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Alan Scott: The Green Lantern #1-6
Alan Scott: The Green Lantern
The JSA’s greatest hero faces his greatest villain, in a powerful story of courage showcasing DC’s original Green Lantern in an all-new light!
The Green Lantern is the most powerful member of the JSA, beloved by all of America, but his personal life is a well-kept secret. Both his public and private life are threatened when he’s framed by a mysterious killer, and the victims are people from his past!
This is a story about love, about fear, and most of all about courage to stand up to that fear. Alan Scott's past is the key to his future when the Red Lantern appears, ready to strike down the mighty Green Lantern! Can Alan Scott stop his enemy's monstrous plans?
Alan Scott: The Green Lantern by Tim Sheridan and artist Cian Tormey is the first solo series starring DC’s first Green Lantern in decades, telling an emotional story of a closeted gay hero in the 1940s. Alan Scott: The Green Lantern is part of DC’s The New Golden Age initiative, alongside Wesley Dodds: The Sandman and Jay Garrick: The Flash, reinvigorating some of DC’s most enduring characters.
This volume collects Alan Scott: The Green Lantern #1-6.
The Green Lantern is the most powerful member of the JSA, beloved by all of America, but his personal life is a well-kept secret. Both his public and private life are threatened when he’s framed by a mysterious killer, and the victims are people from his past!
This is a story about love, about fear, and most of all about courage to stand up to that fear. Alan Scott's past is the key to his future when the Red Lantern appears, ready to strike down the mighty Green Lantern! Can Alan Scott stop his enemy's monstrous plans?
Alan Scott: The Green Lantern by Tim Sheridan and artist Cian Tormey is the first solo series starring DC’s first Green Lantern in decades, telling an emotional story of a closeted gay hero in the 1940s. Alan Scott: The Green Lantern is part of DC’s The New Golden Age initiative, alongside Wesley Dodds: The Sandman and Jay Garrick: The Flash, reinvigorating some of DC’s most enduring characters.
This volume collects Alan Scott: The Green Lantern #1-6.
144 pages, Paperback
Published September 24, 2024
24 people are currently reading
141 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews
October 19, 2024
4.5 ✨️s, actually. I just really don't like the artwork very much. Otherwise, this is a beautiful, powerful, life-affirming ret-con that actually works!
August 21, 2024
I saw a preview of this book in a different comic and was so intrigued I decided to have a read. I have no knowledge of Alan Scott. He’s the first Green Lantern but sort of fell away after the Golden Age. Apparently, in the New-52, he was revealed to be gay. Which really messed things up for the timeline given that Alan is also the father of two other superheroes.
I didn’t know any of this when I started reading the comic, but you don’t need to to get into the story. While this mini series is, to my mind anyway, a comprehensive explanation for the retcon, it is also a heart-breaking examination of the suppression of love and identity in the supposed Golden Age. I was on the verge of tears during much of the book because it was so sad. So so sad. And it’s not even the worst thing any of us have read of, or know about, what the gay and queer community have had to endure. And continue to endure today. It just, I guess, seemed so crushing for someone who is a superhero to have to feel so much guilt and shame for loving other men, and for him to feel like he had no recourse but to eventually live a lie anyway. At least he didn’t get beat up on a regular basis, unlike his gay kin. But then again, he went through hell in Arkham, so, not much was smooth sailing for him. And in the end, to preserve the timeline and ensure his kids are born, Alan ends up living as a straight man for decades anyway. That sucks.
The story is interesting, even though I didn’t understand all the lore about the Lanterns. Alan is a soldier and a scientist on a very specific mission during the war, which is when he meets Johnny and it’s love at first sight for Alan. Their romance plays out in secret, and it’s sweet but also, as I said heartbreaking. Of course things go sideways, but Alan keeps bouncing back. A stint at Arkham and finally being claimed by the Lantern later, and Alan is still unshakable.
And that’s when there’s a twist in the tale. You think you know what the twist is, but it’s a lot more—and I go back to this again—heart-breaking than you thought. It was so weirdly affecting to read.
The essence of this book is betrayal by one’s own country. These characters feel like they are beholden to bigger fish, but those fish don’t care about them. Alan and the Red Lantern are meat, weapons, small fry, disposable, to their governments. I found it interesting how the book leans into just how nasty and insidious J Edgar Hoover was, and how Alan got caught in a bind with him, but was able to break through in the end.
