Dark Stars: John Stewart
JOHN STEWART, Green Lantern #182 and #183 (first appearance as Earths 3rd Green Lantern), 1984. Given the column headline, Dark Stars, named after the intergalactic police force Darkstars where he was the field leader, it makes sense the first official column focus on my man John Stewart — the first Black member of the Lantern Corps, policing sector 2814.
(Click the images for a larger scan!)
I’ve got major beef with the lack of Black surrounding John Stewart and his perceived character. First of all, his verbiage was busted forreal. He came off more like OJ (i.e. black on the outside, white on the inside) and his essence as a Black man didn’t ring true. The issues were written and published in 1984. Way Black then, Black people were doing things that set off a cultural tidal wave that still impacts us today. Black in the day, 1984 was about breakdancin’. This is the same year we got schooled by Turbo and Ozone in Breakin’.
Black in the day, we were using words like FRESH!, WORD!, and Ain’t No Stoppin’ was blazin’ your boombox on the corner while you rocked that headspin on your cardboard mat. My point isn’t to say that John Stewart should be all shuk-n-jive (and it’s clear he was a seriously intelligent type brutha), but, I am saying that in 1984 no Black man worth his weight dropped lyrical bombs like oh, swell [page 17], or callin’ another man pond scum [#182,page 8] or even fella [#182,page 12,17]. It’s not realistic and as a Black man, I can’t relate. Especially with a flagrant foul like nutty as a case of cashews! [#183,page 15]:
(Click the image for a larger scan!)
John Stewart was basically written like your everyday white man, but, rocked the afro and Black face. He wasn’t acknowledged by anyone as being Green Lantern even though he had the outfit. I’m tempted to put it out there that a lot of Black men aren’t taken seriously until they do something that allows the masses to perceive them as an exception to the rule. John Stewart as Green Lantern head-butted with this rule scenario throughout both issues — But you’re BLACK! and it’s impossible you are Green Lantern. He had to get down with proving his position even though he had the suit and the ring (and also despite the fact that when he arrived on the scene, my man flew in).
There was a whole lot of haterade drinkin’ going around in issue #182 and #183. It’s an understatement to say that John Stewart is up against some adversity — new Green Lantern, new Foe, old Green Lantern is hatin’, and on top of all that my man has to deal with the Black thing too. I can’t relate to the John Stewart as a Black Man, but, I can appreciate him as a hero fighting to do what’s right even though everyone (including the bad guy) is wishin’ for the white guy.
Major Disaster:
“I know Green Lantern! I HATE Green Lantern! And you’re not him! Either you bring me the REAL Green Lantern — NOW! or we’ll all go to glory together!!”
(Click for a larger scan!)
The REAL Green Lantern? It’s some strange ish when a supervillian doesnt even take you at face value! Major Disaster expected Hal Jordan, the white guy. This did fry his frontal lobe later on and cause him to pause on whether or not he truly hated Green Lantern, or was he really hatin’ on Hal Jordan himself.
I’m definitely putting it on Front St. that Hal Jordan, former Green Lantern, is a hater. In Green Lantern #182, he gives up his post serving the Guardians of the Universe as a member of Lantern Corps so he can be with his woman. He steps off so that he can get his swerve on with Carol Ferris of Ferris Aircraft where he is a test pilot. Nothing wrong with that, for the love of your woman, you know?
“I had dreams I had to put aside..dreams that mattered to me…a woman that mattered to me…Maybe now that I’ve resigned from the Green Lantern Corps because that woman…because of Carol…I can finally get on with those dreams…”
It’s evident to me after reading issue #182 that Hal Jordan is quite possibly a straight up racist on the downlow.
(Click the image for a larger scan!)
Then, in issue #183 Hal Jordan tries to convince one of his friends that the sole reason for him trippin’ is because the Guardians of the Universe gave the ring…TO A COWORKER! If that doesn’t sound like some ish, then pull my card. On the last page of #183 we get another taste of Jordan hatin & regrettin’. The real scoop is that Hal Jordan is not only a hater, but he is also nothing without the ring. He’s got the woman and that’s not enough. Questioning the decision of the Guardians for his successor? That’s just a punk move. Frontin’ a whole emo format in front of his lady because he’s not a ring slinger?? C’MON BRUH!.
“..if you don’t mind, Carol, i’d rather not hear about Green Lantern right now! why do I feel like someone just stuck a dagger in my gut? What in God’s name have I done to myself? Lord, waht have I done?”
Although I wasn’t down with the premiere of John Stewart as Green Lantern, in the end he breaks through and lays the pimp hand down on Major Disaster. We know that based on DC mainstream history John Stewart evolves into a major JLA powerhouse and reads much more true to his game than he did back in the 80’s. Finally, as it should be, at the end of issue #183 he also gets the girl (field reporter Tawny Young who has been feeling his mode since he touched down to fight Major Disaster). Sadly, the only thing I could relate to was the fact that John Stewarts game was strong:
(Click the image for a larger scan!)
