Alan Scott in the Green Lantern 80th Anniversary *spoilers*

[Bored at 3:00AM]

Maybe then. But even so there's no guarantee that it will be brought up much less brought up well.

There's no guarantee of anything being good, but that's no reason to assume it'll be bad before you've even read it. How about we give it a chance before dismissing it?

[Bored at 3:00AM]

Or you could do a new character and a new team in that era. Like Watchmen.

I'm sure the JSA series will be introducing new characters and teams, much like Roy Thomas's All Star Squadron did, but I think it's important that the JSA proper have prominent members who can explore this stuff.

[sifighter]

The upcoming JSA book is supposed to be set in the 1940s, not the modern day.

I hope not, I like the originals don’t get me wrong, but I want Stargirl, Cyclone, Jakeem, Damage, Rick Tyler, Jesse Quick/Libery Belle, and etc. If we bring the JSA back I want the line-up we got in Doomsday Clock, if not that then we might as well have left the past versions in the present after Doom War.

[Timothy Hunter]

But if the idea is to explore Alan's life as a closeted gay man in the 1940s, you can't do that with a new legacy character.

You could retroactively create a new 1940s gay character to be a member of the JSA, but wouldn't that feel like a bigger cheat than exploring that one of their previously established members was in the closet?

The majority of retcons are cheap and contradictory. They can work occasionally, but most of the time they conflict with what was previously established about that character.

I would probably be supportive of this change the trope of retroactively altering elements of the past wasn't so common place, but that's not the world we live in. Building on the past instead of focusing on the present is cliche, convoluted and lazy, but unfortunately it's the go to route for writers such as Geoff Johns and Scott Snyder.

[Frontier]

I'm cool with Alan still being into men although this makes me wonder how Jade and Obsidian are going to exist now.

The story itself is still rather simplistic as expected from Tynion and I feel like the one handling it should have been James Robinson considering he does have a history with Alan and understands his character. Seriously, why the hell is Tynion here? I had enough of him in Batman already. Great Frank art though.

I can't help but think the sexuality aspect is why Tynion ended up writing it, at least in part.

The upcoming JSA book is supposed to be set in the 1940s, not the modern day.

I don't know if that's still happening with 5G being kaput. Especially with how popular some of the JSA legacies are.

(And I say this as someone who would read a classic JSA book).

But if the idea is to explore Alan's life as a closeted gay man in the 1940s, you can't do that with a new legacy character.

You could retroactively create a new 1940s gay character to be a member of the JSA, but wouldn't that feel like a bigger cheat than exploring that one of their previously established members was in the closet?

I mean, I wouldn't feel any more cheated then if they retroactively added more women to the roster, but that's just me.

[Vordan]

As long as Jade and Obsidian still exist, I’m totally fine with Alan being gay. I’ll be honest: it makes me way more interested in him than I was before, because it adds a whole different kind of wrinkle to him operating in the 1940s-1950s.

[Frontier]

As long as Jade and Obsidian still exist, I’m totally fine with Alan being gay. I’ll be honest: it makes me way more interested in him than I was before, because it adds a whole different kind of wrinkle to him operating in the 1940s-1950s.

I mean, it honestly just doesn't register to me too much because even if it is a factor now I don't see it dramatically changing his character that much.

[Gaius]

Agreed. There's already gay characters in the modern day that you can tell stories with, so New 52 Alan didn't really interest me, whereas this does. It's the dichotomy of the classic '40s superhero being a closeted gay man that makes this something new we haven't really seen before.

Yes, I was a bit disappointed when Alan was first gay but it only as a part of the larger reinvention of the JSA characters that brought them to the modern world. I think provides a lot of interesting story possibilities for the more classic version especially if Jade and Obsidian are still in his future.

[Robanker]

As long as Jade and Obsidian still exist, I’m totally fine with Alan being gay. I’ll be honest: it makes me way more interested in him than I was before, because it adds a whole different kind of wrinkle to him operating in the 1940s-1950s.

Alan's always been my favorite GL since I read JSA but my appreciation of this reveal is contingent on Jade and Todd sticking around.