But the Red Lantern’s story was horrifying. So little shown, so much more implied. It’s scary how brainwashed some people can be that they welcome their own pain. I know American books and media love to point fingers at how other countries do this to their people, but drinking the kool-aid is an American coinage. Just saying. But at least the book does posit that all countries have bad guys in power.
Part of me refuses to believe that Johnny was truthfully saying that he never loved Alan. Like, really mate? He still calls Alan ‘my love’, but is that snark and sarcasm, or hiding the truth? In any case, the fact is that the love of Alan’s life came back from the dead but as a villain who claimed to have never loved him. And then it seems the two encountered one another several times afterwards and what, just had to fight each other like there wasn’t this backstory of love behind them? The more I think about it, the sadder I get.
I knocked a star off because this series should have been longer. I felt the last issue was too rushed, and some of the dialogue and art didn’t quite sync up to make a cohesive narrative. I also think they should have given us more story—the fourth issue ends up with a lot of exposition. That too is heart breaking, though. Love how the creators connected Alan’s resilience to live and love with the power needed to be a Green Lantern, willpower.
There’s a weird thing this book does—there’s a snippet of the story in the Pride book. You won’t miss much of the story without that bit, but it lends just a tiny bit more context to one particular flashback scene.
My one big criticism would be, once Johnny is killed, Alan moves on pretty fast to other flings. I would have liked the creators to make it more obvious that he was still grieving, but maybe he was trying to move on with his life and make the most of it? Or something. Alan’s heart is totally with Johnny, so it’s a disconnect that he loves so quickly again.
The Arkham Asylum bits needed to be longer—not the torture stuff—but you’re writing a commentary on the deplorable state of mental health care and discrimination against anyone who’s different, there has to be more substance. I am glad that it seems Billie was ok in the end and she’s a burlesque singer at the end of the book, it looks like. Good to have closed the loop on that subplot. But I still don’t know how Billie was able to make the lantern that charges the ring. Like how’d she know to make that and where did she get the materials needed for it? Still don’t know.
There’s very little of the JSA in this. I don’t know them much, so I’m fine with that. I like how the Spectre, a man of god who is not religious, puts Alan at ease about his sexuality.
The art is gorgeous in this book. The character faces are expressive, the colours are beyond stunning. I was drawn into the story all the more deeply because of the beautiful artwork.
Can I just say, I want to read more of Alan. But the Alan who’s comfortable with his sexuality and finding new partners. Kinda like Bobby Drake and his gay renaissance. But I don’t know if that’ll happen. I mean, Bobby doesn’t get much page time anymore, so would Alan fare any better?
That last panel though, so lovely. Like, I can’t get over how emotional I got during this series, and that last panel should be a mantra that every queer person recites to themselves when they’re down.
I didn’t know any of this when I started reading the comic, but you don’t need to to get into the story. While this mini series is, to my mind anyway, a comprehensive explanation for the retcon, it is also a heart-breaking examination of the suppression of love and identity in the supposed Golden Age. I was on the verge of tears during much of the book because it was so sad. So so sad. And it’s not even the worst thing any of us have read of, or know about, what the gay and queer community have had to endure. And continue to endure today. It just, I guess, seemed so crushing for someone who is a superhero to have to feel so much guilt and shame for loving other men, and for him to feel like he had no recourse but to eventually live a lie anyway. At least he didn’t get beat up on a regular basis, unlike his gay kin. But then again, he went through hell in Arkham, so, not much was smooth sailing for him. And in the end, to preserve the timeline and ensure his kids are born, Alan ends up living as a straight man for decades anyway. That sucks.
The story is interesting, even though I didn’t understand all the lore about the Lanterns. Alan is a soldier and a scientist on a very specific mission during the war, which is when he meets Johnny and it’s love at first sight for Alan. Their romance plays out in secret, and it’s sweet but also, as I said heartbreaking. Of course things go sideways, but Alan keeps bouncing back. A stint at Arkham and finally being claimed by the Lantern later, and Alan is still unshakable.
And that’s when there’s a twist in the tale. You think you know what the twist is, but it’s a lot more—and I go back to this again—heart-breaking than you thought. It was so weirdly affecting to read.