Bahlactus has spoken.
October 6th, 2006 at 11:46 am
Mannn, you schooled me today. I wasn’t aware of this in the least. I wasn’t a prominent reader of the DC comics universe except for the hottest comicbook in ‘84 which was the New Teen Titans where my man CyBorg was doing his thing. (Got with the white girl and the whole nine but repped on the battlefield) Not to mention Wolfman and Perez were laying the smackdown on the entire industry..
I’ve always loved the character the Green Lantern, but have never EVER purchased one comicbook solely devoted to him. But the lines that you pointed out and I read were unbelievable. Not to mention they hurt my eyes to read them being uttered by a black character who was definitely written by a white man. What bullshittery is that? Thanks for bringing light to this. I go off to share this with a couple of my peeps who are into comics. Lata man…
October 6th, 2006 at 11:59 am
You know, Clarence, not everyone has to act like the contemporary stereotype of their color. I knew lots of black kids in 1984, none of whom breakdanced or used any of those catch phrases.
When you think about the media representations of black people from then, think about how tech people are misrepresented in movies. Do we really act like geeks and talk in equations?
I think it’s more of a step forward that they didn’t use those stereotypes. They had a black character who wasn’t a drug addict or in a gang, or whatever. It’s OK to speak regular English. Calling someone an Oreo (even if indirectly) is just as racist as calling them any other name based on your opinion of their stereotype.
Now, I can’t disagree that a lot of the dumb phrases that are used in comics would never be used in real life, but that goes for characters of every color.
Clarence, I love you man, but I’ve always thought the way you try to embrace your racial identity by speaking, writing and dressing a certain way is kind of like if I decided I was going to affect a British accent and wear a suit to work every day. That’s just not me. And I don’t think that this stereotype facade (no matter where the stereotype comes from) is you.
Anyway, you’re my friend and I don’t care how you act, but I had to be honest about what I think.
I do look forward to the ongoing Dark Stars reviews, though. It just seems like we’ll have differing opinions about some aspects of the characters.
October 6th, 2006 at 1:21 pm
Two words… Justice League. I scoffed when I heard they were using John instead of Kyle or Hal but as the series progressed I gained a great amount of respect for John as they explored his character and his relationships with his teammates. Best interpretation of the character, hands down.
October 7th, 2006 at 5:03 am
You want racist Hal? Go read Green Lantern/Green Arrow #87, the first story John ever appeared in.
And while I can’t comment on the blackness or lack thereof in either story, I’m still PO’ed at Englehart for putting the man in a mask after O’Neill had him shed it in the first appearance.
October 7th, 2006 at 10:19 am
Tru, tru. I just got down with Green Lantern/Green Arrow #76 the other night — same sort of evidence in that joint as well. I’ll have to check out #87 at the shop and see how that played out. Thanks for the science Ms. Lady — dig your site, btw. Be easy.
October 8th, 2006 at 8:28 pm
[...] Always Bet on Bahlactus has a feature on black superheroes called Dark Stars and the most recent one features none other than the severely underused John Stewart. [...]
October 9th, 2006 at 3:52 am
GUY GARDNER WAS THE BLACKEST GREEN LANTERN THERE IS AND ALSO MAYBE JOHN JUST REALLY LIKES CASHEWS THEY’RE PRETTY GOOD 2 EAT
October 9th, 2006 at 2:03 pm
Guy, that’s an interesting concept, bruh. Care to elaborate on the Black nature of Guy Gardner? It’s not one that I’ve considered before!
October 9th, 2006 at 8:48 pm
WHO HAS THE MOST STYLE? GUY GARDNER. WHO WEARS THE BLING? GUY GARDNER. WHO IS FROM BALTIMORE? GUY GARDNER. WHO WORKED HIS WAY THROUGH SCHOOL PLAYING FOOTBALL? GUY GARDNER. WHO DID THE MAN SCREW OVER? GUY GARDNER. WHO HAS THE COOLEST THREADS? GUY GARDNER. WHO DO ALL THE WHITE FOLKS IN THE JLA NOT WANT ON THE JLA? GUY GARDNER. WHO GOT SHOT AT BY A GUN WHILE ON STAGE WITH A HOOKER? GUY GARDNER.
October 12th, 2006 at 12:48 pm
Okay, as an African-American, I’m sick of people insisting that black Americans must all speak, think, and act the same way. Get real. Not all African-Americans have the same accent or perceptions of life.
