Green Lantern is Gay

[Andy Chalk]

Green Lantern is Gay

As promised, one of DC's "iconic" heroes has come out of the closet - and it's not Aquaman.

A couple of weeks ago, DC Comics revealed that one of its big name heroes would be kill the change [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/117375-DC-Says-One-Of-Its-Iconic-Heroes-Is-Gay], but to its credit DC stuck to its guns and today announced that the newly-gay superhero is none other than Green Lantern.

This being DC Comics, however, it's not quite as simple as that. It's not Alan Scott [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hal_Jordan], the original Green Lantern of Earth-2 who debuted in 1940 and served with the Justice Society of America, "retooled" as a younger, gay character.

And according to writer James Robinson, he's not "newly gay," either, at least not within the context of the book. "He doesn't come out. He's gay when we see him in issue two. He's fearless and he's honest to the point where he realized he was gay and he said 'I'm gay'," Robinson told AP. "It was just meant to be - Alan Scott being a gay member of the team, the Justice Society."

Marvel did the same thing years ago with Northstar, but he's hardly in the same class as Green Lantern, and turning a legitimate heavyweight - even an alternate universe heavyweight - into an openly gay character is a big move to make. But just like in real life, Scott's sexuality will be just one aspect of the character, and it won't define him. "This guy, he's a media mogul, a hero, a dynamic type-A personality and he's gay," Robinson explained. "He's a complex character."

DC makes it all official in the second issue of Earth 2, which comes out (get it?) next week.

Source: Yahoo! News [news.yahoo.com/green-lantern-relaunched-brave-mighty-gay-070052544.html]


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[Terminate421]

I ALMOST lost 10 bucks with a friend. I guessed Robin, he guessed Flash.

We both got it wrong so none of us won.

 

[Gabanuka]

I see I'm not the only one who bet, my money was on Alfred.

 

[Kelethor]

huh....thought for sure it was flash.

 

[Vault Citizen]

He's a man who draws power from jewelry, what did you expect?

I laughed.

My money (if I had bet money) was on the gay character being Nightwing or Green Arrow. I didn't think it was going to be Aquaman because of his relationship with Mera (also shame on whoever wrote the last article stating Aquaman is a joke character).

 

[Xanthious]

Wow, they are really getting edgy there making Alan Scott gay. Really, Alan Scott? What a cop out! I would argue he probably only barely makes it into the top 10 when it comes to the most well known Green Lanterns (Hal Jordan, John Stewart, Kyle Rayner, Sinestro, Guy Gardner, Tomar Re, Kilowog, Abin Sur, hell maybe even Chip and G'nort) never mind actual DC Heroes.

On a related note I heard Arm-Fall-Off-Boy, Porcupine Pete, and Fireman Fred (All actual DC Heroes) were also in the running but all three were deemed a little too mainstream.

 

[thiosk]

Man, and I was sure it would be matter eater lad.

 

[Hitchmeister]

He's a man who draws power from jewelry, what did you expect?

Be fair, there are lots of non-gay Green Lanterns who draw their power from jewelry. It just so happens that this one's weakness is wood.

(I am ashamed of myself.)

 

[Antitonic]

After reading that Million Moms article, I was banking on Plastic Man, given how he's such an iconic character and role-model.

 

[Redd the Sock]

Ironic given how pre-reboot he was having issues with his son being out of the closet.

 

[Formica Archonis]

Not surprising at all, sadly. When someone (not me, I'm not half that insightful) last week pointed out that there was nothing in DC's claim that ruled out one of the older or less-known users of a "franchised" name, I realized it was probably going to be a Lantern. I was guessing a later one, though, like Guy Gardner. But no, they went with the first of them, both to help claim "iconic" with a straight face (so iconic he didn't wear the costume and got his power from a magic prophecy meteor) and to ruffle less feathers from readers who remember him starting out.

Good job keeping to the precise letter of your promise, DC. Your lawyers must be proud.

 

[Desworks]

I had a feeling it would be a Green Lantern and not Hal Jordan (because GL fans get angry when you do anything to Hal) either. My reasoning was that the Green Lanterns are iconic and, importantly, interchangeable. So depending on how it's received, they can easily back out of the issue. With most other heroes, you just can't do that easily.

 

[Lieju]

Wow, they are really getting edgy there making Alan Scott gay. Really, Alan Scott? What a cop out! I would argue he probably only barely makes it into the top 10 when it comes to the most well known Green Lanterns

Maybe it's just me, but Alan Scott is the guy I think of when I think 'green lantern'.

Counts as 'iconic', if you ask me.
As for him being, gay, I'm fine with it, although I would have liked if it was Aquaman. Since he's the king of Atlantis (or is he anymore?) it would have been more interesting. They could have portarayed cultural differences between the races and their attitudes to homosexuality, and there could have been some court-intrique involved.

 

[repeating integers]

Man, and I was sure it would be matter eater lad.

Was that a real comic?

I've stopped wondering that. I've seen such a hilariously huge number of comic strips that bad or worse on the internet, nothing surprises me anymore.

 

[XMark]

So it's Green Lantern who's gay, but not, like, actual Green Lantern, but some other Green Lantern from an alternate Earth or something?

Okay, I'll agree with MovieBob here:

Comics.
Are.
Weird.

 

[deathninja]

Is that why he doesn't like yellow? because it clashes with damn near everything?

 

[Nimzabaat]

Totally called it. And he can make anything with his mind... ANYTHING!!!