It's Official, DC's Iconic Gay Character Is...

[aeka]

Who everyone already knew it was going to be. From James Robinson:

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Did you always know that you wanted a gay character at the forefront of the Earth 2 series?

JAMES ROBINSON: 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. 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.

I've said it before, I'll say it again. I would have LOVED this a lot more if Alan Scott was still an old man and Jade and Obsidian were still in continuity. The fact that the deaged Alan to a 20-something-year old wasted the potential.

Comments

[werehawk]

I just read this article and the preview pages and don't like where this is going in terms of progression of Alan's character. My prediction: He is going on a bullet train with Sam, Alan is probably going to ask him to marry him. The train crashes (similar to his original origin), Alan gets the ring (or GL power) and Sam dies so Alan changes from a happy mogul to an angry Green Lantern mourning a lost love.

[aeka]

And considering that this is Robinson writing...and he's quite fond of fridging characters to create a driving force for his heroes while not getting WHY this is problematic in the first place...that's not a far off assumption.

[icon_uk]

That seems a bit of a negative presumption, it might well be that he uses the ring to SAVE Sam form any train crash, his love for his fella is what urges him to put it on and use it.

Blue Lantern ring at 125% capacity....

[darth_cloudo]

I hope that's not the case. It seems like whenever comic book characters have remotely happy/normal families/relationships, it all gets destroyed for angsting purposes. >:I

[werehawk]

"I've said it before, I'll say it again. I would have LOVED this a lot more if Alan Scott was still an old man and Jade and Obsidian were still in continuity. The fact that the deaged Alan to a 20-something-year old wasted the potential."

I also loved Jade, and to a lesser extent, Obsidian, but in Robinson's (but not DC's) defense, according to the EW interview, they were already getting rid of Obsidian, so he thought of making Alan gay as a kind of surrogate for Obsidian's character. And considering Obsidian's anger issues (albeit different ones than Alan's will be), Alan is certainly headed to be more Obsidian-like in several ways.

Perhaps in a couple of years they can do a couple of future-JSA kind of storyline where we can see Jade and Obsidian again as his children (and an aged JSA) at least for that story.

[mrstatham]

This. To me, it was out of Robinson's hands anyway and DC likely wanted the JSA of Earth 2 to be younger characters, so whilst I'm not entirely making sure the father character of the now-erased gay character gay is the best option, at least Robinson's trying.

[rdfox]

I really, really, REALLY wish they would just throw us a bone and tell us that the pre-Flashpoint DCU is one of the other universes in the multiverse now. They don't even have to show it very often, or even beyond the first appearance. Just let us know that there's still a universe where Steph is Batgirl, where Alan's kids are still around, and those of us who actually care about the *developed*, mature characters that DC had can still play.

[kintotech]

This.

[whitesycamore]

I would have LOVED this a lot more if Alan Scott was still an old man and Jade and Obsidian were still in continuity.

Agreed. Where *are* all the old, or even middle-aged, gay characters?

[whitesycamore]

That said, I'm loving the height differential between him and his man there.

[drmcninja]

The writing still seems like they're trying a bit too hard, but I'm sure that'll even out in a bit. Just have to get used to it.

I, on the other hand, would not be happy if Alan was made the gay character and his kids were still around. I can just see myself thinking "Really? A new gay character and it's another one's dad? Homosexuality is not genetic, you bastards." Maybe I'd be over thinking it, but I would be thinking it.

[aeka]

Gay parents having gay children is not unheard of. They do exist. I personally knew a professor at my uni who is a gay father with a biological lesbian daughter.

[protogarrett]

Big white top and his little (I assume) asian bottom. SO INNOVATIVE! How kind they churned out a D-List character as newly minted gay for us in order to compete with a likely-doomed-as-comic-marriages-are-wont-to-be gay wedding.

Still, exposure for the gay community is welcome, I guess.

[mrstatham]

Way to make some assumptions, there.

[nyadnar17]

I really, really like Obsidian. Shame he no loger exist. *sigh*

[protogarrett]

Indeed.

[nezchan]

Personally, I think it's a huge cop-out they didn't do this with one of the front-line characters, but instead opted to go with an "alternate" (to current readers, I know he's the original) version of one of the big popular franchises.

So no one fronting the Justice League, no regular member of the Bat family, not one of the high-profile Green Lanterns, nothing like that. Someone a lot less "out there" so it'll hit the news cycle but not require any big commitment. Good strategy, I guess, and I'm happy to see at least one more LG character out there, even if we're still WAY underrepresented on the BT part of the acronym.

