First, i'd like to say that some of these comments are hilarious! I won't say which ones because that would be unfair on those saying them and i don't wish to offend anyone.
Now, GA has indeed killed before and indeed he was a part of a GROUP of people who changed someones personality. It wasn't just down to him that time we must all remember. GA is an antihero which is fair enough, he even says as much when he says that deep down he's not a hero, he's a hunter. Also, he's a knob and he knows it. He's got a self hatred that is part of his character, that disdain for himself means he does things that he knows other heroes wouldn't because he doesn't think of the consequences to himself. He's driven by emotion. "Making the hard choices" and all that.
And that is possibly the biggest thing about him as a character. If he's afraid he runs (why he ran from his responsibilities when Connor was born), if he's depressed(or lonely or whatever) he sleeps around, he's always been a violent character. Beating on common thugs to get info etc etc. Now he's been emotionally destroyed (again) and he's bloody well pissed off about it so he goes out and kills the guy responsible for it. He knows he's going to get in trouble but he also knows he's saved countless others from becoming his prey. Right and wrong doesn't even come into it in his head. This was a NEED as far as he can see. It may well be that on reflection at a later date he regrets it (as he does about leaving Roy and trotting off around the world with Hal and for sleeping around whilst seeing Dinah and for a whole host of other things). This brings us to another very important aspect of GA, pride. His pride makes it very hard for him to admit to his wrongdoings or his regrets, even if his inner monologue tells us (the joyous comic reader) otherwise.
So, in short. GA killed, he lied, he cheated, he abandoned those around him (although he redeemed himself on most counts) but he is still a hero to those he has saved from rape, thievery, abuse, violence and danger. Some will argue that that makes him more human, others will argue it makes him a "Douche" (fncking hate that word. Don't use it it not cool.) or a bastard. As far as i'm concerned that's the point. He walks that line. It makes him interesting and it's the reason i find him such a good character to read. Sometimes he's an absolute knob, other times he's a gent and a hero.
My last point is just to say that comparing GA to Bats is a bad idea. Because those who remember the old GA will know he was basically just Batman light. Or Batman with arrows. (Arrowcave, arrow mobile, trick arrows etc). He has since successfully been moved away from that as in some drastic ways. He's now very driven by emotions and the idea that he's a hero because he needed an outlet for his boredom and it made him feel useful. That sort of thing anyways. Batman couldn't be any more different. The point of him is he gave up being emotional to take on evil and save those around him from suffering as he had. Batman is a logical creature of restraint and knowledge. GA is a emotional creature of excess and righteousness. Their personalities are completely juxtaposed.
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