Had more screen time and more speaking lines then Wave Rider and Crimson Fox combined! Saying he isn’t important to your collection is one thing, but saying he is less important then any other figure we have already gotten is not a valid statement. Second to that is we are getting Plastic Man, Cyborg and an OMAC solider…Certainly if the JLU toy line is opening up into the wider DC Universe, then Hal isn’t just important, he easily jumps into a paramount category of inclusion.
Lets call a Spade a spade people. We all know why GL Hal Jordan isn’t permitted in the JLU line. Mattel’s former employees did something ILLEGAL! We should be lucky DC/WB didn’t sue to pants off Mattel for breach of contract. I’d be surprised if “Toy Blunder” is even working for any toy company any more…With that said…
THANK YOU TOY GURU FOR FINDING A WAY TO GIVE US “HAL JORDAN”…and the dedication of continuing the JLU line. It certainly can’t be Mattel’s most profitable line of figures.
Screen time and speaking lines are irrelevant. In the DCAU, Hal Jordan is not a Green Lantern, except in an alternate timeline that was wiped out of existence.
I was really disappointed at first because I thought Mattel as just being thick-headed, but then when they explained that they couldn’t offer Hal in GL outfit, then I understood a bit more. However, I am still a bit disappointed, as I was hoping for a Hal like the one who appeared in the show, or in his modern outfit.
As it is, I thought about it and now found a way to integrate Hal into my JLU universe in this form, so I’ll pick up a set, perhaps even two to have extra GLs. But I would still have rather had something more akin to his show appearance. I know it’s not likely to happen but I still want one. I was hoping for something a bit different in terms of the JLU SDCC exclusive, this set seems tailor-made for a Target three pack.
You know they could have just fixed this issue by giving us the “Kyle” figure form the Superman Animated series. I mean look at him…he is “Kyle” in name only! I mean they are giving us figures from the Batman animated series that have NEVER been on JL or JLU so why not give us this “Kyle”? I have this Kyle as a maquette and standing next to Green Arrow and Black Canary he looks just like Hal (and in my mind he might as well be Hal).
And is it just me or should the Abin Sur figure use the thinner standard body (like Tomar Re)? I just imagined him being more sevelt….
But I do like the three pack, if for nothing else the chance to expand my Corps.
As one of the more fervent JLU GL Hal supporters, I am mostly satisfied with the upcoming SDCC GL set. It’s the best that Mattel can do with the idiotic constraints given to them by DC. Mattel deserves much credit and appreciation on giving us this opportunity to get a Hal Jordan. Still, I’ll always be ticked off that some imbecile at DC still feels the need to thumb their nose at JLU and GL Hal fans by being petty about the entire fiasco.
I’m surprised you didn’t use my Hal Jordan pic for your blog.
Nice breakdown, Erik. Thanks for the history.
Very good overview SF.. but I must set straight that the reason John was used in the cartoon was not because Hal was dead (if they wanted to use them they would have.. and did for the time travel episode), it’s a matter or record, via Timm, John was use for diversity (race). Not sure why this is ALWAYS a problem for people subscribe to, but it is factual.
*Also, I don’t know of any episode that stated Hal was dead (or not a GL) in the JLU universe (I could be wrong, but I don’t recall it).
g.