[gerardotejada]

Robinson Translator:

They didnt want me to write golden age JSA so I said f*ck what can I do? Also I knew people was going to be pissed by the lack of Obsidian, and the policy "We dont like old characters" was bugging me like a herpes (because I end my Starman by doing everything is now "making our characters seem old"), so I couldnt have Alan with any child (and hell I am putting Jade or Obsidia in the line of editorial death). Also I heard Dan had problems with people realising how sexist he is, I convinced Him to let me make Alan gay (Obsidian-ize him) cause that was the fashion on Marvel, that last line make him jump and say yes before I had to elaborate any argument.

END OF TRANSLATION.

Also, please Buy the DC Universe Presents Vandal Savage, at least for the sake of knowing more of the character you are reading in Demon Knights PLEASE

[mistygeek]

Can you do all comic book news for me?

Aw!

[capt_satellite]

Alan Scott and the JSA have never really gotten a fair shake since COIE. So many bad reboot, so many ugly costumes. Although I will miss Obsidian and Jade terribly (Infinity, Inc. used to be on my pull list), it will be wonderful to see a new Alan Scott emerge as a front line character, although, sadly, only in the Earth 2 universe (for the moment). He's a great character of great character. I think I smell a fridging in the offing : ( but it does offer the opportunity to properly explore the aftermath of the death of a spouse, emotional damage it brings, survivor's guilt, and recovery....issues that transcend race, sexuality, religion, politics and creed.....a universal experience that is a big part of being human. I trust Robinson's skills, character and talents as a storyteller, but yes, I too share the hope that in some corner of the multiverse Green Lantern, the Flash, Wildcat, and the rest of the golden age characters have fought WWII, had years of other adventures, and lived happy, long, productive lives.

Re: Aw!

[gerardotejada]

Well the Golden Age graphic novel by Robinson was genious, many golden age characters apeared on Starman and Wild Cat apeared in Batman while Jay apeared in Waid's Flash. And David S. Goyer JSA and James Robinson Hawkman were really huge hits for both.

[lucky_gamble]

Please don't fridge him. Please don't fridge him. Please don't fridge the boyfriend.

[rdfox]

Not to sound callous, but I've already got a space ready for him, right between the milk and the leftover meatloaf.

After all, we all know that Dankor would LOVE to be able to point to Sam and say, "See? It's not just women that we have die to motivate our characters! See? See? We're not sexist!"

God I wish he would just crack a joke about the wrong Time Warner executive and get fired already...

[mullon]

There's something odd about Robinson's reasoning. Something shallow about it.

[darkknightjrk]

I think a component of it is that, "Well, Obsidian's gone, that's one gay character taken off the table...maybe I can make Alan gay, so we don't lose one?" It is a little shallow...but considering this is a whole new world Robinson's creating, I think it is within his right to do so. It's no different from a writer in a creator-owned book deciding that one of his characters is gay, IMO.

[darkknightjrk]

So the character who has a green "flame" turns out to be the lead gay hero of the book...heheh. That's kinda funny.

[gerardotejada]

Hey thats true! Alan was the leader of the JSA, so the leader of the most historic group in history, the one who set one of the standards for the notion of continuity in comicbooks is gay

[kirke_novak]

So they confirm that they made Alan gay because of Todd being wiped out of the existence. But... but he was suppose to have babies with Damon! ;_;

Fingers crossed for Earth 1!

[icon_uk]

Somewhere in a timeline that Barry Allen didn't fuck up, Damon and Todd have just adopted a little girl found wandering amnesiac after living rough in the ruins of Star City, the only thing she remembers is that her name might have been Lian...

[thanekos]

If he ever gets to fight a Blackbriar Thorn, the jokes will be especially obvious.

[jlbarnett]

they've scrapped Jade and Obsidian?

[icon_uk]

As children of Alan Scott, yes. As characters, who knows (and as others have said, based on the "lurking in the shadows" bit, Obsidian might be a name destined for Sam.. the Freudian implications might be a bit weird, but...

[stolisomancer]

I don't know the JSA side of the DC Universe that well, but I was reasonably certain Todd Rice was a shorter guy with dark hair. When I saw that initial kissing panel, I thought they'd paired Alan up with Todd and I was very confused.

[bj_l]

That first panel is certainly... cradle snatchy without context.

It really does look like, with his partner being really short, that he's making out with, well, a kid (or a teen).

[big_daddy_d]

Really, really annoyed with characters just being written out.

[b_dangerous]

The character whose weakness is WOOD, DC? Really, DC?

....Really? Okay, then.

[lieut_kettch]

Maybe they'll retcon it to aluminum.

[kraesil]

.................................. Is it too late to undo the reboot?

[liara_shadowsong]

...Why couldn't they have left him at least middle-aged, and kept Jade and Obsidian in continuity? You know what could have been a cool story, if they'd have wanted to go a different route? Forty-something single dad trying to balance parenting, supheroing, and dealing with coming out (and trying to find a boyfriend who is okay with dating a superhero with kids) would have been epic. At the moment, though, I'm just going to settle for hoping that they don't fridge Alan's boyfriend.