The essence of this book is betrayal by one’s own country. These characters feel like they are beholden to bigger fish, but those fish don’t care about them. Alan and the Red Lantern are meat, weapons, small fry, disposable, to their governments. I found it interesting how the book leans into just how nasty and insidious J Edgar Hoover was, and how Alan got caught in a bind with him, but was able to break through in the end.
But the Red Lantern’s story was horrifying. So little shown, so much more implied. It’s scary how brainwashed some people can be that they welcome their own pain. I know American books and media love to point fingers at how other countries do this to their people, but drinking the kool-aid is an American coinage. Just saying. But at least the book does posit that all countries have bad guys in power.
Part of me refuses to believe that Johnny was truthfully saying that he never loved Alan. Like, really mate? He still calls Alan ‘my love’, but is that snark and sarcasm, or hiding the truth? In any case, the fact is that the love of Alan’s life came back from the dead but as a villain who claimed to have never loved him. And then it seems the two encountered one another several times afterwards and what, just had to fight each other like there wasn’t this backstory of love behind them? The more I think about it, the sadder I get.
I knocked a star off because this series should have been longer. I felt the last issue was too rushed, and some of the dialogue and art didn’t quite sync up to make a cohesive narrative. I also think they should have given us more story—the fourth issue ends up with a lot of exposition. That too is heart breaking, though. Love how the creators connected Alan’s resilience to live and love with the power needed to be a Green Lantern, willpower.
There’s a weird thing this book does—there’s a snippet of the story in the Pride book. You won’t miss much of the story without that bit, but it lends just a tiny bit more context to one particular flashback scene.
My one big criticism would be, once Johnny is killed, Alan moves on pretty fast to other flings. I would have liked the creators to make it more obvious that he was still grieving, but maybe he was trying to move on with his life and make the most of it? Or something. Alan’s heart is totally with Johnny, so it’s a disconnect that he loves so quickly again.
The Arkham Asylum bits needed to be longer—not the torture stuff—but you’re writing a commentary on the deplorable state of mental health care and discrimination against anyone who’s different, there has to be more substance. I am glad that it seems Billie was ok in the end and she’s a burlesque singer at the end of the book, it looks like. Good to have closed the loop on that subplot. But I still don’t know how Billie was able to make the lantern that charges the ring. Like how’d she know to make that and where did she get the materials needed for it? Still don’t know.
There’s very little of the JSA in this. I don’t know them much, so I’m fine with that. I like how the Spectre, a man of god who is not religious, puts Alan at ease about his sexuality.
The art is gorgeous in this book. The character faces are expressive, the colours are beyond stunning. I was drawn into the story all the more deeply because of the beautiful artwork.
Can I just say, I want to read more of Alan. But the Alan who’s comfortable with his sexuality and finding new partners. Kinda like Bobby Drake and his gay renaissance. But I don’t know if that’ll happen. I mean, Bobby doesn’t get much page time anymore, so would Alan fare any better?
That last panel though, so lovely. Like, I can’t get over how emotional I got during this series, and that last panel should be a mantra that every queer person recites to themselves when they’re down.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 30, 2024
5 stars for fantastic LGBT representation, great artwork, and a cool storyline. Highly enjoyable read, and I would read again.
October 28, 2024
As a gay man myself, I found this to be incredibly powerful on several levels. That feeling of isolation, unwarranted hatred, and confusion of one's self. Just immensely brilliant, imo.
Not to mention how utterly GORGEOUS the art is! Holy man this book was beautiful.
Overall - 5/5
Not to mention how utterly GORGEOUS the art is! Holy man this book was beautiful.
Overall - 5/5
December 4, 2024
A sad and downbeat adventure of the Golden Age Green Lantern has a closeted Alan Scott struggling with his sexuality and homophobia in the 1930s and 1940s. Meanwhile all his exes are dying, and the Soviets are up to some international power move.
Plot developments vary between predictable, abrupt, or really dumb. The climactic battle is especially silly and pointless. Overall it was too long and melodramatic for me, with the heavy LGBTQ+ themes interrupted or clashing too often with the comic book socko-blammo stuff.
