From Human to Robot

 

cover art by Gil Kane

Comic Book Science & Comic Book Logic do not, of course, depend on any sort of realism. What they require is a degree of self-consistency. During the Silver Age, DC heroes such as Flash and Green Lantern were always using clever tactics to foil villains. Often, even presuming the existance of super-speed or power rings, those tactics made no real-life sense at all. But that doesn't matter. As long as these tactics are reasonably consistent within the established rules of the DC Universe, then they serve a purpose not just to advance the story, but to also highlight the cleverness of the hero and give the stories an extra "Wow, that's cool!" vibe. An extra level to our sense of wonder, so to speak.

A good example of this is Green Lantern #36 (April 1965). Writer Gardner Fox and artist Gil Kane start off by having a toy doll steal secret plans from Carol Ferris' facility. 

Carol, soon joined by Hal, pursue the escaping toy. Eventually, the agile little thing gets away. So Hal sends Carol back to the airfield to get help. This allows him to change into Green Lantern. He'd already zapped the stolen plans with a tracking ray, so he's good to go.

Well, he's not. But to be fair, even people living in Comic Book Universe wouldn't have seen what was coming. Hal tracks the toy to a remote house, where a criminal mastermind and his thugs are already planning more thefts of stuff that can be sold on the international market.

But there's a complication. The room the gang is using is filled with a deadly radiation, with each of the bad guys wearing a neutralizer to protect themselves. The radiation has a yellow base, so GL's ring won't work inside the room. It also won't protect him if he enters the room himself.

This is, of course, silly. But it's a silliness that is completely consistent with how things work in a Comic Book Universe. Because of this, readers can enjoy this tale even in our more jaded modern age for what it is. We don't have to look at it ironically or to make fun of. It's a good, solid superhero story and can be allowed to work on that level. 

This holds true even as the story grows more bizarre. GL can't let the bad guys get away. Well, he admits he COULD wait for them to leave the house and then nab them. But, darn it all, Carol is worried about those plans, so Hal wants to wrap this up quickly.

Hal bursts into the room and begins punching out the bad guys. Fisticuffs are necessary because of the yellow-based radiation, so he can't use his power ring. But why isn't the radiation killing him?

It's because, before entering the room, he uses the power ring to transform himself into a robot. 

And that makes sense. Within the context of GL's reality, it's a clever and effective tactic. And Gil Kane's art makes robot GL look pretty darn cool as well, especially when one of his hands breaks off after he throws a particularly hard punch. 

The criminal scientist uses an electro-magnet to temporarily trap Hal, but the hero thinks his way out of that situation. He pursues the gang outside the house, where his ring now works. So catching them all is now pretty routine.

It's an imaginative tale, with Hal using his ring (something limited only by his willpower and imagination) in very clever and unexpected ways. It's a great example of how a Comic Book Universe is SUPPOSED to work.

Next week, we'll trade in our power rings for six-guns and visit with the Rawhide Kid.