Colin Powell does not talk like Jay-Z. Barack Obama does not speak like Jesse Jackson or share the same exact politics.
The last thing comics needed was another pre-Bendis Luke Cage. Look at what happened to the Falcon. A character who first appeared as a good man was retconned as a former pimp. Ugh! Yeah, another black man as criminal.
October 12th, 2006 at 1:02 pm
Brad, you are 100% on point that Black people shouldn’t sound ghetto fabulous, but there is no insistence of that here.
To clarify, in 1984, Black people were making moves so significant that their cultural influence impacted an entire nation (as an example, I noted breakdancing). John Stewarts character reflected none of that.
Regarding my stab at John’s verbiage throughout the issue — it’s not about him jivin’, it’s about the fact that his character isn’t reflective of a Black man (period). Get Real? Most definitely! What we need are characters that are reflective of the culture, the time, etc.
Step back, reread that section and see if it comes through with new clarity. Diggin’ the perspective though — I just don’t feel that it gets to the meat of the post. Agree? Disagree? Holla! (and I appreciate you stoppin’ through..hope to see you back again!)
October 26th, 2006 at 8:59 am
Dude, are you trippin’? Not all Black men have to talk slang and be thuggish. I even doubt you ARE Black.
October 26th, 2006 at 10:01 am
Monti Rock said:
It looks like we got another cat on here who can’t read!
The post wasn’t about the verbiage or the hustle, it was about the fact that your boy John Stewart reflected nothing about the nature of us from back then. Again i’ll say we were doing things that changed a culture and moved a nation — I gave one example. There are others outside one of the more salient bits I dropped that have nothing to with dancin’, shuck-n-jivin’, etc. Take off your goggles and reread that post again, Monti. Get off that literal wagon, bruh, and READ!!!
As for me tryin’ to prove to some random bama that I’m Black? C’MON BRUH!!! I see you’ve got one of those myspace joints, so, I hit you with a friends invite. Keep comin’ here for some Comics clue, sounds like you might need it :) I’ll holla.
October 27th, 2006 at 12:36 pm
Even though the diologue was hokey to say the least, you definately have to read everything up to I believe GL # 198. Trust me dude, you’ll see the REAL John Stewart in full e-f-f-e-c-t!
Before I head out, I just wanted to mention that John Stewart, even from his first ( 1st ) appearance on, was one of the first originator(s) of black biligualism ( speaking coporate ( white ) and ebonics ( black ).
My man, John’s game is more advanced than even you know.
That’s just my $2.99 worth, and to paraphrase De La Soul, ” Instead of keepin’ it real, you try keepin’ it right. “
March 8th, 2007 at 7:23 pm
Just to give Jew Beatle some support, John Stewart turned into an awesome character in the JLU animated series. Smart, badass, and interesting– it’s good to see that even an inauspicious start can lead to some good things.
What is up with Hal Jordan, super racist? Man, I’m glad I missed that phase of his development.
March 28th, 2007 at 12:44 am
I cannot believe that this decade such thoughts still prevail. Just because theres a “normal” way a certain group acts during a certain time doesn’t mean all people do. I’m not calling any of you racist but it is a lesser form of prejudice. I do agree with Brad. I’m not black but i’m not disillusioned by such preconceptions. I know African-Americans of varying persuasions, some who are Gangsta keepin it rlll, and others who are more indifferent to that and proper. I don’t look at any, including a close friend of mine, any less true to their race. Hell, i’m Arab, and I don’t talk with energetic hand movements and wear a long face beard. This isn’t directed at everyone here, they know who they are..
October 9th, 2007 at 11:25 am
I totally agree with you here. I totally dig John Stewart, but to be honest, I doubt that anyone had any real plans for the character beyond ‘let’s introduce a black Green Lantern.’ Writer Denny O’Neill was straining his white middle class background to the max to try and reflect what was happening in America at the time which I commend, and the strain shows from time to time, but I respect what he was all about. The man wrote The Question, after all.
A deeper cut to good taste in general is Bendis’ Power Man. In one scene he has Luke Cage meeting Daredevil on a rooftop for some heavy news but the dud is too busy listening to his bigass headphones to pay attention. And when Cage does talk… I cringe. Not as bad as Mark Millar’s depiction of Falcon in an issue of Wolverine. Cap downs Wolvie with his shield and Falcon nods, ‘Respect.’ I’ve met Mark and he seems like a stand up guy… but that was pretty lousy.
At least John Stewart got plenty of screen time in the Justice League cartoon.
November 20th, 2007 at 4:10 pm
I highly recommend the “Mosaic” series starring John - it had some of the most insightful race-based story-lines of any comic from the 90s… maybe even a few on par with the classic Denny O’Neil / Green Arrow run which was pretty much all about Hal and his hatin’