FOR REFERENCE:
Contents: Past Prologue [DC Pride: Through the Years #1] -- Into the Fire [Alan Scott: The Green Lantern #1] -- Conversion [Alan Scott: The Green Lantern #2] -- A Spectre Calls [Alan Scott: The Green Lantern #3] -- Resurrection [Alan Scott: The Green Lantern #4] -- Red Scare [Alan Scott: The Green Lantern #5] -- All That May Become a Man [Alan Scott: The Green Lantern #6]
Plot developments vary between predictable, abrupt, or really dumb. The climactic battle is especially silly and pointless. Overall it was too long and melodramatic for me, with the heavy LGBTQ+ themes interrupted or clashing too often with the comic book socko-blammo stuff.
FOR REFERENCE:
Contents: Past Prologue [DC Pride: Through the Years #1] -- Into the Fire [Alan Scott: The Green Lantern #1] -- Conversion [Alan Scott: The Green Lantern #2] -- A Spectre Calls [Alan Scott: The Green Lantern #3] -- Resurrection [Alan Scott: The Green Lantern #4] -- Red Scare [Alan Scott: The Green Lantern #5] -- All That May Become a Man [Alan Scott: The Green Lantern #6]
October 22, 2024
This is definitely one of my top reads of 2024.
Holy guacamole, this book was firing on all cylinders.
I just couldn’t stop reading, the art, colors, and story had me hooked from start to finish. Phenomenal character study, great use of flashbacks, and the journey that Alan went through is heartwarming, yet he still grows throughout the book and doesn’t remain stagnant either.
Highly recommended.
Holy guacamole, this book was firing on all cylinders.
I just couldn’t stop reading, the art, colors, and story had me hooked from start to finish. Phenomenal character study, great use of flashbacks, and the journey that Alan went through is heartwarming, yet he still grows throughout the book and doesn’t remain stagnant either.
Highly recommended.
July 14, 2024
This book came highly recommended so I had to read it. I have fleeting knowledge of Alan Scott, but this book doesn’t require one to have prior information. You can dive right in.
I loved this book! The art is gorgeous. Very rich but stylistically 1930s to capture the time period.
This is a bittersweet book. Alan’s struggle with his sexuality is borne out of society’s bigotry and he seesaws between being happy to be loved, and considering himself a sinner. It’s tough to read, especially the Arkham story, which was infuriating but sadly realistic.
I did find the book quite verbose. Huge monologues and long dialogues. Ufff, it got a bit much.
The final issue was also very rushed. Everything got neatly wrapped up but I want to know more about Alan’s intervening years. That last line though. Tears.
Now, where do I go to read more modern interpretations of Alan Scott?
I loved this book! The art is gorgeous. Very rich but stylistically 1930s to capture the time period.
This is a bittersweet book. Alan’s struggle with his sexuality is borne out of society’s bigotry and he seesaws between being happy to be loved, and considering himself a sinner. It’s tough to read, especially the Arkham story, which was infuriating but sadly realistic.
I did find the book quite verbose. Huge monologues and long dialogues. Ufff, it got a bit much.
The final issue was also very rushed. Everything got neatly wrapped up but I want to know more about Alan’s intervening years. That last line though. Tears.
Now, where do I go to read more modern interpretations of Alan Scott?
October 29, 2024
A really well-handled retcon that merges New 52 and legacy continuity in a character-driven story about love, identity, and betrayal. The writer did a fantastic job, and I personally enjoyed the art. Would be very pleased to read more.
October 6, 2024
With a message of love, light, and empowerment, this is a book that is likely to be a beacon for even more fans of the original Green Lantern.
March 13, 2025
Alan Scott: Green Lantern is a mostly satisfying reintroduction of the original Green Lantern, giving Scott a gay backstory that (happily!) never feels forced. The melodrama levels are high, especially as it's revealed .
Much of the book is framing story - frames within frames, really, as we jump through time. That tends to make the plot hard to follow, and that same plot is further muddled through the paragraphs of dialogue. The text bubbles are BIG here.
Still, the art is fantastic, and it's lovely to see a strong gay hero and storyline (even if Scott mostly has to hide his sexuality in the early 20th century setting). A welcome read, for sure.
Much of the book is framing story - frames within frames, really, as we jump through time. That tends to make the plot hard to follow, and that same plot is further muddled through the paragraphs of dialogue. The text bubbles are BIG here.
Still, the art is fantastic, and it's lovely to see a strong gay hero and storyline (even if Scott mostly has to hide his sexuality in the early 20th century setting). A welcome read, for sure.
