A Complete Timeline of Hal Jordan’s Hard Travelin’, Ramblin’ Days
A masterpost of the Silver Age Green Lantern's time on the road up until the 1990 series.
- Jim Kingman, Back Issue (2003) #80
In December 1966, after a long mission in space, Hal Jordan came back to the realization that life at home had moved on without him: an invitation to Barry Allen’s wedding let him know he’d completely missed the event, a talk with Carol Ferris informed him that she’d moved on to another man in his absence. Hal promptly quit his job as a test pilot, declared Coast City a “place of bitter memories” and left. He spent the next twenty-five years on the road.
Though the subject of road trips in relation to Hal often brings about the reminder of the seminal classic that’s Green Lantern/Green Arrow, Hal had actually spent several years drifting around the country long before Oliver had ever lost his fortune, and would continue to do so long after their friendship would fall to the wayside. Here, we’re looking at a timeline that’s mostly faded into obscurity.
Green Lantern (1960) #49, December 1966
The events discussed above. Heartbroken, Hal leaves Coast City for the first time.
Green Lantern (1960) #50, January 1967
“Drifting east-ward from Coast City”, Hal takes a job with Sky-Viewer Air Service flying tourists on sightseeing trips over Idaho and briefly lives at the Skyview Lodge. After a brief romance with the lodge owner’s daughter, Hal flees once more when he realises she’s a fan of Green Lantern rather than his real self. The backup feature notes he camps in-between Idaho and Montana for several days.Green Lantern (1960) #51, March 1967
Still looking for another job, Hal stops briefly at a “midwestern motel” and questions his departure from Coast City. He reasons that he’ll only know that he’s looking for once he finds it.Green Lantern (1960) #53, June 1967
In a “small city in northern Washington state”, Hal takes a job as an insurance claims adjuster at the Evergreen Insurance Company. He also writes home to Tom Kalmaku about it. In the backup feature, Hal speaks to his brother Jim and says he’s been on the road for six months -- up to this point, he’s been more or less traveling in real time.Green Lantern (1960) #54 - #68, July 1967 - April 1969
Hal remains an insurance claims adjuster and stays in the same small city in Washington, he also starts a romantic relationship with Eve Doremus -- a local heiress. In #63, Hal once again talks to Jim & confirms it’s been a year since he left California. In #64, his career is briefly compromised after an attack from Hector Hammond but he gets hired again after the misunderstanding is resolved.Green Lantern (1960) #69, June 1969
Depressed after several Green Lantern missions with casualties, the stress of his job at the Evergreen Insurance Company and a conversation with Carol Ferris that reminds him he’s yet to escape his feelings for her, Hal breaks up with Eve and quits his job.
Green Lantern (1960) #70 - 72, July 1969 - October 1969
Taking on a job as a traveling toy salesman with the Merlin Toy Company, Hal spends several months on the road. Issue #71 has one location as Solar City, Florida, and also marks his first meeting with Olivia Reynolds. Notably, for the duration of his time as a toy salesman, Hal has a company expense account that he takes full advantage of.Green Lantern (1960) #73 - 74, December 1969 - January 1970
Still a traveling toy salesman, Hal returns to Coast City for the first time in three years. In his absence, Tom had married Tegra and opened a chain of gas stations. Hal is also surprised by Coast City electing its first black mayor, and the government approving oil drilling in the “Santa Clara channel”. He leaves once again after a disastrous encounter with Carol. The two-part story takes place over two days.Green Lantern (1960) #75, March 1970
“In the western city of Pacifica”, Hal encounters the U-Mind controlling Olivia Reynolds for the first time.Green Lantern/Green Arrow (1960) #76 - 89, April 1970 - May 1972
The famous ‘hard traveling heroes’ period. Hal and Oliver Queen, occasionally along with the Guardian Appa Ali Apsa or Dinah Lance, travel the US and combat injustice on a grounded, real-life scale.
