Why It's Fun To Be Young

Why It’s Fun to Be Young.

“Who’s next?” my junior friend asks as we continue our game of “Guess The Character.”

“ME! ME!” I scream enthusiastically. I knew who I would pick even before we began the game.

I take my place at the center of our circle and wait for quiet. Suddenly, I slap my forehead in a ‘duh’ gesture.

“Hello Megan!”

My superb imitation is met with confused looks and a pitying gaze between two of my guy friends.

“Uncultured swine,” I think to myself sadly.

“So, who are you?” My first friend presses.

I sigh dramatically, not knowing why I expected them to react otherwise, “I’m Miss Martian, from Young Justice.

The first time I ever heard of Young Justice was when I was discussing another group of superheroes with a nerd friend of mine. “You should watch Young Justice,” she said, Then she proceeded to tell me about the death of one of the main characters that occurred right before the show was cancelled. I refuse to say “ended”. There’s no way that could be an actual ending. At first I didn’t care very much, since my parents needed to do a background check before they’d even consider letting me watch one episode. But once the disk arrived from Netflix with the first five episodes of season one, there would be no turning back.

“A superhero!” of course, is what a die-hard fan of the show wants to be when they grow up. I know I want to be a hero, or maybe even just a friend like Mal Duncan who stays behind to coordinate the team during missions. I mean, how awesome would it be to be friends with superheroes? Whenever I felt alone, like my friends had left me or didn’t understand me, I’d turn to the characters. Constant and caring, never abandoning their friends. Pretending Kid Flash was running alongside me in gym or helping me with my science homework made those tasks seem just a little bit easier. Sometimes Robin would take a break from stopping crime to help me with Algebra homework. Miss Martian is always by my side when I bake cookies. When I took archery last year, Artemis was there too, shooting bullseye after bullseye. Aqualad is racing with me in the pool on a hot summer’s day, or is just always there to listen with his sage leadership counsel. Zatanna’s always up for a shopping trip, no matter what mood she’s in. And when I’m totally sick and tired of my parents pressuring me or pushing me or just yelling at me and making me feel like I’m not adequate, I can always complain to Superboy, who knows how it feels to have troubles with your family.

The main characters of the show may be superheroes, but they’re also normal, everyday citizens of Earth, just like you or me. Aqualad has love troubles, as does Kid Flash. Superboy has “daddy” issues. Miss Martian is insecure. Artemis is trying to fit in at her new prep school. Zatanna and Robin are both dealing with the loss of family. They may be superheroes, but they have your problems too. Just ask Wally, who’s unsure how to tell his feelings to the girl he has a crush on. Or Kaldur, who can tell you how to handle rejection. Or Connor, who will tell you that the popular guy isn’t exactly as cool as you think he is. Or Artemis, who knows the consequences of keeping secrets.

The thing about Young Justice, is that everyone can relate. Whether it’s watching the typical teasing banter between two teammates, eating burned cookies just to make a friend feel better, winning a fight against your inner demons, pushing through a difficult breakup, trying to prove yourself to a parent or idol, finding a connection with the characters about getting used to new places; protecting your friends and family with your life; or just showing that life can move on when all hope seems lost, anyone can relate. Especially when you discover Miss Martian’s infatuation with a certain TV show, and realizing that you’ll soon be in a similar situation. Young Justice is a show about growing up and accepting yourself, learning what it really means to be a hero. And what does it mean? Well, I won’t tell you. Spoilers. The answer is different for different people. Perhaps you’ll be alone on your quest. Perhaps you’ll have the help of a trusted mentor. Or maybe you’ll even have that one friend who won’t stop bugging you and keeps urging you on. Young Justice has changed me, it has made my life easier, and helped me with my little, everyday problems as well as inspiring me and tons of other artists and authors who are dedicated fans of the show. I hope that what I have said here may inspire you to check out the partners of the Justice League just a little bit. If you are interested, just ask me! I'm always looking for fans to talk with (And just make sure you don't skip the first five episodes of season two, like I did at first) And in the immortal words of the very rebellious Red Arrow, “Don’t call them sidekicks.”

Comic Book Heroes vs. Critics

     Superheroes come from literally far and wide and have been forever been imbedded into American culture along with things such as freedom, patriotism, and all the other values eclipsed by comic book heroes. The reason I believe superheroes have become such a large part of pop culture and even culture in general is because they can stand up and fight for values that even only Martin Luther King Jr. could dream of. As Alfred so famously said in The Dark Knight they also “…make the decisions no one else can” and lastly, they can also sometimes embody a sense of an inner-child that hopefully still exists within you the way The Hulk exists within Bruce Banner. Essentially, superheroes are our alter egos and even though they’re not real, they still serve as powerful symbols in our society. So like any good old-fashioned American TV show would do, let’s judge those we ‘adore’ and rate our superheroes. Today, we’ll be looking at one of my all-time favorite superheroes, the Green Lantern.

