Dressing up as a superhero goes back to the beginning of the comic book genre. I would have guessed most kids would have dressed up as Batman or Superman, but a photograph being shared by NOLA.com shows an early Alan Scott fan ready for action.
On Mardi Gras 1946, Fred Lipps Jr., 13, donned the costume and was photographed at his aunt’s house on Polymnia Street, near the corner of Dryades, in Central City.
A great fan of comic book superheroes, Lipps chose Green Lantern ‘frankly, because I thought the costume was the easiest to reproduce; no fancy cowls, burning flames, wings or such.’
I think this is pretty awesome for a couple of reasons 1) the kid was 13 at the time, and 2) the guys behind him aren’t looking at him like he is some kind of weirdo. Of course it was during Mardi Gras, so his costume may have been tame in comparison.
10 Comments
That…is….AWESOME! Golden Age GL “cosplay” in 1945!
I hate to be this way, but I think this might be fake. Nerdom knows no limits.
Even if it is, it’s still incredibly cool. I made a Golden Age GL costume way back when I was a kid after reading a few JSA and GL story reprints in the old “Giant Size 100 page” books that DC put out that had a new story and then lots of reprints. I have always been a bigger fan of Alan Scott than Hal Jordan unless Jordan’s out hanging around with his fellow GL Corps folks.
Yeah I do like Alan a lot, mostly thanks to THE GOLDEN AGE TPB. You are right, even if it’s a fake, it’s a cool fake.
If I were tall enough I’d make an Alan Scott costume for Halloween, especially now that I’ve got the gray in the hair to match. However, I’d think that a 5’9″ Golden Age Green Lantern would be less than imposing. So I guess my choices are narrowed down to Old Man Logan or Al “Atom” Pratt.
I’d go with the Al Pratt ATOM, that’s a cool choice.
That is freakin’ awesome!!!!! That kid is my hero!
Fake.
Look how the bricks over his head go from being dark and defined to light and blurry, the divide between the two looks like they have bites from a round Photoshop effects tool taken out of them. And parts of the image seem too crisp and other parts too blurry to be the natural effect of an old photograph.
Also that appears to be sepia tone which was more of a nineteenth century photo effect. How many world war two photos have you seen with that red hue?
Also, and this is more my gut talking, that kid doesn’t look right for the era. He looks too healthy and well fed. He looks post bovine growth hormone. Also his hair is too long and clean, not plastered down with greasy kids stuff.
Yeah, I’m not buying it.
Not disagreeing with you on whether it’s real or not (see my conversation with Mr. King above) but “too healthy and well fed”? That’s New Orleans in 1945, not Appalachia in 1938. Broke or rich, folks in the Big Easy could find a way to get some food, as the great Justin Wilson said, “I garantee!”
People look different in different eras. People in the forties didn’t consume bovine growth hormones and high fructose corn syrup. They have a fitter leaner look, even the fat ones.
People in different times live in different environments. Those environments are reflected in their appearance. Food, medicine, lifestyles change the way people look and they change from generation to generation.
And like I said this is just my gut talking, but that kid don’t look right.