14 DAY TRIAL // A fortnight ago, word got out that DC Comics was getting ready to change history and out one of its established characters as gay, which sent fans into a frenzy of speculation as to his or her identity. It's Alan Scott, the original Green Lantern.
As one of our readers also pointed out at the time, chances of DC Comics outing someone as famous and with such a solid back story as Batman, The Joker or Wonder Woman was small.
Nevertheless, Alan Scott isn't a minor character either, DC Comics is quick to point out in the press statement issued along with the 4-page preview you can also check out embedded at the end of this article.
Writer James Robinson tells Entertainment Weekly that outing Alan as gay came in a very natural, not contrived fashion, which is why he was the perfect choice.
“The original version of Alan Scott was an older man, and he had a superpowered son, Obsidian, who was gay. The fact that Scott was young now [thanks to a universe-wide reboot] meant Obsidian no longer existed. I thought it was a shame that DC was losing such a positive gay character,” the writer explains.
“I said, 'Why not make Alan Scott gay?' To Dan DiDio’s credit, when I suggested it to him, there wasn’t a moment’s hesitation,” Robinson adds.
He goes on to describe Alan Scot as a combo between Mark Zuckerberg and David Geffen, an admirable human being who always puts himself last in his desire to help others.
He is so brave and kind that being gay should mean nothing in terms of how readers perceive him.
“The original Alan Scott owned a radio station in the ’40s and ’50s, so he was a media giant then. He was this bold, heroic, brave man who took control, who would risk his life for you and be this emerald knight that was always there to protect the world,” Robinson says.
“The Alan Scott I’m doing now is that same dynamic, brave, honorable man. A man that you’d want guarding your welfare, your children, your life, your home. He’s willing to give his life for the world. He’s everything you want in a hero. And he happens to be gay. So really, apart from his sexuality, there isn’t that much of a difference,” he adds.