The Flash (1959) #217 - 219, August 1972 - January 1973
After GL/GA’s sudden cancellation, the story would continue over a three-part arc in The Flash backups. The duo is hit by tragedy as Ollie accidentally takes a life for the very first time and retreats to an ashram. Notably, Hal is also shown looking for job ads in the newspaper after saying the savings he’d been living off so far have dried up.The Flash (1959) #220 - #228, #230 - 231, #233 - #235, #237 - 238, #240 - 243, #245 - 246, March 1973 - August 1976
Back to drifting across the country on his own, Hal is left disillusioned by the abrupt end to his road trip with Ollie and finds himself quickly running out of money. On his way to Phoenix in #220, he states he’s down to his last $200. On several other occasions, Hal says he’s “one step from the poorhouse” (#221) and having difficulties cashing in his unemployment checks while on the road (#224).Green Lantern/Green Arrow (1960) #90 - 107, September 1976 - August 1978
Returned to their own revived series, Hal & Ollie are once again traveling the country, although there are now few things explored on the socially-conscious front as most of the threats they encounter are of the intergalactic nature. It’s during this period that Hal repairs his relationship with Carol and appears to be living in her mansion, even though he’s still collecting unemployment up until #100 when he borrows money from her in order to buy a truck and a CB radio to start a new job as a truck driver.Green Lantern/Green Arrow (1960) #108 - 119, September 1978 - August 1979
Although he keeps his job as a truck driver, Hal’s relationship with Carol falls apart and he finds himself living in Star City’s hotels whenever he’s not on the road. At the same time, he also grows closer to Kari Limbo, Guy Gardner’s girlfriend.Green Lantern/Green Arrow (1960) #120 - #122, Green Lantern #123 - #124, September 1979 - January 1980
Marking the end of his latest job as well as the crossover title, not only is Hal’s truck destroyed during a storm but his friendship with Ollie suffers when Hal claims a journey to Qward would be too dangerous for the archer and they part ways. Hal’s relationship with Kari comes to an end as well when she’s reunited with Guy, while Hal returns to being a test pilot for Ferris Aircraft for the first time in ten years.
Green Lantern (1960) #125 - #150, February 1980 - March 1982
It’s during this period that Hal is briefly treated to the status quo that modern comics would return to over and over again. For the first time since December 1966, his relationship with Carol blossoms, he’s once again living in Coast City and he’s a test pilot. It wouldn’t last long. In #148, he’s chastised by a Guardian for using his ring in matters of personal gain while helping with a crisis at Ferris Aircraft and the faint sense of stability he’s managed to build up comes crashing down once more.Green Lantern (1960) #151 - #171, April 1982 - December 1983
The Guardians exile Hal to space for one year as punishment for “taking his duties as Green Lantern too lightly”. Both his employment at Ferris Aircraft and his relationship with Carol are indefinitely put on hold.Green Lantern (1960) #172 - #181, January 1984 - October 1984
Hal successfully petitions his case in front of the Guardians and is allowed to return to Earth. Even though his relationship with Carol and his job at Ferris both resume, the former is far from happy. By #181, Hal finds himself forced to choose between the Corps and Carol, eventually quitting the GLC despite his doubts.Green Lantern (1960) #182 - #197, November 1984 - February 1986
With John Stewart as Earth’s Green Lantern, Hal attempts a life of normalcy alongside Carol but all is not well as she ends up taken over by Star Sapphire, breaks up with Hal and leaves him with nothing to fall back on.Green Lantern (1960) #198 - #200, March 1986 - May 1986
In the wake of Crisis On Infinite Earths and Tomar-Re’s death, Hal is once again reinstated as Green Lantern. His job at Ferris remains up in the air with Carol’s absence.The Green Lantern Corps (1960) #201 - #224, June 1986 - May 1988
As the Guardians depart Oa in order to plan the events of the upcoming Millennium, Hal is among the seven Green Lanterns to establish themselves on Earth as the book’s title shifts to a more team-oriented one. Notable moments include the start of his relationship with Arisia in #205 and officially losing his job at Ferris Aircraft in #216.
Action Comics Weekly (1988) #601 - #635, May 1988 - January 1989
ACW features the return of what can easily be seen as the real status quo of the majority of Hal’s life: he’s once again penniless and crashing on friends’ couches or living out of hotel rooms. Though his life had already been on another downward spiral since the early days of The Green Lantern Corps, here we see Star Sapphire’s destruction of all Hal had left. After Katma Tui’s murder and his falling out with John throughout the first storyline, #606 has Hal begging his ‘friends’ for a place to stay or some sympathy and getting nothing more than doors slammed in his face. In #620, he and Arisia break up. By the end, Hal is effectively on the road again, only briefly finding work as a freelance test pilot for Elite Design Consultants in Los Angeles (#621).
Green Lantern (1990) #1 - #50, June 1990 - March 1994
In many ways, the 1990s Green Lantern series marked the end of the road for Hal Jordan. While best remembered for the destruction of Coast City and Hal’s ensuing grief-induced madness that would lead to him becoming Parallax, it’s worth mentioning that Hal’s breakdown can easily be understood as a thematic continuation of the difficult circumstances he was already facing — and had been facing for years. The beginning sees him still drifting across the country until he settles in Montoya Bay (close proximity to Coast City) and starts an air-taxi business after taking out several loans and borrowing more money from Carol Ferris. Notably, #36 has Sue Jordan explicitly mention Hal’s “rambling days”. All the same, with his return to California in July 1992′s #26, we can safely mark this as the end of his travels.