I hope he takes requests!
------------------------------
1.HISTORY
I recall seeing him in one of the Blackest Night storyline issues first, then the animated show that aired on Cartoon Network (before it was canceled). I loved his voice and that prompted me to check out more of the episodes he starred in, as well as more of the GL comics. But, like with many other characters on this list, I had a hand from YouTube thanks to a video that was made covering his backstory. I didn't know anything about his origin story beforehand, but I grew to love him more based on said video. Since then, I've been a Saint Walker fan.
------------------------------
2. THE LANTERN OF THE HOUR
Hope. This guy is a textbook definition of that word. His cheerfulness and determination to bring good into the universe is admirable, even after all the losses he endured in his life. I think that's why he's generally beloved among many Lantern fans. He was well-liked in the comics, but I did notice the animated series helped propel his popularity further. I will argue that the animated series even gave him more personality than the comics did. He's not a typical calm and wise hope bringer, he also has a small bit of playful sass to him and he's gifted at playing the harp (as shown by the gif I've posted here).
And not a lot can stop him. He's accomplished quite a bit that not a lot of people can say they did: he saved his homeworld from dying by preaching to them and filling them with hope, he will go around bringing peace to every tombstone he could find in a cemetery, and he tamed huge wild beasts. Shoot, in the animated series, he even took down a massive ship with a single punch. Okay, other heroes can say they've done this, but Saint Walker isn't usually characterized as having super-strength or being technologically advanced like Superman or Cyborg respectively- just the power of Hope is enough to make it happen.
I like that Hope is tied into his belief in a higher power as well. I too believe in a higher power and to see a character like that do that in comic book fiction, alongside other characters like Daredevil and Nightcrawler, is inspiring and widens the demographics. I also like that he has demonstrated the power of good and how good is NOT weak, which I think is important especially in this day and age. He can be kind, gentle, forgiving, generous, brave, and so on, but weak is far from what I would call for Saint Walker. He can take down opponents easily if he sees they're not going to listen to reason or calm down. Appearances can be deceiving too - he might look harmless, but he's far stronger than he appears, and will sincerely fight for what he believes in: hope and he will bring it to others no matter how long it takes him. He lives and breathes his amazing motto: 'all will be well'.
We can also see that he's observant and empathetic to lost souls. He's able to act as a mirror to help others work out their problems by listening and picking up on emotions or words that perhaps they find difficult to explain. The way he goes about it is almost more poetic in execution than some other examples (although Iroh from Avatar: The Last Airbender is another good example of this type) and it's nice to see that they kept this trait of his a constant in his media appearances.
That said, the poor guy doesn't get a lot of chances to be involved in his own stories apart from his things with the Green Lanterns. We do hear instances of what he's been up to, but they're very rare to see. And with him being the last Blue Lantern in the current canon (at least I think he is, if he isn't, please correct me), it's like, 'folks, you just created a chance for Saint Walker to go on his own adventures and goals of getting the Blue Lantern band back together, don't you think you should go forward with it?'
I understand the BLs aren't the main focus of the GL universe, and I'm not saying they need to go nuts with focusing on every Corps of the Emotional Spectrum all the time (otherwise we would have a crazy situation like the Knuckles spinoffs from the Archie! Sonic the Hedgehog Comics), but if the BLs are such a big deal for the GLs because they need an extra boost for their powers when things get really bad, then shouldn't the search to induct more members into the organization be considered a key objective for the Green Lanterns to complete and help them? The more members they can get into the Blue Lanterns, the more powerful the Green Lanterns will be. Plus, Saint Walker can get a chance to be developed more, or at least be featured in more stories that allow him to show more of his skills outside of acting as a power booster for the GLs. Here's what we know already about him: we know his backstory. We know he was a preacher on his homeworld. We've seen him actually lose hope - and his ring - in one emotionally powerful instance before regaining both of them.
So what's next for him? More... chances to be battery packs for the GLs?... yeah, no thank you. I want to know where he goes from here. Here's another thought: if they really wanted to keep the BLs around, perhaps they could only come when only needed, like how Aslan does in The Chronicles of Narnia. He's a powerful and fascinating character, but he doesn't show up for every scene unless needed, and even when an image of him does appear, you're never really sure if it IS him which makes him compelling.
But back to Saint Walker, I think he faces the same problem Blaze the Cat from Sonic the Hedgehog does - they're generally beloved by their respective fans and went through their own character arcs, and now they're stuck, with the writers at a loss on how to progress forward with their journeys. It can be tough but if there's a will, there is a way. I'd love to see some AUs done with him myself.
