Thursday, February 1, 2024

Bring on the Bad Guys: 3 Saboteurs

 Real names: Unrevealed 

First appearance: Showcase I#22 2/3 (Sep/Oct. 1959)

Abilities: Using machines to lock plane controls to force them to crash. 

Worst act: Sabotaging test planes 

Quote: "I can't understand it! Our radiation-sender brought the plane down--but it didn't crash!"

Created by: John Broome (script), Gil Kane (pencils), and Joe Giella (inks)


So, here we go with a return of an old favorite. This year we'll be taking a look back at the Silver Age Green Lantern himself, Hal Jordan.

The first story is the origin for Hal Jordan and sets up the series, this second story has him in action for the first time. Going with a more science fiction theme, this story established that the Green Lanterns were a galaxy wide police force. To wit, Lantern Abin Sur crash lands on Earth and the best candidate to replace him is a test pilot named Hal Jordan. 

So, with the second story, Hal (after flirting with his boss's daughter Carol) sees an experimental jet, the Flaming Spear, in distress. 

First he saves the jet, then using his ring to follow the radiation trail, finds the saboteurs. This would also set the standard for the series too. They smack him with a lamp, which just happens to be yellow (the ring's only weakness, as opposed to Alan Scott's vulnerability to wood). They escape in a car, which is painted yellow!

Thankfully Jordan creates a series of ice picks and pops their unpainted tires. Yeah, Jordan can't stop anything yellow but thankfully there's one part that isn't painted. 

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