Secret Wars on Infinite Earths: The Comic Book Fight Club

GREEN LANTERN versus BATMAN

Gray Life Gray Dreams (DC)
Where: Justice League #5 When: September 1987
Why: Keith Giffen & JM DeMatteis How: Kevin Maguire

The Story So Far...
A nefarious scheme hatched by Darkseid and his evil minions turned public opinion against the once celebrated ranks of the costumed super-heroes, but when they rise to the challenge of violent mobs, a new Justice League is brought together in the shadow of the old one.

Sticking together at the suggestion of Doctor Fate, the new lineup returns to their old headquarters, but even as they succeed in defeating strange visitors from the planet Angor, and The Royal Flush Gang -- tension simmers within the ranks!

Green Lantern, Guy Gardner, thinks he's a real hotshot, and should be steering the Justice League into the late eighties with action movie machismo. An attitude that sets him on a collision course with their Dark Knight leader: Batman!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Batman 3 (Athlete)
Intelligence: Batman 5 (Professor)
Speed: Batman 3 (Athlete)
Stamina: Draw 5 (Marathoner)
Agility: Batman 4 (Gymnast)
Fighting: Batman 5 (Martial Artist)
Energy: Green Lantern 7 (Cosmic Power)
Total: Batman 29 (Metahuman)

If you somehow missed it - the Green Lantern in question is eighties antagonist to the stars: Guy Gardner. A GL with a lousy attitude and a haircut to match!

At times it seems like he's crossed swords with fellow heroes as much as any of the rank & file of Green Lantern villainy -- and we've got plenty of examples:

He was put in his place when he jumped the gun against the Golden Age Green Lantern, learned his lesson taking on stand-in Superman - Eradicator, got corrupted by devils fighting Captain Marvel in Hell, and threw down with the new kid in the debut issue of Blue Beetle!

He's a quick-tempered jerk with a knack for getting it wrong, but his indomitable will isn't always focused in the wrong direction. Deep down he has somewhat good intentions, and was there on the frontline with the Justice League & Superman to fight the rampaging Doomsday, and helped drive back Warworld and the Yellow Lanterns when the Sinestro Corps War reached Earth!

Batman isn't always "Mr. Personality" himself, preparing for worst-case scenarios against more powerful opponents - be they friend or foe.

He doesn't have a Green Lantern power ring -- relying on tactical wiles, preparation, and vast technological resources to even the score against high-level opponents. He's upset Captain Marvel & Hawkman, Amazo, The Society, Darkseid, and even the comparably light-wielding - Doctor Light.

The Bat has an impressive record against Superman, but things don't always go his way. Bronze Tiger earned a lionized win in a classic one-on-one duel, while in the dark future of Rock of Ages, Darkseid's Omega Effect beams brought about his demise, similarly to a later encounter in Final Crisis.

The Final Crisis also saw Alpha Lantern Kraken earning a damning victory over the ambushed Dark Knight Detective, and on paper a Green Lantern outclasses him in power stakes -- but today's fight won't need to take that into account.

Gardner has shed his ring to take Batman on man-to-man -- a tactic that hasn't always served him well, as in his fistfight with Black Hand & goons. Will he get a good shot in on Batman? I think you probably already know the answer...

The Tape: Batman Ranking: Batman (#1)

What Went Down...

Tensions have been building within the newly assembled Justice League ever since they decided to regroup. As if external scrutiny wasn't challenging enough -- inter-personal politics between the new members has put a strain on everyone.

From the moment they returned to their abandoned headquarters -- Guy Gardner has fancied himself an action hero inspired commander-in-chief for the Justice League of the late eighties.

Until now Gardner's fallen in line -- bristling, but quietly shrinking beneath the looming oversight and natural command of The Batman. With the rush of their recent successes behind them, and more time spent couped up with the rest of the team, the loudmouth Green Lantern is finally ready to make a play.

Batman doesn't give an inch. There's no reason to. Few of the current line-up is as unqualified to lead as Gardner. Even a wide-eyed innocent like Captain Marvel makes a more compelling case than a juvenile like Guy. A vocalized fact that sours the invulnerable mood and mars even the sunny Power of Shazam.

Gardner hands off his ring to Blue Beetle, who's next on his list after he proves he's top dog with nothing but his fists. "Gosh. I'm scared."

Captain Marvel compels Batman to provide an example as leader of the League, but that would presume too much of Gardner's outlook. "I know what I'm doing here, Marvel. And maybe when you've had my years of experience, you will, too."

Batman meets Gardner's challenge head-on: "All bark and no bite."

He provokes the meathead Green Lantern -- and Gardner takes the bait like a greedy catfish.

Guy closes in, fist recoiled, face scowling, with intent to do harm -- and then...

The Batman strikes!

A single, straight-on, precision punch direct to Gardner's oncoming face!

The expert blow drops the Green Lantern like a sack of potatoes. Out cold with a lone blow. A fact that tickles Blue Beetle's funny bone: "One punch! One punch!"

Martian Manhunter and Black Canary arrive for the meeting. Dinah can hardly believe she missed Gardner finally getting put in his place. They leave the unconscious Lantern on the floor as they attend more pressing matters.

