THE CONTEST: GUARDIAN versus DEFENSOR

It had to happen! The Grandmaster has watched the Secret Wars on Infinite Earths for many years and now he comes with a challenge: I must select 12 heroes & villains from the DC Universe to do battle against his Champions of the Marvel Universe! Grandmaster's team competed in the first Contest of Champions and set an allowance of 5000pts based on fixed Fight Club Rankings. Each battle will be decided by you in fantasy fight polls held on Twitter, Facebook and Patreon!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Draw 4 (Enhanced)
Intelligence: Guardian 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Guardian 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Draw 4 (Athlete)
Agility: Guardian 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting: Guardian 4 (Trained)
Energy: Guardian 2 (Projectile)
Total: Guardian 25 (Champion)

Defensor is another one of The Grandmaster's unranked international recruits who debuted in the original Contest of Champions. Gabriel Sepulveda was a construction worker in Argentina who came upon an underground cavern containing a suit of armor & shield - each made of vibranium.

He was facing a paramilitary group when he was transported to the original Contest. He then went toe-to-toe with the more advanced armor of Iron Man, deflecting his repulsor rays. The rare metal of his suit can absorb incredible impacts, while internal mechanics also greatly increase his strength.

The last battle backfired when I tried playing a similarly powered opposite against The Grandmaster's champion. Now the scores are tied -- and he's still got a significant spending advantage for the fights ahead. I'm going to hold my nerve by matching another of his 0pt selections, but this time I'm going to try to grind it out with a challenger who is much closer in equivalence!

Guardian is another shield-wielding hero cut from the cloth of the finest creators of this kind: Joe Simon and Jack Kirby! His history has grown complicated over the years, but essentially Jim Harper has remained a powerful force for good, fighting out of Suicide Slum in Metropolis.

He was a natural athlete, honing his body to perfection to become the shield-wielding Guardian until retirement. His "perfect" genetics gained the notice of Project Cadmus, who successfully cloned him and launched the golden Guardian into a new modern era of heroics! A man of peak strength, speed, and agility keeping an eye on the dangerous and shadowy streets of Metropolis!

Both of these heroes have toiled in relative obscurity, but Guardian did recently make a comeback in the pages of Action Comics. That should bode well. His body armor isn't as impressive as Defensor's, but he has far greater experience and natural ability. I think that could be enough to get the win.

The Verdict (Updated June 11th)...

Voter turnout for the battle of shields was at an all-time low -- but I can't say I blame anyone. In case you didn't notice: there were some more important things going on in the world during the week of polling! I hope these fantasy fights can provide a fleeting moment of enjoyment and escapism, but the issues at the forefront of people's minds right now deserve our full attention.

I was also aware that obscurity might pose a problem. Guardian has a fairly limited cult following at the best of times, and Defensor only ever made a couple of appearances before disappearing from comics. We looked at one of those fights, from Marvel Super Hero Contest of Champions #2, and also managed to sneak in a Guardian appearance from Superman #695, but it was all very last minute.

With Facebook polls still non-functioning, there were only three votes to count from Twitter: a split result that determined Defensor the winner by a rounded majority of 66.7%.

In my estimation, Guardian is the more storied and skillful of the two combatants, but it may've been Defensor's superior hardware that got him over the line.

Vibranium's special properties have become quite famous thanks to the exploits of Black Panther. Its ability to withstand Iron Man's hi-tech assault, even in the form of Defensor's ancient armor, was likely a deciding factor for those voters who felt Defensor would win. Guardian is also essentially a super-cop, and I can see how that might not have been a popular choice at this moment in time.

That means Round 5, and the overall lead, goes to The Grandmaster!

We'll be back for Round 6 later this month! Keep your eyes on The Contest for the latest battles and past results. Hit up Twitter, Facebook, and Patreon for regular updates and new voting polls. You can also let me know what you think about the result in the comments or on social media!

Winner: Defensor

The Grandmaster: - 3

Secret Wars on Infinite Earths: - 2

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GUY GARDNER versus GREEN LANTERN

Hearts of Darkness, Eyes of Hate! (DC)
Where: Justice Society of America #9 When: April 1993 Why: Len Strazewski How: Mike Parobeck

The Story So Far...
The Justice Society of America fought for truth, justice, and the American way throughout the 1940s, but when post-paranoia of the McCarthy era set in, they were driven underground by congressional hearings that turned masked heroes into figures of suspicion.

