Greetings @LanternCorps!
This series of posts is to discuss the latest issues of Green Lantern. This issue can be read here.
Feel free to use any, all, or none of the questions below as discussion starters.
Previous discussion can be found here
As a fan of the JSA, I’m fairly familiar with Alan Scott and enjoy him as a character. Admittedly, I’m not expert no him and sometimes it’s tricky remembering how exactly his powers work and come from now that we have the GLC. But I really like the guy.
This issue reference some story from a Pride one-shot. Is that really necessary to read before jumping into this? That’s the only thing I’m confused about. Aside from that, very engaging first issue
It’s been a minute since I read the Pride issue, but I think everything that’s said there is also reiterated on here.
If anyone is curious, the other story is in the DC Pride: Through The Ages one-shot, which collects the coming out stories for characters like Pied Piper, Batwoman, and Lee Serano, as well as the original story that helps set up this one.
I enjoyed this issue, but if I’m being honest, my favorite part was the newspaper at the beginning. I love it when they throw in random funny things like that.
That’s a hard one, because while the issue was very good, it’s also a harder read than the other GL books going on, given the subject matter. I guess I’ll go with the intimate scenes between Johnny and Alan – even though we only really get a few pages of Johnny, you really get to feel their chemistry and get why they’re together. It’s sweet, but bitter, knowing that it’s not going to last…
That Alan is apparently not a natural blonde. 
Seriously, I would say that while the “dead” partner I saw coming a mile away, seeing Alan in Arkham Asylum afterwards was surprising, especially with what the next issue tease, “Conversion,” implies. The fact that we see Alan being blackmailed by Hoover was also a surprise.
Overall, the way that this story handles Alan’s sexuality was a bit surprising, since a lot of stories in both DC and Marvel when it approaches queer content has done so with a very fluffy way, with no real obstacles and problems coming from it. Which is understandable to a degree – we wouldn’t want our heroes or their beloved supporting cast to say or do some messed up stuff – but telling stories about the struggles gay people experience is an important one, because they exist still even today, let alone in the 30s and 40s.
Familiar, sure, but I think with Alan, DC hasn’t really done a lot of stuff with Alan as a solo character – we usually see him in relation to the JSA, or the GLC, or even other smaller teams like Checkmate. But I don’t think he’s gotten a solo story since…the 40s?
1) What was your favorite part?
The scenes between Alan and Johnny. As a gay man, I liked seeing this relationship play out on the pages of the comic
2) Was anything surprising to see?
The fact that GL isn’t fond of working with the JSA.
3) Are you familiar with Alan Scott? If so, how do you think this version compares?
I knew of him, but I wasn’t an avid reader of JSA, so I wasn’t familiar with him as a hero or a character. That’s the reason I have for the answer to question #2, I assumed he was portrayed more as a team player. Here he seems more of a “Lone Wolf”.
