And I shall Shed My Light over the Dark Evil: GL Alan Scott Respect/Appreciation

[MajorHoy]

. . . Nostalgia is the whole point of the JSA. They're a reminder of a different era and a different kind of superhero. To modernize Alan in any significant way is to lose what makes the character appealing.

And the way to "modernize" Golden Age characters like Alan Scott is through interactions with younger characters, such as the "legacy" members that were introduced as far back as the Silver Age (grown-up Robin and android Red Tornado back in the 1960s) and continued to be introduced until Flashpoint messed everything up (at least for the Golden Age history and the JSA in particular).
"Modernization" is through an evolution in thinking for Golden Age characters; not a wholesale reworking of who they are/were.

[Jcogginsa]

One of the things that the Earth 2 reimagining made very clear to me is that the appeal of characters like Alan Scott is that the originals are special precisely because they come from a different era. When you attempt to "modernize" those characters, it just doesn't work. They become nothing more than an AU version of the Flash, Green Lantern, etc., and the elements that make then unique are lost. We have six human Green Lanterns already, so what does Alan bring to the table if not the fact that he was the first and that he has adventures and concepts in the 1940s that are very different from every Green Lantern since? Like the other JSA related characters, keeping Alan much as he was in the past, costume, attitudes and all, is the only way to preserve what makes him unique. So I have to completely disagree with you on this one. Nostalgia is the whole point of the JSA. They're a reminder of a different era and a different kind of superhero. To modernize Alan in any significant way is to lose what makes the character appealing.

If the only reason for a character to exist is Nostalgia, then they shouldn't exist

[andersonh1]

If the only reason for a character to exist is Nostalgia, then they shouldn't exist

I don't see why not. It's as valid a reason as any.

[Jcogginsa]

I don't see why not. It's as valid a reason as any.

No, it isn't. Nostalgia is bad

[MajorHoy]

No, it isn't. Nostalgia is bad

How old are you?

(And are you saying I can't buy/read comic books if the only reason I got back into them was because of nostalgia?)

[Jcogginsa]

How old are you?

(And are you saying I can't buy/read comic books if the only reason I got back into them was because of nostalgia?)

No, I'm saying that having a character around solely for Nostalgia is bad. Nostalgia should never be the primary motivation for including something in a story. Glorifying Nostalgia is toxic

[Midnighter]

No, I'm saying that having a character around solely for Nostalgia is bad. Nostalgia should never be the primary motivation for including something in a story. Glorifying Nostalgia is toxic

Without nostalgia the comic book industry would have likely died out years ago and if nostalgia gets people to by a book then all the better.

We all have characters and concepts that we are nostalgic for. I'd by a JLI book in a heartbeat as long as it was true to the core concept and characters. Grew up on them. Love the characters.

[Jcogginsa]

Without nostalgia the comic book industry would have likely died out years ago and if nostalgia gets people to by a book then all the better.

Without Nostalgia, the Comic Book Industry would most likely be in a better place, because there would be more innovation rather than stagnation

[Midnighter]

Without Nostalgia, the Comic Book Industry would most likely be in a better place, because there would be more innovation rather than stagnation

If you choose to believe that that's fine. I still maintain there would be no viable comic book industry without it. What keeps most readers coming back and buying comics is nostalgia, point blank.

You can have all of the innovation in the world but if it doesn't sell then the industry folds. Not much room for innovation in a dead industry that no longer exists.

And on the previous topic , I don't think main universe Alan will be presented as gay. The reason new52 Alan was presented that way ,presumably at least, was because he was too young to have (adult)children ,effectively erasing one of DC's first gay heroes in Obsidian. So they folded that aspect into Alan. This likely won't be an issue here. Hopefully we get Todd and Jenny back too.

[MajorHoy]

Without Nostalgia, the Comic Book Industry would most likely be in a better place, because there would be more innovation rather than stagnation

But would there be more newer, younger readers buying these comic books? Wouldn't many of them prefer playing video games rather than just reading words with pictures?
(Look at how well newspaper and magazine sales are doing, and they probably have less of a nostalgia hook than comic books do.)