Decades later they return to fight the good fight, but when a current affairs program claims to have uncovered FBI files that prove they worked to spy on Americans, and sold their services to the Soviet Union, a fresh wave of paranoia turns the people against them!

As the owner of the network that made the false report, Alan Scott is quick to leap into action as The Green Lantern -- but it isn't long before he finds himself under attack by one of his loyal viewers: Guy Gardner!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Guy Gardner 3 (Athlete)
Intelligence: Green Lantern 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Draw 3 (Athlete)
Stamina: Green Lantern 6 (Marathoner)
Agility: Draw 2 (Average)
Fighting: Guy Gardner 4 (Trained)
Energy: Draw 7 (Cosmic Power)
Total: Green Lantern 27 (Metahuman)

It's a battle of the ring slingers! Each has answered to the same moniker, but they represent very different spectrums in attitudes and light!

At this point: Guy Gardner had lost his Green Lantern power ring to Hal Jordan, forcing him to take up the yellow light of a Qwardian ring once used by Sinestro. Guy sought out the then-deceased villain's weapon after failed attempts to fight crime sans powers, as seen in Guy Gardner Reborn #1.

Once Guy found a new ring, it wasn't long before he was back with the Justice League fighting the likes of: Doomsday in Superman #74, and Eradicator in Action Comics #688. Neither fight went particularly well for the brash hero.

Long before Earth saw its first recipient of a Green Lntern Corps ring, there was the Green Lantern whose power derived its charge from the mystic Starheart: Alan Scott was a founding member of the Justice Society of America, who used his ring to fight the Axis of Evil throughout the Second World War.

His energy is magic in nature, but can achieve many of the same will-powered functions as a Corpsman -- as long as they aren't rendered against wood: his weakness! We saw his arch-enemy Solomon Grundy exploit that in JSA #65!

When Guy Gardner was a Green Lantern, his ring was unable to affect anything yellow. Now that he wields the yellow spectrum itself, there's no impurity creating a weakness. That gives him a theoretical advantage against Scott.

The Golden Age Lantern has bags of experience to call upon, and a level head that's seen him through countless battles. Guy Gardner may be a better fighter, but Alan Scott is arguably the superior tactician. Let's see how it plays out...

The Tape: Green Lantern Ranking: Guy Gardner (#134)

What Went Down...
Soaring over the city with determination -- The Green Lantern doesn't notice a gigantic yellow fist coming for his chin until it's too late!

The oversized uppercut stops GL in his tracks and signals the airborne arrival of Guy Gardner!

With his yellow power ring charged, the brash hero is full of piss and vinegar over televised reports that the JSA were once involved in post-war collusion with foreign powers. He's come to swat the traitor from the sky, but Green Lantern is in no mood for dealing with "phony Green Lanterns."

GL conjures the cutting edge of a giant chainsaw to cut through the giant yellow swatter swinging at him. Gardner is stunned his yellow construct had no effect on the Green Lantern's construct, confusing the original with his former Corps.

It looks like it's going to be an even match of ring against ring, but the Golden Age hero is unimpressed when Gardner leads with a giant mallet. He's been conjuring those for decades, and easily throws up a defensive shield.

Guy updates his offensive with a more modern tact, launching yellow rockets at his target -- but GL deflects them with a giant propeller just as easily as he challenges Gardner's willingness to believe slander against the JSA in the media.

The younger hero rationalizes their alleged overseas mercenary work as perfect explanation for the JSA's periodic disappearances. He backs it up with twin barrels of mega machine guns, but the Green Lantern catches his yellow munitions in the curve of a green pipe and sends them back overhead.

The Golden Ager questions how a gullible conspiracy theorist joined the Justice League, using the moment of provoked bravado to flick Guy with a giant hand!

Green Lantern continues to lecture Gardner on the dedication, creativity, and intelligence required of wielding a power ring. His coarse style of mentoring only riles Gardner up to be more bullheaded in opposition -- literally!

Guy rides a giant charging bull at his opponent, but Green Lantern tries his hand at being a matador. He steps aside, swishing his purple cape to reveal a great big green anvil that Gardner crashes straight into!

Seeing stars doesn't stop a dazed Gardner taunting the senior hero, who directs his attention to his feet. A green 500lbs weight precedes his plunge from the sky to the streets below, where the JSA has gathered amongst the onlookers.

Gardner emerges from a crater in the road and furiously shakes his fist skyward. It's only then he notices his yellow ring is no longer in his possession!

