Last Friday the minds behind DC comics gave their devout readership something to sink their teeth into: In the newest incarnation of The Green Lantern comics — wherein Alan Scott, the original Green Lantern hero, is young again — it will be revealed that Scott is gay. The news was received with fanfare the Internet-wide, for the most part. 




It’s a realistic depiction of society. You have to move with the times.

said James Robinson, the series’ creator, to the New York Post. And it’s true. While some might view this as an opportunistic ploy to make a grand statement on a still touchy issue, the point is that whether or not everyone wants to talk about it, a lot of people are gay. While Robinson didn’t have to broach the issue, we can’t assume he did so solely to make a political gesture. After all he still has comic books to sell.

And as we might expect, one group in particular isn’t happy. The same one that protested the gay wedding issue of the Archie comics digest, and the same one protesting there existing a gay character in the Marvel series X-Men (he’s a wedding planner): One Million Moms. One “mom” tweeted:

Children desire to be just like superheroes. Children mimic superhero actions and even dress up in costumes to resemble these characters as much as possible. Can you imagine little boys saying, ‘I want a boyfriend or husband like X-Men?’

It seems that the whole world isn’t quite ready for a hero who plays for the Other Team. But perhaps that’s the point.

What’s your take on DC’s decision to have The Green Lantern “come out?”

[image, source, source]