Although Nightwing has a reputation as a “ladies' man,” in reality his love life has nothing on Green Lantern’s. Early in Green Lantern’s career, when he was still new on the scene, women found him irresistible and soon he was going on a lot of dates, at a pace that outstrips Nightwing’s. In Showcase #23, the character’s second appearance, Green Lantern dates a bevy of women, but cannot have Carol Ferris–the one he truly wants.
The Silver Age of Comics was in full swing when Hal Jordan received the Green Lantern ring in 1959’s Showcase #22. Many elements of Hal’s backstory were already in place, namely his job as a test pilot for Ferris Aircraft, and his wooing of the boss’ daughter, Carol. The two enjoyed a flirtatious relationship, with hints they could be more–until Carol’s father decided to take a sabbatical from the company, leaving his daughter in charge. As Hal’s new boss, Carol saw any kind of romantic relationship between them as unprofessional, and she called the whole thing off. All of this was happening as Hal was learning the ins and outs of being a Green Lantern. In the same issue, Carol attends a celebrity ball which Hal attends–as Green Lantern. At the party, Carol cannot keep her hands off him, oblivious to his true identity and the two share a kiss.
An issue later, in a story titled “Summons from Space,” Green Lantern has become the toast of Coast City, regularly attending balls and galas. At this particular party, he flirts with a young woman, later taking her to the opera across town–as Green Lantern! Readers learn this was the latest in a line of women Green Lantern has been seen with; over coffee a few days later, Carol tells Hal that Green Lantern has been seen with seven different women in the course of a week! Afterwards, Carol invites Hal to dinner; his hopes are quickly dashed when Carol asks Hal to invite Green Lantern along. Before Hal can even begin to think of a way out of his dilemma, he receives a summons to head to Venus, to help the population there. The story was written by John Broome with art by Gil Kane.
Green Lantern Is Always a Bridesmaid, But Never a Bride
Seven dates in seven days is quite an impressive feat and would no doubt make Nightwing jealous. Hal Jordan embodied the square-jawed, high-flying idea of masculinity at the time, so it was only natural women would gravitate towards him. The bitter irony here is Hal is in love with Carol Ferris, who is unattainable for a variety of reasons; furthermore, Carol has eyes for Green Lantern, totally unaware they are one and the same, creating one of comics’ most bizarre love triangles. Hal and Carol would have an on-again, off-again relationship, which would be complicated further when Carol became Star Sapphire.
Nightwing Comes Out Ahead of Green Lantern
The aforementioned seven dates in seven days, while impressive, points to a fundamental difference between Nightwing and Green Lantern’s love lives. For Green Lantern, it is all shallow and surface-level and never getting the one he wants. On the other hand, Nightwing’s relationships, particularly with Batgirl, Starfire and Huntress, were genuine–that is, Nightwing felt for each one of them and the feelings were mutual. So while on the surface it may seem Green Lantern’s love life puts Nightwing’s to shame, in reality Nightwing comes out ahead.