February 16, 2025
Tim Sheridan e Cian Tormey fazem um ótimo trabalho desenvolvendo a primeira aventura de Alan Scott como um homem gay no Universo DC. Eles fazem isso voltando no passado e estabelecendo que o primeiro dos Lanternas Verdes era gay desde antes de sua origem. Para isso, eles criam a dicotomia das chamas verde e vermelha, e também Jonny Ladd, que era namorado de Scott ao mesmo tempo que servia como um espião comunista. Ladd acaba se tornando a nêmese Lanterna Vermelho anos depois de ter sido dado como morto. Para quem é gay e conhece a história da sua identidade e suas lutas vai ser uma leitura ainda mais especial, já que temos uma retratação fidedigna de como os "sodomitas" e "invertidos" eram tratados pela sociedade nos anos 1940. Outro mérito da minissérie é não tratar gays como tokens ou como algo especial demais ou esquisito demais, mas como um relacionamento entre duas pessoas que a sociedade proíbe e n��o aceita. Tim Sheridan é um autor queer e isso faz toda a diferença ao retratar personagens também queer. Temos, então, uma aventura empolgante e uma história de construção de identidade e de certa forma, uma história de amor, nem que seja um amor na forma de respeito por si mesmo.
February 28, 2025
3.6 stars
January 20, 2025
What if we were on the verge of a world war and you were a Soviet spy with the power of the red lantern light and I was an engineer with the power of the green lantern light and we fell in love? What if the messenger of god told me that I was the saint and those who tried to hurt me for my sexuality were unredeemable in the eyes of God? What if I time traveled and gave my younger self a letter telling him that everything would be okay in the end so that he fights to keep living another day? What if I was on a team of people who loved me for me? What if I was Alan Scott?
January 19, 2025
My only complaint is that Alan’s speech to Hoover at the end felt pretty weird. Since, if he was willing to stand up against bigotry, why didn’t he do that anyways if even if he wasn’t outed? I know his life would’ve really difficult but it’s supposed to be a heroes’ job to stand up and fight for the ones that can’t.
Still, DC GIVE TIM ANOTHER LANTERN BOOK, not just a short story on an anthology.
Still, DC GIVE TIM ANOTHER LANTERN BOOK, not just a short story on an anthology.
April 17, 2024
Under a better writer, there’s a kernel of a good story in here somewhere.
Sadly it is buried under a mess of book; awful pacing, zero structure to a single issue and poor structure to the overall series, terrible dialogue, next to no characterisation.
Shame, because this character is probably unlikely to see a solo title for about another 20 years now.
Sadly it is buried under a mess of book; awful pacing, zero structure to a single issue and poor structure to the overall series, terrible dialogue, next to no characterisation.
Shame, because this character is probably unlikely to see a solo title for about another 20 years now.
June 30, 2025
100% outstanding, narratively complex with unexpected twists, intelligent writing and historical accuracy by Tim Sheridan, excellent artwork/pencils by Cian Tormey and near perfect inkling and coloring by a top-notch team.
This is a graphic novel featuring the 1940’s original Green Lantern, Alan Ladd-Scott. In the last couple of decades, DC Comics revealed Alan was gay; the novel does a nifty job of shifting time frames between the 20’s, 30’s and 40’s, and the writer knows his history (including the infamous “blue” discharge papers the army used to mark “deviants”). It touches on shock therapy, religious issues, the red scare, and does it all by exploring Alan’s first love. Again, simply outstanding. I’m sending copies to my best friend and I’m considering using it in a college course I teach as it introduces layered and nuanced issues, both historical and contemporary.
This is a graphic novel featuring the 1940’s original Green Lantern, Alan Ladd-Scott. In the last couple of decades, DC Comics revealed Alan was gay; the novel does a nifty job of shifting time frames between the 20’s, 30’s and 40’s, and the writer knows his history (including the infamous “blue” discharge papers the army used to mark “deviants”). It touches on shock therapy, religious issues, the red scare, and does it all by exploring Alan’s first love. Again, simply outstanding. I’m sending copies to my best friend and I’m considering using it in a college course I teach as it introduces layered and nuanced issues, both historical and contemporary.
