Golden Age Harlequin (Molly Mayne) Appreciation 2021

[MajorHoy]

First appearance: All-American Comics #89 (September 1947)



To be continued . . .

[MajorHoy]

A few more pages from Golden Age Harlequin's first appearance in All-American Comics #89 (September 1947):



To be continued . . .

[Thor-Ul]

Don't waste your time Molly. Really.

[Robanker]

Poor Molly. History has not been kind to her.

[signalman112]

Poor Molly, it's all a Dream.

MollyMayne.jpg

[MajorHoy]

from Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe Vol. X (December 1985)

[Thor-Ul]

It is almost like she would return to villiany. Understandably.

[MajorHoy]

It is almost like she would return to villiany. Understandably.

But she wasn't really a "villain" in the first place.

She wasn't evil as much as mischievously trying to gain Green Lantern's attention.

[Thor-Ul]

Well, she was a villian for a while. Even if it was briefly. But I don't know how much is canon that right now. Or how much has been retconed out.

[CaptCleghorn]

Honestly, Molly seeing Alan's true sexuality and still trying to break him of that habit seems like it would be a great way to use both old and new developments in GL's history to support Alan and Molly's marriage as a marriage of convenience in the less progressive days. I think it works without needing to change much in DC Golden Age history.

[Thor-Ul]

Honestly, Molly seeing Alan's true sexuality and still trying to break him of that habit seems like it would be a great way to use both old and new developments in GL's history to support Alan and Molly's marriage as a marriage of convenience in the less progressive days. I think it works without needing to change much in DC Golden Age history.

Uh, that would make Molly looks worse. Without knowing she seems like a naive girl who just fell in love with the wrong guy, knowing it would put her on silver age Lana Lang obssesion level, who wants to marry an specific guy on a whim.

[CaptCleghorn]

Uh, that would make Molly looks worse. Without knowing she seems like a naive girl who just fell in love with the wrong guy, knowing it would put her on silver age Lana Lang obssesion level, who wants to marry an specific guy on a whim.

Her quest isn't to marry him, but to "fix" him. That would have fit into the late Golden Age timeframe beliefs. Nothing about Molly said naive and what she pulled off in those days was pretty competent, if misguided. As time went on, Alan and Molly grew closer and the "no"s faded in the original stories. With the new setup for Alan, they can also get to know each other better, Alan sees Molly has her good aspects and a marriage for show works. The worst part about her is she has outdated mid 20th century beliefs on sexuality. Don't forget that originally she was committing crimes to get closer to him.

[Thor-Ul]

So he married her for pity? Well, I have hear worse motives for a wedding. But still it doesn't make her looks good.

[CaptCleghorn]

So he married her for pity? Well, I have hear worse motives for a wedding. But still it doesn't make her looks good.

Let's take this slowly as you're not getting this well at all.

In the original stories, Molly committed crimes and eventually went to the side of right in order to get close to Alan Scott because she liked him. The two originally grew attracted to each other and they eventually married through some bizarre Roy Thomas history I'm not crazy about.

Now, Alan is gay. In the days when Molly was chasing him, being gay was unpopular and could seriously damage a person's reputation. The only difference in the current characterization is Alan would not have or develop sexual feelings for Molly, but the two could still respect and care for each other. Many marriages in those days were for convenience to cover up one or two homosexual spouses. You might think pity, but these are still two characters who care for each other even if one no longer is sexually attracted to the other.

[Thor-Ul]

Let's take this slowly as you're not getting this well at all.

I am not accepting your justifications, you mean. We are in a disagreement and we are not going to coincide.

In the original stories, Molly committed crimes and eventually went to the side of right in order to get close to Alan Scott because she liked him. The two originally grew attracted to each other and they eventually married through some bizarre Roy Thomas history I'm not crazy about.

Very golden age kind of story, ok, that is understable. Tastes I suppose. that story was my first encounter with the characters. (What the hell, it was the first story from when I started reading and I have certain emotional attachment to the story. Sorry if I sound hostile). It was a journey through the memory of the characters, and the revelation of the origin of Jade and Obsidian. A very detailed tale in the way Roy Thomas used to do than make me want to know more about them.

Now, Alan is gay.

By editorial decree.

In the days when Molly was chasing him, being gay was unpopular and could seriously damage a person's reputation.

Unpopular is a euphemism. People could get killed by bigots for that (In someplaces of the world stil it is doing, sadly). But we are talking the 40s, the 50s, the 60s o more recently? Remember Alan and Molly married in 1985, real time, only to Alan being banished sometime later in limbo until 1992.

The only difference in the current characterization is Alan would not have or develop sexual feelings for Molly, but the two could still respect and care for each other. Many marriages in those days were for convenience to cover up one or two homosexual spouses. You might think pity, but these are still two characters who care for each other even if one no longer is sexually attracted to the other.

I soppose many people still marries for convenience these days, too. But, marring for convenience at their 60 years old? In those same past times where gay people was ostracized, how common was to older people get married? Past certain age there was no need to be married. And if we applied a sliding timescale, would had Alan the need to marry Molly? Alan at that age had no need to get married, nor Molly, if the wedding would had been recently. The point is in the argument of that story, from that annual, the heart of the story was the banishment of illusions and appearances. Now, this retcon only said than Alan replaced one illusion for other and used Molly as his protection. Honestly, I would prefer than the wedding with Molly/Harlequin and all that romantic story would be erased from continuity and they be only friends than being used as cover for Alan's orientation.