[Bored at 3:00AM]

I have no problem with nostalgia in super-hero comics, but that cannot be the primary driver to any character. They don't need to be reinvented, but they need to have new things to say, otherwise you might as well just read their old comics, of which there are plenty to choose from.

[Dataweaver]

Is it just me, or does the whole “emotional spectrum” thing work better in conjunction with a mystical “adventurer with a magic ring” Green Lantern than it does with the more science fiction “space cop with sufficiently advanced technology” version?

That's one thing that the N52 version of Alan Scott lost: there wasn't sufficient emphasis placed on the fact that he wields a mystical flame, that he's a modern-day Aladdin of sorts. There is more to him than just nostalgia; but that “something more” is precisely what got lost in the 2011 reimagining.

[CaptCleghorn]

Is it just me, or does the whole “emotional spectrum” thing work better in conjunction with a mystical “adventurer with a magic ring” Green Lantern than it does with the more science fiction “space cop with sufficiently advanced technology” version?

That's one thing that the N52 version of Alan Scott lost: there wasn't sufficient emphasis placed on the fact that he wields a mystical flame, that he's a modern-day Aladdin of sorts. There is more to him than just nostalgia; but that “something more” is precisely what got lost in the 2011 reimagining.

I must admit the question "What does Alan Scott offer that Hal Jordan doesn't?" is very valid and probably necessary. The mystical 'Aladdin" feel is it. There was a sense that the Earth 2 universe was magic focused and not science focused as the main DC Uuniverse. The finish of the Earth 2 series had the retro feel many fans wanted, but it was as science based as the main universe.

Alan Scott (and Jay and Carter, etc.) need that differentiation. Your thoughts about the emotional spectrum are good and I agree, but I think that ship has sailed. However with a return of the JSA, a return to concepts that make the characters unique is important. Whether or not Alan's gay is potentially less importnat than the basic how is he not Hal Jordan.

[Dataweaver]

A couple of visual differences:

1. Alan's ring shouldn't emit green light, but green flame. This might not seem like much; but it's a visual indication that what Alan wields is not the same thing as what Hal wields.

2. Maybe add some mystical sigil-circles whenever Alan uses his ring.

3. Alan's costume shouldn't be all-green, and should include the collared cape — not just for nostalgia reasons, but also because that design gives off more of a “mystical hero” vibe than the streamlined all-green thing that N52 Earth 2 put him in.

As well, make the lantern a bigger part of Alan's repertoire. Restore its original centuries-long history, from its origins as a green fiery meteorite in ancient China to the prophecy that eventually landed it in the hands of an American train engineer (that is, Alan Scott). But don't stop there: have it continue to speak to Alan, mentoring him in its magical capabilities. Be sure to emphasize that Alan's will fuels the lantern and his imagination shapes its power; that's what it has in common with Hal's ring. But for some of Alan's larger and more elaborate workings, he should resort to meditative techniques such as chants to help focus and direct his will.

The ring should be presented as a conduit that lets Alan wield a portion of the lantern's power without having to bring it with him; but there should be limits on how much he can do without having the lantern with him; and when he does bring it along, the magic should be centered on it instead of the ring — indeed, when the lantern is present, the ring is unnecessary. Heck, start out that even when he's using the ring, it's the lantern that's doing the work: the first time he uses the ring, cut to where the lantern is and show it flaring up as Alan draws upon it from afar.

[andersonh1]

There are times in Alan's original stories where he will speak to the lantern, and it will speak back, and allow him to do things he can't ordinarily do, like time travel. And of course it speaks to him in his origin story as well.

There's one story where he ends up in the past without the lantern and his ring runs out of power, but because the lantern is thousands of years old, it exists in the time period he's visiting, and he's able to recharge his ring and get home. An emphasis on the mysterious and ancient power that Alan now wields might be a good angle to take.