March 24, 2025
"Alan Scott: The Green Lantern" combines captivating artwork and strong storytelling to produce a new and refined origin story for a classic Golden Age character. Grounded in the main character's experience as a Gay man in a time when violence, denial and repression was a social norm this book tells a story of resilience, determination and hope while weaving in elements from pulp fiction, the Red Scare and the back story of the Green Lantern Corps. GL and Golden Age fans looking for something new and fresh are in for a thought provoking and moving experience with this book.
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January 5, 2025Dnf
beautiful story about accepting yourself in a society that despises you with interesting religious discussions, which got destroyed by adding unnecessary villanization and cartoonish version of the Soviet Union, americans pls let go of mccarthyism i beg
beautiful story about accepting yourself in a society that despises you with interesting religious discussions, which got destroyed by adding unnecessary villanization and cartoonish version of the Soviet Union, americans pls let go of mccarthyism i beg
December 30, 2024
Absolutely loved every minute of this, devastating parts and all.
January 1, 2025
One of the best stories I have read in comics the last few years.
July 29, 2025
oh my god
August 2, 2025
Além de ter uma arte linda essa história ainda foi tão doce mesmo na quantidade enorme de tristeza que temos que acompanhar o Alan enfrentar.
November 10, 2025
The use of the Green Lantern ring as a comparison to marriage AND 'willpower' used to explore queer themes. ABSOLUTE CINEMA.
September 24, 2024
An interesting mix of reality (‘don’t ask, don’t tell) and the superhero world (lanterns!) made Alan Scott The Green Lantern an interesting read. Never quite hitting the highs it could it is nevertheless a good read that does strike a few chords. At times it’s a little on the nose but given the story involves people super powered by cosmic lanterns and rings that’s not a bad thing.
3/5
3/5
June 17, 2025
So, this is my second time reading this beauty and, man, I still love so much that this exists. I wish it had some kind of continuation or importance in the current JSA book.
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Todavía recuerdo cuando empecé a leer cómics, allá en 2017, y lo mucho que me emocioné cuando me enteré que DC había hecho un elseworlds, "Earth-2", en el que había un Green Lantern gay. Me leí la serie completa y aunque no tenía mucho peso y se había quedado solo en esa serie, sentí mucha emoción. Imaginen mi sorpresa cuando se confirmó que Alan Scott sería canónicamente gay en la continuidad principal y ahora imagínense lo que estoy sintiendo ahorita después de leer esta preciosidad de historia. Creo que nunca antes un escritor había aprovechado tanto seis tomos de historieta, que en muchos casos resultan muy restrictivos. Tim Sheridan hizo brujería. Contó una historia magnífica, pasional y emotiva, sin dejar cabos sueltos e incluso poniendo pinceladas extra. Se sintió no solo su amor por el personaje sino por la comunidad. El mensaje, que de va construyendo desde el principio y llega a su última forma en la última página, es simplemente contundente. Tardaré mucho en superar esta historia y creo que sobra decir que se ha convertido en uno de mis cómics favoritos de todos los tiempos.
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Todavía recuerdo cuando empecé a leer cómics, allá en 2017, y lo mucho que me emocioné cuando me enteré que DC había hecho un elseworlds, "Earth-2", en el que había un Green Lantern gay. Me leí la serie completa y aunque no tenía mucho peso y se había quedado solo en esa serie, sentí mucha emoción. Imaginen mi sorpresa cuando se confirmó que Alan Scott sería canónicamente gay en la continuidad principal y ahora imagínense lo que estoy sintiendo ahorita después de leer esta preciosidad de historia. Creo que nunca antes un escritor había aprovechado tanto seis tomos de historieta, que en muchos casos resultan muy restrictivos. Tim Sheridan hizo brujería. Contó una historia magnífica, pasional y emotiva, sin dejar cabos sueltos e incluso poniendo pinceladas extra. Se sintió no solo su amor por el personaje sino por la comunidad. El mensaje, que de va construyendo desde el principio y llega a su última forma en la última página, es simplemente contundente. Tardaré mucho en superar esta historia y creo que sobra decir que se ha convertido en uno de mis cómics favoritos de todos los tiempos.
