If Hal and Guy aren't Going to be Friends...?
...It is going to mess up the group dynamic something fierce. I still don't know exactly WHAT it is that Ganthet and Atrocitus have got up their collective sleeves, or what Guy is going to be doing in his new book, but apparently, it is something that Hal will disapprove of.
And really, what on EARTH would Hal disapprove of? Hal is an odd combination of rebel and the ultimate Company Man. If Guy is going to be undermining the Guardians, I can only think that Hal would approve of such a thing, considering his own issues with the little blue pixies. I really can't conceive of Guy agreeing to do anything completely underhanded, because he DOES have a strong moral code, so at this point I'm completely flummoxed.
But anyway, getting back to the premise. If Guy and Hal have a falling out, then what happens to custody of their joint friends? John will back Hal of course. He always does. He always did. Well, except for when Hal was Parallax. I think that Kyle however, will go with Guy. They've been partners and they've become awfully close lately. Kyle likes Hal, but they really haven't been in the trenches together the way that he and Guy have. I would also have to say that I imagine Kilowog will side with Guy...since they're just about bestest buddies as well.
In fact, when it comes right down to it, I would have to say that most of the Corps would probably back Guy if it came down to a popularity contest. Guy has been involved with the Corps, living on Oa, and working with the rookies. Hal has been mostly on Earth, except for short visits, and there is still that whole lingering Parallax thingie to live down. Most of the GL's probably realize by now, that Hal, and later Kyle weren't responsible for Parallax's shenanigans, but still, when you've been killed and then brought back by someone who looks exactly like your hero, it's hard to get over that.
Whatever the result, I guess we won't be having all the guys hanging out at Warriors anymore, and that's a shame.
I always loved it when they all got together and drank beer and played cards and talked about the good old days when Hal wasn't crazy. Now I just want to see them all get together and talk about the good NEW days, now that Guy isn't crazy. Or Hal. Or Kyle. John has never been crazy. John doesn't get to have a whole lot of fun, now that I come to think of it.
posted by SallyP @ 12:38 PM
6 Comments:
Kyle's lucky he didn't make that "bust his hip" crack about Alan, or Kyle would have been the one on the floor. I suspect Alan Scott is a mean drunk. Fortunately, he rarely gets drunk, leaving that role on JSA to Wildcat.
Has Alan ever gone nuts? It's usually just the Starheart that goes wonky, not Alan, right?
Ah, but were Guy and Hal every TRULY friends? Hal never struck me as being true friends with ANY of the other Earth Lanterns. I think he came closest with being friend with John -- but they've had more than their share of conflicts. Aside from Ollie and Barry (and, to an extent, Dinah), Hal doesn't really seem to have close friendships with ANYONE. He's almost completely self-contained. He doesn't really want a home. He isn't really comfortable with a family. Hal's like one of those guys you meet but never really get to know. He goes through all the motions, and knows all the right things to do and say, and people are “friends” with him — but who is he, really? And he definitely has scruples -- but they're HIS scruples and no one else's. People who follow his sense of what's right earn his respect -- and those who stray lose his respect until they come back around to his preferred way of acting, whatever it may be at the time.
Calvin, I don't think I've ever seen Alan REALLY go nuts. It's probably quite scary.
Sea, I think that you've got it in a nutshell. Guy, John and Kyle are Hal's friends as far as he will let them be...which isn't really that far. Barry, Ollie and Dinah are just about the only ones who are really close to him, and I think that he likes it that way. Maybe Carol, but that's also sexual, which complicates things. I think he cares about his brother and his brother's family, and brother, that's about it.
It sounds as though Guy is more concerned about it than Hal might end up being, which is rather sad in a way.
Alan is to tightly controlled to go nuts, or to even get drunk to address Calvin's original point. I think Alan is quietly afraid of just how powerful he is. I'm reminded of the bit in Golden Age where he realized that the power ring was more powerful than the atomic bomb. I don't know; he might let his hair down a bit more if he took his ring off, but can he even do that any more? I lose track.
Hal tries not to let himself get close to people, but I'd say Carol, Barry, Ollie, and to a lesser extent Dinah and Tom are real friends. It's not my impression he ever really considered Guy a friend; Guy, John, and Kyle are respected co-workers, like Superman. Family is family; I see Hal as a fun uncle, but basically irresponsible. Hal indulges in camaraderie with his co-workers, but he doesn't let them into his feelings. To the extent that he has deep feelings. At least, that's my impression.
-- Jack of Spades
That's a big reason why so many women (and men) love Hal -- he says and does all the right things, but he's so detached. It's impossible to get through that shell, which makes Hal an irresistible challenge. Batman doesn't even come close. :-)
That's an interesting point. Detached is certainly a perfect way to describe Hal. So, in a way, he DOES represent an almost irrisistable challenge, especially TO women...especially the ones who think that all he needs is their particular brand of compassion...or whatever.
I don't want to work that hard. I'll stick with Guy.
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