The Hammer...

The post-Crisis years of the DC Universe have given Batman a lot of contentious relationships within the superhero fraternity.

The influence of Dark Knight Returns has made his paranoid, on-again/off-again rivalry with Superman one of the most noteworthy in comics -- but was there ever a more fitting and hilarious friction than with Guy Gardner?

The resonance of "one punch" reverberates with us still. Transcending rebooted realities and multimedia to be quoted, repeated, and adapted into different formats many times over. Despite its truncated page count -- it remains a highly sought after showdown, and has been on my To Do List for many years.

Although worthy of a high-level position on any fight card, this significant moment in comics probably won't go down as one of the best battles we've ever covered on The Comic Book Fight Club. It doesn't need to. That's not what it's about. This one ranks top marks on the funny and character-driven scale.

I don't know the exact division of labour. Full credit to JM DeMatteis and Kevin Maguire, whose contributions are obviously undeniable, but I have other things on my mind right now. You probably understand.

Keith Giffen did a heckuva lot in his long running comic book career.

Justice League is arguably one of his biggest works -- and for that reason, it's always been kind of easy to take for granted it'll always be there, delaying the inevitable examination of its various conflicts, because it's just so obvious.

We all already know how special it is. How memorable. How much it made an impact on everyone -- including me -- when I was a small boy gazing up at the racks of recent issues. I could take a detour through some of Giffen's other work. Looking back at his early Egghead pencils in Defenders #43, his collaborations writing with Peter David to redefine the Justice League origin, and with John Rogers to create a new Blue Beetle that just starred on the big screen.

I wasn't there for the opening six issues of Justice League, which bridged a post-Crisis status quo out of the pages of Legends, but these comics didn't evaporate as soon as they were released. They lingered in wonderful perpetuity. Within reach as I was visiting the newsstands and comics shops a few years later, and into the early nineties, or in trade paperback collections in the twenty-ohs.

I have a particular memory of an adventurous trek to a deli that had Justice League International on its newspaper and magazine rack. Staring across at the issue, but coming away with naught. Comics in the wild always garnered my keen attention. Was Black Velvet on the radio? Maybe. Either way, I got my hands on some Justice League Europe sometime later. Good times.

JLI, as it came to reverently be known, was always there when I found Giffen's work on the New Gods through DC & Marvel's Thorion and the epic Countdown, when he helped restore much missed cosmic Marvels through the Annihilation reboot, helped make a year in the DC Universe possible in 52, and tugged at Frank Miller & Claremont references for a presumably forgotten Beast mini-series!

If it wasn't the definitive Justice League - it was the eternal blueprint for a team who had more personality than some prior incarnations, and simply were The team when I was early in my formative years. So right as to never be questioned as anything but the obvious conclusion for a lineup of DC's super-heroes. Not necessarily the "Big Seven", but a wonderous all-star swatch of the DCU fabric.

There were a lot of works. I never cracked the Legion of Super-Heroes or quite got into Ambush Bug, but Lobo grew into an undeniable icon, his Doctor Fate was truly mesmerizing, and I was as bewildered as anybody when an issue of Trencher fell into my possession without adequate warning. When the band got back together for more Justice League -- I couldn't believe how fresh it still felt.

Keith Giffen left us a couple of days ago. He was 70. I'm sad there won't be any more. Over the years it felt like that font might never completely turn off. That those ideas -- which those who knew and worked with him have described as nigh infinite -- might continue to trickle out in joyous new forms for years to come. Even if there were some breaks in between.

He was still writing at the end. Still making us laugh. It was hard not to chuckle when a post-humous entry from his Facebook page made the rounds amongst comic book fans as the news broke: "I told them I was sick... Anything not to go to New York Comic Con. Thanx. Keith Giffen 1952-2023. Bwah ha ha ha ha."

I particularly enjoyed reading Colleen Doran's account of their friendship, and mutual enjoyment of museums, high tea, and "beautiful, interesting things". The softer side behind the widely described performative "curmudgeon" that somebody like me might never know about, but can find very relatable.

I didn't have the pleasure to know Keith Giffen on any personal level, but he was a part of my life, shaping some of my perspective on enjoyment, comics, and what they should be. As we lose more creative titans like him, who shaped so much of this world and leave a gaping hole, I feel sad and grim, but I suppose it's nice to remember them for having lived, and made so much we can still enjoy.

If you'd like to relive and revel in the works of Keith Giffen and other wonderful creators -- I encourage you to explore the links throughout this post. You can also find more musings and superhero smackdown by diving into the Secret Archive for a complete index of featured fights in order of publisher, series, and issue.

Secret Wars on Infinite Earths has recorded over 700 battles and ranked well over 1,000 characters! A document not just of punches and super-powers, but of a vast array of stories, creators, and fond memories. A gateway to remember and discover so much more. If you'd like to contribute to the Patreon - I'd appreciate it, and will endeavor to share more good times with you soon.

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Winner: Batman
#1 (--) Batman
#163 (-2) Green Lantern (Guy Gardner)