I like that Hope is tied into his belief in a higher power as well. I too believe in a higher power and to see a character like that do that in comic book fiction, alongside other characters like Daredevil and Nightcrawler, is inspiring and widens the demographics. I also like that he has demonstrated the power of good and how good is NOT weak, which I think is important especially in this day and age. He can be kind, gentle, forgiving, generous, brave, and so on, but weak is far from what I would call for Saint Walker. He can take down opponents easily if he sees they're not going to listen to reason or calm down. Appearances can be deceiving too - he might look harmless, but he's far stronger than he appears, and will sincerely fight for what he believes in: hope and he will bring it to others no matter how long it takes him. He lives and breathes his amazing motto: 'all will be well'.
We can also see that he's observant and empathetic to lost souls. He's able to act as a mirror to help others work out their problems by listening and picking up on emotions or words that perhaps they find difficult to explain. The way he goes about it is almost more poetic in execution than some other examples (although Iroh from Avatar: The Last Airbender is another good example of this type) and it's nice to see that they kept this trait of his a constant in his media appearances.
That said, the poor guy doesn't get a lot of chances to be involved in his own stories apart from his things with the Green Lanterns. We do hear instances of what he's been up to, but they're very rare to see. And with him being the last Blue Lantern in the current canon (at least I think he is, if he isn't, please correct me), it's like, 'folks, you just created a chance for Saint Walker to go on his own adventures and goals of getting the Blue Lantern band back together, don't you think you should go forward with it?'
I understand the BLs aren't the main focus of the GL universe, and I'm not saying they need to go nuts with focusing on every Corps of the Emotional Spectrum all the time (otherwise we would have a crazy situation like the Knuckles spinoffs from the Archie! Sonic the Hedgehog Comics), but if the BLs are such a big deal for the GLs because they need an extra boost for their powers when things get really bad, then shouldn't the search to induct more members into the organization be considered a key objective for the Green Lanterns to complete and help them? The more members they can get into the Blue Lanterns, the more powerful the Green Lanterns will be. Plus, Saint Walker can get a chance to be developed more, or at least be featured in more stories that allow him to show more of his skills outside of acting as a power booster for the GLs. Here's what we know already about him: we know his backstory. We know he was a preacher on his homeworld. We've seen him actually lose hope - and his ring - in one emotionally powerful instance before regaining both of them.
So what's next for him? More... chances to be battery packs for the GLs?... yeah, no thank you. I want to know where he goes from here. Here's another thought: if they really wanted to keep the BLs around, perhaps they could only come when only needed, like how Aslan does in The Chronicles of Narnia. He's a powerful and fascinating character, but he doesn't show up for every scene unless needed, and even when an image of him does appear, you're never really sure if it IS him which makes him compelling.
But back to Saint Walker, I think he faces the same problem Blaze the Cat from Sonic the Hedgehog does - they're generally beloved by their respective fans and went through their own character arcs, and now they're stuck, with the writers at a loss on how to progress forward with their journeys. It can be tough but if there's a will, there is a way. I'd love to see some AUs done with him myself.
———————————————
3. DEPICTIONS/QUESTIONS
*"Why are Blue Lanterns limited in power?": I'm not entirely sure, but I disagree with it as well. At least with the animated series, it's slightly better than in the comics. The comics can be a mess. Many fans, including myself, do agree that the BLs are reduced to being power boosters for the Green Lanterns. Yes, for that part of the DC universe, they wanted to show you can't have willpower without hope and vice versa, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't defend yourself if your backup isn't there. The poor Blue Lanterns only had at least two usages (flight and protective aura) with their powers on hand when they weren't working with the Green Lanterns, which is not a good idea if they have to defend themselves in combat. I think that's a reason why barring Saint Walker and the founders of the BLs, they were wiped out.
*"He's such a cinnamon roll!": Due to a personally bad experience with this phrase, I despise this description of him. Yes, he's a character we can admire, and he's absolutely endearing, but he's not helpless. He will kick your tail if needed and besides that, while it's true he has undergone emotional suffering, the animated series did make it clear that he does have a resilient edge to him. More like a trickster edge that can come off as like a benevolent troll, but still an edge nonetheless. He also has a noble nature to him too, which I don't associate with that usage of the term. He's more like Rafiki from The Lion King or Friar Tuck from Robin Hood - they can be jolly and willing to do good works for their peers, but they can put up fights with their mad skills if necessary.
In Saint Walker's case, he'll get a lot more chances to use his other skills for my stories, which I'll discuss next post.
Wanderer out!