February 21, 2025
o preço de ser você.
uma das melhores sensações quando leio um gibi é a de que algo foi feito sob medida para me agradar ou seria o tipo de história que eu gostaria de pagar um ingresso para assistir numa tela grande. é ainda mais complicado quando se é gay e se ver em tela é tão raro ainda quando não é em algo que busca meramente o romance ou somente o humor? super-heróis? na editora mais tradicional da história? mesmo em pleno 2025, ainda é complicado.
então, imaginem minha surpresa ao perceber o quanto isto aqui me quebrou, do melhor jeito. me lembrou um pouco da toda a reconstrução histórica do quão difícil era ser queer nos anos 40. não que seja tão fácil hoje em dia, mas é bizarro pensar que poucas décadas atrás era possível ser assassinado sem nenhuma possibilidade de investigação ou simplesmente ser caçado em rua pública. ser restringindo a parques escuros, a bares secretos. nas sombras.
trazer tudo isso para dentro do universo DC e especialmente para todo o pano de fundo da sociedade da justiça da américa é uma outra sacada muito inteligente. gosto de como cada edição desta minissérie explora uma faceta diferente de alan scott, o mais poderoso dentre os membros da sociedade, e o tornam tão incrivelmente relacionado mesmo ele sendo um padrão muito típico. todo o segmento onde ele se interna no arkham é tão assustador pelos ecos da realidade quanto pela violência que ele está disposto a sofrer para “ser curado.”
o mistério, de certa forma, é a parte mais fraca. a identidade do grande vilão, o lanterna vermelho, é óbvia desde o começo. o que chama a atenção mesmo é o jeito como isso se conecta com os temas centrais da história, e também como o autor tim sheridan e sua parceria com cian tormey na arte elevam muito os momentos emocionais que batem bem quando precisam bater. além disso, é impressionante como conseguiram conectar a mitologia de alan scott com o lore maior dos lanternas verdes que todo mundo conhece.
acho que é o tipo de gibi que eu fico feliz de que foi feito. um estudo de personagem sólido sobre como o maior pecado é não ser fiel a si mesmo. um grande filme poderia ser daqui, viu?
uma das melhores sensações quando leio um gibi é a de que algo foi feito sob medida para me agradar ou seria o tipo de história que eu gostaria de pagar um ingresso para assistir numa tela grande. é ainda mais complicado quando se é gay e se ver em tela é tão raro ainda quando não é em algo que busca meramente o romance ou somente o humor? super-heróis? na editora mais tradicional da história? mesmo em pleno 2025, ainda é complicado.
então, imaginem minha surpresa ao perceber o quanto isto aqui me quebrou, do melhor jeito. me lembrou um pouco da toda a reconstrução histórica do quão difícil era ser queer nos anos 40. não que seja tão fácil hoje em dia, mas é bizarro pensar que poucas décadas atrás era possível ser assassinado sem nenhuma possibilidade de investigação ou simplesmente ser caçado em rua pública. ser restringindo a parques escuros, a bares secretos. nas sombras.
trazer tudo isso para dentro do universo DC e especialmente para todo o pano de fundo da sociedade da justiça da américa é uma outra sacada muito inteligente. gosto de como cada edição desta minissérie explora uma faceta diferente de alan scott, o mais poderoso dentre os membros da sociedade, e o tornam tão incrivelmente relacionado mesmo ele sendo um padrão muito típico. todo o segmento onde ele se interna no arkham é tão assustador pelos ecos da realidade quanto pela violência que ele está disposto a sofrer para “ser curado.”
o mistério, de certa forma, é a parte mais fraca. a identidade do grande vilão, o lanterna vermelho, é óbvia desde o começo. o que chama a atenção mesmo é o jeito como isso se conecta com os temas centrais da história, e também como o autor tim sheridan e sua parceria com cian tormey na arte elevam muito os momentos emocionais que batem bem quando precisam bater. além disso, é impressionante como conseguiram conectar a mitologia de alan scott com o lore maior dos lanternas verdes que todo mundo conhece.
acho que é o tipo de gibi que eu fico feliz de que foi feito. um estudo de personagem sólido sobre como o maior pecado é não ser fiel a si mesmo. um grande filme poderia ser daqui, viu?
January 12, 2025
"The story I'm going to tell you is about an unquenchable fire. The kind that burns across all time, igniting and lighting our way to the most essential corners of human existence-death, life, and power, in other words...a love story."