Green Lantern descends from the sky with a lesson in skills and humility, juggling the ring in one hand before he chucks it back to Gardner and slugs him with an old fashioned left hook!

Wildcat and Flash offer their compliments as Guy Gardner hits the deck. KO!

The Hammer...

The Green Lantern and Justice Society may have aged, but seeing Guy Gardner get kayoed when he's asking for it never gets old!

It wasn't the most diplomatic way to handle the situation, but occasionally a smack in the mouth is all that will do. Especially when there are sinister forces working behind the scenes to whip the public, and Guy, into an anti-JSA frenzy!

It's a situation reminiscent of the anti-superhero hysteria sparked by Glorious Godfrey (as G. Gordon Godfrey) in Legends. The masses become enthralled with a hypnotic mantra of hatred, but this time its laced with the dark sorcery of a Golden Age Spectre villain: the ancient destroyer of civilizations - Kulak.

A mob descends on GL and the JSA immediately after Guy Gardner hits the pavement. Not wanting to hurt the bewitched masses, they find a well-timed getaway driver in Carter Hall. Too bad for them he's under Kulak's spell as well!

Stories that vilify broadcast television were a dime a dozen in the 90s [see; Spider-Man #65], but the way Justice Society of America #9 represents the perils of "yellow" tabloid journalism, and obvious false reporting, feels awfully prescient. As does the transmission of misinformation amongst an audience all too willing to angrily mobilize to destroy institutions working to serve them.

The mysticism enhancing Current Affairs Spotlight's tabloid takedown only seems to bring the analogy forward to the present day's malicious, rapid spread propaganda of online viral channels. I shouldn't want to tinge the tale with too much of a contemporary political perspective, but the metaphors are deliberate.

The story also presents a generational struggle between the WWII statesmen, and Gen X's shoot-first action movie meatheads, who Guy Gardner parodies.

The Justice Society of America series featured in today's entry was actually the second JSA revival for the early nineties. Volume 1 was published in 1991 and set its adventures in the 1950s. Volume 2, as we can see, brings the vintage heroes into the modern age, alongside 90s icons like Guy, and Superman.

There's a modern sensibility but also a palatable sense of nostalgia, provided in part by Mike Parobeck's simple & clean renderings of the characters. It's a very nice looking comic that my scanning doesn't do full justice. Particularly to the colours by Glenn Whitmore, who keeps the world neutral and the heroes bold. Mike Machlan's inks add to the atmosphere with heavy shadows, as well.

As time marches on, the case against DC's Golden Agers seems to ebb increasingly hard against them. Former DC Publisher Dan Didio makes the case that multiple generations are part of a problem that ages evergreen DC icons like Batman. That was apparently the impetus for excising them, and the third generation Teen Titans, from the New 52 reboot.

Aging was indeed a legitimate problem, by design, pre-Crisis, but streamlining in the eighties facilitated classic returns as historic figures, still fighting evil in feature series like this one, and in mentoring support roles such as Flash #77.

The strength of the characters, and affections for them, constantly confirm their enduring appeal, and the value they offer by embellishing the DC canon. Their place in history is only ever as difficult as the publisher chooses to make it.

As one of the most exciting on-going series of the 2000s, JSA proved this. Its balance of classic and contemporary approach helped cement writer Geoff Johns as a creative force. It also reaffirmed the iconic status of Golden Age characters like Green Lantern, Flash, Hawkman, and Black Adam, creating new fans who are still eagerly supporting them in multiple mediums.

It's been good to see DC Comics restoring some of this legacy of late. Planned celebrations for the Green Lantern's 80th anniversary are exciting, and the development of a live-action Stargirl series, featuring the JSA, is pretty cool too.

If you like these characters and want to see more of them in action, you can dive into the Secret Archive for a complete index of featured fights ordered by publisher, series, and issue number. Links throughout this post are also means to discover more about the DC Universe and related characters!

Secret Wars on Infinite Earths has documented well over 600 battles and counting! If you like rankings and reading about superhero smackdown you can help make it all happen by joining the Patreon. Patrons can access schedule updates and voting polls, as well as levels to request a specific fight.

Subscribe to Secret Wars on Infinite Earths on Twitter and Facebook to get daily links to fights inspired by the topics of the day! Be sure to hit like and share on your favourite battles. Don't worry, they're strictly Kulak free!

Winner: Green Lantern
#90 (+66) Green Lantern (Alan Scott)
#140 (-6) Guy Gardner