Once Upon A Geek – JLMay: Brave & the Bold #30 with Green Lantern and Doctor Fate

ONCE UPON THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD!    

Joining the 2023 JLMay podcast crossover event, Keith G Baker and The Irredeemable Shag discuss THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #30 (2010) starring Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) & Dr Fate (Kent Nelson)! They find their joy covering this fantastic issue and why they love these characters!

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11 responses to “Once Upon A Geek – JLMay: Brave & the Bold #30 with Green Lantern and Doctor Fate

  1. Great podcast, Shag and Keachy (kidding; I know your real name, Keethjy)! You make this comic sound terrific, and I really enjoyed your discussion of it. Thank you!

    On free will versus determinism: I’m a compatibilist. Yes, we have free will. And yes, it’s all pre-determined. See, it was even pre-determined that I would freely choose this paradoxical, equivocal, confusing philosophical stance.

    Hal’s rings maintain the Dr. Fate shard because they have Oan cloud backup and reloading, obviously. In this issue, Hal is sporting the GLC-2814-D. The “C” model was sacrificed to protect a Klingon outpost and ignite the Klingon-Federation alliance. (Err, wait. I might be crossing some deep space photon streams here.)

    Not to make too much of the connection, but I relate to Hal. One of my big fears has always been dying stupidly. I don’t want the people at my funeral to be thinking, “He should’ve known better,” or “How did he not see that coming?”. I’ve worked pretty hard to avoid it.

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  2. I’m still worried that we are now at episode 11 and there’s been ZERO progress in finding Joy. What kind of true crime podcast is this? We don’t even know her second name! Maybe the hosts focused on that instead of another sidetracked episode of the Hal Jordan Fancast, we’d be getting somewhere.

    That all being said, this was a lovely sidetrack to go down especially with Keith G Baker (The G Stands for Green Lantern I believe and possibly the H in Keith stans for Hal – not a typo there). It was a good balance just like the issue in question to have a fan each of the two heroes in this story. I don’t recall reading this at the time but I’ve since gone back to read it on the DC App and it just sings as a story. Jesus Saiz is a phenomenal artist a true master of his craft and the whole book looks gorgeous, I think he’s been an exclusive at Marvel for years now and wish DC would try and bring him back for a Dr Fate run. And I mean Kent Nelson Dr Fate as it’s been pointed out we’ve not had a title run for that version ever. On the other hand any ongoing Dr Fate book would be nice, but i suspect the helm of fate is currently off limits due to the JSA book that is out.

    The book itself is also rather unusual. There’s not a lot of Superhero action at all and it is far more about the drama of the situation and the philosophical points. I’m in the camp that Hal doesn’t actually remember what he got up to during Zero Hour being that it was a mess about being processed and time travel and what have you. I think he knows what happened but more in a sense of being told about it after the fact. While I too find Hal fairly boring for long stretches of his book, I’m always keen to give a new writer a shot on him. I just wish he spent more time off world like he should – unless my theory is correct of the extra number of human Lanterns from earth is a back up plan to deal with a Superman who goes crazy. Ironic that when Superman dies it’s Hal that goes crazy back in the day.

    I find it a shame that JMS only got 9 issues of this series to work with, I think his love of the DC universe’s heroes shines through as well as his frankly astounding script which while as I said above doesn’t have a lot of action is a fantastic and non preachy (or even Keachy) drama. I’ve always loved JMS work even his attempt to ground Superman and his somewhat controversial run on Wonder Woman. His Earth One Superman books are brilliant. It’s a shame he’s not had a chance to do much more in the DCU and I would have loved for him to have a shot at JLA or the JSA at some point, however if I’m honest I think he’d be spectacular on Legion.

    Thanks for a great episode about a great issue of the Brave and Bold. I’ve found JLMay 2023 to be interesting as I’ve been exposed to podcasters I’ve never encountered before with very different styles some feeds I’ve added to my subscription feed, some I’m on the fence for. Getting back to another F&W Pod has been like getting to go to the pub after a long day at work and meet up with friends. (And thats even with Cheerscast on a break).

    I know by the time Shag gets round to reading this in 4 months time it will be completely old hat for everyone, but thanks for keeping me company during my run this week Keith and Shag.

    Looking forward to next months topic reveal. Hopefully we’ll be back on the hunt for Joy and maybe even find out her surname.

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  3. Hal Jordan is NOT boring!!!! He’s dull. Unfortunately he just came from a time when superheroes were defined by their powers and nothing else.
    I too was introduced to Green Lantern through The Super Friends, and followed him in the comics in the pages of Justice League Of America. Since he was part of an ensemble in both of those, he proved entertaining enough for me. As a kid I wanted to grow up to be a cop or an astronaut (original, right?). Green Lantern was a combo of both. A space cop. That’s ultimately why I liked the character.
    Dr Fate I read in the wonderful All-Star Squadron comic by Roy Thomas where he was just one of many mysterious and amazing characters who blew my mind on a monthly basis.
    In regards to The 2nd Super Powers series. “Pure comic book joy!” That series is a ton of fun. And by coincidence, Dr Fate and Green Lantern teamed up along with Wonder Woman in their issue. It was actually the first issue of that series I picked up off the spinner rack, specifically because Dr Fate and Green Lantern were in it. I later went back and bought the other issues.

