Coming out of Kapow!, headlines formed across comic book media when Dan Didio made an off-hand remark at a panel about the introduction of a new gay character in the DC Universe – an established, “iconic” character that used to be straight. DC Comics has officially revealed that character to be Alan Scott, the original Green Lantern and current cast member of James Robinson and Nicola Scott’s Earth 2 monthly series.
Earth 2 #2, hitting stores Wednesday, holds the reveal (shown below) – though it should be noted that DC hadn’t really planned on making the announcement the big deal it became. I talked to Robinson earlier in the week to talk about the situation, who said, “I thought it would just come out in the book – I’m surprised I’m even doing interviews. Now that I’m doing it, I’m very happy to and I’m glad for the attention because obviously I want my book to be successful, and the attention will hopefully lead to that."
Robinson explained that the genesis of Alan Scott’s homosexuality came to him at the very start of planning out the series. He said that he realized the New 52 would be losing Obsidian – Alan Scott’s biological son, who was actually gay himself – and so his solution was to bring that trait to Alan. Of course, many fans have accused DC of trying to snag headlines through a character’s debut as a gay man, due mostly to the news breaking just as Marvel announced the marriage of Northstar to his boyfriend Kyle. Robinson responded, “The thing is, I first came up with this idea 8 months ago when I started putting the team together. Dan Didio made an off-hand comment at a panel; it wasn’t a big ‘We’re doing a gay character!’ thing. It was the media that ran with it. So in terms of DC headline grabbing, I think they’ve been headlines. I can’t speak for Dan Didio, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he wasn’t as surprised as I am about all the attention that it has gotten.”
For her part, artist Nicola Scott said, “Before starting work on #1, the first document I had to work from was the character breakdowns for our primary players. With Alan the brief was very clear. He needed to be a big, strapping, handsome man that everyone would instinctively follow and love. No short order but right up my ally. Alan strikes me as an incredibly open, honest, and warm man, a natural leader and absolutely the right choice to be Guardian of the Earth. His sexuality is incidental. Every time I draw him I love him even more.”
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But the surprising attention hasn’t affected Robinson’s approach to the character or the series. Of the sudden spotlight, he said, “I was looking at the finished printed book yesterday, so you can’t change anything and it is what it is. If this had happened 5 months ago when I was writing it, maybe it would have changed things. But at this point, I’m busy thinking about the next arc of the book.”
Alan Scott debuted in All-American Comics #16 in 1940, and has little to do with the Green Lantern Corps mythology that most have come to know. Scott’s abilities aren’t based in science/technology but magic, though we have yet to see how his origin as Green Lantern plays out in the New 52 world. Despite the “new” Alan Scott being gay, Robinson assured readers that he’s staying true to the character’s roots in the Golden Age of comics. “Alan Scott back then was an engineer but very quickly he became a radio broadcaster, then he owned the radio station, and then got into television. He was always this dynamic Type A personality; very heroic, very brave, very honorable,” said Robinson. “That’s who Allan Scott is – and yes, a facet of him is that he’s gay, but there’re many, many other facets to the character."
Robinson brought up other members of the Justice Society as well, teasing what’s to come in future issues. “Jay Garrick was this guy straight out of college, very young, very open eyed with a very positive attitude. That’s what this Jay Garrick is. And Ted Grant is a fighter; the essence of who he was in the 1940s. You’re going to see that when you finally see that character.”
He continued, “While I’m updating them and making them younger and changing them in some ways, I’m also trying to be very protective and continue my love of these characters that I’ve always had. When readers see what I’m doing I think they’ll realize that these are still the characters they love.”
Robinson said he isn’t fazed by the controversy and discussion that now surrounds his book. “I did the first gay kiss in comics back in 1998 in Starman, so it isn’t like I haven’t been doing this sort of thing for a while. It just makes good, rounded characters and good, rounded teams. It can be about diversity, but for me, it’s just about the realism.”
He concluded, “If you live in New York or Florida or San Francisco or London, it’s different races, different sexualities. It’s just how the world is, so I’m just trying to reflect that.”
Stay tuned to IGN Comics for our full review of Earth 2 #2 next week.
Source : http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/06/01/the-original-green-lantern-is-dcs-new-gay-character
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