DC Comics has been making big changes as of late. They are rewriting the status quo and opening themselves up to a wealth of possibilities without being constricted by years of convoluted comic book canon. One such example of these changes is evident in March’s release of Infinite Frontier #0 an opening to DC’s Omniverse. Through the 64 page special features wonder woman in learning the new expansive, limitless horizons that are to be the DC universe. Interwoven in the issue are short chapters featuring familiar heroes, setting new benchmarks for their upcoming titles.
In the chapter, ‘Green Lantern: Alan Scott’ by writer James Tynion IV and artist Stephen Byrne, the original Green Lantern comes out to his adult children, heroes; Obsidian and Jade. Being one of DC Comics’ oldest heroes Alan Scott has faced countless world-ending threats defining heroism to an entire generation, and in this story, we see him working to find the courage to tell his children the truth.
Set within the Justice Society Headquarters the family of heroes shares a very private and touching conversation. Alan begins to explain how he has always kept a part of himself hidden from the world, from the women he’s shared his life with his children. A setup for a grand exposition is cut short as his son, Obsidian, prods him to just say it “just say the words” already comforting him that his children will love him no matter what. And like that, the words come out, “I’m gay”. A prolifically simple truth relayed with intelligence and warmth it deserves. Alan, here in this scene, defines what courage is.
In his interview with Newsarama Tynion states:
“First off, there was a promise made a number of years ago when the Earth 2 books were coming out as a part of the ‘New 52’,” he says. “That’s when the Earth 2 version of Alan Scott came out and the DC publisher made the promise that Alan Scott, from here on out, would be a queer character across the DC Multiverse and the premiere gay male hero of the larger DC mythology.”
“As we started bringing back the classic version of the Justice Society and we started down the road that we knew was going to end with a reunified history of the DC universe, a history that has the Justice Society back in the ’40s, that has Infinity Inc. popping up as the next generation of the Justice Society, and all of the relationships that came out of that, it was really important to me that this promise be kept.”
“One thing that I was really, really adamant about was this: I heard some casual conversations about how to make it work. Do we erase Jade and Obsidian from continuity, or do we want to tweak them so they’re not Alan Scott’s children?
“My answer: no. Alan Scott is a queer man who was an adult in the ’40s who then had an extended life because of everything that he’s been involved with, and there are so many adult queer men with adult children. It’s a very human experience.”
Tynion succeeded here where so many before have failed. Alan Scott is set up as an aging prominent hero who’s spent years in the public eye battling villains and threats but privately running, hiding from his own fears. The character depth that has been infused through Tynion’s writing has made the story of Alan Scott relatable on an emotional plane. If this is the level of world-building DC plans to offer its readers throughout Infinite Frontier #0 then we will be in good hands.
Green Lantern was created in the 1940s by Martin Nodell and a long-standing member of the World War II era Justice Society. The character of Alan Scott is intrinsically tied into the history of DC Comics. A different version of Alan Scott appeared in the 2012 Earth-2 series and while this version of Alan Scott was openly gay, but he was also not tied to the prime universe.
Now Alan Scott is back in the prime universe and now it would seem after so many years his story is complete.
Evan Conroy
Ron Peterson