  4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JHxnbfzv6I

    I’m surprised no one else posted this first. Granted Hal Jordan will never be as cool as Doc, but he did get a song. Even though at this point the world pretty much recognizes John Stuart as Green Lantern. Thereon of course the real Green Lantern is of course guy. I’ll have more to say letter. Still cool podcast.

  5. Great podcast. I loved this incarnation of Brave & the bold, and this story was one of my faves as well. Not one that immediately jumps to mind, but one that is both a high stakes action story and a high stakes moral decision story mixed in with friendship and long established characters.

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  6. Impressive podcast most impressive. Cool team up of Dr. Fate and the 4 th best Green Lantern. Hal. It’s a cool cover. And cool story idea. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I agree more with Hal in this. Free will above… “fate”. I once even had a fan fiction of Zed Martin from Heck blazer, Enchantress and Madam Xanadu. Ware they were magic detectives. Called it Witching Hour investigations. Any way in one issue I had them work for Desire of the endless.

    Ware she had them work as security were Desire debated with Destiny to see which was better for man kind. Anyway it was a set up and Desire killed this version of Destiny. Er wrote it before reading Sand Man so it was opssed. But Zed was just glad they got paid. Anyway, so I always see desire or will overriding “fate” .

    I see fate for those with less imagination. Anyway, I like that he got Hal safe. Even if Hal is just Oy. He’s Captain Doosh Kanu. Still even if he is the worst choice on any woman’s dating history. Trust me I know ware I speak… I have picked some suuuper winners in a not at all kind of way.

    Still I like that he was willing to take such a chance to try and save a friend. Or at lest a fellow League member. Yeah ok the evil dragon posing him had killed Dr. Fate, but still. Also this bit of Fate was probably put back into the energy that powers Hal.

    ◦ After all his whole body was destroyed. Since he destroyed when he repowered the Sun. So not only was his ring destroyed but so was his body. Till he was made the Spector. Then got a new body. To once again be a Green Lantern. So yeah not only is the ring going so is his lantern. And his whole body. So yeah most have been Kent Nelson following Hal.

    Can’t wait to hear the next podcast. Ah the 90s Dr. Fate comic special the reincarnation part. I do wonder about that. How does one know when one will be reincarnated? Does it happen right after one dies? Or does it take a few months? I know to not be reincarnated is the goal. To reach the point of Nirvana. So you’re not reincarnated. Since you perfected your life. So you didn’t have to redo it.

    But, I can’t find when it happens. Does it take years? Days? Or right after you die. Cool podcast can’t wait till the next podcast.

  7. This whole Brave and the Bold series was new to me, so thank you to all of the JLMay podcasts for getting me to read it. Fantastic series overall!

    When I got to this issue, I immediately recognized the JLI #7 dialog and scenes. Gobsmacked! Of all the things to tie into a Dr Fate and Green Lantern team-up, I never could have predicted that. Already made this issue a winner, and the rest did not disappoint. The capper being “I understand your ring has a problem with yellow.” BWAH-HAH-HAH!!

    Excellent job, joy-finders!

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  8. Great guest & great episode.
    I still think at some point there will be a tomb of fate podcast on the Fire and Water network with way guys talk by the way since where talking about magic users . And lanterns . Could the hero known as Doctor thirteen use a lantern ring since its science and not magic ? If has use a lantern ring let me know since all I know about him is what I’ve read in two volumes of Dc showcase presents the phantom stranger . I’m currently reading few different books and working on reading a collection I got of sliver age task force x.
    And have played the brave and bold video games based on the cartoon I seem to remember hall Jordan as a playable character in one
    Of the versions of that game I think the DS version but I’m not sure . Sorry for rambling have great time and stay safe . Remember shag no dressing like the third doctor and seeing if you can get free food at the English pub I didn’t work as Sherlock Holmes it’s not going to work as the doctor .

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  9. Great show and a wonder full guest .
    I feel in the stars that some day a tomb of fate podcast will exist on this channel.

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  10. Really enjoyed this episode. After listening to a few of these JLMay shows I am going to dig out these issues and reread. I thought Keith had some really insightful points on the tension between determinism and free will. You were ok too, Shag.

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  11. Excellent discussion on this issue of the Brave and the Bold. I had forgotten about the JLI 7 link and reading through, there is another linkage to that story. In JLI 7, Hal Jordan turned up to have a “word” with Guy only to find out that he had received the bump on the head. Thus, he was obviously filled in then on what happened with Dr. Fate so that when he met Fate in space in B&B30, he mentioned that the others had said he left abruptly. Not sure if JMS thought of it like that, but the timing fits.

    One could also speculate that at the end of B&B, with Fate musing on his place in the world, that he made the decision then to step back from the JLI to deal with “karmic responsibilities” as he relayed to Guy near the end of JLI 7.

    The story was very good, and I enjoyed your discussion with Keith on same. I must say, the bit where Fate and GL talking about how his presence entered the ring surely deserves an honorary “Bwa-ha-ha” award.

    Looking forward to the next episode.

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