Green Lantern Out of the Closet

[son_of_montfort]

It's the same line of reasoning that made them think Superman renouncing America was a good idea.

Of course, now that they rebooted, he hasn't done that...  :)

[Smuckatelli]

You goys...except for buffalo boy are missing the point. This is a rewrite of cultural history. Bring a new hero into the comics just don't do revisionist stuff with cultural history.

[Centurion40]

Don't forget that Marvel has Alpha Flight and that entire team is gay.

Sigh.  I'd argue, but there really is no point.  It is what it is.

[mirth]

Don't forget that Marvel has Alpha Flight and that entire team is gay.

Sigh.  I'd argue, but there really is no point.  It is what it is.

I was going to write a formal apology for my comment about Alpha Flight, but instead I'm just going to use Jason Alexander's apology to GLAAD for calling cricket gay.

http://www.glaad.org/blog/actor-jason-alexander-apologizes-jokes-made-cbs-late-late-show

[Centurion40]

[MIGMaster]

Sgt. Rock and the Haunted Tank were DC Comics, right ? They were the only DC comics that ever caught my attention. I always liked Sgt. Rock over Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos. Probably the only sub-genre DC did better than Marvel.

[Staggerwing]

I ran across this while checking out the CBS new show list:

[meadbelly]

^Almost certainly intentional. Jim Parsons recently confirmed his sexual orientation.

(Which may very well be staggerwing's point!)

[Martok]

I ran across this while checking out the CBS new show list:

That's too funny...and appropriate! 

[Jack Nastyface]

I think the move to "gay up" the Green Lantern will probably fail, or at least become a plot-line that sees little attention.

DC always lagged behind Marvel in humanizing their characters.  Most Marvel characters have some kind of character weakness or frailty that they had to struggle with, whereas the DC guys just busted bad guys.  Frank Miller's now famous "Dark Knight" series was so positively received by the comic-reading world specifically because it was really the first time we saw so much more of Bruce Wayne "the man" instead of "the secret identity".  In fact, when it was first released, some comic-industry watchers commented that DC was finally "Marvelizing" their superheros.  The Superman reboot occured around the same time, IIRC.

I personally don't mind re-inventing the characters or story...so long as the content stays compelling.  Many mainstay characters have had reboots or revisions.  In the "original" comic, Matt Murdock trained himself to be The Man Without Fear; later storylines (also penned by Miller) had him learn aspects of his trade from a mystical martial arts master (Stick).  Thor started out as a god-turned-into-frail-human; later he becomes a God earth-bound by choice.  Even the Haunted Tank makes a re-appearance in Gulf War I.

Having said all that, I think it is fairly clear that more and more media outlets are comfortable with "gay friendly" agendas.  Times were that gay characters were typically portrayed as suspicious deviants or a effeminate wimps.  Now they are often just portrayed as characters that happen to like characters of their own gender.  Of course, some cases of homosexual attraction are completely understandable (Starz network Spartacus) but in other cases it is mostly or even oddly absent (Troy, Alexander, 300).

Statistically, the LGBT community ALLEGEDLY number 1 in 10.  Although I am somewhat suspicious of the demographic accuracy of that statistic, is it to absurd to have 1 comic book hero (out of the dozens out there) to be openly gay?  Perhaps not.  Again, consider that MOST comic book readers are probably still socially awkward hetrosexuals, the story line will only survive if the content is compelling.

FWIW...here's what happened when Bruce Banner was accosted by two gay guys at the YMCA...
http://www.ep.tc/problems/hulkrape1-1.jpg
http://www.ep.tc/problems/hulkrape2.jpg
http://www.ep.tc/problems/hulkrape3.jpg

(PS...ep.tc also has a link the M-16 maintenance comic book)

Addendum: It occurs to me that DC always did a better with their so-called war comics than with their superheroes.  It is within the pages of "Our Army At War" and "GI Combat" that DC's character development really shines.   Jeb Stuart of the Haunted Tank questions his courage and looks to the spirit of his legendary ancestor J.E.B Stuart for guidance; battle-hardened Sgt. Rock reflects upon the futility and waste that is war while doing his utmost to protect the lives of the men in his platoon; Hans von Hammer is the consumate anti-hero who grimly recognizes that his deadly talents earn him accolades and medals he disdains; while the Unknown soldier must necessarily go wholly unrecognized for his sacrifices and acts.   In particular I recall one episode of the Unknown soldier (3000 to 1 ?) where, disguised as an SS officer, he is forced to kill a female (Jewish?) informer so that he can remain in disguise (and therby effect the escape of many refugees).  Perhaps the depth of the characters was the result of the kind of national / personal introspection that occurs when a nation goes to war (at the time, Vietnam).   FWIW, I think nation-not-at-war / nation-at-war played a key difference in the making of Spielberg's / Hanks Band of Brothers / The Pacific, respectively.

Readers of OaaW probably need not be reminded of the seminal work of Sam Glanzman, whose autobiograpical based war stories of the USS Stevens  were gripping, tragic, funny and informative.

Jack Nastyface