Alan Scott: The Green Lantern by Tim Sheridan and Cian Tormey (New Golden Age)

[The Darknight Detective]

I have friends, coworkers and family that are gay. Zero problems and none of my business. All of the couples I know except one includes a partner from a previous marriage and has kids (I'm in my 40s)

But as soon as I saw the who was writing the book and the title of it, my knee jerk reaction was "This probably won't be a Superhero Book, its another LGBTQ Focus Story"

I think the problem many fans have including myself what Tim Sheridan is doing is taking 80+ years of Alan Scott's History and flushing it down the toilet so he can tell a story he wants. I loved having a group of superheroes coming together to form the Justice Society of America to make the world a better place. Its such a great Golden Age Story. Instead, Sheridan feeds us this bullcrap that J Edgar Hoover persecuting Scott and forcing him into this team as American Propaganda.

But instead of reading my feedback, of course the knee jerk response from this writer is, "If you don't like this, then you're a homophobe!"

Well, Alan has been gay for over a decade now, so it's not like Sheridan created this out of whole cloth by himself. Personally, the idea of a closeted superhero during that era is a very interesting one and worth pursuing. Now would Alan have been my top pick for this story? No, because there were other GA superheroes whose love life weren't really explored (unlike Alan's). But their codenames don't have the marquee value of a Green Lantern, which is why he got the call for the sexuality switch over the others.

Just look at it as an alternate-universe Alan (which he essentially is) - the same guy, but with a noticeable difference. How he juggles those wives (if DC goes there) will be fun to follow, at any rate.

[j9ac9k]

I have friends, coworkers and family that are gay. Zero problems and none of my business. All of the couples I know except one includes a partner from a previous marriage and has kids (I'm in my 40s)

But as soon as I saw the who was writing the book and the title of it, my knee jerk reaction was "This probably won't be a Superhero Book, its another LGBTQ Focus Story"

I think the problem many fans have including myself what Tim Sheridan is doing is taking 80+ years of Alan Scott's History and flushing it down the toilet so he can tell a story he wants. I loved having a group of superheroes coming together to form the Justice Society of America to make the world a better place. Its such a great Golden Age Story. Instead, Sheridan feeds us this bullcrap that J Edgar Hoover persecuting Scott and forcing him into this team as American Propaganda.

But instead of reading my feedback, of course the knee jerk response from this writer is, "If you don't like this, then you're a homophobe!"

How is Sheridan telling the "story he wants" any more than any other writer? And it's only been one issue - how did that one issue flush 80+ years of history down the toilet? Talk about knee-jerk reactions. (and you know the complaints started before the issue even came out)

And while I didn't like the J Edgar scene either, that scene doesn't affect the JSA's origin - they already existed and had their origin before this story. The newspaper refers to the team as having the approval of the FBI, but it doesn't seem like he created them or anything. Hoover's looking to take control of the team and co-opt them for his purposes - that's what it looks like to me. And we have no idea where that's going, so ... I'll wait and see when it comes to that storyline.

[MajorHoy]

Well, Alan has been gay for over a decade now, . . .

Not exactly. The Golden Age version of Alan was only brought back in Dumbsday Clock, which started six years ago.
Prior to that, it was an alternate version of Alan / the JSA, no matter how much DC tried to sell us on the "return" of the actual Justice Society back in 2011.

[The Darknight Detective]

Not exactly. The Golden Age version of Alan was only brought back in Dumbsday Clock, which started six years ago.
Prior to that, it was an alternate version of Alan / the JSA, no matter how much DC tried to sell us on the "return" of the actual Justice Society back in 2011.

There was zero possibility of having a straight Alan on any Earth after the New 52. The backlash would have been pretty big had DC returned to that template again.

[andersonh1]

But instead of reading my feedback, of course the knee jerk response from this writer is, "If you don't like this, then you're a homophobe!"

Attacking the readership has never seemed like a good sales strategy to me. But it continues to happen.

[Godzilla2099]

There was zero possibility of having a straight Alan on any Earth after the New 52. The backlash would have been pretty big had DC returned to that template again.

No, it wouldn't have. The groups making these 'backlashes' are extremely small that probably don't even read comic books in general. They only appear to make a large amount of noise because they have a larger mega phone than they should have. The media loves their drama.

I only recall Alan's Character Gay during the alternate version of Earth 2

Attacking the readership has never seemed like a good sales strategy to me. But it continues to happen.

It's a horrible strategy. Many aren't 'toxic fans.' If their feedback reflects on the character's history then they're actual readers.

I can understand dealing with negative feedback is frustrating but the last thing in the world I'm doing is telling my customers to take a hike if they aren't happy with the updates I create for the software company I work for. Of course we want new customers but we sure as hell don't want to loose the current ones we have either.