The reveal of him being a closeted gay man works with little heavy lifting needed. It works. You can tell some interesting stories with him given his past. Some characters can make sense with this sort of retcon and Alan works well enough.

I was somewhat against it just because I don't like changing characters too much and I was worried we'd lose Todd, but still, Alan works. I don't recall him ever being much of a lady's man despite the marriages.

Just keep his kids.

I mean, it honestly just doesn't register to me too much because even if it is a factor now I don't see it dramatically changing his character that much.

Basically. He was never particularly interested in sex or romance that I can recall in, what, thirty years? It's not like we had a wealth of stories where Alan was interested in women since, perhaps, some time pre crisis.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

I can't help but think the sexuality aspect is why Tynion ended up writing it, at least in part.

I don't know if that's still happening with 5G being kaput. Especially with how popular some of the JSA legacies are.

(And I say this as someone who would read a classic JSA book).

I mean, I wouldn't feel any more cheated then if they retroactively added more women to the roster, but that's just me.

I know that Black Canary was getting retroactively pushed earlier into the JSA's history, but, like you said, who knows what's going to happen now that 5G's been rejiggered into something else. I don't think the plan in terms of the JSA has changed all that much given that they've already published stories featuring Wonder Woman debuting in 1938 inspiring both Jay and Alan.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

I hope not, I like the originals don’t get me wrong, but I want Stargirl, Cyclone, Jakeem, Damage, Rick Tyler, Jesse Quick/Libery Belle, and etc. If we bring the JSA back I want the line-up we got in Doomsday Clock, if not that then we might as well have left the past versions in the present after Doom War.

If the 1940s book is successful, I think you'll quickly see a JSA: Young All-Stars type book featuring Stargirl and the young JSAers, particularly now that the TV show has brought them to the attention of a wider audience. Very curious to see what the rebirthed Beth and Yolanda will be like since they never really got much of a chance in the comics.

[Robanker]

If the 1940s book is successful, I think you'll quickly see a JSA: Young All-Stars type book featuring Stargirl and the young JSAers, particularly now that the TV show has brought them to the attention of a wider audience. Very curious to see what the rebirthed Beth and Yolanda will be like since they never really got much of a chance in the comics.

Let Power Girl lead it!!

A little more on topic, JSA never worked better than when it was a mix of young and old. Let's go additive instead of splitting them up!

[Bored at 3:00AM]

I mean, it honestly just doesn't register to me too much because even if it is a factor now I don't see it dramatically changing his character that much.

That's why I think it's a good retcon. Retcons that contradict what we know and love about the DCU always end up failing anyways. It's the additive retcons that stick. Since Alan's personally life was never a strong selling point for the character, this kind of retcon has the potential to make him more interesting.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

Let Power Girl lead it!!

A little more on topic, JSA never worked better than when it was a mix of young and old. Let's go additive instead of splitting them up!

Sure, the more JSA the better, as long as the creative team is right. Don't forget, the post-Johns JSA era was pretty terrrible.

[Frontier]

I know that Black Canary was getting retroactively pushed earlier into the JSA's history, but, like you said, who knows what's going to happen now that 5G's been rejiggered into something else. I don't think the plan in terms of the JSA has changed all that much given that they've already published stories featuring Wonder Woman debuting in 1938 inspiring both Jay and Alan.

I'm still not sure how I feel about that...

If the 1940s book is successful, I think you'll quickly see a JSA: Young All-Stars type book featuring Stargirl and the young JSAers, particularly now that the TV show has brought them to the attention of a wider audience. Very curious to see what the rebirthed Beth and Yolanda will be like since they never really got much of a chance in the comics.

I honestly don't see DC publishing two JSA books. The 1940's book would probably be more likely a mini to lead into a modern JSA book ala the Johns run.

That's why I think it's a good retcon. Retcons that contradict what we know and love about the DCU always end up failing anyways. It's the additive retcons that stick. Since Alan's personally life was never a strong selling point for the character, this kind of retcon has the potential to make him more interesting.

I mean, again, since it doesn't change him too much it just feels like a non-issue to me, so I just don't see it mattering in the long-run. I think just him and his kids being around is more pertinent.