Green Lantern Week: Who Were Their Best Buddies?

In their storied careers, the men known as Green Lantern could not have accomplished all they achieved without the assistance of apt allies. Thomas Kalmaku, was the mechanic at Ferris Aircraft who made all their vehicles go.  Initially the only one whom Hal Jordan trusted with as to his alter ego, Thomas would chronicle many of Hal's Green Lantern adventures in his personal diary. And once or twice he subbed for his pal Hal as the Green Lantern when the real deal was occupied and needed to appear. 

Thomas eventually met his longtime sweetheart Terga, and they had children together. In later years, Hal and Thomas drifted apart, and a rift developed between the two. This was eventually mended, and they regained their close friendship.

Thomas' Earth-Two counterpart was Ikky Tinker,  the master mechanic working for Prop Wash whom he became partners with, along with his best friend aviator Hop Harrigan*. Together, the pair had scores of adventures side-by-side including during a period when Hop adopted the alter ego of the Guardian Angel. After Harrigan forsook that alias, his costume was worn briefly by Ikky who tried to replicate his pal's success. However, he was to heavy for the glider wings to keep him aloft. As for Tinker, once he adopted the nickname of Tank he along with Hop joined the Navy Air Force during World War II.

Following this global conflict, the pair returned to operating All-American Aviation Company, wherein they employed various experimental craft and inventions during their exploits. At one point, they met Earth-Two's premier heroes the Justice Society of America, and still later Hop adopt an alias inspired by the Green Lantern, known as the Black Lamp!

Doiby Dickles, known affectionately as Doiby for the derby he always wore, was a cab driver who knew how to make his cab Goitrude's engine go. He also had a GL costume he donned from time to time, and adopted the alter ego of the Devastating Doiby. Dickles' Earth-One counterpart was Ireland's Daniel "Jack O'Lantern" Cormac, an ally of Hal's when the pair worked on a case involing the Super Friends and Global Guardians.

Then, of course, our champions also had fellow heroes among their closest of friends. Hal's best friend was a tie.. early on it was Barry Allen aka the Flash as they were both charter members of the Justice League and shared a few team-ups between the two of them. Later on, however, it was a disaffected Green Arrow who felt alienated from society and later gravitated towards Jordan when they traveled through America.

Alan's best friend had to be Jay Garrick aka the Flash, and that remained the case from the early days when they first formed the Justice Society until decades later while still fighting alongside one another. Scott never formed a bond with his world's Green Arrow, who had joined Law's Legionnaires and had disappeared for decades only to return and retire. Nevertheless, others among his Society pals ended up being close allies. Each had a pet, Hal's being the alien being Itty and Alan's being his wonder dog Streak. And of course, the Emerald Crusaders themselves were fast friends when they visited each other's world.

* While accompanied by Hop, Tank met individual members of the Justice Society including Green Lantern (All-Star Comics #8), each of whom saved him during Tinker’s brief stint man career. Thomas never seemed to have met Hop’s counterpart Adam Strange, who worked alongside his pal Green Lantern from time to time.