This is a love story of all kinds: the love between lovers, between friends, for country, for self. On the surface it's simple and straightforward: a 20's set murder mystery that fills in the back story of the original Green lantern of publishing. For continuity it does a lot of heavy lifting well: retconning Alan Scott's previous history as a straight, married man into the modern revelations of him living as a closeted gay hero; uniting the green and red lantern mythology of the original incarnations with the modern Guardians of the Universe aspects; explaining the on-page longevity of the main character.
But, at its heart, its about a exes rediscovering each other and trying to find the central core of each other that still unites them and their humanity. The LGBT+ themes are front and center in both unique and story-trodden ways. But they fit the story well and try to more organically show Alan Scott's journey to the man he is in modern DC continuity.
I thought Tormey's art was a great fit. It had a "classic" feel to it without looking standard or dated. I particularly enjoyed the depiction of Spectre, with a creepy facial overlay when he was in his Spectre form. The love scenes were handled with tenderness and a lack of camp or cheesecake as well, which was refreshing.
All in all, I enjoyed this mini-series. It was a good "encapsulated" story that reached a clear ending rather than try to set-up something else. It did not reach the greatness of Exit Stage Left: The Snagglepuss Chronicles, previously reviewed years ago, but it is a fine companion piece worth reading.
This is a love story of all kinds: the love between lovers, between friends, for country, for self. On the surface it's simple and straightforward: a 20's set murder mystery that fills in the back story of the original Green lantern of publishing. For continuity it does a lot of heavy lifting well: retconning Alan Scott's previous history as a straight, married man into the modern revelations of him living as a closeted gay hero; uniting the green and red lantern mythology of the original incarnations with the modern Guardians of the Universe aspects; explaining the on-page longevity of the main character.
But, at its heart, its about a exes rediscovering each other and trying to find the central core of each other that still unites them and their humanity. The LGBT+ themes are front and center in both unique and story-trodden ways. But they fit the story well and try to more organically show Alan Scott's journey to the man he is in modern DC continuity.
I thought Tormey's art was a great fit. It had a "classic" feel to it without looking standard or dated. I particularly enjoyed the depiction of Spectre, with a creepy facial overlay when he was in his Spectre form. The love scenes were handled with tenderness and a lack of camp or cheesecake as well, which was refreshing.
All in all, I enjoyed this mini-series. It was a good "encapsulated" story that reached a clear ending rather than try to set-up something else. It did not reach the greatness of Exit Stage Left: The Snagglepuss Chronicles, previously reviewed years ago, but it is a fine companion piece worth reading.
September 29, 2024
3.5! The blend of cape and message was done really well. I like Green Lantern and I like stories about the LGBT experience. How could I not give this a positive review? The focus on LGBT life in the past is really interesting and I enjoyed how it was covered. The atrocities and silencing of that time weren't hidden but the strength of those back then weren't ignored either. They even tie in the Red Lantern (or the magical Alan Scott GL not space cop Hal Jordan GL equivalent) into internalized homophobia which was a nice thematic tie. The cape element is done pretty well. This is a story about gay experiences and the battle for self-acceptance (dare I say the willpower to do so) in such a time. The cape is mostly there to make it a DC story and to keep this a mainline DC story although again it does tie its message and focus into it quite nicely.
Sheridan does a good job of also balancing Alan Scott as separate from the larger GLs while keeping other elements like the focus on emotions and willpower to keep it still tied thematically. It does it in its own way though which I appreciate as Alan Scott is his own thing.
Cian Tormey does the art for the whole thing and it is great. The past moments are done in that circle-y art deal like old comic strips which is a lovely touch. The artstyle is crisp and clean. There seems to be special attention to Lantern lights and they look spectacular. I do wish some pages were a bit more open. Many panels felt squished or not large enough for the moment but that could be a page issue or up to the writer depending on how it was decided.
Sheridan does a good job of also balancing Alan Scott as separate from the larger GLs while keeping other elements like the focus on emotions and willpower to keep it still tied thematically. It does it in its own way though which I appreciate as Alan Scott is his own thing.
Cian Tormey does the art for the whole thing and it is great. The past moments are done in that circle-y art deal like old comic strips which is a lovely touch. The artstyle is crisp and clean. There seems to be special attention to Lantern lights and they look spectacular. I do wish some pages were a bit more open. Many panels felt squished or not large enough for the moment but that could be a page issue or up to the writer depending on how it was decided.
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