GREEN LANTERN #198:

[starwolf_oakley]

In a post about AVENGERS ASSEMBLE #20, http://scans-daily.dreamwidth.org/4544954.html , Wonder Man and the Wasp argued about disabling the ships Thanos' forces were using. The question was would "disabling" the ship kill the aliens inside.
This reminded me of something I heard about happening in GREEN LANTERN during CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS.



For some reason Hal has *a* Green Lantern ring but not his costume.









It is near-impossible to justify this, but Guy had just woken up from his coma, so his brain damage that drastically altered his personality was at its worst. Which is why I'm glad the nu52 Guy was never brain-damaged.

And here's some information on when something similar happened during PANIC IN THE SKY.

HAL JORDAN: Yeah. A little later my home planet was invaded and I was part of a strike force trying to free Earth. I and two other superheroes were tackling some enemy ships, but Superman and I disabled them in such a way to allow the enemy time to reach the escape pods.

GUY GARDNER: But it was a war to protect your planet. No one in the world would blame you for killing enemy aliens in a war. Surely other heroes were disposing of the enemy.

HAL JORDAN: Again, that was you.

Comments

[icon_uk]

New Frontier also gave us Hal Jordan as a fighter pilot who wouldn't kill his opponents, but was happy to lead them into crossfire which would blow them apart.

[silicondream]

Considering that Thanos' minions (in this particular story) are all actively suicidal, and are just planning to delay their deaths until they can take everyone else with them, there's even less reason to worry about collateral damage. I mean, it's not like they're going to live long and happy lives if they survive their defeat. Unless the Avengers can foot the bill for several hundred space monster therapists, anyway.

[silverzeo]

Hal, that two face Bastard... he stole the Pound Puppies' motto!!

Wow... so... I can see why people REALLY hated Guy back then... he was almost as bad as Drago Wolf from the Archie Sonic series... cept this Guy wouldn't treat Tora as bad...

[richardak]

Actually, Guy's behavior is easy to justify: mutiny in the face of the enemy is punishable by summary execution, especially when said mutiny involves deserting with an extremely powerful weapon vital to victory. That's been a law of almost every society in history. Not to have such a law would, in effect, be to commit suicide.

What makes this especially galling is that, only an issue or two before this, Hal was begging for his ring back. He wanted to be there. He just didn't want to obey orders.

[rdfox]

In war, the objective of the individual soldier is to complete whatever objective he is assigned, and to neutralize (not kill, not disable, but neutralize--i.e., incapacitate) any resistance he encounters, within the stated rules of engagement. Killing is merely the most efficient way to do so--it's easier than disabling, it's faster than disabling, it's more sure than disabling, and it can be done on a larger scale and at greater range than disabling. Therefore, unless under orders to take prisoners, the preferred response to enemy resistance is to kill the enemy. However, once an enemy is neutralized, if you haven't killed them, then it's considered illegal under the laws of war to proceed to execute them (unless they were caught in the act of committing war crimes such as torture or rape--under those circumstances, an officer can form a one-man summary tribunal and sentence them to summary execution). Instead, enemy survivors are to be disarmed (immediately), secured, and, if necessary, treated for their wounds and evacuated to a medical facility, then treated as prisoners of war.

So really, BOTH men are in the wrong here. Guy for ordering the execution of already-neutralized enemies, and Hal for refusing a direct order to use lethal force to neutralize further enemies and attempting to desert with his weapon.

If Guy had told Hal, "You're taking too much time knocking them out, just KILL them!" instead of ordering executions, then he'd be in the right. If Hal had simply declared that he was not going to execute incapacitated enemies who could instead be taken prisoner and pumped for intel, then he'd be in the right. As it stands now?

Lantern Gardner, you are guilty of ordering the murder of unconscious prisoners. This is a capital offense. Your sentence is thirty years hard labor followed by a dishonorable discharge--and this is only because the murder was not carried out; had it been, you would be facing summary execution.

Lantern Jordan, you are innocent of insubordination, as Lantern Gardner's orders were illegal and immoral and thus were not to be obeyed. However, you ARE guilty of desertion in the face of the enemy, cowardice, and attempted theft of a weapon of mass destruction. The first and third are capital offenses. Your sentence is thirty years hard labor followed by a dishonorable discharge--and you, too, should consider yourself lucky that this tribunal took mitigating factors into account in sentencing.

*gavel* This proceeding is adjourned.

[wizardru]

Yes, yes...complex moral questions and all that.

But no one is asking the REAL question...HOW THE HELL IS SONAR'S GUN WORKING IN A VACCUUM?

PRIORITIES, PEOPLE!

[superfangirl1]

Hal Jordan must of learn to breathe in space while unconscious by Batman. ;)

[lamashtar]

I know there are people who hate retcons of any kind, even when the writers always intended to change the events they wrote--which is the case with both Guy and Hal--but I am so happy that both evil jerk Guy and evil crazy Hal were retconned into their insanities not being their fault. Both of them were once equally moral and courageous men, suited to become heroes, with Hal getting the nod only because he was closer. Both had terrible things happen to them and they became terrible people because of that. To me, it is just as great a redemption story to climb back into grace from those places, even with the retcons.