I don't see how this is any different for a comic book company. I thought the ultimate goal was to sell books and make a profit.

[The Darknight Detective]

No, it wouldn't have. The groups making these 'backlashes' are extremely small that probably don't even read comic books in general. They only appear to make a large amount of noise because they have a larger mega phone than they should have. The media loves their drama.

How many characters that were created straight, but later were seen to be either bi or gay, reverted back to be exclusively straight? Now you can argue that the New 52 Alan wasn't the same as the original, but unless that version was still around now, the GA Alan wasn't going to be heterosexual anymore to fill that particular vacuum.

[thwhtGuardian]

Attacking the readership has never seemed like a good sales strategy to me. But it continues to happen.

Excepting making him gay isn't an attack on the readership.

[MajorHoy]

How many characters that were created straight, but later were seen to be either bi or gay, reverted back to be exclusively straight? Now you can argue that the New 52 Alan wasn't the same as the original, but unless that version was still around now, the GA Alan wasn't going to be heterosexual anymore to fill that particular vacuum.

But Nu52 Alan was made gay since his son (Obsidian) was no longer in existence. When true Golden Age Alan was brought back, so was gay Obsidian, negating the need / reason for any gay Alan.

[Godzilla2099]

How many characters that were created straight, but later were seen to be either bi or gay, reverted back to be exclusively straight? Now you can argue that the New 52 Alan wasn't the same as the original, but unless that version was still around now, the GA Alan wasn't going to be heterosexual anymore to fill that particular vacuum.

That Alan Scott was from an alternate universe. Then the author should have used that alternate universe character or even Obsidian to fill in that part of the story.

[skyvolt2000]

No, it wouldn't have. The groups making these 'backlashes' are extremely small that probably don't even read comic books in general. They only appear to make a large amount of noise because they have a larger mega phone than they should have. The media loves their drama.

It's a horrible strategy. Many aren't 'toxic fans.' If their feedback reflects on the character's history then they're actual readers.

I think the issue is the loud echo chamber that you talked about earlier tends to drown out everyone else.

And to be fair to the writer-if he is getting all that backlash before a single issue is out-can you blame him for his reaction?

And what is the feedback in question? If all the feedback has NOTHING to do with the story is it feedback? It has to be about the story. There has to be evidence you read the book and not just focus on certain scenes. Which is what the echo chamber tends to do.


Like The Darknight Detective pointed out-Sheridan didn't change Alan. That was someone else. He is just writing what editorial approves. Same with the writers of Iceman, Midnighter, Apollo, Nubia, Tim, Alan's son, Batwoman and so on.

How is Sheridan telling the "story he wants" any more than any other writer? And it's only been one issue - how did that one issue flush 80+ years of history down the toilet?

This is a point folks are missing. It's been one issue.

I mean how much history has been changed? How many other heroes have popped out of nowhere and history has not been flushed?

History gets adjusted all the time in media.

Did we not have Sentry and Blue Marvel at Marvel Comics and they were Golden Age era folks? Who vanished and came back. Blue Marvel ignored a TON of events before returning.
Boom Studio Power Rangers is doing it.
T'Challa didn't have a biological sister-Shuri was his step sister and about his age.
Marvel still has not explained Miles Morales, his family and friends who SHOULD NOT fit in the main universe.

[skyvolt2000]

But Nu52 Alan was made gay since his son (Obsidian) was no longer in existence. When true Golden Age Alan was brought back, so was gay Obsidian, negating the need / reason for any gay Alan.

No it really doesn't.

It opens the door for Alan to deal with the topic and maybe help his son deal with his sexuality.

Alan can tell his son what he had to do to deal with hiding who he was because of the era that he was in.

There is a bigger story there that probably could have been this mini series.

Although I would have done it in a OGN myself instead of floppies.

And use this mini for something different with Alan.

[The Darknight Detective]

That Alan Scott was from an alternate universe. Then the author should have used that alternate universe character or even Obsidian to fill in that part of the story.

DC wants to tell a JSA story set during the 40's, though, so that kind of eliminates those two options.

[witchboy]

That Alan Scott was from an alternate universe. Then the author should have used that alternate universe character or even Obsidian to fill in that part of the story.

There should be room in the universe for more than one gay man.
All gay men aren't the same. They're telling a very different story with Alan. A gay JSA member back in the forties opens up completely unexplored storytelling opportunities.

[amerigo178]

Yes, it is an interesting idea. But why not create anew hero to fill that role.
Instead, he uses an established hero, one with 80+ years of history and trashes it to tell his story
The original creators never intended this for their character. And this meant to be the original not a10 year old
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