Origins:

    

     Okay, so Hal Jordan is one of the few superheroes out there that didn’t get his powers through some sort of freak or radioactive accident. Spider-Man happened to be in the right place at the right time and accidentally got bitten by a radioactive spider that was on top of him by coincidence, The Hulk gained powers he didn’t even want through a freak gamma ray accident, and as much as I’d hate to say it, Thor was born a freakin' demi-god and his father Oden helps him with his powers throughout his whole life, that's just cheating Stan. However, Hal Jordan was specifically chosen by the Green Power Ring to become its new owner for his noble trait of overcoming great fear (a Cardinal trait of the Green Lantern Corps). Abin Sur was the previous owner of the Green Power Ring before it was given to Hal Jordan and his dying action was delivering the ring to Hal at the ring’s own request (yes, apparently jewelry does indeed have a mind of its own, so watch out ladies) and this is how Hal Jordan went from Top Gun test pilot to superhero Green Lantern.

 

Effect on the World:

 

     The Green Lantern is one of the most revered heroes in his universe (competing against Batman, Superman and even the distractingly gorgeous even though she’s a drawing Wonder Woman) and a founding member of the Justice League. However, as much as the Green Lantern helps the Earth, he is also an inner-galactic hero that travels from planet to planet to settle disputes, and kick some major alien buttocks.

 

Villains:

 

     A hero is only as good as its villain and unfortunately, despite Hal Jordan being a super hero embodiment of Tom Cruise’s Maverick from Top Gun, he only has a few top notch stand-out villains. Some of his let’s just say lesser villains include the enemy to water molecules that like their space- The Icicle, the preferred customer of Modells- Sportsmaster and most puzzling of all, the name you won’t see coming- The Invisible Destroyer! However, as I mentioned before, there are a few fantastically evil villains that go toe to toe with the Green Lantern. His arch-enemy and one of the most iconic villains is Sinestro. The mentor of Hal Jordan and a former Green Lantern himself, Sinestro is textbook evil, complete with a tiny, twirl-able, black mustache and a laugh that would take the smile off Jimmy Fallon. He is considered evil not just within the universe of the Green Lantern, but amongst comic book scholars in general, for his main weapon is fear.

 

Powers:

 

     All of the Green Lantern’s power comes from his Power Ring, and without it, Hal Jordan would be like a classic car without an engine, an aesthetically pleasing beef cake that’s always fun to look at (at least when portrayed by Ryan Reynolds), but lacking in actual power.  Luckily however, the power of the ring is always available and must simply be re-charged by the actual Green Lantern to continue its function. The power of the ring itself is immeasurable because it creates anything its owner imagines from hammers to aircrafts in a green beam of energy so that even in brightest day and in blackest night, no evil shall escape its sight.

 

Attire:

 

     No superhero is complete without his or her attire, literally. The Green Lantern, like many heroes, has changed his uniform as time’s marches on however, his classic and most iconic uniform is a black-white, skintight onesie topped off with white gauntlets and a thin green mask covering his nose and eyes (and in Ryan Reynolds case, dimples are indeed included). The emblem of the Green Lanterns also displays proudly on every uniform of the green lanterns despite any changes and of course, abs are always properly displayed.

Overall rating:

 

     The Green Lantern is a cocky, smart-mouthed superhero, that as you have already probably guess, I personally truly adore. His loyalty to the Justice League and all the species of the universe is unquestionable and like others, he is willing to die for what he believes in. But what sets this hero apart from the others is how creative he must always be. The powers of his ring are only as good as the mind of its master and this requires Hal to always be on the top of his game, because he can’t afford to slip up. What also makes the Green Lantern unique is the reason he was chosen by the ring in the first place, his ability to overcome fear. Fear is what consumes men into impulsive and irrational decisions and drives the human race to desperation at times, so to be able to so easily and frequently overcome one of man’s greatest weaknesses is no small feat. However, while the Green Lantern is indeed a superhero to be feared and revered, the fact that his powers are never truly tested as a result of weaker villains does soil upon his reputation and unfortunately, I cannot judge with the same bias Americans choose their idols with and I must give the Green Lantern an overall rating of 8/10.

 

 

 

 

If you'd like to learn more about The Green Lantern or comic book heroes in general, check out this link!

 

http://www.dccomics.com/characters/green-lantern

 

And if you'd ever like to talk to me about or debate me on my views of the Green Lantern or any other super heroes, email me at: jason6452134@gmail.com