Alan Scott the New Gay Character?

Let’s start from the beginning. Way back in July 2011, Dan Dido spoke to Advocate about the New 52 launch. A question was asked about a gay teen in the DCU.

DC has several popular teenage heroes such as Robin, Wonder Girl, Superboy and the other Teen Titans. With gay teens becoming more visible in the media, can readers expect to see a teenaged gay superhero in the future?

One of the things we’re very focused on doing for these types of stories is rather than [change an existing] character, we want to make sure that this is the basis of who that character is right from the start. So if we’re going to introduce a gay character in Teen Titans, we want to make it a new character and make sure that is an intrical part of who he is, or who she is, right from the start so we can really lean and grow with her or him.

DC did introduce a new gay character in Teen Titans with the name Bunker. Though I know he is not the first gay teen character in the DCU. Hero Cruz definitely came before him but I’m not sure if he was the first either.

Bleeding Cool reported this question was asked in reaction at Kapow’s DC panel:

One question asked at the DC panel today at the Kapow comic convention in London, was about DC co-publisher Dan DiDio’s interview with The Advocate. Specifically over the decision not to change any character’s sexual orientation when relaunching the DC Universe. At the time Dan stated they would introduce new LGBT characters rather than switch orientation, but the question asked why DC would switch race, size, age, all sorts of identifying features, but not orientation.

Surprisingly, Dan stated that they had changed DC’s policy in this regard. And they ae about to reintroduce a previously existing DC character who was previously straight and now will be “one of our most prominent gay characters.”

As Senior VP Sales Bob Wayne explained, just like the President of the United States, the co-publisher’s policy on this “has evolved.”

If you don’t get the reference to President Obama, here you go. After that, Courtney Simmons, DC Entertainment’s Senior Vice President of Publicity, gave this statement to ABC News:

One of the major iconic DC characters will reveal that he is gay in a storyline in June.

And of course the speculation ran rampant. Some say it is a plan to overshadow Marvel’s first gay marriage. But Bleeding Cool seems to be the only site to think of contactig the questioner. Here is an excerpt:

My name is Joe Glass, a lifelong fan of comics, a big gay man, and new writer of comics too, including LGBT superhero series, The Pride. And I asked that question.

The ‘why’? Simple…for nearly a whole year now, Dan Didio’s comment kind of stuck in my craw a bit. I understood them, and respected that it intimated a desire to add new LGBT characters, a group that is still sorely lacking within comics, despite what some commenter’s may think.

But it was the ‘rather than [change an existing] character’ bit that really bugged me.

I mean, what? They changed Superman, Flash, Apollo and Midnighter from being married to single and/or dating. They changed Barbara Gordon from being a disabled, non-violent hero to a fully bodily-abled violent one again. They resurrected, vanished, killed, changed ethnicities, made skinny, gave out new dads, and changed almost any other aspect of a character as part of the re-invigoration process of the New 52, but for some reason they couldn’t or wouldn’t change a character from straight to gay?

Why not? Why was THAT the line they dare not cross? I know it’s a fairly small thing, and maybe as a gay comics reader I should just be happy to take what I was getting, but I couldn’t help but feel that there was an unintentional implication there.

And another

And clearly I’m not alone in that respect: I was approached by a number of convention goers after that panel and the subsequent Marvel panel (where I asked another LGBTQ related question), all congratulating me on an excellent question, saying it was great to see a comic big wig answer to their previous comments, and even got thanked by one young man who told me his cousin was gay and has a hard time of it, and it was great that I ‘took a stand’. Honestly, I was completely taken aback by the amount of attention I was getting, let alone DC’s answer. It was quite amazing.

And because us comics fans can’t wait for the story it seems we have deduced that it is Alan Scott, the original Green Lantern.

The original Green Lantern had kids that never knew about until they were adults with a character that had two personalities Rose and Thorn. Those two kids grew up to be Jade and Obsidian. He then ended up marrying an ex-enemy Harlequin. 

