The first meeting of Barry Allen and Jay Garrick’s Flashes in Gardner Fox and Carmine Infantino’s “Flash of Two Worlds” is one of DC’s most iconic comic book moments. However, another first meeting between Golden Age and Silver Age counterparts deserves just as much attention. Green Lanterns Hal Jordan and Alan Scott’s first meeting in 1963’s Justice League of America #21-22 by Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky may not have taken place in the Green Lantern series, but it’s still a notable passing of the torch.
After the cancellation of titles like Green Lantern and The Flash at the end of the Golden Age of comics, these characters were reimagined and revamped for the Silver Age, with the originals mainly forgotten. As revealed in “Flash of Two Worlds” however, characters like Alan Scott were not gone completely but part of a different Earth. Earth-One was the home of the modern Justice League of America and Earth-Two was where the older Justice Society characters lived.
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Justice League of America #21, reintroduces the Justice Society of America, now recently reformed on Earth-Two, alongside the current Justice League of America. Both teams face similar problems as each Earth has a trio of rogues carrying out attacks to divide them. This is no mere coincidence, as it is later revealed the two trios are working together across Earths in an effort to gain the upper hand.
The first meeting between Hal Jordan and Alan Scott takes place as part of a larger meeting between the League and the Society, with the two Lanterns initially seen conversing in the background of a group shot. However, the rest of this Lantern team-up isn’t quite so understated. With both Flashes trapped by the villains, the Green Lanterns spring into action to save their comrades.
When they find Barry and Jay, Hal and Alan try everything they can to free their friends. Yet when they finally do, their power is used against them to spring a trap that captures both the League and Society. Though they may have inadvertently caused their allies’ capture, both Green Lanterns play the most important role in their eventual escape.
The two ring slingers shrink themselves to subatomic size and slip between the atoms of their prison. Now free, they combine the total power of both their rings to free the Flashes again, then all four begin the process of freeing their friends. The Justice League and Justice Society track the villains to Earth-Three, and after defeating them end up saving three Earths.
This wouldn’t be the last time Hal Jordan and Alan Scott met in the Silver Age, even though they were separated by different Earths. Green Lantern #40 saw the Golden Age and Silver Age versions of the character reunite, with a greater emphasis on finding ways to better link the two different versions of the character together.
While the two Flashes’ powers are virtually identical, there are many differences between Alan Scott’s ring and Hal Jordan’s. Hal Jordan’s is more science-fiction, whereas Alan Scott’s tends to lean more towards magic. Even their weaknesses are different: Hal’s Oan ring is weak to the color yellow, and Alan Scott’s ring is weak to wood.
In 1965, John Broome and Gil Kane’s Green Lantern #40 saw Alan Scott’s ring briefly swap weaknesses to become the same as its Earth-One counterpart, due to the villain Krona affecting Alan’s ring. In the issue, the two Lanterns work well together, operating effectively as a team. The end of the issue sees the two Lanterns in Hal’s body as they battle Krona, even unable to recall in the end which of them came up with the idea that finally takes Krona down.
The dynamic between Hal Jordan and Alan Scott after their first meeting is one of mutual respect and admiration. Their minds and methods are similar, with only the origins of their rings marking any significant difference in their crime-fighting methods. It makes sense then that post-Crisis, Alan Scott would become an honorary member of the Green Lantern Corps.
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