Alan Scott: Green Lantern #1 cover, via DC Comics.
Alan Scott: Green Lantern #1 — Tim Sheridan, Writer; Cian Tormey, Artist; Matt Herms, Colorist
Ray — 9/10
Ray: The third of the JSA solo series to debut and likely the most anticipated, this period piece by Tim Sheridan and Cian Tormey unravels the complex history of Alan Scott — now firmly ensconced as DC’s first gay hero. While that makes him a landmark character, it also made him a marked man, as being a closeted gay man in the 1930s and 1940s was a deadly proposition. In the opening segment, we see him blackmailed by J. Edgar Hoover to lend his support to the JSA — a parallel to how Hoover and other federal agents were infamous for blackmailing gay men. However, there are some bright spots in the pre-WW2 period, including a return for Derby “Doiby” Dickles, the tough-talking cabby who was Scott’s sidekick. Here, he’s one of the few people who knows Scott’s secret and doesn’t care, being too practical to worry about who a man wants to share his bed with. But his sexuality is far from Scott’s only secret.
Secrets. Via DC Comics.
While this first issue is entirely a flashback segment, it doesn’t stick to one time period. A flashback to the early 1930s reveals Scott’s first love, a man named Johnny who shared a key military ship with him when they were recruited from the Engineers Corps to perform a secret mission — the search for the Crimson Flame. We saw bits of Johnny and Alan’s connection in the DC Pride Through the Years special, but this issue gave him a lot more personality. However, as with most stories like this in the 1930s, it doesn’t have a happy ending. The search did find the flame, but it wasn’t the simple power source they thought it was. They unleashed a force they couldn’t control, and more than one person paid a terrible price. How does this play into the shocking cliffhanger, and into the mystery of the first Red Lantern who will feature in this series? I don’t know, but I’m fascinated to find out. Sheridan manages to infuse this story with emotion and pain that kicks it up to the next level.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