Obsidian was not originally introduced as gay. He was introduced in Infinity Inc. and had a troubled relationship with the third Harlequin. When he appeared in Gerard Jones’ Justice League America with Nuklon his sexuality was brought into question. In Manhunter #18 he was shown kissing his partner Damon Mathews.

Well, I suppose that if Jade and Obsidian appear in Earth 2 they won’t be Alan Scott’s Kids. I’ll miss their relationships. But if the speculation is right and Alan Scott is the new gay character in the DCU, I think that is great. 

James Robinson is a great writer to introduce the character. Looking at his twitter he seems to be ready for it:

I think what @1milmoms needs is for me to take them out one at a time for martinis, a nice dinner and them some slow, sensual —— love-making. Yes, I will personally fuck the intolerance out of them. And if our coitus takes place in one of those old-type motels — — where you can put a quarter in the bed and it vibrates, all the better.

Thanks @sean_banning Yes, and I think I’m right in saying@TONYFINGHARRIS and I depicted the first gay kiss in a mainstream comic too.@OnlyRad @sean_banning @tonyfingharrisI just checked and yeah. Authority began in May ‘99 and gay kiss issue of Starman was #45 in Aug ‘98.

So there you have it. If Earth 2 Green Lantern is the new gay character it seems James Robinson and Nicola Scott are the ones to do it!

Notes From Wednesday’s Books

Hey is this the first appearance of the New 52 Hawkwoman/Hawkgirl? She’s seen in a vision/communication. The Savage Hawkman #9 is the start of the new creative team, Rob Liefeld and Joe Bennett. Joe Bennett doe a great job on the interiors. Rob Liefeld definitely injects some well needed life into this title. The story is pretty good despite the heavy handed bird references throughout the interior monologue. I’d check it out.

Justice League Dark also is the start of a new creative team. I checked it out because I really like the new series writer, Jeff Lemire’s work. It was a great read, with nice art from Mikel Janin plus we find out another Golden Age hero was active in this New 52 Continuity, Zatara. I’d love to see a team-up between Zatara, Vigilante, Frankenstein, Lennox, Madam Fatal, and Shade set in World War II. They’d make a motley crew — a magician, a cowboy, a monster, a demigod, a cross-dresser, and a human shadow. 

New 52 Uncle Sam

With the announcement of the Phantom Lady series last week. I have seen a bit of speculation on which Quality Comics/Freedom Fighters character we’ll next see. Most of the guesses are Black Condor or Uncle Sam. I think most people missed Uncle Sam’s first New 52 appearance in The Ray #4.

Earth 2 News from Kapow

CBR has covered the DC New 52 Panel at the Kapow Comic Convention. During the panel some Earth 2 related things came up.

Of the omissions, the panel said the lack of a “Justice Society of America” title was one they were aware was missing, and had spent a lot of time figuring out what makes them different from the JLA. In this case, the new “Earth 2” title by James Robinson and Nicola Scott was designed to feel very different and accessible. Addressing the crowd, DiDio asked, “was anyone really confused by multiple earths?” One fan spoke up, telling DiDio that as a newcomer to comics he wasn’t sure how the previous Earths had fit together, but that he “loved” the new “Earth 2” series, but was disappointed that Earth 2 Superman died. “Well yeah, but is he dead?” DiDio countered, prompting Bob Wayne to interrupt him with a fake coughing fit.

Discussing how they had “planted” Karen Starr in the DCU before the reveal that she was Power Girl, DiDio also pointed readers to the recent New 52 Free Comic Book Day story, which the Co-Publisher said contained “lots of easter eggs” that would pay off in the future.

Shazam was also brought up.

Asked whether Captain Marvel/Shazam would get his own New 52 title, DiDio replied “Not in the second wave…” Wayne again interjected, “We have not acknowledged a third wave!”

Go read the full coverage. 

Preview: The Savage Hawkman #9

Complex has a preview of The Savage Hawkman #9. Joe Bennett does a good job of making this Hawkman costume look better. It still has that “Total Justice Fractal Armor” feel.